Daily review 15/05/2019
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5:33 pm, May 15th, 2019 - 31 comments
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- What is wrong with our building industry?
Back in the 90's and early 2000's, the building industry was building leaky homes which should never have been granted consent. Now it turns out they've been building dodgy office blocks as well:New imaging technology has revealed hundreds of major buildings nationwide have defective or missing concrete or reinforcing steel. ...2 hours ago - Local bodiesLocal body election results were released over the weekend, to joy or despair depending on where you live. In Auckland, Phil Goff trounced John Tamihere, who is muttering darkly about running for Parliament again (but which party would want him?) Wellington is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weta Workshop, except ...3 hours ago
- Speaker: Catalonia, interrupted
Two years have now gone by since the Friday afternoon when my university-student son and I headed out of our Barcelona flat to a nearby primary school, designated as a polling station for the vote that was to be held the following Sunday: the referendum on Catalonia’s independence from Spain ...2 days ago - Sage Decisions Unwisely Over-Ruled.
Overruled: The joint decision of Finance Minister, Grant Robertson (Labour) and his Associate Minister, David Parker (Labour) arguably the two most powerful ministers in Jacinda Ardern’s government, to grant OceanaGold the consents which Land Information Minister, Eugenie Sage (Greens) had earlier denied them, offers bitter proof of how hard fighting ...2 days ago - Government may ban voting in effort to get more people to do it
More than double the number of people who will vote in this year’s local body elections have tried marijuana or urinated somewhere they shouldn’t have. As local elections look set for the lowest turnout in decades, with many regions falling well short of 40%, the Government is exploring a number ...3 days ago - Woman: Deleted.A Statement on Abortion Law Reform by the Council of Disobedient Women On the eve of bringing an end to antiquated, anti-women abortion laws Green MP Jan Logie intends to write women out of the Bill. With a stroke of the pen, the woke are aiming for total erasure ...3 days ago
- The Hollowest of Men Ride Again… SURPRISE!Musings continue apace about “the experienced businessman!” soon to be taking up a National Party MP position. Or to be more accurate, being parachuted into a seat to shut down their former MP Jamie-Lee Ross, who despite his own shortcomings shed at least some more light on the inner workings ...3 days ago
- BarbaricThe Ugandan government wants to murder gay people:Uganda has announced plans to impose the death penalty on homosexuals. The bill, colloquially known as “Kill the Gays” in Uganda, was nullified five years ago on a technicality, but the government said on Thursday it plans to resurrect it within weeks. The ...3 days ago
- Fighting Monsters.Freedom Of Speech? The Säuberung (cleansing by fire) was the work of the German Student Union which, on 10 May 1933, under the watchful eye of the Nazi Reichminister for Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, consigned 25,000 books to the flames in a ritual exorcism of “un-German thought”. According to the logic of the ...3 days ago
- The next wave of kaupapa Māori politics: its constitutional, it must be.
“There can be no such thing as kaupapa Māori political parties or politics in Aotearoa” (Willie Jackson, Labour Party (2017). Māori TV, General/List Election Special) I begin with that claim because at the time, I was confounded at first that it fell out of Willie Jackson’s mouth, and then ...4 days ago - Reporters deliver uplifting news to fleeing Japanese residents: they won’t miss any rugbyNew Zealand’s media is doing its part in Japan, reassuring those in the path of the storm that they won’t miss any rugby while away from their flooded homes. New Zealand sports reporters stationed in Japan for the Rugby World Cup have had the rare and heartwarming opportunity to inform ...4 days ago
- Government in contentious discussions about whether to put surplus on red or blackRegional Development Minister Shane Jones is the only Cabinet member in favour of putting it all on green. As Finance Minister Grant Robertson finds himself with an enormous $7.5 billion surplus, the Government has begun intense, at times contentious conversations about whether to put the money on red or black at ...4 days ago
- Jordanian teachers’ successful strike has lessons for hereby Susanne Kemp At the start of September close to 100,000 school teachers went on strike in Jordan. They demanded a 50% pay rise. A pay rise actually agreed to by the regime back in 2014. In early October, however, in the face of government repression and threats, the teachers’ ...4 days ago
- The SIS unlawfully spied on Nicky HagerBack in 2011, journalist Nicky Hager published Other People's Wars, an expose on NZDF's activities over the previous decade of the "war on terror". NZDF didn't like this, and especially didn't like the fact that it was base don leaks from their own. So, they had the SIS investigate him ...4 days ago
- October 2019 – Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/7d9133add053/closing-the-gap-october-2019-newsletter ...4 days ago - And they wonder why we think they’re environmental vandals…The Zero Carbon Bill is due back from select committee in two weeks, and will likely pass its final stages in November. So naturally, farmers are planning a hate-march against it. But they're not just demanding lower methane targets so they can keep on destroying the planet; they're also demanding ...4 days ago
- Climate Change: Paying the price in CaliforniaLast year, California burned. This year, to stop it happening again (or rather, to stop themselves from being found liable if it happens again), Pacific Gas and Electric is cutting power to half the state for a week:Schools are closed. Traffic lights down. Tunnels dark. Businesses unopened. Hospitals running on ...4 days ago
- Let’s Hear It For Up-Close-And-Personal, Hard-Copy Democracy!The Best Way: Missing from the on-line voting debate is any reference to the voting system that produces turn-out figures ranging from 77 to 93 percent of registered voters. The voting system used to collect and count the votes cast in our parliamentary elections. The system that involves citizens making ...4 days ago
- 10/10: World Day Against the Death PenaltyToday, October 10, is the world day against the death penalty. Out of 195 UN member states, 84 still permit capital punishment. Today is the day we work to change that. This year's theme is children. Having a parent sentenced to death or executed causes long-term trauma and stigmatization which ...4 days ago
- Talking Freer Lives: a Marxist gender-critical perspective from AustraliaAmong the great new bunch of political friends we have been making recently is the excellent Australian-based Marxist gender-critical site, Freer Lives. So we asked the comrade who set up that blog to write something for Redline on the blog, himself, his analysis of the rise of gender politics and ...4 days ago
- Government spin accepted by union leadershipby Don Franks The Auckland City Mission is struggling with a 40 percent increase in demand for food parcels this year. A total of 23,020 were needed by June. Last month Missioner Chris Farrelly told the Herald the “cupboards are bare” and without an emergency food drive, he can’t see ...4 days ago
- Forbidden Thoughtsby The Council of Disobedient Women Massey Wellington Student Association had a sit-in today. Imagine a sit-in. On a campus. Against a women’s rights meeting. Did the ’60s really happen or did we fucking dream it? They gathered in the student square, an echo chamber. Sitting on soft pillows ...5 days ago
- Much love to my loyal Ukrainian readership
For some reasons, my post about the mystery message from inside the Downing Street bunker seemed to catch people's attention. Quite a lot of hits from NZ (unsurprisingly) and the USA (a bit more puzzlingly, but hi there, USAians!!) and 76 views from the Ukraine.I've celebrated my Ukrainian readers in ...5 days ago - Another day of bonkers GNUmours (again, sorry)First, almost a score of Labour MPs seem to have sent a letter to the EU basically begging them to accept a deal - any deal - just so Britain can get the Heck on with Brexiting instead of being trapped in limbo:
To avoid no deal, deliver on the ...
5 days ago - Labour vs working class immigrants – again!by Phil Duncan In 2016 the National-led government suspended the Parent Visa Category, through which migrants were able to bring their parents into New Zealand. Since then over 5,700 people have been in immigration limbo, stuck on the visa wait list. Labour is now bringing back the scheme. Well, sort ...5 days ago
- Speak Up for Women press statement: on Massey University and Feminism 2020The following was released yesterday (Tues, October 8) by the women’s liberation organisation Speak Up for Women. On 23 September Speak Up For Women announced that we would be holding an event at the Massey University Theaterette in Wellington. The event is called Feminism 2020. The intention of the event ...5 days ago
- Farmers support dirty riversThe government is currently consulting on plans to improve freshwater quality. So naturally, farmers oppose it:South Taranaki farmers are preparing to fight proposed national freshwater changes that some fear will bankrupt them. The Government's proposed National Environment Standard on Freshwater Management, released in September, rated the Waingongoro River as one ...5 days ago
- No-one cares about local governmentYesterday was the last day for (reliably) posting your vote away in local body elections. Turnouts are mostly much lower than the equivalent time last year (Palmerston North is down 2.3%), and so naturally people are pushing their online-voting snake oil again. Because the online census worked so well, lets ...5 days ago
- The political ghosts of eugenics may matter more than the geneticThis essay, on the political legacy of the eugenics movement, by Kenan Malik was originally published in the Observer on 6 October 2019, under the headline ‘The spirit of eugenics is still with us, as immigrants know to their cost’. Birth control. Intelligence tests. Town planning. Immigration controls. It’s striking how ...5 days ago
- “Surplus” againAnother year, and the government has announced another enormous government "surplus". And just like last year, its nothing of the sort. When we have people homeless and sick and hungry, when we have schools and hospitals still falling down, when we have underpaid public servants and infrastucture unmaintained or unbuilt, ...6 days ago
- Inside the Downing Street bunkerJames Forsyth at The Spectator (I know, I know) has tapped one of his contacts inside Number Ten for an insight into the Johnson administration's thinking and strategy.It is fascinating, unsettling and quite, quite mad. Some key points:Negotiations have stalled and the Johnson administration are keen to blame the EU: ...6 days ago
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- Transgender extremism, violence at work against feminist meeting at British Labour Party conferenceby Nick Rogers The debate around the meaning of sex and gender made an appearance at this year’s British Labour Party conference in Brighton. Women’s Place UK – an organisation that questions the demand that biological males who self-identify as woman should have access to women’s spaces, to all-women shortlists, ...6 days ago
- Rebelling in WellingtonYesterday I went down to Wellington to participate in the Extinction Rebellion protest. Its part of the latest global wave of XR actions, with actions happening all over the world. Some of those protests are massively disruptive: in Canada, XR is blocking major bridges, stopping people from getting to work. ...6 days ago
- ‘The Workshop’ – Report: Talking about Poverty and Welfare Reform: A Guide to Strategies that ...The Workshop is a charitable trust for public good. The Workshop undertake research to find ways of communicating that will build support for the solutions that work to solve complex social and environmental problems. See their Report on Talking about Poverty and Welfare Reform below. ...7 days ago
- April 2018 – Submission to the NZ Govt Tax Working GroupYou can read our submission HERE ...7 days ago
- 2018 – Submission to the NZ Government Tax Working GroupRead our submission here ...7 days ago
- Guardian: Poll shows DISASTER for Corbyn and the End of TimesThe Guardian - ever eager to forewarn of doom and disaster on the left - are leading with a new poll from Opinium, which puts the Conservatives 15% clear of Labour.Con 38% +2Lab 23% -1Lib Dem 15% -5Brexit 12% +1Green 4% +2This isn't good news, and it would be very ...1 week ago
- How prostitution became the world’s most modern professionBeing and Being Bought (Spinifex Press, 2013) by Kajsa Ekis Ekman A synopsis and commentary of Chapters 1-2 by Daphna Whitmore Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book She opens the discussion with a definition of ...1 week ago
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- Jermey Corbyn, I don’t like GNU (sorry)So, the latest ruminations on the gnews from Westminster (Again, sorry; I'll stop making that pun right now). This follows on from, and likely repeats bits of, my last post, on the suggestion that a Government of National Unity (GNU) should be set up and then oversee a referendum before ...1 week ago
- New Fisk1 week ago
- About timeNew Zealand likes to think of itself as not a racist country (despite being founded on the racist dispossession and subjugation of Maori). But for years, we've had a racist refugee policy, which basicly excludes refugees from Africa and the Middle East unless they already have relatives here. Now, the ...1 week ago
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- Freer Lives on Violence, debate and Britain’s Gender Recognition ActBelow is the start of another excellent article on the Freer Lives blog. Click onto the link at the end of this extract to read the full article. The punch-a-terf, kill-a-terf message pervades social media, always righteously delivered, chin held high. By contrast, the dehumanised “terfs” themselves, that is gender-critical ...2 weeks ago
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- Freer Lives – a gender-critical Marxist siteFrom time to time we add links to our blogroll. The latest blog we have added is Freer Lives. This is a Marxist gender-critical blog, based in Melbourne, Australia. On it you will find a bunch of excellent articles which use the tools of Marxist analysis to critique the rise ...2 weeks ago
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- Voting in Local Elections
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- September ’19 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image credit: 45 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. ... 2 weeks ago - Parliamentary number crunching [Very sexy]So, more on the possibility of a Government of National Unity (GNU) in Britain.Two things, first. The numbers in parliament make things very difficult. And anyone who is saying X will happen or Y is impossible is spinning. We can not tell and will not know until votes are actually ...2 weeks ago
- Not acceptableThat's the only possible response to Forestry Minister Shane Jones' comments at a forestry awards ceremony that he expected their votes in exchange for the funding he was giving them. He's been called to account for that by the prime Minister, but his response has been to double down and ...2 weeks ago
- Climate Change: Undermining themselvesThe government is promising tough action against climate change via the Zero Carbon Bill and a strengthened ETS. Meanwhile, the Overseas investment Office is granting foreign coal companies permission to expand coal mining:Coal Action Network Aotearoa has slammed a decision by the Overseas Investment Office to allow Bathurst Coal to ...2 weeks ago
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- In defence of free speech: two letters to Massey UniversityIf this is how you propose to defend free speech, then freedom of speech is in grave danger An open letter from James Robb to Jan Thomas, Vice-chancellor of Massey University Massey University in Wellington is the venue for an event on 13 November called Feminism 2020, organised by Speak Up For ...2 weeks ago
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- Week That Was: Managing the Government books responsibly
We're managing the Government books responsibly, helping more Kiwis into homes, and supporting New Zealanders with disabilities. ...3 days ago - Minister Shane Jones issues a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies
Forestry Minister Shane Jones is considering reining in on conversions of farmland to forestry, and also issued a warning to foreign-owned forestry companies that make up nearly 75 per cent of the industry. He said too many foreign companies had not provided enough access for domestic processors to get timber. ...3 days ago - Winston Peters: “NZ First pushed for tightening of parental visa scheme”Speaking to Radio NZ, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said the tightening of the parental category visa is a direct result of the Party’s coalition negotiations with the Labour Party. He said the new changes switch the financial onus from the parent moving to New Zealand to the child ...3 days ago
- Coalition Government to cut red tape in construction sectorThe Coalition Government is set to cut red tape in the building and construction sector in an effort to allow more houses to be built, including prefabricated houses. The changes will enable the mass factory production of "high quality" buildings, slash the likely number of building inspections for factory produced ...3 days ago
- Helping Kiwis into homesSince coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to tackle homelessness and make sure everyone has a warm, dry home. And today, on World Homeless Day, we want to report back and update you on our progress so far. ...4 days ago
- Winston Peters: “Simon Bridges all talk, no action on gangs”New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has hit back at National Party leader Simon Bridges who criticized the Coalition Government’s approach to crime, and said that the latter isn't credible in his attack on the Government over gang recruitment. "We've got as massive drug problem in this country. It is ...4 days ago
- Mānuka honey exporters welcome Coalition Government plan to secure “Mānuka honey” nameNew Zealand Mānuka honey exporters have welcomed an initiative by the Coalition Government to help secure the term “mānuka honey” to be used exclusively by Kiwi exporters, ensuring that our multimillion-dollar industry is protected. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had recently announced that a Provincial Growth Funding of $5.7 ...5 days ago
- “Winston Peters is the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”Political commentator Mike Hosking has labelled New Zealand First leader Winston Peters as “the voice of reason in a government soft on drugs”, for the Party’s stance on drug testing at music festivals. “If common sense is worth a vote, Winston Peters is quids in,” Mr Hosking said. The Labour ...6 days ago
- Turangi, Whanganui receive boost in job training from Provincial Growth FundParliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau has announced Provincial Growth Funding to ensure work opportunities in Turangi and Whanganui, through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi. A fund of $500,000 will go to Rafting NZ in Turangi for a 16-week river guide training course to train ...6 days ago
- Coalition Government produces biggest surplus since 2008, lowest debt levels in almost a decadeTreasury has shown that the Coalition Government has a $7.5 billion surplus, which is $4 billion higher than what was expected in the 2019 Budget unveiled last May. It is also $2 billion higher than the actual surplus unveiled this time last year, and at a size that has not ...6 days ago
- Increase in attacks on police last year, protection for first responders badly neededOfficial Information Act figures released to NZME show there were 350 assaults on officers in the year to the end of June, 79 more than the year before. The increase in attacks have sparked calls for more legal protection for first responders to be enacted. The assaults included officers being ...1 week ago
- Children’s Minister Tracey Martin focused on saving babies lives“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...1 week ago
- Week That Was: Border security and backing our regionsWe're making progress on tackling the long-term challenges: from homelessness, to strengthening border security, to bringing banking back New Zealand's small towns. ...1 week ago
- Shane Jones backs ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to NorthlandAssociate Transport Minister Shane Jones has backed the ambitious plan to move Auckland’s port to Northport, at Whangarei harbour, which he says will be the “King Kong of infrastructure”. The plan is part of the recommendations of a six-person independent working group, which has recommended the Ports of Auckland be ...1 week ago
- Study favours shifting Auckland’s port to Northport at Marsden PointA six-member independent working group selected the option of moving Auckland’s port to Northport, in Whangarei, ahead of other options. In what could be New Zealand’s most ambitious infrastructure project yet, a major expansion of the Marsden Point port could happen within 15 years. The project, officially called the “Upper ...2 weeks ago
- Coalition Government warns power companies: end prompt payment discounts or we willThe final Electricity Price Review recommended prohibiting prompt payment discounts but allowing “reasonable” late fees. The findings of this review was welcomed by the Coalition Government, but they hope companies will follow through with its recommendations without regulations needed to be passed. Meridian Energy had already stopped prompt payment discounts, ...2 weeks ago
- PGF boosts job training in Turangi and WhanganuiFletcher Tabuteau, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi, will invest nearly $600,000 to ensure work opportunities for locals in Turangia and Whanganui, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “I’m pleased to announce the PGF ...2 weeks ago
- Beef and sheep exports to exceed $4 billion mark for the first timeAn export-led economy is one of New Zealand First’s key principles, and our commitment to achieving this is shown by the continuing skyrocketing demand for our beef and sheep meat exports. Beef + Lamb New Zealand's New Season Outlook 2019-20 report forecasts beef, lamb and mutton prices to lift from ...2 weeks ago
- Provincial Growth Fund invests in Gisborne food-growing technology, more than 100 jobsRegional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today in Gisborne an investment of $17.27m into bringing “world-leading” food-growing technology and the creation of more than 100 new jobs in the East Coast city. The funding comes from the Provincial Growth Fund, and included a $15 million loan to LeaderBrand, a ...2 weeks ago
- PGF support for Tolaga Bay employment initiativesHon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development More than 100 people in Tairāwhiti’s Tolaga Bay will benefit from two employment initiatives supported by the Provincial Growth Fund, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Employment Minister Willie Jackson announced today. “Tolaga Bay is an incredibly tight-knit community, but one in ...2 weeks ago
- PGF invests to boost production and jobs in TairawhitiHon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is supporting Gisborne business Leaderbrand to produce salad vegetables year round and create more jobs in the Tairāwhiti region, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Our support for Leaderbrand will help them build large greenhouses ...2 weeks ago
- Children’s Minister Tracey Martin defends Oranga Tamariki uplifts“Nobody wants to see babies uplifted”, this was the pronouncement of Minister for Children Hon. Tracey Martin as her department, Oranga Tamariki, faces multiple inquiries into the number of babies being taken from their families. “But a baby can die with a single punch, “the Minister continued. “So sometimes, Oranga ...2 weeks ago
- Shane Jones lauds promise by banks not to shutdown provincial branchesRegional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has praised the promise by New Zealand’s biggest banks not to close any provincial branches while the Coalition Government trials regional banking hubs across the country. The Minister said the announce was the “first sign of hope for regional communities”, many of which have ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First delivers major SuperGold card upgrade for seniorsRt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have delivered an upgrade of the SuperGold Card website and a new smartphone app, which will help unlock the full benefits of the SuperGold Card for 750,000 New Zealand seniors. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters, ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First unveils long overdue upgrade of SuperGold CardDelivering a key election campaign promise, New Zealand First is proud to have accomplished a long overdue upgrade of the SuperGold Card today. At an event in Auckland, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters joined Minister for Seniors Hon. Tracey Martin in unveiling the new website and smartphone app which ...2 weeks ago
- Week That Was: Global action on climate changeAnother busy week, from speaking with world leaders on the world stage about climate change, to equipping our school leavers with everything they need to get ahead in life. ...2 weeks ago
- Shane Jones: Air NZ has an “obligation” to keep prices low after Jetstar withdrawal from regionsNew Zealand First MP Shane Jones says Air New Zealand has "an obligation to look after Kiwis", and urged the national carrier not to hike up their prices after Jetstar airline announced their withdrawal from regional flights this week. The Provincial Champion also expressed his disappointment at Jetstar’s decision on ...3 weeks ago
- PGF support for dredging Port of Greymouth lagoonFletcher Tabuteau, Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will help fund a new dredge for the Port of Greymouth to ensure the regional fishing fleet have a reliable and productive harbour, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today “Last year the movements of ...3 weeks ago
- Shane Jones warns Air New Zealand not to “gouge” regional air travellers after Jetstar withdrawa...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said he was "immensely disappointed" at the withdrawal of the Jetstar airline from regional routes. He has also warned national carrier Air New Zealand not to capitalise on the Australian budget airline’s decision by “gouging” regional air travellers. "Air New Zealand has historically challenged ...3 weeks ago - Credit ratings agency Moody’s heaps praise on the New Zealand economyInternational credit ratings agency Moody's gave a glowing assessment of New Zealand’s economy in its latest report, which ranks the country’s economic strength as "very high" while saying growth remains "robust". The report says it's expected New Zealand's economy will grow between 2.5 and 3 percent in the next few ...3 weeks ago
- Funding provided to ensure mānuka honey remains a New Zealand only productThe Coalition Government is allocating nearly $6 million to a campaign to stop Australian beekeepers marketing their products as "mānuka" honey. This move comes after Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones accused Australian honey producers of trying to steal what was indigenous to New Zealand. "The Aussies are trying to ...3 weeks ago
- Provincial Growth Fund boosts Southland’s regional economic development plansThe Provincial Growth Fund has provided $400,000 to Great South to help the agency drive Southland's regional economic development aspirations. The funding will allow Great South, which is Southland's economic development agency, to appoint a portfolio manager and a project support adviser, who will provide project management expertise and support ...3 weeks ago
- One Billion Trees Fund branching out nicelyHon Shane Jones, Minister of Forestry The One Billion Trees Fund has just hit two significant milestones that will create more than 7,500 hectares of new forest cover, Forestry Minister Shane Jones says. Speaking at a celebratory dinner at Parliament to mark 100 years of the New Zealand Forestry Service, Minister ...3 weeks ago
- “Get on with your job or get replaced”, Winston Peters tells NZTA boardNew Zealand First leader Winston Peters has lashed out at the New Zealand Transport Authority board, telling one of its new members to “get on with your job” or else they would get replaced. His comments come in response to a now deleted tweet from board member Patrick Reynolds, which ...3 weeks ago
- Widening Access to Contraceptives Welcomed
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter welcomes PHARMAC’s move to improve access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARCs). PHARMAC has today announced it will fund the full cost of Mirena and Jaydess for anyone seeking long term contraception, lifting previous restrictions on access to Mirena. “I welcome women having greater choices ...2 hours ago - Major upgrade for Taranaki Base HospitalThe Government has approved the next stage of a major redevelopment of Taranaki Base Hospital, which will deliver new and improved facilities for patients. Health Minister Dr David Clark has announced details of a $300 million dollar project to build a new East Wing at the New Plymouth hospital. It ...24 hours ago
- Extra support for rural familiesExtra funding will allow Rural Support Trusts to help farming families, says Minister for Rural Communities and Agriculture Damien O’Connor. “I know that rural families are worried about some of the challenges facing them, including the ongoing uncertainty created by the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak. “Those concerns sit alongside ongoing worries ...2 days ago
- Howard Leaque Beekeeper programme graduationThank you for the opportunity to be here to present certificates to the 16 graduates who have completed a beekeeping course delivered by the Howard League. Let us start by acknowledging Auckland Prison’s Deputy Prison Director Tom Sherlock, and Acting Assistant Regional Commissioner of Corrections Northern Region Scott Walker - ...3 days ago
- Finance Minister to attend APEC meetingsFinance Minister Grant Robertson leaves this weekend to attend the APEC Finance Ministers meeting in Santiago, Chile. Discussions between APEC Finance Ministers at the meeting will include the effects of the current global economic uncertainty, risks for APEC economies and sustainable development of the region. While at APEC Grant Robertson ...3 days ago
- Pacific languages are a source of strength, they ground us and build confidenceThe Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio says for Pacific people, language can be a source of strength. It can help ground us and give us confidence. When we speak them, our languages provide us with an immediate and intimate access to our identity and our story - and ...3 days ago
- Major boost to support disabled people in sport and recreationThe Coalition Government has announced an action plan to improve the wellbeing of disabled New Zealanders by addressing inequalities in play, active recreation and sport. The initiative includes training to develop a workforce that understands the needs of children and young people with a range of impairments, advocacy for fit ...3 days ago
- More prefab homes to be built as red tape cutThe construction sector is being freed up to allow more homes to be built more quickly as the Government cuts through some of the red tape of the Building Act. “Every New Zealander deserves a warm, dry, safe home and old inefficiencies in the Building Act make building slow and ...3 days ago
- Further details of Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visit to New ZealandPrime Minister Jacinda Ardern has welcomed further details on the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to New Zealand next month. Their Royal Highnesses will visit New Zealand from 17-23 November – their third joint visit to New Zealand and first in four years. They arrive in Auckland ...3 days ago
- O’Connor in Thailand to push for RCEP dealMinister of State for Trade and Export Growth and Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, heads to Thailand today to attend the final Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial meeting, as negotiations enter their final stages. “The RCEP Agreement would anchor New Zealand in a regional agreement that covers 16 countries, ...3 days ago
- Young Pacific people can access earning and learning opportunities in Hawke’s Bay, Otago and South...Pacific young people living in the Hawke’s Bay, Southland and Otago regions will have access to support services that have proved successful in helping young people find new earning and learning opportunities. “Tupu Aotearoa is about changing Pacific young peoples’ lives. Our young people are talented, they are smart, they ...4 days ago
- Protecting wellbeing – ACC HQSC Trauma ForumIntroduction As the Minister for ACC I thank you all for the work that you do supporting New Zealanders in their literally most vulnerable moments. From those who hold people’s lives in their hands, to the people who research technique, technology and trends, your work is highly valued. A special ...4 days ago
- NZ economy in good shape – notes prepared for speeches in ChristchurchNotes prepared for speeches in Christchurch – Wednesday 9 October 2019 Today’s topic, “trends and opportunities for the New Zealand economy,” is certainly one getting a great deal of commentary at the moment. Looking across the media landscape lately you’ll notice we aren’t the only ones having this discussion. There ...4 days ago
- World Mental Health Day a reminder of the importance of mental health workMinister of Health Dr David Clark and Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare say this year’s World Mental Health Day theme is a reminder of why the Government’s work on mental health is so important. “This year the World Federation for Mental Health has made suicide prevention the main theme ...4 days ago
- Cultural Ministers MeetingAssociate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni will represent the government at Australia’s Meeting of Cultural Ministers in Adelaide this week. “This year’s meeting is special because New Zealand is expected to become an International Member of the Meeting of Cultural Ministers at this Australian forum,” Carmel Sepuloni said. “The meeting is an opportunity to ...5 days ago
- 608 claims resolved by GCCRS in first yearThe Greater Christchurch Claims Resolution Service has resolved 608 insurance and EQC claims in its first year in operation, Minister Megan Woods has announced. The government service, which celebrates its first birthday today, provides a one stop shop to help Cantabrians still battling to get their homes repaired or rebuilt ...5 days ago
- NZ economy in good shapeToday’s topic, “trends and opportunities for the New Zealand economy,” is certainly one getting a great deal of commentary at the moment. Looking across the media landscape lately you’ll notice we aren’t the only ones having this discussion. There has been an increasing amount of attention paid to the outlook ...5 days ago
- NZTA to refocus on safety following reviewThe Government is acting swiftly to strengthen NZTA’s regulatory role following a review into the Transport Agency, and Ministry of Transport’s performance as its monitor, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. An independent review by Martin Jenkins has found NZTA failed to properly regulate the transport sector under the previous ...5 days ago
- Joint Cooperation Statement on Climate Change between the Netherlands and New ZealandThe Netherlands and New Zealand have a long-standing and close relationship based on many shared interests and values. We value the rule of law, our democracies, and multilateralism. And we value our environment – at home and globally. Right now there are major global challenges in all of these areas – ...6 days ago
- Government putting right Holidays Act underpayment in HealthThe Government is putting right a decade’s worth of underpayment to nurses, doctors and other health workers, says Health Minister Dr David Clark. Initial sampling of District Health Boards payroll records has found that around $550-$650 million is owed to DHB staff to comply with the Holidays Act. It’s expected ...6 days ago
- Government accounts show strong economyA strong surplus and low debt show the economy is performing well, and means the Government is in a good position to meet the challenges of global economic uncertainty. “The surplus and low levels of debt show the economy is in good shape. This allows the Government to spend more ...6 days ago
- Ministers approve application to expand Waihi mineNew applications from mining company OceanaGold to purchase land in Waihi for new tailings ponds associated with its gold mines have been approved. Minister of Finance Grant Robertson and Associate Minister of Finance David Parker considered the applications under the Overseas Investment Act. Earlier this year, applications from OceanaGold to ...6 days ago
- Tuia 250 Voyage flotilla launches with tribute to tangata whenuaNew Zealanders in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay will witness Māori, Pākehā and Pacific voyaging traditions come together today as the Tuia 250 Voyage flotilla assembles for the first time, Māori Crown Relations: Te Arawhiti Minister Kelvin Davis says. “Tuia 250 is a national commemoration and an opportunity for honest conversations ...6 days ago
- Visit to advance trade agenda with Europe and the CommonwealthMinister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker leaves tomorrow for Dubai, London and Berlin for a series of meetings to advance New Zealand’s trade interests. In Dubai he will visit New Zealand’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 where construction is underway. There he will meet Minister of State for International Cooperation, Her ...7 days ago
- More cancer drugs confirmed – even more on horizonConfirmation that PHARMAC will fund two new cancer drugs is further evidence of the good progress the Government is making to improve the treatment of New Zealand’s leading cause of death, Health Minister David Clark says. From 1 December PHARMAC will fund alectinib (Alecensa) for ALK positive advanced non-small cell ...7 days ago
- Boost for women in high performance sportAn additional $2.7 million has been announced for the Government Strategy for Women and Girls in Sport and Active Recreation on the first anniversary of the strategy’s launch. Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson gave the opening address to the first Sport NZ Women + Girls Summit in Wellington today, ...1 week ago
- Parent support to help retain skilled migrantsAs part of its work to ensure businesses can get the skilled workers they need, the Coalition Government is re-opening and re-setting the Parent Category visa programme, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. The move will: support skilled migrants who help fill New Zealand’s skills gaps by providing a pathway for ...1 week ago
- Senior NZDF Officer to lead Peacekeeping Mission in the Sinai Peninsula, EgyptMinister of Defence Ron Mark has today announced Major General Evan Williams of the New Zealand Defence Force has been selected as the commander of a significant, longstanding peacekeeping mission in the Middle East. In December, Major General Williams takes over as Force Commander for the Multinational Force and Observers ...1 week ago
- Nurses star as Govt rebuilds health workforcesA record number of nurses are now working to deliver health services to New Zealanders as the Government’s increased funding and new initiatives rebuild key workforces start to show results, Health Minister Dr David Clark says. • 1458 more DHB nurses since the Government took office • 106 more midwives ...1 week ago
- New agricultural trade envoy appointedFarmer and former Nuffield scholar Mel Poulton has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Minister for Trade and Export Growth, David Parker, and Minister of Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, announced today. The position supports key Government objectives, including raising the value of New Zealand agricultural goods and services. Mel is ...1 week ago
- Pacific and Māori voyaging heritage celebrated for Tuia 250New Zealand’s Pacific and Māori voyaging heritage is acknowledged and celebrated today as waka of the Tuia 250 voyage flotilla arrive in Tūranga / Gisborne. “Today we celebrate Tangata Whenua, the first people of Aotearoa, and the triumphs of the voyaging tradition that brought our ancestors here from Polynesia 1000 ...1 week ago
- Pacific languages are a root from which prosperity will grow“Fijian Language Week starts on Sunday and the theme reminds us how important it is that we each have something to anchor ourselves to, something that can help us pause and feel in control in a rapidly changing world,” says Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “Family, culture, faith, ...1 week ago
- NZ Government establishes innovative, industry-focused Airspace Integration Trials ProgrammeThe Government is establishing an Airspace Integration Trials Programme to support the safe testing and development of advanced unmanned aircraft and accelerate their integration into the aviation system, Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods announced today. The Government will work with leading, innovative aviation industry partners to test and ...1 week ago
- Safety upgrades and certainty for Ōtaki highwayTransport Minister Phil Twyford today welcomed the NZ Transport Agency’s decision to fund urgent safety improvements and confirm the designation of the Ōtaki to North of Levin highway. Safety upgrades will be made along 23.4km of the existing state highway, running along SH1 from the end of the Peka Peka ...1 week ago
- Playing our part to support refugees in our region and the worldNew Zealand playing its part in Asia-Pacific and globally are behind changes announced today to the Coalition Government’s three year refugee quota policy, Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. “We are proud to be a welcoming and inclusive nation committed to supporting some of the world’s most vulnerable people to rebuild ...1 week ago
- Supporting thriving inclusive communitiesCreating thriving regions and inclusive local communities is the aim of the Welcoming Communities programme being rolled out across the country, says Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway today. A successful pilot of the scheme ran over the last 2 years led by Immigration New Zealand and involved ten councils across five regions ...1 week ago
- Takahē population flying highTakahē may be flightless but their population is flying high with the official count reaching 418 after a record breeding season that produced an estimated 65 juveniles, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. “The population reaching a high of 418 is great news for takahē which were considered ...1 week ago
- New Zealand makes further climate commitmentsNew Zealand is today taking action to reduce the potent global warming hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, Climate Minister James Shaw and Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage announced today. “The global agreement to reduce these potent greenhouse gases is another step in New Zealand’s commitment to reduce global warming. It is estimated ...1 week ago
- PGF boosts job training in Turangi and WhanganuiThe Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) through its skills and employment programme, Te Ara Mahi, will invest nearly $600,000 to ensure work opportunities for locals in Turangi and Whanganui, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “I’m pleased to announce the PGF is investing in these innovative ...2 weeks ago
- Government levels electricity playing field for consumersConsumers will benefit from changes to the electricity market that will see a level playing field for smaller independent retailers, greater transparency over the big power companies, increased competition in the market and more support for consumers to shop around for better deals, Minister Megan Woods has announced. The changes ...2 weeks ago
- 10 questions with Dunedin’s new Green Party mayor, Aaron Hawkins
Dunedin’s new mayor Aaron Hawkins is the first official Green Party mayor in NZ and, arguably, the first to represent the city’s student population as much as its older residents. Josie Adams, who guessed he would win, asked him ten questions about his win. The Spinoff local election ...18 mins ago - Our Great Race will be the greatest of them all
Move over Bathurst, we're taking your title. Steve Deane has the perfect venue for a motorsport dream. ...40 mins ago - Fisher and Paykel lifts profit outlook
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (F&P) has upgraded its full year guidance again after gaining the right to sell its new full face mask in the United States. ...1 hour ago - NEXT Woman of the Year Winner on Digital Inclusion
For Dianne Daniels, winning the Education Category of the 2019 NEXT Woman of the Year Awards is more than a personal accolade. ...2 hours ago - How much support will Phil Goff get from his new council?
As Phil Goff prepares for another three years as the mayor of Auckland the level of support he will have in the council is still unknown. ...2 hours ago - Define the boundaries in new phase of Australia-China relationship: Wong
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Shadow foreign minister Penny Wong says Australia needs to “define the boundaries” of its engagement with China now the relationship between the two countries is in a new phase. Focusing on China policy in a ...2 hours ago - The major question hanging over the All Blacks
Canon Rugby in Focus: Ireland awaits an All Blacks team that will be well-rested. Perhaps too well-rested. Rested and ready, or a game short and not match fit. Those are the two scenarios that will have All Blacks fans fretting this week ahead of ...3 hours ago - Rugby deal makes NZR a Sky shareholder
In a deal that will change the sports media landscape New Zealand Rugby is to become a five percent shareholder in Sky. Mark Jennings reports. ...3 hours ago - Smarter cities needed to achieve government ambitionsWith the government recently announcing a desire to help our cities grow up and out, leading New Zealand IoT expert Kriv Naicker today questioned whether New Zealand is falling behind in the use of smart city technology to help achieve this goal. ...4 hours ago
- Dear Jacinda, this is an emergencyYou famously said climate change was this generation’s nuclear-free moment. But when Extinction Rebellion uses the tactics of the Nuclear Free movement, you say you aren’t impressed. ...4 hours ago
- There’s no airport border ‘crisis’, only management failure of the Home Affairs departmentSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Regina Jefferies, Affiliate, Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW In the past five years, more than 95,000 people who arrived by plane have lodged a claim for asylum in Australia, new statistics show. Labor’s Immigration Spokesperson, Senator Kristina ...4 hours ago
- Organs ‘too risky’ to donate may be safer than we think. We crunched the numbers and here’s wh...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Waller, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Organs from potential donors once rejected as being unsafe to transplant may not be as risky as once thought, new Australian research shows. Our study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, suggests organs from ...4 hours ago
- Asylum seekers have a right to higher education and academics can be powerful advocatesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Merrilyn Delporte, PhD Candidate, Queensland University of Technology Australia’s refugee policy has led to a two-track education system. Those processed offshore, and deemed refugees by the time they have arrived in Australia, are entitled to fee support for university. But the almost ...4 hours ago
- Three charts on: why congestion charging is fairer than you might thinkSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Congestion charging should be introduced in Australia’s largest cities, as Grattan Institute’s latest report shows. Our analysis also finds that the people who commute to the Melbourne and Sydney CBDs by driving are ...4 hours ago
- Lesson for Australia. Make it hard for people to get benefits, and they’ll stop, but they mightn...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David C. Ribar, Professorial Research Fellow, University of Melbourne Australia, like the United States, makes it hard for people who get benefits to stay on them. It’s not simply a matter of withdrawing benefits as people get jobs and work more hours ...4 hours ago
- No god but God: a breathtaking exhibition bringing Islamic art out of the shadowsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ana Silkatcheva, Doctoral Candidate (Oriental Studies – Islamic Art and Archaeology), University of Oxford; Curatorial Researcher, Nicholson Collection, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney In 2005, the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) opened Australia’s first permanent galleries of Islamic art. ...4 hours ago
- Young councillors to push on climate change issuesCouncil's can expected more pressure from their own ranks to tackle climate change with a new crop of young councillors determined to fight it head on. ...5 hours ago
- Under pressure(Headline abbreviated, original headline: Under pressure: research reveals why New Zealand leaders need to stick their head above the parapet) ...5 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Key analysis from local elections Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Analysis that hits the mark after a big weekend of local elections, new party poll released, and Dunedinites turn out to clean up in honour of killed student.By now, you probably know whether or not you have a new local ...6 hours ago
- Marriage equality, five years on: we ask opposing MPs if they’d still vote noWould any of the politicians who opposed the marriage equality bill have voted differently if it had passed today? Greta Yeoman asked them.Just over five years ago, New Zealand politicians voted 77-44 to legalise gay marriage, making this country the 13th in the world to do so. Of the 44 ...7 hours ago
- Taking teaching into the virtual world
Imagine sitting with a dozen other students in a classroom in Wellington, waiting for a lecturer in another part of the world to begin the class. ...11 hours ago - Big brother is watching, and selling your data
A new tranche of data is being collected from cellphone towers and sold - should we be worried? ...12 hours ago - Weight of the past poisoning lakes of the present
We have been on a collision course with freshwater in this country for over a century, writes Dr Jonathan West. Time to make some uncomfortable choices. ...12 hours ago - How technology is changing our towns
Could an online bra-fitting service be the final death knell for bricks and knell stores? ...13 hours ago - A little Pascoe magic inspiring young amputee
Teenager Ella Benn has lost part of her left leg, and part of her right lung, to cancer. But with the guidance of a Paralympic legend, she's determined to be a swimming star in her own right. ...13 hours ago - It’s do or die for Sky
Spark Sport’s six year deal with New Zealand cricket has dealt another blow to Sky TV. The company’s share price has sunk to an all-time low and as Mark Jennings writes, its future existence depends on winning rugby rights. ...13 hours ago - Labor announces inquiry by former attorney-general Lavarch into scandal-ridden NSW head officeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The ALP has announced an inquiry into the head office of the NSW ALP, after weeks of shocking revelations at the Independent Commission against Corruption about scandals in the handling of donations. The review, announced ...14 hours ago
- ‘Diversity’ welcomed in ECan’s first full election in nine yearsThe new Canterbury Regional Council is set to have a 50-50 gender balance, a younger average age, and people from backgrounds including law, science, farming, insurance and landscape architecture. ...16 hours ago
- Labour drops in latest political pollLabour has taken a plunge in popularity in the latest Newshub-Reid research poll. ...17 hours ago
- Auckland shaken but not stirred to vote for JT
Aucklanders did not turn out in their droves to vote for incumbent Phil Goff but nor did they embrace the erratic campaigning of challenger John Tamihere. ...18 hours ago - Christchurch people keen to see city’s rebuild finished – DalzielRe-elected Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel says she's got the message that there is still much to be done in the city's rebuild. ...18 hours ago
- Māori Party exhilarated by the vote for the futureThe Māori Party is excited by some of the electoral trends emerging from the 2019 Local Government elections. ...18 hours ago
- Local elections: Now for the hard stuff
Four of NZ's six largest cities changed mayors on Saturday, three through incumbents being ousted at the local polls. The new crew now need to be the change they promised. ...18 hours ago - Winners, losers, big losers, and gigantic losers from the 2019 local electionsHayden Donnell identifies who did well, and who got massively owned, in the 2019 local elections.The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about becoming a member and supporting The Spinoff’s journalism, click here.Most of these winners and losers lists fail to capture the nuances ...20 hours ago
- Hours of tension before teen’s election win confirmed at barn danceSophie Handford, one of the country's youngest new councillors, hadn't expected to get elected and was at a barn dance when she found out the results. ...21 hours ago
- Massive mayoral upset in the capital
An anti-incumbent sentiment, from a Wellington sick of waiting, is likely behind Justin Lester's surprise defeat. ...22 hours ago - Arms Bill a Legislative ColanderArms Bill a Legislative Colander: Must Be Rewritten SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER 2019 The Arms Bill has been written so poorly than it must be abandoned and rewritten, according to the Council of Licenced Firearm Owners, COLFO. ...23 hours ago
- ‘Gang crackdown’ wins votes, doesn’t solve problems
Political promises to 'smash the gangs' misses the context needed to understand and solve the problem. ...24 hours ago - Cheat sheet: Just who is Wellington’s new mayor Andy Foster?In one of the biggest surprises of the local elections, Andy Foster has seized the Wellington mayoralty from Justin Lester. In this cheat sheet, we answer some of the big questions about Andy Foster, such as ‘who is Andy Foster?’ The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff ...24 hours ago
- Wellington mayoralty: Andy Foster has been elected mayorAndy Foster has been elected mayor of Wellington, ousting incumbent Justin Lester. ...1 day ago
- Capital election nailbiter: Frontrunner stresses lengthy opposition to Shelly BayWellington mayoral frontrunner Andy Foster says if he gets into office his backer Sir Peter Jackson won't be influencing what happens within the new council. ...1 day ago
- 44 percent turnout: voting numbers top two previous pollsPreliminary counts show more people voted in this year's local elections than previous years. ...1 day ago
- Recipe: Spring green frittersFritters are a New Zealand classic and these ones, packed with fresh spring produce, make a perfect light lunch or dinner.Spring is well and truly upon us – my garden has exploded and I take such pleasure in being able to harvest its bounty on a daily basis. We are ...1 day ago
- A review of Man Booker International Prize winner, Celestial BodiesAnna Knox, who spent four years living in Saudi Arabia, has been waiting for a book like Celestial Bodies – a story that shakes up entrenched ideas of women in the Middle East. Early on in Jokha Alharthi’s Celestial Bodies, Abdullah, son of Sulayman the Merchant, describes his family home in the ...1 day ago
- Girls Are Horny Too, and other important truths from Big Mouth on NetflixMadeleine Chapman celebrates the girl truths of Netflix’s hit show about puberty, Big Mouth.Girls are horny too. Girls are angry too. How to have an orgasm. The episode titles of Big Mouth are literal and accurate. Girls are horny too! Girls are angry too! How to have an orgasm!Big Mouth follows ...1 day ago
- ‘Awoken a monster’: Defeated John Tamihere hints at what’s next on his agendaThe defeated Auckland mayoral contender has indicated he may put himself forward as a candidate in next year's general election. ...1 day ago
- Māori Party select Debbie Ngarewa-PackerThe Māori Party has selected Debbie Ngarewa-Packer to win back the Te Tai Hauāuru seat in next year’s general election, it announced at its AGM in Whangaehu today. ...2 days ago
- Wellington mayoralty: Andy Foster has the lead over Justin LesterTwo incumbents are safe, and two councils face upsets in the wider Wellington councils. ...2 days ago
- Local body elections across the country: Who’s in and who’s out?There will be some new faces and some familiar faces heading the country's councils for the next three years. Find results from your area here. ...2 days ago
- Paula Southgate wins Hamilton mayoralty after narrowly missing out at last electionThe new mayor of Hamilton Paula Southgate has beaten the incumbent, Andrew King by nearly 2500 votes. ...2 days ago
- Auckland Mayor Phil Goff wins a second termPhil Goff says the priorities for his next term are climate change, infrastructure and looking at the council structure. ...2 days ago
- All the results from the local government elections 2019Who has been elected mayor in your region? Follow our blog for all the results and latest updates. ...2 days ago
- Kirsten Wise announced as Napier’s new mayorKirsten Wise will be Napier's new mayor, beating former Napier MP Chris Tremain by more than 8000 votes. ...2 days ago
- Queenstown mayor Jim Boult back for another termProgress results show Jim Boult has a definitive lead, and will be back in the mayoral seat. ...2 days ago
- Lianne Dalziel re-elected as Christchurch mayorProgress results show Lianne Dalziel has won Christchurch's mayoralty race and will serve a third term as mayor. ...2 days ago
- Kirsten Wise will be Napier’s new mayor, beating former Napier MP Chris Tremain by more than 8000 ...More to come on this breaking story. ...2 days ago
- Explainer: Where to find results from local body electionsWhat do the different types of results mean, and how to find results for your area. ...2 days ago
- Lianne Dalziel is set to return for a third term as mayor of Christchurch, progress results showProgress results show Lianne Dalziel has won Christchurch's mayoralty race and will serve a third term as mayor. ...2 days ago
- Auckland mayor Phil Goff says he has won with 48 percent of the voteMore to come on this breaking story. ...2 days ago
- The Nation: Sir Roger Douglas and Susan St JohnSo, is it really a surplus? And if it is, should we spend it? And what should we spend it on? ...2 days ago
- Live blog: Results of the 2019 local electionsA festival of democracy is playing out around the country today, as voting closes in our local elections and preliminary results trickle out. Alex Braae, Hayden Donnell, and miscellaneous The Spinoff staff bring you live updates. The Spinoff local election coverage is entirely funded by The Spinoff Members. For more about ...2 days ago
- Support for Global Day of Action against Turkish invasionPress Release ---------------------- Support for the Global Day of Action against Turkish invasion on Oct. 12 We are calling up on all New Zealanders to make a stand against the Turkish invasion of Rojava. ...2 days ago
- Live: All the results from the local government elections 2019Who has been elected mayor in your region? Follow our blog for all the results and latest updates. ...2 days ago
- Gangs Promise to Sign up to Firearm RegistryThe Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) is calling on New Zealand’s growing gangland community to front up and tell police how many firearms they possess and how many of their members are licenced to own and use them. ...2 days ago
- The Nation: PM of the Netherlands Mark RutteThis week saw the first visit by a Dutch PM in 22 years. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte was here to announce a bilateral collaboration on modern agriculture and climate change. ...2 days ago
- Light of my life: A Diwali memoir of family, food and fireworksSymbolising the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, Diwali – or Deepavali, as it’s known in the south of India – will always hold a special place in Renu Sikka’s heart.Deepavali is one of those festive occasions when you feel the warm, enclosing presence of your elders ...2 days ago
- Why Jennifer Lopez deserves an Oscar for HustlersJennifer Lopez gives the performance of her career in Hustlers, and mark Sam Brooks’ words, she’s going to get an Oscar for it. And it’s long overdue, he writes.My worst trait, at least according to me, is my tendency to side-eye people who are lumbering on up to bandwagons that I’ve ...2 days ago
- Deal with it: The Great Auckland Art Dealer QuestionnaireIt’s Auckland Artweek (12-20 October) and we’re doing our bit by shining a light on the people behind the city’s commercial galleries. Welcome to The Spinoff Art’s inaugural Art Dealer Questionnaire: an insight into the lives of the people who represent the interests and work of our artists. As the ...2 days ago
- Saturday short story: Fresh Ink, by Daniel Smith
"I was coming home on the Northern Express, and she was going to start her shift at Mitre 10 Mega": a romance by Daniel Smith, a New Zealand writer living and studying in California. ...2 days ago - There will never be another Breaking BadAhead of the release of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Uther Dean writes on how there will never really be another phenomenon like the original Breaking Bad.Have you tried rewatching Breaking Bad recently? It’s not the same, is it?Something has changed. When it was wrapping its original run, half a dozen ...2 days ago
- How to cosplay when you’re terrified of costumesSacha Judd was never into costume parties, but when Mythbusters‘ Adam Savage invited her to Comic-Con she gave it a shot. She writes about learning to build a costume from scratch.In March this year, the students at North Bergen High School in New Jersey staged a two-night production of Alien: ...2 days ago
- The unnoticed death at a student hall was horrifying. But I wasn’t surprisedI lived in the Canterbury halls where the student was found dead after his absence went unnoticed for many weeks. When I moved elsewhere for months, Sonoda never noticed I was gone, writes Max Towle for RNZWhen I read about how the body of student Mason Pendrous lay undiscovered for ...2 days ago
- Think Of Us – School Strike 4 Climate NZ170,000 New Zealanders took to the streets on September 27th to demand an ambitious Zero Carbon Bill with cross party consensus. School Strike 4 Climate NZ (SS4C NZ) say, "Our fate is now in the hands of the politicians. They must #ThinkOfUs ...3 days ago
- RuPaul’s Drag Race UK recap: Downton ShabbyAnother acting challenge bites the drag dust with this take on Downton Abbey. Sam Brooks recaps the second episode of Drag Race.There is one truth abut Drag Race that we’ve all decided to accept without question: There will be acting challenges on this show and they will be terrible. These will happen every season, ...3 days ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the Extinction Rebellion protests – and Australia’s responsibility at...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Deep Saini and Michelle Grattan discuss the acts of civil disobedience by climate activist group Extinction Rebellion – including the harsh bail conditions faced by protesters, and whether the ...3 days ago
The best rule of the road we have is "keep left"…………………….
I don't often give Nick Smith any credit but I'll make an exception today having heard him on radio and seen him on two tv channels.
Nick Smith has an amazing ability to make himself look an idiot and today he excelled.
Iranians will shocked! And awed!
Senior American officials told the Times the preliminary options show how threatening Iran has become. A Pentagon source told Newsweek if anything is likely to happen involving the preliminary Iran options, it would involve a heavy guided missile strike campaign in an attempt to lead Tehran to the negotiation table with Washington.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-iran-military-airstrikes-invasion-1425365
Fucker's going to start a war.
His idiocy knows no bounds.
When are the repugnants going to get their moral compass back and turf the prick out of office. Unfortunately I can't see two faced Myrtle McTurtle doing anything other than try to protect his own fat arse on the Senate bench.
Home before Christmas.
Rumsfeld 7/2/2003
Cheney 16/3/2003
Of course Mango Mussolini will parrot this.
I have just watched some TV reporting that disturbs me. The beginning of The Project on Channel 3. A young female was reporting about Jacinda in Paris. She compared the publicity from that compared to publicity gained from staying at home and dealing with difficulty issues like teachers, Kiwibuild, etc..
At the end, she called those home issues SNAFUS.
Does she have the right to do that?
Does she know that cynical troops in World war 2 soon realised that many of their commanders etc were no more competent than bunch of donkeys, and invented the phrase "Situation Normal All Fucked Up"?
If she is aware, does she understand any of the principles of good journalism?
of course she has the right…and depending on her situation she may well be entirely accurate
If she is in a special project, it isn't a kneejerk reaction to summarise all affairs at home as SNAFU. Anybody with an axe to grind could say that, and in her case she had bettter find out how to grind it right before she starts critiquing the PM.
consider GWS…you were unable to afford your rental, you couldnt buy a house, you lived week to week, the worlds was going to hell in a handcart…then after a decade a bunch of new faces appeared on the scene…and none of that changed
sounds like SNAFU to me
and questioning the right to express it is disturbing
But it has changed. There is a year's free fees. Somebody young who hasn't bothered to find out all the forces against Labour today changing things to how they should be in one year, shouldn't be a journalist. Or perhaps she takes the name jour-nalist at face value – only knowing what happened today. We deserve more from those set to report on NZs national and international issues.
And it is very possible that she is a member of the advantaged class that has always found it easier to go to uni, than the really strapped. Living week to week is how some people have always lived while at uni. Some live like that all the time, not just when they go for years of tertiary learning.
it is possible shes 'advantaged'…its equally possible she is not, or has close relationships with those who are not….in all honesty GWS, 1st year free fees means sweet fa to the vast majority of people…it will be happily accepted by those that were likely to take up tertiary training anyway but does nothing for the vast majority of NEETs or those in minimum wage jobs…thats not to say I dont think tertiary ed shouldnt be essentially free but it dosnt change life for the many….so SNAFU, and everyone has the right to make their own judgement
I doubt it. She probably isn’t old enough to be well schooled. Why are you still watching TV? Terrible quality and high levels of bias, but worse is the twit factor. Stuff seems to have trouble with basic editing…someone should put them onto Grammerly.
Jacinda, the show pony needs to decide if she wants to be PM or some virtue signalling crusader.
People are starting to find her “look at me, look me” shit a bit annoying especially when it's SNAFU central back home.
I thought you'd be use to it BM, we had all those years of Don-Key.
But the real irony is, that the supporter of the party of shit, complaining about the shit lite party.
When it comes to self-promotion Ardern makes Key look like an amateur.
The big difference between the two though is Key was working for NZ, Ardern is working for Ardern.
lol yeah the big difference is la de da da – wormtongue you are rotten and a scared wee birdy
If you think Don-Key was working for NZ, can explain the privatisation of health care by stealth, the under funding of schools, the virtual abandonment of the homeless, the reduction of front line police, weak boarder protection and dragging us into stupid wars?
I could run on for hours, but I'll just say Don-Key was as much a corporate shill as Ardern – and to think other wise is just being a partisan hack. Or a poor sap blindly following "The Ten Rules of Hate"
https://taibbi.substack.com/p/chapter-1-part-ii-the-ten-rules-of
I’d say it is slightly misplaced and misdirected criticism. First, this Government is not a one-person show so when the PM is otherwise or elsewhere engaged it doesn’t mean all Ministers are sitting tiddling their thumbs and all public servants in the Beehive are sitting idle. Second, it is the media that focus the lens, direct the spotlight, and make everything and everybody else disappear into the dark background and go unnoticed.
I lament the modern tendency to accept the neo-liberal view that it impossible for journalists to be unbiased, so they are therefore entitled to insert their personal opinions at any time, à la Paul Holmes. Bring back Lord Reith, I say.
That journalist was quite entitled to raise the home issues, but calling them all snafus turns what should have been a factual, reasonably impartial report into a biased, personal opinion-piece.
Do we want bloody Fox News visited upon us with no argument?
I love that picture..
And news just in: Costco has dropped RoundUp after the cancer court case.
Imagine a RoundUp free NZ one day. First Costco, then the world 🙂
Not good but probably using a report given to her – she would't have a clue of it's history, I shouldn't imagine and probably doesn't understand what she's talking about anyway. A bit rich moaning about publicity from a journo – her stock in trade I would have said
Anyone seen this tit bit coming out of the sandpit? Doesn’t look good for someone atm. As I’ve stated many times it time for the GoD to pull the troops out of the sandpit before the Yanks well in truely screw the sandpit up.
I think the odds for an US strike on Iran now have shortened to almost even money.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/middle-east/112754887/us-state-department-orders-all-nonemergency-government-staff-in-iraq-to-leave
What about impeaching Trump? Has anyone got enough dirt to stick on him and let us Make the Free World Great Again?
There is more than enough dirt to bury him for good – but the problem is the two faced Mitch McConnell and his cohorts man the Senate. McConnell has absolutely no moral compass whatsoever – his only motivation is to protect his place as majority leader of the Senate. So Impeaching Trump just aint going to happen.
Michael Laws still stinking the place up – get used to it wanker or piss off (my preferred option).
Utter disgusting pricks – look at the photos of these arseholes – they are the enemy.
Evil pricks, I reckon.
A bill making it a crime to falsely accuse someone of a sexual crime was first read in the Alabama House of Representatives last week.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Dickie Drake, R-Leeds, would make falsely reporting a sex crime a Class C felony and punishable by up to 10 years in prison. If the accused is found not guilty, the accuser would be responsible for paying the accused person’s legal expenses.
It is already illegal to make a false police report in Alabama.
https://www.al.com/politics/2019/05/alabama-bill-would-criminalize-false-rape-accusations.html
https://tttthreads.com/thread/1128396620964540416.html
GWS @7.1, this new update here at The Standard won’t let me reply while using my iPad.
This Iran dick/ Willy waving by dump is to distract the people from that report, which will also appeal to bible bashing base that he is prepared to what every other POTUS hasn’t done and should’ve done after 1979 Op Eagle Claw cock up etc that old USA has the biggest dick/ Willy and f**k Iran, while putting Russia and China on notice that we still good at Willy waving so watch out.
While given Bibi a free hand in his part of the sandpit.
The unknown factor is that Iran, China and Russia do have some sort of alliance, but how deep that goes is unknown and awful big question? The other factor is Nth Korea which has supported Iran in the pass with sanctions busting from either and the Nth backing from Russia and China needs to be look at.
Worst case scenario is that to dilute US firepower in Iran and divide it would be for Russia, China and possibly Nth Korea to a move somewhere within its own sphere IOT blunt US response to Iran and US support to its allies (Europe, The Sandpit and the Asia Pacific region)as they know from the last decade that the US can’t fight a two front war (Iraq and the Gan). They don’t need to the nuclear/ WMD’s to achieve this objective and let the US pull the trigger on this and there by they can take the high moral ground and say hey the Yankies started all this Willy waving not us.
No nation as ever manage to succeed in warfare when they are fighting two or more operational fronts or wars at the same time in the history of warfare as they eventually end up losing in the long term in form or another.
"But what happens when the voluntary measures run out and the warming is not seen to slow because greenhouse gases are so long-lasting? Really addressing climate and biodiversity collapse means rationing carbon. It means no more free ride for extractive industries such as mining, palm oil and forestry companies who profit from environmental destruction. It means heavy penalties for polluters, the axing of food and aviation subsidies, and taking a torch to vested interests. It means addressing the indirect causes of the crisis, such as population growth and consumerism, even rethinking the whole idea of progress and wealth."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/15/climate-change-politics-environmental-crisis-government