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Daily review 19/08/2020

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, August 19th, 2020 - 56 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

56 comments on “Daily review 19/08/2020 ”

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  1. I Feel Love 1
    19 August 2020 at 5:44 pm

    On YouTube there are a series of excellent documentaries by Anne Sneddon called Bad News, it's a Spinoff & RNZ thing. 4 episodes so far, she's abrasive, smart, funny, fearless & asks some very good questions. Sex trade, TERFS, Church & Charity & Equity in Healthcare. Thoroughly recommend & very keen to see what she does next.

    • Rosemary McDonald 1.1
      19 August 2020 at 8:19 pm

      I have a problem with a woman who refers to other women as 'bitches'. There's more than enough misogyny around without women joining the pile on.

      Watched that particular wee piece this morning, and if that's the best RNZ can do then I might be breaking a half century long habit.

      No comments allowed on Youtube, but someone whose reading on the issue is sparse might like to read the comments here….https://www.facebook.com/RadioNewZealand/videos/2712068612406992/

      (The comments that the moderators have allowed of course.)

      • I Feel Love 1.1.1
        19 August 2020 at 8:44 pm

        Fair enough Rosemary, I disagree, there's more than just someone calling women 'bitches', she swears at everyone, but appreciate your POV.

        • Mika 1.1.1.1
          19 August 2020 at 11:23 pm

          I find the term "TERF" quite problematic. It is often used as a term of abuse towards women, and frequently accompanied by threats of violence (not saying that's how you have used it above). I've never found that using such terminology has expanded anyone's understanding of the issues that women and girls face in patriarchal society.

          • Compass Rose 1.1.1.1.1
            20 August 2020 at 12:07 am

            I am deliberately not watching anything of Sneddons’ due to the use of the term ‘TERF’. The reek of misogyny permeates from the headline and that’s as close as I’m willing to go.

  2. weka 2
    19 August 2020 at 5:58 pm

    NZ 🙂

    • Incognito 2.1
      19 August 2020 at 6:06 pm

      It’s a shambles, I say! We need more accountability and transparency and somebody’s head should roll to send a signal to all those nameless and faceless bureaucrats that incompetency is not tolerated in this country! \sarc

    • RedBaronCV 2.2
      19 August 2020 at 11:27 pm

      Won at law and lost on the facts aha.

      And anyone who complains too bitterly should be promptly reminded that their other lawful option was death.

  3. Paaparakauta 3
    19 August 2020 at 6:20 pm

    Scott Robinson on Australian lockdown

    "I have been waiting for the experience of isolation under lockdown to articulate itself, as though someone would telepathically read my thoughts and, crucially, resolve them in a piece of writing. Yet all our lockdowns are different versions of the same restrictions, from flats ringed with police to suburban houses and beyond. We’re trapped with each other without the possibility of solitude. As the online world takes over many of our social rituals, we are also lonely without privacy.

    Our loneliness is one of observed isolation; we float in the aquarium of our screens. We are seen without seeing and, waiting for the virus to disappear, acted upon without acting. There is a peculiar temporality to the lockdown as well. News is urgent, the consequences are punitive or deadly, but there persists the sense that there is nothing we can do but wait and be watched. We are being told constantly to stay in place, giving the repeated message and the monotony of our surroundings a daily sense of déjà vu."

    https://overland.org.au/2020/08/loneliness-without-privacy-on-isolation-under-lockdown/

  4. Muttonbird 4
    19 August 2020 at 6:24 pm

    Heather Duplicity-Allan was toothless tonight on the radio. Jack Tame had her eating out of his hand.

    Back to the drawing board, National.

  5. ScottGN 5
    19 August 2020 at 6:31 pm

    Still no sign of National’s Border Protection Policy?

    • Muttonbird 5.1
      19 August 2020 at 6:46 pm

      Here's NZF's though. I really hope this spanner gets thrown out on October 17. He wants to build permanent prefabs to house returnees at Waiouru, Ohakea, and Burnham. Perhaps they shall diet on gristle and mung beans? Do a bit of boot-camp and rifle training at the same time?

      Rimmer meanwhile suddenly wants huge government, presumably with precise access to every and all movements of citizens. Could be useful for separating the ‘useless’ weak from the herd, I suppose…

      We are so poorly served by our political parties on the right.

      https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/08/new-zealand-first-wants-quarantine-shifted-to-military-facilities-long-term-alternative-to-lockdowns.html

      • RedBaronCV 5.1.1
        19 August 2020 at 11:42 pm

        Am I missing something here? I see some sense in moving quarantine out of our major cities to save lockdown ( not necessarily to an army base) so why does it seem to be immediately conflated and criticised on the grounds that it would be some cross between a boot camp and a prison?

        At half a billion a week for locking down Auckland we could build a gold plated motor camp somewhere out of town – give people more facilities and space – and then relocate it at some later stage, when no longer needed, to be granny flats. Must be a spare golf course around somewhere.

        • Pat 5.1.1.1
          20 August 2020 at 3:05 am

          "At half a billion a week for locking down Auckland we could build a gold plated motor camp somewhere out of town – give people more facilities and space – and then relocate it at some later stage, when no longer needed, to be granny flats. Must be a spare golf course around somewhere."

          and the PM could cut the ribbon when it was ready…sometime in 2023

          • RedBaronCV 5.1.1.1.1
            20 August 2020 at 2:28 pm

            Factory prefab and above ground hook up of services would be faster. And give us a re useable asset.

            Leaving people to cook and clean for themselves during quarantine would reduce the needed workforce. Don't know if they are UV'ing the rooms after people leave – that would then leave security and health staff.

            But I am not suggesting the army training ground – just somewhere away from the largest cities in the country – to try to reduce the pass through of infection if it arrives. There are parts of NZ outside Auckland .

            Or we could cut our spaces to a number like the 4000 Australia has for a larger population.

        • Muttonbird 5.1.1.2
          20 August 2020 at 9:14 am

          For that camp you'd have to have another camp for workers and their families.

    • Incognito 5.2
      19 August 2020 at 6:54 pm

      Be patient, Shane can’t do everything all at once.

    • ianmac 5.3
      19 August 2020 at 9:55 pm

      The National Protection Policy is coming out tomorrow Thursday. I think they will claim extreme means of protection which they can do without having to action anything the say.

  6. Byd0nz 6
    19 August 2020 at 6:35 pm

    The Nats (with hindsight benefit) will roll out a border policy tomorrow. Whatever it may be, it wont be the one they would have had if they were the Government, because we all know how they wanted an open border with plenty of rich kid students coming in, prepare for some hypocrisy.

    • Muttonbird 6.1
      19 August 2020 at 6:52 pm

      Whatever it may be, it wont be the one they would have had if they were the Government.

      I won't even be the one they, themselves had yesterday. And that would have differed from the one they had the day before, different too from the day before that.

  7. Anker 7
    19 August 2020 at 6:45 pm
    • Scott you were saying on open mic today that the covid 19 situation is a shambles.
    • definition of a shambles total lack of control. I think you are incorrect when you describe it as a shambles. Much almost all the response really tight. Contract tracing and testing short of incredible. Great genome testing and working with patients with covid to get them to quarantine seems to be going well. Local level three good call, level two for the rest of us…… new returnees getting regular tests. Security stepped up and appears to be stopping absconders. Wage subsidy extended for business effected……
    • rest homes promptly put into lockdown
    • it appears maintenance guys not wearing ppc. So govt responding promptly. Still don’t know why the tests at border not rolled out quicker.
    • but it looks like a well oiled machine that was set up in emergency situations. And of course things will hick up. But it gets fixed quickly.
    • so I call bullshit on “shambles”
    • ScottGN 7.1
      19 August 2020 at 7:01 pm

      Gee have you been stewing on that all afternoon anker?

      • anker 7.1.1
        19 August 2020 at 8:14 pm

        No Scott, not stewing. Busy work day, but did want to reply as I thought it was inaccurate to call it a shambles, when so much this Govt has done has gone well and they always correct mistakes………..So jumped back onto the Standard when I had a chance………

        A shambles describes US and UK's response to the virus………that's IMHO

    • Ffloyd 7.2
      19 August 2020 at 10:10 pm

      It's on the way. Chequebook Gerry!

  8. Anne 8
    19 August 2020 at 6:59 pm

    Excellent article on the presidential race with a powerful message at the end:

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12357680

    “Three huge danger signs for Donald Trump from day one of Democratic convention.”

    • Andre 8.1
      19 August 2020 at 7:24 pm

      They've got an awesome line-up of speakers sorted for the Repugnant National Convention.

      https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/patricia-mark-mccloskey-rnc-st-louis-couple-guns-protesters/index.html

      • Macro 8.1.1
        19 August 2020 at 9:06 pm

        Some very fine people on both sides.

        devil

        • Anne 8.1.1.1
          19 August 2020 at 9:14 pm

          laugh

          I've given up trying to understand American politics. They're all mad. Well, most of them anyway.

          • Gabby 8.1.1.1.1
            19 August 2020 at 10:57 pm

            They seem to have decided that rich people obviously know best so leave running the place to them.

        • Andre 8.1.1.2
          19 August 2020 at 9:15 pm

          Very fine people indeed. Kindred spirits of the Fraud from Fifth Avenue, even. It's easy to see why they'd get a speaking slot.

          https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/506916-st-louis-couple-who-pointed-guns-at-protesters-have-a-history-of-suing

          • Macro 8.1.1.2.1
            19 August 2020 at 9:30 pm

            I thought as soon as I saw that announcement – "Well that figures!" . Obviously a sop to his base support, but I fail to see how it will grow his popularity. Certainly a turn off for many Black Americans.

            • Andre 8.1.1.2.1.1
              19 August 2020 at 9:37 pm

              Well, that whole "stand and defend your ground" idea has a lot of support, including in some areas and demographics that would seem surprising looking from here. But given the last few years, and the last few months in particular, it's hard to imagine that anyone who might possibly be influenced by that hasn't already firmly made up their mind.

              • Ad …
                19 August 2020 at 9:53 pm

                Andre you forgot to mention today that the Bipartisan Senate Report on Russian election interference in 2016 is out, and of course backs up what Mueller said in his own report.

                https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-russia-collusion_n_5f3c44b2c5b61551404e7071

                Of course, the Committee gets to see the unredacted versions of near everything, so Committee vice chairman Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said with good reason that investigators found “a breathtaking level of contacts between Trump officials and Russian government operatives” and that he hoped Americans will read the report for themselves.

                • Andre …
                  19 August 2020 at 9:57 pm

                  That seemed to me a little more appropriate to leave until someone posts yet another lengthy video from some random internet kook babbling about how Russiagate is a hoax because of … some minute detail they've spotted somewhere that somehow invalidates the entire big picture..

                • Macro …
                  19 August 2020 at 10:29 pm

                  Yes Ad that Report is pretty damning.

              • Macro …
                19 August 2020 at 10:16 pm

                That's pretty much how I see it too. The country has changed a lot in recent years. As you say there are those who support the "stand and defend your ground" ideology but there is a growing well spring of support for the other, and more just ideology, of fairness for all.

                There is no denying the continual solid support for T of around 40%, but the undecided vote is not nearly as large as it was at this time in 2016. I can't find the reference on 538, but I recall reading an Article there just the other day, that reported a poll where a large percentage of likely voters were reported as having already made up their mind, and it was pretty much 53 – 43 in favour of Biden. A popularity for Biden which has been averaging around those figures for some months now.

                The inclusion of both Sanders and Kasich in the DNC convention shows that the DNC are after a variety of voters. A broad church. The T church is pretty much the Fundamental Right Wing moral conservative – of which there a many loyal parishioners – but even some amongst them are beginning to doubt.

  9. Paaparakauta 9
    19 August 2020 at 7:05 pm

    There are reserve legal powers I don't think most people would wish to use, but if Australia is a precedent we could see the royal prerogative, state necessity, and possibly Martial Law invoked – until a magic bullet vaccine.

    https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2020/04/guest_post_is_martial_law_next.html https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/bills-and-laws/bills-proposed-laws/document/00DBHOH_BILL7791_1/armed-forces-law-reform-bill

    http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-TurEpit-t1-g1-t1-g1-t3-g1-t27-g1-t2.html

    • Draco T Bastard 9.1
      20 August 2020 at 1:31 am

      Just sounds like Kiwiblog hyper-ventilating for no apparent reason.

      In other words, perfectly normal practice for the bunch of unhinged conspiracy theorists that frequent that particular cesspool.

  10. I Feel Love 10
    19 August 2020 at 7:15 pm

    Jacinda is wanting to take our 'personal sheep' !!!! (very funny thread)

    https://twitter.com/grahamsurrey/status/1295908010338873344

  11. weka 11
    19 August 2020 at 7:18 pm

    Light entertainment on twitter tonight.

  12. gsays 12
    19 August 2020 at 7:36 pm

    An update in regards trying to lower speed limit on Railway Road in Palmy.

    The Bunnythorpe Community Group met last night and roading – speed and the new transport hub were on the agenda.

    Usually there would be up to a dozen attending, last night the classroom was chocked to the gunnels. Local MPs were invited. To his credit Ian McKelvie showed.

    A few passionate presentations from affected parties and a couple of PNCC representatives. The conclusion appeared to be for an emergency maximum speed can be posted for up to 12 months. As to the proposed rail hub, a sticking point is where the ring road goes in respect to Bunnythorpe.

    My thoughts are to do a knitting bomb, and get 60km speed signs knitted up and slip them over the existing road signs. No-one can hate knitting….

    • Rosemary McDonald 12.1
      19 August 2020 at 9:07 pm

      My thoughts are to do a knitting bomb, and get 60km speed signs knitted up and slip them over the existing road signs.

      yes

    • Ad 12.2
      19 August 2020 at 9:15 pm

      Seriously, get to NZTA. That's where the money and the power for transport is.

      Also you have an election on. Call your candidates and let them know you will be sending their reactions to the local papers and local Facebook groups.

      No one hates knitting, but also at 100k's no one can see it either.

  13. Paaparakauta 13
    19 August 2020 at 7:54 pm

    and then there is Christmas Island …

    "Australian Border Force has announced plans to reopen Australia’s immigration detention centre on Christmas Island, citing capacity issues in the onshore detention system. Global COVID-19 measures such as reduced flights and border closures, the ABF says, have delayed numerous deportations; this has placed Australia’s onshore immigration detention network under increased pressure and necessitated the reopening of the Christmas Island facility.

    Crowding is certainly an issue within the detention system, and urgent action is needed to reduce the threat of a COVID-19 outbreak. Reopening the Christmas Island detention facility, however, is not the solution. Safer, more humane and more fiscally responsible alternatives exist."

    https://overland.org.au/2020/08/the-true-cost-of-reopening-the-christmas-island-detention-centre/

    • Ad 13.1
      19 August 2020 at 9:17 pm

      We're building a decent runway on the Chatham Islands.

      Better Paua than Rydges, just sayin'.

    • Draco T Bastard 13.2
      20 August 2020 at 1:38 am

      Safer, more humane and more fiscally responsible alternatives exist.

      They probably don't.

      It's not really the detention centre that's the issue – its how its run and the necessary processes being in place to prevent abuse.

  14. Peter 14
    19 August 2020 at 8:22 pm

    A few more Americans would have heard of New Zealand I guess:

  15. mauī 15
    19 August 2020 at 8:49 pm

    Another interesting discussion with retired firefighter Mark Taylor. It touches on Trump being used by God among other things.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwfOTFf91o4

    • Andre 15.1
      19 August 2020 at 9:27 pm

      God used Trump, and now God is testing him. Job was a low energy loser compared to how Trump is being tested, but Trump is greater than anyone in the Bible, people are saying he's even greater than God …

    • Macro 15.2
      19 August 2020 at 9:46 pm

      Here is Miles Taylor (a Republican) Trump's Former Dept of Homeland Security Chief of Staff, declaring his support for Joe Biden and describing Trump's presidency as "terrifying" and "actively doing damage to our security."

      Why is he and many other Republicans coming out against Trump?

      Here is what Miles Taylor who worked for 2 1/2 years in the Trump Administration has to say about why he is opposed to any further continuation of this regime:

      Taylor alleged that Trump sought to stop the Federal Emergency Management Agency from sending wildfire relief funds to California because “he was so rageful that people in the state of California didn’t support him, and that politically it wasn’t a base for him.”

      • Taylor also claimed that Trump wanted to restart the “zero tolerance” policy that led to family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018, and wanted to go even further by having a “deliberate policy of ripping children away from their parents” in order to deter illegal immigration.

      What he’s saying: “What we saw week in and week out, and for me after two and a half years in that administration, was terrifying. We would go in to try to talk to him about a pressing national security issue: A cyberattack, terrorism threat. He wasn’t interested in those things.”

      • “The president wanted to exploit the Department of Homeland Security for his own political purposes and to fuel his own agenda.”
      • “A lot of times the things he wanted to do not only were impossible but in many cases illegal. He didn’t want us to tell him it was illegal anymore because he knew, and these were his words, he knew that he had ‘magical authorities.’ He was one of the most unfocused and undisciplined senior executives I’ve ever encountered.”
      • “I came away completely convinced based on firsthand experience that the president was ill-equipped, wouldn’t become equipped to do his job effectively and what’s worse, was actively doing damage to our security.”

      The bottom line: “Even though I’m not a Democrat, even though I disagree on key issues, I’m confident that Joe Biden will protect the country, and I’m confident he won’t make the same mistakes as this president,” Taylor said.

  16. McFlock 16
    19 August 2020 at 10:59 pm

    So Hamish Walker has raised his head again to blame "bad advice". Because he needed advice on whether emailing patient records to journalists was a stupid, outrageous, and gratuitous abuse of his parliamentary position.

    This dickhead should never again be in a position to handle confidential information. He can't be trusted.

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  • Small asteroid to make near-miss of Earth in NZ skies tonight
    Sorry for the late notice on this one, but I only just heard myself, in common with most of the human race. A small asteroid, somewhere between the size of a truck and the size of a house in dimensions, will hurtle past the Earth tonight, dipping closer to ...
    SciBlogsBy Duncan Steel
    5 days ago

  • This is not what accountability looks like
    When someone commits trespass, assault with a weapon, and kidnapping, you'd expect them to be prosecuted, right? But apparently the rules are different if you wear a blue uniform: A police investigation has found officers in Northland trespassed on a man's property, then unlawfully pepper sprayed him and arrested ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Cycling: head injuries ignored because of entrenched macho culture
    Howard Hurst, University of Central Lancashire and Jack Hardwicke, University of Winchester Competitive road cycling is a demanding and unique sport. One where crashing is inevitable – especially at the professional level. While the risk of head injury is relatively low in cycling – approximately 5-13% – compared to contact ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    5 days ago

  • The coming US shitshow
    Today President Trump once again refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the US election. Coincidentally, The Atlantic has a long article on exactly what that means, from voter suppression by armed thugs in the name of "ballot security", to refusing to allow the vote ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • A moral void
    That's the only way to describe the SIS, who - like their British counterparts - decided to look the other way on child abuse: The SIS knew a young woman was being sexually abused by her father but failed to lodge a complaint with the police, effectively allowing the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • When will Goldsmith resign?
    The National Party’s campaign has gone from bad to worse with a further two large miscalculations being uncovered in their alternative fiscal plan. Firstly, National’s economic spokesperson and list MP, Paul Goldsmith, used May's Budget figures instead of last week's PREFU numbers, and came up with a whopping $4.3 billion ...
    The Jackal
    5 days ago

  • The Adventures of Annalax: Part IX
    The initial session was a struggle. Annalax and Magni tried sorting out the details with the Isaac twins (the people pursuing the mountain trip). Annalax happened to mention his devotion to Lolth… whom the Isaacs, being ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago

  • This is bullshit
    On March 13, three plainclothes police officers kicked in Breonna Taylor's door under a no-knock warrant targeting another person. When a person inside reasonably assumed they were home invaders and (this being America) started shooting, they shot up the place and everyone around them - killing Taylor. Today, one of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • Arctic sea ice is being increasingly melted from below by warming Atlantic water
    Tom Rippeth, Bangor University Arctic sea ice today (white) is covering a much smaller area than in 1980-2010 (orange line). National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CC BY-SA Each September, scientists like me look out for the point when the Arctic’s meagre summer fizzles out and ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    5 days ago

  • The long-term health burden of COVID-19: further justification for NZ’s elimination strategy
    Prof John D. Potter* This blog briefly surveys the emerging scientific evidence on the longer-term burden of symptoms and disease in survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these symptoms point to damage in the brain and heart. These long-term harms add to the wide range of other reasons for ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    6 days ago

  • Going High, Going Low: An Assessment Of The First Leaders’ Debate.
    Uncrushed: Jacinda Ardern knew exactly what was expected of her in the first Leaders' Debate. Labour’s dominant position, three weeks out from the general election, is constructed out of the admiration and gratitude of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders who, more often than not, vote National.  Nothing she said ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago

  • The smokefree policies of political parties: Do they care about people who smoke?
    George Thomson*, Nick Wilson, Janet Hoek, Andrew Waa, Richard Edwards In this time of Covid-19, helping people who smoke to quit their addiction has an even greater importance. Smokers are more vulnerable to many harmful health effects, including severe effects from the virus. Policies that support people who smoke to ...
    SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
    6 days ago

  • The Fog Of Economic Policy Is Starting To Clear…
    Bryan Bruce, https://www.facebook.com/www.redsky.tv, 19 September 2020 National’s economic policy of temporary tax cuts yesterday proved, if proof be needed, that they are unapologetic neoliberals. While their claim that with more money in their pockets people will spend more might sound attractive, the reality is that tax cuts always benefit the ...
    Closing the GapBy Tracey Sharp
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #38, 2020
    Highlighted article: Carbon pricing and planetary boundaries  Engström et al take what might be called a systems approach to evaluating carbon pricing, taking into a account various economic sectors affected by and affecting paying for emissions. The conclusions are overall a rare pleasant surprise— a feature predicated on cooperation.  Abstract: ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Humans ignite almost every wildfire that threatens homes
    Nathan Mietkiewicz, National Ecological Observatory Network and Jennifer Balch, University of Colorado Boulder CC BY-ND Summer and fall are wildfire season across the western U.S. In recent years, wildfires have destroyed thousands of homes, forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate and exposed tens of millions to harmful ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    6 days ago

  • Climate Change: China steps up
    China has increased its climate change ambition, and set a target to be carbon-neutral by 2060: China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060 and ensure its greenhouse gas emissions peak in the next decade, Xi Jinping has told the UN general assembly. “China will scale up its intended nationally ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago

  • Humans have dealt with plenty of climate variability
    Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz How much climate variability have humans dealt with since we ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    6 days ago

  • Indigenous perspectives on unrestricted access to genomic data
    By Genomics Aotearoa researcher Maui Hudson, University of Waikato It is vital that genomics research respects genomic data and genetic heritage from indigenous communities. Genomics research is a rapidly growing field of study, and there is a strong push to make the huge amount of data being produced open ...
    SciBlogsBy Genomics Aotearoa
    6 days ago

  • Terrible luck: lockdowns on learning and youth job prospects
    What is bad luck? Bad luck is spilling spaghetti sauce down your shirt right before an important meeting. When the person in front of you gets the last seat on the bus, that’s bad luck. Bad luck is when it’s sunny outside, so you leave the house without a coat, ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    6 days ago

  • Ian Powell: Does private healthcare threaten public healthcare in New Zealand?
    Is the private health system impacting negatively on the public health system? Health commentator Ian Powell evaluates a recent NZ Herald article by Natalie Akoorie (“Public v private healthcare: Moonlighting, skimming, duplication – should NZ do better”), and looks at how the dual system works, and concludes that the answer ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    7 days ago

  • A rabbit-hole election debate: So do you want more avocado orchards?
    We live in strange and unusual times. It’s been a century since we’ve endured a global pandemic like this, more than half a century since we’ve had economic woes like this. So maybe we got an opening election debate for the times - because that was a strange and unusual ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    7 days ago

  • LIVE: Jacinda Ardern vs. Judith Collins, First Debate
    Tonight, The Civilian will be live-blogging the first of too many debates between Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and National Party leader Judith Collins, and also the last fifteen minutes of the news. Be sure to tune in from 6:45pm for regular updates, which can be accessed by refreshing this page ...
    The CivilianBy admin
    1 week ago

  • Hundreds of Aucklanders arrested after illegal mass gathering on Harbour Bridge
    An enormous drive-in party, shown here, was held this morning on Auckland’s Harbour Bridge, where police were forced to intervene. Hundreds of Aucklanders were arrested this morning on public health grounds, after an apparent illegal mass gathering on the city’s Harbour Bridge. Police say hundreds of Aucklanders gathered in their ...
    The CivilianBy admin
    1 week ago

  • The Looming Fight.
    Social Distancing Be Damned - It's Jacinda! Shortly after ascending to Labour’s leadership, Jacinda described herself as a “pragmatic idealist”. It was an inspired oxymoron – packing into just two words the essence of the social-democrat’s dilemma. It was good to know that she knew what lay ahead of her. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Moving faster
    Back in 2017, the UK announced that it would ban the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles by 2040. Its a basic climate change measure, aimed at reducing emissions by shifting the vehicle fleet to cleaner technologies. Now, in the wake of the pandemic, they're planning to bring it forward ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • The Australian courts have had enough of refugee detention
    For the past decade, Australia has had a racist, anti-refugee policy. Those claiming refugee status are imprisoned without trial and left to rot in the hope they would "voluntarily" return to be tortured and murdered. When the courts have granted them visas, the government has immediately revoked them on racial ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Friction and the Anti-lock Braking System
    Yesterday afternoon I had to call on my car’s anti-lock braking system (ABS). For reasons best known to its driver, a car pulled out of a side road right in front of me while I was driving home after work, and I needed to stop in a hurry. I rather ...
    SciBlogsBy Marcus Wilson
    1 week ago

  • The Inside Word: New Zealand Quarantine
    There are a fair few misconceptions about conditions within New Zealand’s Quarantine Hotels. Madeline Grant’s misplaced accusations being one prominent example, though she is not alone. Today, I thought I’d share the inside word, so to speak. A friend of mine has recently returned to New Zealand from overseas, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Hard News: ASA: Let’s not talk about this
    Last week, major newspapers carried a full-page ad as part of the campaign for a "No" vote to the referendum question about supporting the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill. The ad was authorised by the SAM NZ Coalition, which takes its name from a controversial American anti-cannabis group and includes ...
    Public Address
    1 week ago

  • This is not kind
    New Zealand has a serious homelessness problem, due to skyrocketing rents and a lack of state houses. One of the ways we stick a band-aid on it is to put people up in motels. Previously, they were charged full commercial rates, saddled with odious debt due to the government's failure ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Wokies are the establishment
    by Ani O’Brien In the absence of a better word with which to refer to the rabid activists who claim progressivism while demanding adherence to an increasingly prescriptive set of political beliefs, I call them “woke”. With its roots in Black American slang, the term originally denoted a person or ...
    RedlineBy Daphna
    1 week ago

  • How to strengthen the post-isolation Covid rules
    Over the weekend, the Ministry of Health reported a case of Covid-19 in Auckland that is not related to the current Auckland cluster. Before we start to panic, here’s how I think the case happened and how we can strengthen our current border controls. The new Covid-19 case is someone ...
    SciBlogsBy Siouxsie Wiles
    1 week ago

  • Neuralink and You: A Human-AI Symbiosis
    Becky Casale Elon Musk reckons his Neuralink brain implant is much more than a medical device–that one day it will drive a symbiosis between humans and artificial intelligence. “Good morning! I’m Dr Benedict Egg and I’ll be supervising your Neuralink insertion today. Do you have any questions?” “Yes, Doc. ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    1 week ago

  • Liam Hehir: Our obsession with American politics
    Many New Zealanders take a strong interest in US politics, with the death of Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg being the latest example. Liam Hehir wonders if it very wise for New Zealanders to get so worked about it.   Many politically engaged New Zealanders are now furiously ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    1 week ago

  • COVID: Back to Level 1
    After stamping the Coronavirus out via strict lockdown between March and May, New Zealand went through a good three months without any community cases. Then a local outbreak in Auckland rather buggered things up last month. Auckland’s been in level 3 and level 2.5 for the past six weeks. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Climate injustice
    Who's causing our skyrocketing emissions? As with most of our other problems, It's the rich: The wealthiest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for the emission of more than twice as much carbon dioxide as the poorer half of the world from 1990 to 2015, according to new ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Good riddance
    The border closure and resulting lack of foreign slave-workers is driving the fishing industry out of business: One fishing company is effectively out of business while others are bracing for large financial hits as the deepwater New Zealand industry, unable to get skilled foreign workers into the country, have ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #38
    Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Claim Review... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week... Story of the Week... The tipping points at the heart of the climate crisis Many parts of the Earth’s climate system have been destabilised by ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Anyone for Collins?
    In the absence of national public opinion polls, we have had to make do in recent weeks with other guides to voter intentions. Those guides, such as the Auckland Central poll, the incidence of google enquiries and the responses to Vote Compass questions, have suggested, not unexpectedly, that Labour is ...
    Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
    1 week ago

  • Crusher’s fiscal malfunction
    Crusher Collins - National Party leaderWe all know that the National Party is desperate to gain some traction during this election campaign and have been throwing pretty much everything at the Labour Party in order to try and undermine Jacinda Ardern and what the Coalition Government has achieved. But unfortunately ...
    The Jackal
    1 week ago

  • Much of the commentariat’s reporting of the most recent GDP figure was misleading and unhelpful. The prize for the stupidest remark about the GDP figure for second quarter 2020 (2020Q2) released on Thursday (17 Sept) goes to Judith Collins, whose response to Grant Robertson’s comments indicated she did not ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Love and Hate as Complementary Revolutionary Acts
    by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh goloing@gmail.com (19/09/2020) Che Guevara said that a true revolutionary is motivated by love i.e. love of the oppressed, the poor, the children dying from preventable illnesses. This phrase of his is true but has been used by reformists and their more hippy wing have taken advantage ...
    RedlineBy Admin
    1 week ago

  • 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 13, 2020 through Sat, Sep 19, 2020 Editor's Choice Get to Net-Zero by Mid-Century? Even Some Global Oil and Gas Giants Think it Can Be Done A report by a ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Tax cuts for all!!! (except you, you, and you)
    With the National Party this week announcing a new policy of tax cuts to spice up the election campagin. MyThinks went along to the launch and afterwards we spoke to the party’s finance spokesperson Paul “Golden Touch” Goldsmith. MT: Thanks for speaking to us Mr Goldsmith. PG: No. Thank you. ...
    My ThinksBy boonman
    2 weeks ago

  • Great Waves Washing Over New Zealand
    Always to islanders danger Is what comes over the seas ‘Landfall in Unknown Seas’ (Allen Curnow)Six economic issues external to New Zealand, which will greatly impact upon us. 1.         The Diminishing Global Dominance of the US. Since 1941 America has dominated the world economically and politically. Probably it could ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand has role to play in resolving crisis on ‘geopolitical fault line’, Helen Clark says
    By Geoffrey Miller New Zealand should continue to champion human rights in Belarus amidst an ongoing crackdown on protests by the country’s regime, former Prime Minister Helen Clark says. Protests in the country often referred to as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’ erupted after the country’s disputed presidential elections on August 9 ...
    Democracy ProjectBy Geoffrey Miller
    2 weeks ago

  • Euthanasia referendum: How to cut through the emotions
    Jacqui Maguire, registered clinical psychologist This podcast episode highlights how difficult it is to have effective conversations about euthanasia due to how polarised people’s views are. I’m a clinical psychologist, with a passion for science communication. In early 2020 I founded the podcast Mind Brew, with an aim to make psychological ...
    SciBlogsBy Guest Author
    2 weeks ago

Older posts

  • Pasifika churches gain from PGF funding
    Pasifika churches around the country will receive a total of nearly $10 million in government funding for renovations and improvements which will improve facilities for the communities they serve and create jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Pacific Peoples Minister Aupito William Sio have announced. The funding will ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Job numbers up in August
    New data from Stats NZ today shows a rise of more than 9,000 filled jobs from July – driven mostly by the education and training sector, Grant Robertson says. Filled jobs were up 9,147 to 2.2 million in August 2020 compared with July – with 7,409 of those in education ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Māori development receives funding
    Māori development projects across the country will receive a total of $18.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund that will create infrastructure and permanent jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “These projects will support economic development in Northland, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti, Manawatū-Whanganui, Waikato and Southland to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Hand-up for owners of earthquake-prone units
    From today, owner-occupiers of unit and apartments living in earthquake-prone buildings can apply for financial support to fix their homes, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa says. The Residential Earthquake-Prone Building Financial Assistance Scheme will help unit owners facing financial hardship over earthquake strengthening costs. “We understand how complicated ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • PGF backing successful Māori enterprise
    Whanganui will benefit from a Provincial Growth Fund investment in a local food-processing company which will help the company increase production and create jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. Kii Tahi Ltd, which is owned by South Taranaki iwi Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, will receive a Provincial Growth Fund ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Hokitika Landmark earmarked for $22m restoration
    Seddon House in Hokitika, once a hub for government on the West Coast, has been earmarked for government use once again. “Today we’re announcing a $22 million investment from the Government’s $3 billion infrastructure fund for shovel ready projects for the purchase and restoration of Seddon House in the heart of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Town halls and war memorials in PGF renovation programme
    Town halls, war memorials and other community landmarks across the country will be renovated thanks to grants totalling just under $12.4 million from the Provincial Growth Fund. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says more than 1000 jobs are expected to be created during the renovation programme. “Town halls, other ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Minister of Foreign Affairs makes two diplomatic appointments
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced two new diplomatic appointments: •         Michael Appleton as New Zealand’s first resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. •        Tredene Dobson as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Viet Nam.  Sri Lanka “New Zealand is opening a post in Colombo in 2021 because we are ready ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • NZ’s most prestigious conservation award – Loder Cup presented to Graeme Atkins
    The Minister of Conservation Minister, Eugenie Sage, today presented Aotearoa New Zealand’s most prestigious conservation award, the Loder Cup, to the 2020 winner Graeme Atkins while in Gisborne/Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa. “Graeme Atkins of Ngāti Porou is a Department of Conservation ranger whose contribution to conservation goes well above and beyond his employment,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Early help for whānau who need extra support
    The Government is investing in a new, whānau-centred early intervention prototype designed to strengthen families and improve the safety and wellbeing of children. The new programme, Ngā Tini Whetū, is a collaboration between Oranga Tamariki, Te Puni Kōkiri, ACC and the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) and was announced today ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Parliament to install solar and cut carbon
    Parliament is leading by example by taking action to cut its carbon footprint by installing solar and improving energy efficiency, the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw said today. The Minister confirmed that Parliamentary Services will receive support through the Clean-Powered Public Service Fund to install solar PV and LED ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Tuvalu Language Week theme promotes community resilience in the face of COVID-19
    The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio says the 2020 Tuvalu Language Week theme of “Fakatili Te Kiloga Fou” which means “Navigating the changing environment” is a call on all Pacific peoples to be strong and resilient in the face of COVID-19. “This theme is a reminder to us ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • International sport back up and running in New Zealand
    The Government is welcoming today’s announcement that the West Indies and Pakistan cricket teams will tour New Zealand this summer.  “A lot of hard work has been undertaken by sports officials including New Zealand Cricket, Netball New Zealand and government officials to ensure that international sport can return safely to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • 1BT funds for Northland forest taonga
    Northland’s indigenous tree canopy is set to grow for the benefit of mana whenua and the wider community thanks to nearly $2 million in One Billion Trees funding, Forestry Minister Shane Jones announced today. Te Komanga Marae Trust has received more than $1.54 million to restore and enhance the native ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Better health care for West Coasters as Te Nikau Hospital officially opened
    The Government has delivered a new hospital for Greymouth and is starting work on a much needed new health centre in Westport, ensuring local communities will benefit from better access to high quality integrated health services. Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare officially open Te ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Government backing local with PGF loan
    A West Coast distillery will benefit from a Provincial Growth Fund investment that will enable it to expand its operations and create jobs in the town of Reefton, Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Reefton Distilling Co will receive a $928,000 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Primary sector exports and jobs up again
    Primary sector exports and jobs are up again, demonstrating the sector’s underlying strength amid the COVID-19 global pandemic and US-China trade war, and supporting New Zealand’s economic recovery. Stats NZ today reported New Zealand’s merchandise exports in August were up 8.6% on a year ago, driven by an increase in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Clean energy future for more schools
    Schools across Aotearoa New Zealand will be supported by the Government to upgrade to run on clean energy, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. The Minister has allocated $50 million from the Clean Powered Public Service Fund to replace, or convert, coal boilers in schools with clean ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Building business strength with digital tools
    New training and tools for digital commerce will give small businesses, especially in the tourism sector, the support they need to adapt and innovate in a COVID world. Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Small Business Minister Stuart Nash have announced details of how $20 million digital capability funding set aside ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New pest lures to protect nature
    The Department of Conservation (DOC) is investing $1.4 million to develop new predator lures that would be game-changers for trapping and surveillance towards a predator-free Aotearoa, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage, announced in Christchurch today. The proposal is to develop long-life lures attractive to a range of predators—rats, mustelids ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Support for innovative Pacific education responses to COVID-19 needs
    Supporting new and creative Pacific education practices as part of our COVID-19 response and recovery is the focus of a new $28.5 million Pacific Education Innovation Fund announced today by Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa.  “There is already an incredible amount of innovative and creative work going on in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Eligibility expanded for COVID-19 leave support
    The expanded scheme will cover: People who have COVID-19 like symptoms and meet the Ministry of Health’s criteria, and need to self-isolate while awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test. People who are directed to self-isolate by a Medical Officer of Health or their delegate or on advice of their ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Seasonal work visa available to more people
    The Government is putting in place a range of immigration policy changes to help fill labour shortages in key industries while ensuring New Zealanders, who have lost jobs due to COVID-19, have the chance to find new employment. “Two key sectors we are moving to help are horticulture and wine ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • More border exceptions for critical roles
    The Government has established class exceptions for border entry for a limited number of veterinarians, deep sea fishing crew, as well as agricultural and horticultural machinery operators. “Tight border restrictions remain the backbone of the Government’s border strategy to protect New Zealand against COVID-19 and ensure New Zealand citizens and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Crown will not appeal Dodds v Southern Response decision
    The Crown will not appeal the Court of Appeal decision in the Dodds v Southern Response case, Grant Robertson announced today. “Southern Response will be paying the damages awarded by the Court to Mr and Mrs Dodds shortly. The Crown was already meeting their legal costs for this appeal. “The ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Crucial PGF investments for Northland
    The Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $30 million in a diverse range of projects that will create immediate and long-term jobs and lift economic and social outcomes for Northland and its people. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones made the announcement today in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • $27million investment in global vaccine facility
    The Coalition Government has committed to invest $27 million in COVID-19 vaccine development through the global COVAX Facility, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced today. “The COVAX Facility is a key part of our COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy to obtain safe and effective vaccines. It allows us to invest in a high-quality, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government backing Māori landowners
    The Government will provide up to $1.69 million through the One Billion Trees programme to Māori landowners to make their whenua more productive through the planting of forests, both native and exotic, and improve economic and environmental outcomes, Forestry Minister Shane Jones has announced. “Around 1.5 million ha of land ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New tools to make nature more accessible
    People planning to head outdoors now have a resource that lets them know how accessible an area is for people with varying levels of mobility, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced today. The Halberg Foundation, Sensibel, and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have launched Accessibel, a new tool which helps ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • PGF makes Māori history more accessible
    One of the most significant battle sites of the 1860s Land Wars will receive $2.96 million from the Provincial Growth Fund to improve the site and help tell the New Zealand story to visitors, Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. Nanaia Mahuta ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Making it official: The journey of te reo Māori | Kia whakapūmautia: Ngā piki me ngā heke o te r...
    The journey towards recognising Māori as an official language and taonga has been captured as a web series and launched today during Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, announced Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni. “Te reo Māori is a living language, and understanding its significance, and pathways to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Better-than-forecast GDP reflects decision to protect New Zealand
    Today’s better-than-forecast GDP figures show the expected impact of the decision to act quickly to protect New Zealanders from the global COVID-19 pandemic. GDP fell 12.2% in the June quarter from March, reflecting decisions to close New Zealand’s borders and enter Alert Level 4. “This result was better than the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Boost for COVID-19 related Pacific education needs
    The Government is investing $39.7 Million over four years to support the educational needs of Pacific learners and families in the regions hardest hit by COVID-19, with Auckland getting an immediate boost, Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa says.   “Like all New Zealanders Pacific families want learners to do well ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • More resources for kiwi conservation
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