Day off here; have rather enjoyed watching this one on Thorium Molten Salt reactors. Fast paced and interesting. I’m not a nuclear engineers elbow, but it looks mostly plausible. Ignore the misleading title; I think it was meant to be ironic 🙂
Well there is the usual pig-ignorant scare-mongering that comes out the the USA whenever anything to do with the UN arises. Much the same as climate change denial; it makes effective responses to global issues really hard to get traction on.
It’s the antithesis of what NZ First represents.
Winston Peters is now despised by everyone, have a read of his Facebook page, NZ First will be lucky to break 1%.
Is that the UN Migration Compact?
The one in which legal advice was sought to ensure it would not threaten our sovereignty.
The one that’s non binding?
Obviously not, but every no-hoper from the Islands will be turning up by the planeload keen to jump on the benefit wagon, I’m expecting a huge upswing of Pacific Islanders coming to NZ claiming “Climate change” refugee status.
And it’s not like we’ll turn them away either, not with the Pacific Island reset this current government is pushing.
Which Islanders are you referring to?
Some of them, Rarotongans and Niueans for example, are NZ citizens so they’ll be coming whether you like it or not.
By the way, it is our western capitalist lifestyle that has caused the climate change that is submerging their islands.
And 250 years ago Europeans like you colonised and stole these islands from the Pacific Islanders that had lived here for centuries.
So back up the bus, BM.
The Pacific Island Reset is intended to protect our interests in the region in conjunction with Australia, the only region we really have any interests in, let’s face it. And it’s designed to catch up after National’s cheapskate abrogation of our role in the region. Are you saying we should withdraw from the Pacific and leave it to China? Are you really that stupid?
Hardline law and order advocates the Sensible Sentencing Trust have been labelled “negligent and cavalier” after wrongly posting an innocent man’s photo next to the details of a convicted paedophile on its website.
The SST’s online offender database listed the man’s picture with the description of a convicted paedophile with a similar name for almost two years, leading to social media abuse and fears that the man’s tarnished reputation would damage his business.
The entire database has now been deactivated. The trust was founded by former Conservative Party candidate Garth McVicar.
“It’s very disappointing that – having previously been found in breach and agreeing as part of a settlement to improve its compliance – SST has failed to meet its obligations, at the cost of an innocent man’s reputation and peace of mind,” Edwards said.
Why is this organisation not being sued into oblivion?
Or even just shut down. Shit like this simply should not happen.
It’s the white-faced poorly-toothed ones from England that are the real problem. They’ve been infesting this place for the best part of two centuries. Send them back first.
Just when you thought the world couldn’t get weirder, in a shocking twist Trump does something good/right
Trump bans “bump stocks”
(Clip on accessory thing that basically turns a semi-automatic into a fully automatic machine gun. Popular with the types whose chosen hobby is committing mass shootings)
He’s traumatised by the prospect of giving away $1.75 million.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation has agreed to dissolve under judicial supervision and give away its remaining funds while an investigation by the New York attorney general’s office into its operations moves ahead.
[…]
Under the dissolution agreement, after the judge approves the deal, the Trump Foundation will have 30 days during which to give away the balance of its funds, $1.75 million, to charities.
So have you personally given away $1.75 million to charity. Just a comparison of commitment considering that’s just what’s left.
In one year he paid more in income tax, $38 million. About 1500 times more tax than Bernie Sanders did the same year.
He’s traumatised?
$1.75 million. Filling in his Tax returns must be a nightmare.
That was the purpose of the foundation. Charity.
It was probably not perfect, donated vs given to charity etc.
Look at the % for many charities, some are more like scams.
I wonder what the Clintons charity spends money on.
At least Trump didn’t need to sign away Uranuim to get donations.
He said after this first became a topic he had no problem getting rid of them. You could also include prison reform.
While the hypocrite Schemer is stoping his wall Trump doesn’t have to do much. Plus the Dems are just beginning to come under the spotlight with the Mueller circus. It’s like a partner lifting the bedsheets, often the one using it as a weapon is the real dodgy one when its there turn. The appalling bias of Comey is untenable.
Bump Stocks can apparently be easily 3D printed, or cheaply manufactured in China and so are not a big earner for gun manufacturers. Therefore the NRA seems to be going along with the ban. Some online though have commented that this might just be something they can use later when other gun controls are suggested so they can say they have already compromised and will not go further.
They fought tooth and nail to stop stuff like armor-piercing bullets being banned for sale to civilians because that is something that only gun manufacturers can produce and can charge a premium for. Even though the bullets themselves are nicknamed cop killers and for good reason. There is no valid reason for the sale of armor-piercing bullets to civilians. There are no cases of animal rights activists fitting wild animals with bulletproof vests.
I never had anything to do with this. My sole focus was on growing our economy, our export opportunities… all of that stuff was opertaional. But if anyone should be answering it, it’s Peter Hughes.
Didn’t know what his ministries were spending money on? Didn’t know they were spying on Greenpeace?
Between 12-1pm each day about 4,500 people cross at Queen St/Vic St intersection. During that time only about 300 vehicles do.Each day 100,000’s of people use Queen St by foot, bike or scooters only about 20,000 do in a car. Down from 40,000 15yrs ago. https://t.co/GMQA2D0QvQ— Richard Hills (@richardhills777) December 17, 2018
That was a little bit racist and sexist.
Cars are made by Japanese, Korean, Indians, Chinese, Americans, and Europeans etc. So there’s no dominance. Plus they are all public companies so even if they are made in the US it’s ownership if far from just White old Males
Cars are driven and used by all races of people. A significant minority are white, and a significant minority within that group are old men.
If you want to be informed, link to George Galloway’s Twitter feed.
This will teach you a lot about Brexit.
George also keeps me informed with his show , which can be heard at 8 a.m Saturday New Zealand time (Friday 7 p.m. UK time ). The show is called the Mother of All Talkshows and it is on Talk Radio.
“Seriously, this is a must read from trade union activist
“The centrist, uber-remainers, their Tory, Lib-Dem bedfellows still don’t understand what drove people to vote leave in the first place. They have learnt nothing from the first result.”
A few days ago, Putin has publicly called the Russian land grab in Crimea "an annexation" (https://t.co/76RBGrou2X).Not only Russian loyalists, but also Russian media critical of the regime avoided this term in fear of consequences, but now it seems that they can use it freely.— Anton Shekhovtsov (@A_SHEKH0VTS0V) December 18, 2018
Is there any truth to this rumour that Slater has had a stroke? It wouldn’t surprise me because he looked very, very unfit and has obvious issues psychologically and physiologically.
He’s not publishing anything under his name on that bizarre website of his.
There is a lot of comped comedy images of the PM though. Someone is still obsessed.
A MAF (now MPI) employee worked for Thompson & Clark as a contractor between 2011-12 before leaving the ministry to work full-time for the firm. Over a period of 12 months, the staffer invoiced for work using specialist software, licensed by MPI, to collect and analyse information.
They also used a ministry laptop and email for the work, some of which was done while he was being paid by MPI.
Intelligence he worked on included information for investigation into the hacking of the Solid Energy website in 2011 and that collected on Greenpeace by Thompson & Clark for its petroleum industry clients and
The staffer created a chart detailing people, companies, buildings, and vehicle movements connected to Greenpeace.
He also worked on a timeline of the Pike River disaster – created for the mine’s then chief executive Peter Whittall, who was one of Thompson & Clark’s clients.
The report says the staffer had been affected by MPI’s restructure and was “disillusioned”.
OMG. John Key, what have you done to this country? What a disgraceful, cancerous government you ran.
The Treasury forecasts suggest the economy is doing better than expected after the Covid Shock. John Kenneth Galbraith was wont to say that economic forecasting was designed to make astrology look good. Unfair, but it raises the question of the purpose of economic forecasts. Certainly the public may treat them ...
Q: Will the COVID-19 vaccines prevent the transmission of the coronavirus and bring about community immunity (aka herd immunity)? A: Jury not in yet but vaccines do not have to be perfect to thwart the spread of infection. While vaccines induce protection against illness, they do not always stop actual ...
Joe Biden seems to be everything that Donald Trump was not – decent, straightforward, considerate of others, mindful of his responsibilities – but none of that means that he has an easy path ahead of him. The pandemic still rages, American standing in the world is grievously low, and the ...
Keana VirmaniFrom healthcare robots to data privacy, to sea level rise and Antarctica under the ice: in the four years since its establishment, the Aotearoa New Zealand Science Journalism Fund has supported over 30 projects.Rebecca Priestley, receiving the PM Science Communication Prize (Photo by Mark Tantrum) Associate Professor ...
Nothing more from me today - I'm off to Wellington, to participate in the city's annual roleplaying convention (which has also eaten my time for the whole week, limiting blogging despite there being interesting things happening). Normal bloggage will resume Tuesday. ...
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weaponscame into force today, making the development, possession, use or threat of use of nuclear weapons illegal in international law. Every nuclear-armed state is now a criminal regime. The corporations and scientists who design, build and maintain their illegal weapons are now ...
"Come The Revolution!" The key objective of Bernard Hickey’s revolutionary solution to the housing crisis is a 50 percent reduction in the price of the average family home. This will be achieved by the introduction of Capital Gains, Land, and Wealth taxes, and by the opening up of currently RMA-protected ...
by Daphna Whitmore Twitter and Facebook shutting down Trump’s accounts after his supporters stormed Capitol Hill is old news now but the debates continue over whether the actions against Trump are a good thing or not. Those in favour of banning Trump say Twitter and Facebook are private companies and ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Democrats now control the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives for the first time in a decade, albeit with razor thin Congressional majorities. The last time, in the 111th Congress (2009-2011), House Democrats passed a carbon cap and trade bill, but it died ...
Session thirty-three was highly abbreviated, via having to move house in a short space of time. Oh well. The party decided to ignore the tree-monster and continue the attack on the Giant Troll. Tarsin – flying on a giant summoned bat – dumped some high-grade oil over the ...
Last night I stayed up till 3am just to see then-President Donald Trump leave the White House, get on a plane, and fly off to Florida, hopefully never to return. And when I woke up this morning, America was different. Not perfect, because it never was. Probably not even good, ...
Watching today’s inauguration of Joe Biden as the United States’ 46th president, there’s not a lot in common with the inauguration of Donald Trump just four destructive years ago. Where Trump warned of carnage, Biden dared to hope for unity and decency. But the one place they converge is that ...
Dan FalkBritons who switched on their TVs to “Good Morning Britain” on the morning of Sept. 15, 2020, were greeted by news not from our own troubled world, but from neighboring Venus. Piers Morgan, one of the hosts, was talking about a major science story that had surfaced the ...
Sara LutermanGrowing up autistic in a non-autistic world can be very isolating. We are often strange and out of sync with peers, despite our best efforts. Autistic adults have, until very recently, been largely absent from media and the public sphere. Finding role models is difficult. Finding useful advice ...
Doug JohnsonThe alien-like blooms and putrid stench of Amorphophallus titanum, better known as the corpse flower, draw big crowds and media coverage to botanical gardens each year. In 2015, for instance, around 75,000 people visited the Chicago Botanic Garden to see one of their corpse flowers bloom. More than ...
Getting to Browser Tab Zero so I can reboot the computer is awfully hard when the one open tab is a Table of Contents for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, and every issue has more stuff I want to read. A few highlights: Gugler et al demonstrating ...
Timothy Ford, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Charles M. Schweik, University of Massachusetts AmherstTo mitigate health inequities and promote social justice, coronavirus vaccines need to get to underserved populations and hard-to-reach communities. There are few places in the U.S. that are unreachable by road, but other factors – many ...
Israel chose to pay a bit over the odds for the Pfizer vaccine to get earlier access. Here’s The Times of Israel from 16 November. American government will be charged $39 for each two-shot dose, and the European bloc even less, but Jerusalem said to agree to pay $56. Israel ...
Orla is a gender critical Marxist in Ireland. She gave a presentation on 15 January 2021 on the connection between postmodern/transgender identity politics and the current attacks on democratic and free speech rights. Orla has been active previously in the Irish Socialist Workers Party and the People Before Profit electoral ...
. . America: The Empire Strikes Back (at itself) Further to my comments in the first part of 2020: The History That Was, the following should be considered regarding the current state of the US. They most likely will be by future historians pondering the critical decades of ...
Nathaniel ScharpingIn March, as the Covid-19 pandemic began to shut down major cities in the U.S., researchers were thinking about blood. In particular, they were worried about the U.S. blood supply — the millions of donations every year that help keep hospital patients alive when they need a transfusion. ...
Sarah L Caddy, University of CambridgeVaccines are a marvel of medicine. Few interventions can claim to have saved as many lives. But it may surprise you to know that not all vaccines provide the same level of protection. Some vaccines stop you getting symptomatic disease, but others stop you ...
Back in 2016, the Portuguese government announced plans to stop burning coal by 2030. But progress has come much quicker, and they're now scheduled to close their last coal plant by the end of this year: The Sines coal plant in Portugal went offline at midnight yesterday evening (14 ...
The Sincerest Form Of Flattery: As anybody with the intestinal fortitude to brave the commentary threads of local news-sites, large and small, will attest, the number of Trump-supporting New Zealanders is really quite astounding. IT’S SO DIFFICULT to resist the temptation to be smug. From the distant perspective of New Zealand, ...
RNZ reports on continued arbitrariness on decisions at the border. British comedian Russell Howard is about to tour New Zealand and other acts allowed in through managed isolation this summer include drag queen RuPaul and musicians at Northern Bass in Mangawhai and the Bay Dreams festival. The vice-president of the ...
As families around the world mourn more than two million people dead from Covid-19, the Plan B academics and their PR industry collaborator continue to argue that the New Zealand government should stop focusing on our managed isolation and quarantine system and instead protect the elderly so that they can ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 through Sat, Jan 16, 2021Editor's ChoiceNASA says 2020 tied for hottest year on record — here’s what you can do to helpPhoto by Michael Held on Unsplash ...
Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
Does the US need to strike a grand bargain with like-minded countries to pool their efforts? What does this tell us about today’s global politics? Perhaps the most remarkable editorial of last year was the cover leader of the London Economist on 19 November 2020. Shortly after Joe Biden was ...
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato and Valmaine Toki, University of WaikatoAotearoa New Zealand likes to think it punches above its weight internationally, but there is one area where we are conspicuously falling behind — the number of sites recognised by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Globally, there are 1,121 ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
[Opening comments, welcome and thank you to Auckland University etc] It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This is a moment many feared would never come, but ...
The Government is providing $3 million in one-off seed funding to help disabled people around New Zealand stay connected and access support in their communities, Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni announced today. The funding will allow disability service providers to develop digital and community-based solutions over the next two ...
Border workers in quarantine facilities will be offered voluntary daily COVID-19 saliva tests in addition to their regular weekly testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. This additional option will be rolled out at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland starting on Monday 25 January, and then to ...
The next steps in the Government’s ambitious firearms reform programme to include a three-month buy-back have been announced by Police Minister Poto Williams today. “The last buy-back and amnesty was unprecedented for New Zealand and was successful in collecting 60,297 firearms, modifying a further 5,630 firearms, and collecting 299,837 prohibited ...
The Government has released its Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 which outlines the intention of where 8,000 additional public and transitional housing places announced in Budget 2020, will go. “The Government is committed to continuing its public house build programme at pace and scale. The extra 8,000 homes – 6000 public ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States of America. “I look forward to building a close relationship with President Biden and working with him on issues that matter to both our countries,” Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
We are drowning out the natural world with synthetic sounds, and it’s getting worse, writes Michelle Langstone.It used to be quiet once. Remember that? Remember the hush that settled over the cities like the silence that comes down in a snowstorm? It’s less than a year since Aotearoa first locked ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden in the latest episode of On the Rag as they examine the topic of boobs from every possible angle. First published November 16, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Seventy-five years after the US detonated the first nuclear tests in the Pacific, New Zealand pledges its support to Joe Biden's first tentative step towards disarmament. Today, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons comes into effect, making it illegal for New Zealand and the 50 other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Terry, Professor of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland The challenge of bringing the world’s best tennis players and support staff, about 1,200 people in all, from COVID-ravaged parts of the world to our almost pandemic-free shores was always going to be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoffrey Browne, Research Fellow in International Urban Development, University of Melbourne The Victorian government has committed to removing 75 road/rail level crossings across Melbourne by 2025. That’s the fastest rate of removal in the city’s history. The scale of the investment — ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it is also Biden’s economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Stevens, Lecturer in History, University of Waikato In a year of surprises, one of the more pleasant was the recent runaway viral popularity of 19th century sea shanties on TikTok. A collaborative global response to pandemic isolation, it saw singers and ...
The sudden departure of Graine Moss from her Chief Executive role at Oranga Tamariki is a vital first step in a sequence of changes that must take place at the Ministry according to a group of wahine Māori leaders. Dame Naida Glavish, Dame Tariana Turia, ...
A new poem from Dunedin poet Jenny Powell.Her uncle’s eyeShe introduced us to her uncle’s eye floating in a jar.Lost in an accident, he hadn’t wanted to lose it again. He left it to her in his will.We must have looked shocked. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I turn him to ...
The chief executive of Oranga Tamariki is quitting, leaving behind an agency she’s admitted suffers from structural racism. Justin Giovannetti looks at the future of Oranga Tamariki.Grainne Moss’s tenure as head of Oranga Tamariki has been untenable since November when the government’s senior Māori minister wouldn’t express any confidence in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Sainsbury, Senior Lecturer Composition, Australian National University Despite having different cultural backgrounds and experiences — Indigenous composers with an Indigenous mentor, and a pianist descended from Anglo-colonial history — it is nevertheless possible to create a project that can serve as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Plank, Professor in Applied Mathematics, University of Canterbury With new, more infectious variants of COVID-19 detected around the world, and at New Zealand’s border, the risk of further level 3 or 4 lockdowns is increased if those viruses get into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hogg, Lecturer in Psychology, Charles Sturt University Horse racing is an ethical hotbed in Australia. The Melbourne Cup alone has seen seven horses die after racing since 2013, and animal cruelty protesters have become a common feature at carnivals. The latest ...
Right now, our most fiery national debate is over whether New Zealanders were nice to the singer Amanda Palmer in a café. Desperate to restore peace in our nation, Hayden Donnell went in search of the truth.Joe Biden had barely finished calling for unity when Amanda Palmer posted a tweet ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (Pushkin Press, $37)Maths, cyanide, suicide, gardening; ye ...
Wellington artist Estère isn’t just breaking boundaries, she’s dissecting them. Maddi Rowe spoke to her about her new album, Archetypes.“That’s the story of pelicans, they’ll stab themselves in the heart to feed their young.”Despite the somewhat dark subject matter, Estère Dalton’s eyes sparkle with fascination. We’ve met to discuss Archetypes, ...
Cycling advocates are welcoming new advice from the Transport Agency on safe cycling. "Cyclists hate it when drivers pass too close. That's scary and dangerous," said Patrick Morgan from Cycling Action Network. "So it's encouraging to see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tilman Ruff, Honorary Principal Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne Today, many around the world will celebrate the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to enter into force in 50 years. The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear ...
The Public Service Association welcomes the creation of a Chief Executive role to lead the public service’s pay equity work, and the appointment of Grainne Moss to this position. "Unions and public service employers are currently working ...
The Council of Trade Unions is warning that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures out today illustrate that the cost of living is increasing disproportionately for those on lower incomes; resulting in the poor getting poorer. CTU Economist Craig ...
Why are there so many offensive comments on the New Zealand Police Facebook page and are they breaking the law? Janaye Henry investigates. New Zealand Police Facebook pages – there are a number of them, for different regional police districts around the country – are an interesting place to spend ...
Our guide to stopping procrastinating and actually (finally) getting on top of investing. Because there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t know a single thing about it.In part one, we covered some of the basic things you need to know about investing – why do it? ...
Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft acknowledges the huge effort and commitment of departing Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive Grainne Moss and says her decision to resign today was principled. “The issues facing Oranga Tamariki are beyond individual ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Two Large Waves versus One Tsunami. Chart by Keith Rankin. Two Large Waves versus One Tsunami. Chart by Keith Rankin. With Covid19, Italy shows the classic European pattern, with its early outbreak, substantial recovery thanks to lockdowns and other public health measures, and resurgence thanks to complacency ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW This year has already seen significant progress in the government’s commitment to establish a body – a “Voice” – that would allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a say when the government ...
Northland farmer Derek Robinson was sentenced earlier today by the District Court in Whangarei for two offences of ill-treating animals at rodeo events. Mr Robinson was found guilty in November last year, following a defended hearing. The charges ...
Under fire Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss has announced she will resign, effective February 28, Marc Daalder reports After four and a half years at the helm of child protection agency Oranga Tamariki, chief executive Grainne Moss has announced she will be leaving the position at the end of ...
The Department of Internal Affairs and New Zealand Police acknowledge the sentencing of 36-year-old Aaron Joseph Hutton on charges relating to the possession of child sexual exploitation material, and entering into a dealing involving the sexual exploitation ...
Ngā Tāngata Microfinance (NTM) is calling for tougher penalties for those caught promoting pyramid schemes. Such business models are illegal under the Fair Trading Act 1986. This call comes after the Commerce Commission issued a ‘stop now’ notice ...
British High Commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke is calling on young women aged 17 to 25 to apply for the annual ‘Be British High Commissioner for the Day’ competition. The winner will have the opportunity to become an ‘honorary High Commissioner’, ...
The Māori Party is welcoming the resignation of Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss after sustained pressure from leading figures within the Māori Party. This resignation is the result of the continued strong pressure of the Māori Party ...
In a historic corner of Dunedin, startup culture is thriving. Catherine McGregor visited the city’s Warehouse Precinct to meet the people driving the movement. When Jason and Kate Lindsey bought the four storey building now known as Petridish, it was an absolute wreck. Once home to a thriving hat and textiles ...
Summer reissue: The Fold’s very first guest is back to tell Duncan Greive how she pulled off the media deal of the year.The chaotic couple of weeks which finally saw the end of the Stuff-NZME saga were riveting and strange, replete with stock exchange announcements, legal challenges and finally the ...
Chris Liddell has dropped his candidacy to become director-general of the Paris-based OECD. Without support from the Ardern government and vilified in the media as somehow being involved in the encouragement by Donald Trump of the Washington riots, he plainly saw he had little chance of crowning his stellar career ...
Tara Ward hands out her first impression roses as she dives deep into the sea of single men vying to win The Bachelorette NZ’s heart. While the world burns in a searing fireball of unpredictability, we can take comfort in the fact that some things never change. The heart still yearns, ...
People from all around New Zealand will be converging on the super-secret Waihopai satellite interception spybase, in Marlborough, on Saturday January 30th. ...
In its Thursday editorial the NZ Herald speaks an important truth: “Investment important to stay on track”. This won’t have startled its more literate readers but in its text it notes the strong result in the latest Global Dairy Trade auction, which prompted Westpac to raise its forecast for dairy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women’s University With the spread of COVID-19 steadily worsening in Japan since the onset of winter — daily records for infections and deaths continue to be broken — the fate of the Tokyo Summer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Taylor, Early Career Research Leader, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University All eyes are on COVID-19 vaccines, with Australia’s first expected to be approved for use shortly. But their development in record time, without compromising ...
Yesterday’s government announcement on new state housing is a pathetic response to the biggest housing crisis in New Zealand since the 1940s. At a time when the country needs an industrial-scale state house building programme, the government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Obadiah Mulder, PhD Candidate in Computational Biology, University of Southern California Australia is in the midst of tropical cyclone season. As we write, a cyclone is forming off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, and earlier in the week Queenslanders were bracing for a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynette Vernon, School of Education – VC Research Fellow, Edith Cowan University When the holidays end, barring a fresh outbreak of COVID-19, teenagers across Australia will head back to school. Some will bounce out of bed well before the alarm goes off, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it is also Biden’s economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology Twenty years ago, on January 25 2001, a virtually unknown German supermarket chain quietly opened its first stores in Australia. The two stores – one in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Bluey is easily the most successful Australian television show of the last decade. A record-breaking success for its local broadcaster the ABC, as well as production partners BBC Studios and Screen Australia, ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permissionIt will take $3 million to clean up 1 million litres of abandoned toxic waste from a property in Ruakaka - three times more than the last big chemical clean-up undertaken by government agencies A two-year mission to clean up 1 million ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. The action Biden took on just his first afternoon in office demonstrates a radical shift in priority for the US when it comes to its efforts to combat the climate crisis. It could put more pressure on New Zealand to step up. ...
Ban Bomb Day event at the New Brighton Pier, 9am, on January 22nd, 2021 January 22nd, 2021, marks the first day the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Enters into Force and becomes international law. Aotearoa NZ is one of the ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve BrauniasFICTION 1 Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare (Hachette, $29.99) Every January, there's a new best-selling crime thriller by the New Zealand-born author who lives in Melbourne. Pomare is ...
Our approach so far in trying to end what Dr Collin Tukuitonga describes as a 'racist' disease - rheumatic fever - has not worked. It's time we try something new, he writes. Acute rheumatic fever and the rheumatic heart disease it causes, long-known as a disease of poverty, is a blight on ...
New Zealand triple-code star, Anna Harrison, can't stop returning to the courts - whether it's netball or beach volleyball. She tells Ashley Stanley what keeps drawing her back. The day before Anna Harrison leaps back into netball, she will have one more hit-out at another of her favourite old sports ...
The lights are burning into the night at the New York Yacht Club's America's Cup base as they race to fix their damaged boat. And Suzanne McFadden discovers something surprising may emerge. Out of American Magic’s calamity may come opportunity - for even more speed. While the lights burn bright ...
New to sailing? With the Prada Cup resuming this weekend, here’s how to bluff your way into sounding like a pro. When I was 10, my mum made my brother and I join the local sailing club. It was a favourite pastime of families in Kerikeri, and my brother was actually ...
A formal complaint to the UN, signed by a NZ Muslim group, says France’s Islamophobic laws and policies are entrenching discrimination and breaching human rights laws. The Khadija Leadership Network has joined a global coalition of Muslim organisations to formally complain about the French government’s systemic entrenchment of Islamophobia and discrimination against ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and a lineup of incredibly successful New Zealand women as they confront their imposter syndrome once and for all. First published 20 October, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members ...
With criticism from National piling on over the property market, the prime minister has detailed when the government will make housing announcements. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco Rizzi, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Western Australia Some Australians could be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine within weeks. Amid the continued spread of the virus and emergence of highly contagious variants, the federal government has accelerated the start of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy — a five-year plan for protecting our imperilled species and ecosystems — fizzled to an end last year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Lecturer, General Dentist & PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Baby teeth, or milk teeth, act like lighthouses to guide the adult ones to their correct destination. A baby tooth will become wobbly and fall out because the adult tooth ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by Simon Coley, co-founder of All Good and Karma Drinks.Bananas are one of the ...
Tackling topics such as rugby and body image, Stuff’s latest podcast shines a much-needed light on Aotearoa’s complex relationship with masculinity, writes Trevor McKewen, author of the book Real Men Wear Black.I wasn’t sure what to think when two episodes of the new local podcast He’ll Be Right landed in ...
The Rainforest Alliance reveals that 68%* of Kiwis say the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more conscious about environmental and social sustainability issues. Seventy two percent* state that they have been trying to make more sustainable purchasing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has raised concerns that Australia’s proposed News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code could fundamentally break the internet as we know it. His concerns ...
ANALYSIS:By Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path Two weeks after the storming of the US Capitol by the followers of his predecessor, in the middle of an out-of-control pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Cantrell, Lecturer, Creative Writing & English Literature, University of Southern Queensland Described as “the world’s greatest storyteller”, Roald Dahl is frequently ranked as the best children’s author of all time by teachers, authors and librarians. However, the new film adaptation of ...
Peak housing body, Community Housing Aotearoa (CHA) welcomes the updated Public Housing Plan announced today by Minister Woods, and the commitment by this Government to fix New Zealand’s housing crisis. The 8,000 additional homes are a significant ...
His blood turned 25.
Day off here; have rather enjoyed watching this one on Thorium Molten Salt reactors. Fast paced and interesting. I’m not a nuclear engineers elbow, but it looks mostly plausible. Ignore the misleading title; I think it was meant to be ironic 🙂
We actually have some serious thorium deposits down in the South Island.
Another 5% at least for National and unless gifted a seat NZ First is dead.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/109486713/new-zealand-votes-for-un-migration-compact-after-legal-advice
The Col better hope their plan of getting the dope heads to the voting booth in 2020 pays off.
Well there is the usual pig-ignorant scare-mongering that comes out the the USA whenever anything to do with the UN arises. Much the same as climate change denial; it makes effective responses to global issues really hard to get traction on.
It’s the antithesis of what NZ First represents.
Winston Peters is now despised by everyone, have a read of his Facebook page, NZ First will be lucky to break 1%.
[citation needed]
And that means you going through the actual wording of the pact and showing how it contradicts anything that NZ1st stand for.
NZ First, you fucking dimwit, it’s their name.
Handing over power to the UN ???, WTF ??? how do think that would work at all with NZ First voters??
Ah, so you can’t back up what you said.
Got it.
Basically, you’re a typical ignorant right-wing schmuck.
Nowhere in the pact does it say that power would be handed over to the UN.
In fact, it says the exact opposite.
You’re either Simon Bridges or a clone as your comments here have the same smart arse dickhead ignorance, BM.
Is that the UN Migration Compact?
The one in which legal advice was sought to ensure it would not threaten our sovereignty.
The one that’s non binding?
Fucks sake Cinny, you’re not that stupid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=XnX6uBFySEY
Thanks for the link that was pretty cool, I find it really interesting watching other countries parliaments.
However, even the UN SG has come out and said the pact is not legally binding.
Yep, the one the RWNJs are scaremongering and basically lying about.
Mexicans don’t want to come here BMmer.
Obviously not, but every no-hoper from the Islands will be turning up by the planeload keen to jump on the benefit wagon, I’m expecting a huge upswing of Pacific Islanders coming to NZ claiming “Climate change” refugee status.
And it’s not like we’ll turn them away either, not with the Pacific Island reset this current government is pushing.
and you think we should turn them away?
Yep, unless their lives are in imminent danger, Islanders will just have to learn to adapt to a changing environment.
Or move to one of the neighbouring Islands.
They don’t need to come to NZ.
and if their home islands become uninhabitable or largely so….no place in NZ?
NZ is a neighbouring island Einstein lol man you are all over the place.
Don’t be an asshat Mars.
All the low lying Islanders can move to Tonga, Samoa or Fiji, they don’t need to move to NZ.
Tonga highest point 1,033 metres
Samoa highest point 1,858 metres
Fiji highest point 1,324 metres
why not here – we are some islands in the pacific aren’t we?
Why?
We don’t need these people.
They need us.
They can all stay at BM’s place. 😆
The thing is he’d be first in line pushing the kids out the way, sniveling for help if the boot was on the other foot.
Which Islanders are you referring to?
Some of them, Rarotongans and Niueans for example, are NZ citizens so they’ll be coming whether you like it or not.
We can always change that.
what a pathetic attempt to back up your racism /argument with your meaningless abuse of geographical statistics BM.
Your argueent appears to be …. ” fuck em , they can all go live on their highest mountain / hill”.
Either your to dishonest, lazy or stupid to supply any relevant information.
Working with what you’ve posted …… your dishonesty does not pass the stupid test.
highest points … low level relevance.
They have more business here than the damned English.
Totally.
I thought NZ was one of the neighbouring islands.
By the way, it is our western capitalist lifestyle that has caused the climate change that is submerging their islands.
And 250 years ago Europeans like you colonised and stole these islands from the Pacific Islanders that had lived here for centuries.
So back up the bus, BM.
Don’t worry BMmer it’s possibly cheaper if they come here.
Oh look here’s BM coming here to do what he means to do
The Pacific Island Reset is intended to protect our interests in the region in conjunction with Australia, the only region we really have any interests in, let’s face it. And it’s designed to catch up after National’s cheapskate abrogation of our role in the region. Are you saying we should withdraw from the Pacific and leave it to China? Are you really that stupid?
Innocent man’s photo wrongly posted next to paedophile’s details by Sensible Sentencing Trust
Why is this organisation not being sued into oblivion?
Or even just shut down. Shit like this simply should not happen.
Why not being sued? They must have a stable of high horses that would be worth something.
So the prick who posted the pic can look forward to being sued?
Assuming you’re responding to me:
I’d say that there’s a very good case for defamation but it should land solidly on SST.
“I’d say that there’s a very good case for defamation”
I don’t think you get much better. The only doubt would be how many million the poor bastard will be suing them for.
I’m really angry NZ signed this – we need an influx of migrants like a hole in the head
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/109468927/heres-how-much-new-zealands-population-would-change-if-everyone-who-wanted-to-migrate-here-actually-did
We’ve had an influx of migrants for yonks A.
I’m really angry that you, like the schmuck above, has NFI WTF you’re talking about.
And I’m on record as saying the we need to have a moratorium on immigration and that we’ll be closing our borders in the 2020s.
yeah why don’t the ones who have come and sucked the life out of this country piss off and let some other buggers have a go then there’d be NO influx.
Probably cause a reflux from the displaced immigrants though. Easy to get in and hard to get out, for some people.
Plenty of little yellow slanty eyed ones over the past 10 years under National ?
fuck off you racist arsehole
It’s the white-faced poorly-toothed ones from England that are the real problem. They’ve been infesting this place for the best part of two centuries. Send them back first.
Just when you thought the world couldn’t get weirder, in a shocking twist Trump does something good/right
Trump bans “bump stocks”
(Clip on accessory thing that basically turns a semi-automatic into a fully automatic machine gun. Popular with the types whose chosen hobby is committing mass shootings)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-19/donald-trump-bans-bump-stocks-used-in-las-vegas-mass-shooting/10635232
Why do you think he did that?
Hate to be a cynic but the guy desperately needs a good story right now.
He’s traumatised by the prospect of giving away $1.75 million.
The Donald J. Trump Foundation has agreed to dissolve under judicial supervision and give away its remaining funds while an investigation by the New York attorney general’s office into its operations moves ahead.
[…]
Under the dissolution agreement, after the judge approves the deal, the Trump Foundation will have 30 days during which to give away the balance of its funds, $1.75 million, to charities.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/18/trump-foundation-agrees-to-dissolve-under-judicial-supervision-.html
So have you personally given away $1.75 million to charity. Just a comparison of commitment considering that’s just what’s left.
In one year he paid more in income tax, $38 million. About 1500 times more tax than Bernie Sanders did the same year.
He’s traumatised?
$1.75 million. Filling in his Tax returns must be a nightmare.
That was the purpose of the foundation. Charity.
It was probably not perfect, donated vs given to charity etc.
Look at the % for many charities, some are more like scams.
I wonder what the Clintons charity spends money on.
At least Trump didn’t need to sign away Uranuim to get donations.
He said after this first became a topic he had no problem getting rid of them. You could also include prison reform.
While the hypocrite Schemer is stoping his wall Trump doesn’t have to do much. Plus the Dems are just beginning to come under the spotlight with the Mueller circus. It’s like a partner lifting the bedsheets, often the one using it as a weapon is the real dodgy one when its there turn. The appalling bias of Comey is untenable.
Bullshit. Trump and the the Republicans did not say this after bump stocks became an issue in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre.
Sorry mate, but you are wrong
He has been organising a way of banning them for ages
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/us/politics/trump-bump-stocks.html
There will be some cynical side motive behind it somewhere, but it is good and it’s done.
Bump Stocks can apparently be easily 3D printed, or cheaply manufactured in China and so are not a big earner for gun manufacturers. Therefore the NRA seems to be going along with the ban. Some online though have commented that this might just be something they can use later when other gun controls are suggested so they can say they have already compromised and will not go further.
They fought tooth and nail to stop stuff like armor-piercing bullets being banned for sale to civilians because that is something that only gun manufacturers can produce and can charge a premium for. Even though the bullets themselves are nicknamed cop killers and for good reason. There is no valid reason for the sale of armor-piercing bullets to civilians. There are no cases of animal rights activists fitting wild animals with bulletproof vests.
What a grubby little oink this Bridges man is.
Didn’t know what his ministries were spending money on? Didn’t know they were spying on Greenpeace?
Yeah, right.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/378674/bridges-on-thompson-and-clark-spying-i-never-had-anything-to-do-with-this
I recognise a well anticipated response to an inevitable question when I see it.
This is a a refrain we will hear over and over.
‘it was before my time’, ‘i have no knowledge of this’ etc.
Difference is, when key lied, folk didn’t care, when ole one lane does it, they sound like excuses.
High St will be car free for tomorrow and Quay St will be reduced to one lane each way permanently from Boxing Day. The hegemony of the private motor vehicle in the CBD is coming to an end.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/12/car-free-cbd-auckland-s-high-street-to-ban-cars-on-thursday.html
The times they are a-changin’
Where is Judith Collins squawking about this anti-car treachery?
JC is a bit busy as this time of the year
We all are. Not good for pale stale males that she’s abandoned her post at this crucial juncture though.
That was a little bit racist and sexist.
Cars are made by Japanese, Korean, Indians, Chinese, Americans, and Europeans etc. So there’s no dominance. Plus they are all public companies so even if they are made in the US it’s ownership if far from just White old Males
Cars are driven and used by all races of people. A significant minority are white, and a significant minority within that group are old men.
If you want to be informed, link to George Galloway’s Twitter feed.
This will teach you a lot about Brexit.
George also keeps me informed with his show , which can be heard at 8 a.m Saturday New Zealand time (Friday 7 p.m. UK time ). The show is called the Mother of All Talkshows and it is on Talk Radio.
“Seriously, this is a must read from trade union activist
“The centrist, uber-remainers, their Tory, Lib-Dem bedfellows still don’t understand what drove people to vote leave in the first place. They have learnt nothing from the first result.”
https://t.co/7zTFlBo5GX?amp=1
Something a bit lighter to sooth the nerves after the Ardern, Peters treachery.
it’s either this or piano wire.
These vigilante arseholes should be taken to the cleaners and be permanently put out of business.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/378656/mcvicar-sorry-for-sensible-sentencing-trust-s-paedophile-mistake
yep shut that shit down!!!
And they can take Mark Mitchell with them. NZ is face to face with a very evil man there.
Yep agreed – he is dangerous
Absolutely agree @Muttonbird, re Mitchell. He shouldn’t be anywhere near Parliament. He’s nothing but a despicable, vile thug!
Oh.
McVicar says:
“The trust could be forced to close if the amount of compensation it had to pay was more than it could afford.”
Maybe there should be support for the chap to take the case the Human Rights Review Tribunal.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/109488195/negligent-cavalier-sensible-sentencing-trust-wrongly-labels-man-a-paedophile
Is there any truth to this rumour that Slater has had a stroke? It wouldn’t surprise me because he looked very, very unfit and has obvious issues psychologically and physiologically.
He’s not publishing anything under his name on that bizarre website of his.
There is a lot of comped comedy images of the PM though. Someone is still obsessed.
Hey Gerry, this is what action looks like. You should have tried it for the people of Christchurch.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/109470124/thompson–clark-a-preferred-security-and-surveillance-firm-dumped-from-government-work
OMG. John Key, what have you done to this country? What a disgraceful, cancerous government you ran.
Simplicity
https://damnthematrix.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/kevin-anderson-hugh-hunt-a-rule-book-for-the-climate-casino/