We have had some really heavy rain and thunder. It flooded our park and nearby road for the first time in years. Rotorua is on the edge of this, so we are hoping all are safe further inland. This is an intense area of storm and rain. Even the recent flood mitigation work could not cope. A window on our future?
1. biofuels have to come from somewhere. If we use land to grow biofuels, will that be regeneratively or via soil and biodiversity killing conventional monocropping? Will it take the place of growing food? How will it stand up to extreme weather events?
2. the biofuel source material has to be industrially processed. They talk about chemicals but don't say what the impact of that is environmentally. I smell some greenwashing.
3. the claim is that aviation is only responsible for 2.5% of global emissions (I'd want that fact checked), but it's some neolib accounting. If you or I were to fly to London for a wedding and a holiday, we have to count all the emissions in that trip, not just those from avgas. eg the emissions from other travel on the trip, accommodation, restaurants and takeaways, and so on. Climate bods say the whole emissions % is higher.
4. flying is a commercial model that relies on increasing flights to make it work economically. This means more airports, runways, hotels, machinery etc, and all their emissions.
The Ultrafan proposal is trying to create green BAU. It's not that we can't have nice things (for now anyway), it's that there is simply no replacement for the dense energy and energy returned on investment of fossil fuels, and the only place we can get the additional resources needed is from nature. We are really really shit at doing that in a sustainable way. In large part because we insist on living beyond our means.
Instead of imagining a world where we can fly like we do now, we should be imagining a world where everyone has enough to eat, and the environment is being regenerated where we have degraded it. We might get to fly once every five years to the UK in that scenario, but we won't burnout the planet.
As a starting point, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report from 2013 says methane heats the climate by 28 times more than carbon dioxide when averaged over 100 years and 84 times more when averaged over 20 years.
In a natural system there's some kind of constantly shifting balance between emissions and sequestration (hence our relatively stable atmosphere and biosphere historically). Humans have interrupted that by creating way too many emissions at the same time as breaking the ecosystems that sequester. This is the whole point of climate change, we pushed things too far and how we have to scale back until things stabilise again. Running industrial dairy en masse on pasture cannot be mitigated. Because we're already too far in debt, and because in itself it's just not sustainable.
If you have six million cows magically appear, ypu get 10 years if a rising curve of methane, after 10 years does that curve keep rising or does it flat line?
Earlier this month the government passed legislation
which mandates a 90 percent reduction in the number of outlets selling the addictive drug – from about 6000 now to no more than 600 by late 2023. It also reduces the amount of nicotine in products
"Nicotine will be reduced to non-addictive levels and communities will be free from the proliferation and clustering of retailers who target and sell tobacco products in certain areas," Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said.
National wants to delay the reduction in number of retail outlets selling tobacco
National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis said on Wednesday while the party supported further reducing the number of Kiwis who smoke, the bill would accelerate the formation of an avoidable "black market".
"We think denicotisation of tobacco products should occur first, and then the phase-out from retail," she told Morning Report.
"As it stands, the proposal is to reduce the number of retailers for tobacco products from 6000 to 600 next year. That is… a dramatic reduction, and we worry that there hasn't first been an effort to address the demand for the nicotine in the products.
Willis said cutting the number of outlets before weaning smokers off their addiction could push them to "getting [cigarettes] from a gang or someone who stole them", instead of a "legal dairy".
In a functioning market (such as supermarkets taking online orders and delivering to the home address) the reduced number of allowed retail outlets would result in the on-line order and delivery of packets of tobacco to nicotine addicts (who have acquired smoking behaviour routines/habits based around the addiction) who resisted the transition to vaping or patches.
So it seems National is really supporting the continuance of the dairy smokes sales turnover interests of businesses while exploiting crime for political purposes.
And of course the talk of a phase out of retail leading to a black market is nonsense – because on-line delivery continues. There is the matter of the gradual reduction in nicotine levels in smokes (so no immediate bump in demand for higher nicotine level tobacco product).
Greatly reduced nicotine levels are a key measure in the proposed smokefree legislation to make cigarettes and other tobacco products non-addictive. This should markedly reduce smoking uptake and encourage quitting or reduced consumption, as people who smoke find these cigarettes and tobacco less satisfying.
The law could temporarily increase illicit tobacco use among some people who don't quit smoking. However, people who smoke are more likely to switch to vaping (widely and legally available in New Zealand) than turn to the illicit market.
There is currently a black market due to the high excise taxes, and the legislation will continue to allow growing tobacco for personal use, so I'm not really sure why anyone thinks the existing black market would significantly increase in size.
In a functioning market (such as supermarkets taking online orders and delivering to the home address) the reduced number of allowed retail outlets would result in the on-line order and delivery of packets of tobacco to nicotine addicts (who have acquired smoking behaviour routines/habits based around the addiction) who resisted the transition to vaping or patches.
Given the number of courier package thefts (daily occurrence in our middle-class Auckland suburb), not to mention the legal requirement to ensure that the supply is to people meeting the legal age requirement – this seems like a thoroughly irresponsible method of delivery.
If you want to argue that tobacco should only be dispensed to 'addicts' – then it would be more effective to supply through chemists (though, I don't think they'd be keen).
But, of course, all of those without fixed addresses, without GPs, etc – will have a very strong incentive to get their tobacco 'fix' extra-legally. And, I think you radically underestimate the desperation of the tobacco addict – who has little or no interest in low-nicotine products.
Observationally (using the school my teenage son attends as a benchmark) – the number of teens vaping at school (which is against school rules, just as smoking is) – is really, really high. Far higher than smoking ever was. I'm not sure that this has actually been a health win.
It seems you are running through the National Party talking points in support of maintaining dairy retail supply of tobacco (catering to business greed), despite the associated risk (here crime).
The idea of rummaging through peoples on-line shopping delivery to find a packet of smokes seems a little far-fetched (when numbers using are going from 10 to 5%). And supermarket shopping delivery can be timed for the evening when people are at home (enabling the ID check).
By the end of next year – there will be 600, not 6000, retail outlets selling tobacco. The number of crime incidents involving tobacco will subside.
The same process, albeit more gradual, will occur with liquor outlets.
Despite the high tax on tobacco there has been little development of a black market, and experts believe that the decline in nicotine levels will make little difference either. Use is now well under 10%, and some will be weened off addiction via the lower nicotine rate and others will switch to the cheaper option of vaping.
Given the carcinogen in the tobacco method of delivery of the nicotine it has been a health win to transfer youth to vaping (and certainly it has been to reduce adult smoking rates to under 10%).
"Despite the high tax on tobacco there has been little development of a black market"
This doesn't seem to fit with the narrative that dairies are being ram-raided and having violent thefts because of the presence of tobacco.
I don't think that these (reportedly) teenagers conducting the thefts are smoking the lot themselves – of course there is a black market.
Where do you think these '600' outlets will be located? And what level of security do you think they will need (given the presence on-site of substantially higher levels of tobacco than the corner dairy)? And what methods will be used to provide access for homeless or no-fixed-abode people (often heavy smokers)?
It would be a health win if vaping just replaced tobacco among those already smoking – my point is that vaping has substantially increased nicotine usage amongst teens. You may see that as a health win, I don't.
The evidence dismissing the development of a black market was the related to offshore sourced tobacco. Not so much at present. Just the legal supply to the reducing in size local market (with some internal re-direction via theft).
The effect of lowering of nicotine levels is likely to reduce the size of that market further to 5% (as nicotine addicts switch to the far cheaper vaping and others die off).
Nicotine use is not a health problem (though there are doubts about the safety of some vaping).
The 600 outlets are likely to be supermarkets (they are set up to prevent ramraids) and the 4 Square type dairies (it's notable so far how few of these attacks have occurred in the provinces).
The difficulty of the homeless (on the streets) and those with no fixed address (hostels) without cars (or means to order deliveries) accessing their daily needs from further afield than a local dairy or liquor outlet, is akin to that of every variety of addict to a substance. Suppliers will move in, they probably already have. But there is a much cheaper alternative for the nicotine addict – vaping.
And there is still the option of kiosks (refilled each day) on a trial basis.
The current situation of 6000 outlets for targeting (fog cannons will just lead to the fast raid) so youth can supply gangs ($20,000 tobacco for $5000 cash and supply to controlled addicts/associates on DPB and into prisons) is far from ideal and National's support for its continuance (while grandstanding on law and order) is absurd.
ATM, it's not a big issue (much easier for the criminals to just walk into the supermarket and walk out with a trolley full of high-end groceries, without paying) – but if there are easily resalable items (cigarettes) included – then door-step theft becomes more attractive.
And, the idea of any courier driver waiting around to do an ID check is completely ridiculous – you're lucky to get them to drop the package at the door, rather than the letterbox.
Supermarket deliveries are in house, not by courier.
And
A Countdown spokeswoman said since the lockdown, it's had only one report of an online order being stolen and its delivery driver haven't reported any unusual activity.
"To make sure our customers' orders aren't left unattended for too long, our drivers use an app that sends a text message to let customers know the estimated time of their delivery and a second text to let them know when their order is about to arrive."
A police spokeswoman said police were aware of the incident, but not aware of any particular trend of grocery theft.
Given the little more than 5% who smoke targeting grocery deliveries to find a packet of smokes is unlikely.
“This is not a Māori newsletter; it is a community newsletter and everyone in this community speaks English.
“I, as well as many New Zealanders am not in favour of giving one cultural group special privilege regarding their language simply because they (falsely) claim first nation status.”
Editor of Woodville newsletter apologies (sic) for comments on Māori language, culture
Fiji has had 4 coups over the past 35 years. I find it amazing how the major players in each coup (Rabuka, Speight, Bainimarama, etc) seem to a) be prominent in Fijian politics and b) play major roles in each of the coups).
Millsy; the hands they had in crafting the laws under which they were judged goes a fair way to explaining that. This is from 2013, when the current constitution was adopted:
In January, the Fijian government scrapped the draft constitution drawn up by an independent commission led by Professor Yash Ghai.
A replacement version was signed into law in September…
The new document will replace the 1997 constitution that was set aside by the military regime four years ago {2009}…
Professor Ghai says while parts of the final version borrow from his work, they are undermined by other alterations or omissions…
"The whole scheme of a Bill of Rights can come to nought if they declare an emergency [and] there are no safeguards that we had built into the scheme for declaring an emergency.
"So now they have a carte blanche basically to, to de-supply or set aside the whole Bill of Rights."…
Professor Ghai says clauses on immunity were included in his draft because of pressure from the attorney-general and the prime minister.
He says the original version would have forced those seeking immunity to apologise…
”We must recognise our media – strangled by money, more interested in access to power than holding it to account – is anything but free, a water carrier for political and corporate power, dedicated to enforcing the demands of global capital.“
Space X rocket man (and satellites encircling the globe for communications*), Tesla (electric cars replacing petrol driven ones), AI ("threat to humanity" says Musk and so he goes all in to save us) and defender of free speech* on Twitter.
Elon Musk said on Tuesday he will step down as chief executive of Twitter after finding a replacement.
"I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job! After that, I will just run the software & servers teams," Musk wrote on Twitter.
Musk has himself admitted he had too much on his plate, and said he would look for a Twitter CEO. He said on Sunday, though, that there was no successor and that "no one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive."
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Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff.The book I wish I’d writtenIf I wish I’d written a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
We have had some really heavy rain and thunder. It flooded our park and nearby road for the first time in years. Rotorua is on the edge of this, so we are hoping all are safe further inland. This is an intense area of storm and rain. Even the recent flood mitigation work could not cope. A window on our future?
Yes.
In Hamilton reports of continuous thunder for an hour. That's a bit apocalyptic aye! Hail the size of ten cent pieces.
That’s a summer crop wrecking event if it hits gardens.
NATs have a plan, hear me out – phase out 10c pieces.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/travel/green-travel/130816398/this-giant-jet-engine-could-pave-the-way-for-an-era-of-lowcost-green-flying
It says here that a jet engine using bio fuel is not emitting co2 instead it is just recycling it.
Surely a cow is doing the same,.
(Keep in mind ypu explaining things to the slowest student in the class)😉
I too am slow, but will offer my opinion: it's bullshit.
🙂
The bit about the bio gas as well?
a few problems I see in the article.
1. biofuels have to come from somewhere. If we use land to grow biofuels, will that be regeneratively or via soil and biodiversity killing conventional monocropping? Will it take the place of growing food? How will it stand up to extreme weather events?
2. the biofuel source material has to be industrially processed. They talk about chemicals but don't say what the impact of that is environmentally. I smell some greenwashing.
3. the claim is that aviation is only responsible for 2.5% of global emissions (I'd want that fact checked), but it's some neolib accounting. If you or I were to fly to London for a wedding and a holiday, we have to count all the emissions in that trip, not just those from avgas. eg the emissions from other travel on the trip, accommodation, restaurants and takeaways, and so on. Climate bods say the whole emissions % is higher.
4. flying is a commercial model that relies on increasing flights to make it work economically. This means more airports, runways, hotels, machinery etc, and all their emissions.
The Ultrafan proposal is trying to create green BAU. It's not that we can't have nice things (for now anyway), it's that there is simply no replacement for the dense energy and energy returned on investment of fossil fuels, and the only place we can get the additional resources needed is from nature. We are really really shit at doing that in a sustainable way. In large part because we insist on living beyond our means.
Instead of imagining a world where we can fly like we do now, we should be imagining a world where everyone has enough to eat, and the environment is being regenerated where we have degraded it. We might get to fly once every five years to the UK in that scenario, but we won't burnout the planet.
Dave's your man.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Lee-122
https://www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/story/12787/
I was wondering about the thing of who takes responsibility for international flights.
How does a cow extract methane from the atmosphere?
Little-known valve.
Doesn't methane quickly breakdown into co2 and get taken uo by the plants a cow eats ,there by completing the circle
https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-methane-is-short-lived-in-the-atmosphere-but-leaves-long-term-damage-145040
In a natural system there's some kind of constantly shifting balance between emissions and sequestration (hence our relatively stable atmosphere and biosphere historically). Humans have interrupted that by creating way too many emissions at the same time as breaking the ecosystems that sequester. This is the whole point of climate change, we pushed things too far and how we have to scale back until things stabilise again. Running industrial dairy en masse on pasture cannot be mitigated. Because we're already too far in debt, and because in itself it's just not sustainable.
"Quickly"?
How many years, bwaghorn?
And what effect does that methane have while it's hanging about in the atmosphere?
Not arguing that methane is good.
Buuuuut
If you have six million cows magically appear, ypu get 10 years if a rising curve of methane, after 10 years does that curve keep rising or does it flat line?
I think of that methane as a lens that takes years in the making, then is maintained by the cows. It sits there in the atmosphere, burning us up.
If the cows hadn't made the methane, the lens wouldn't exist and we'd not be being burnt by it.
I know it's only a model to help visualise/conceptualize, but if you have a better one, I'd like to read it.
OK ta I'm not locking for ammo just understanding.
Earlier this month the government passed legislation
National wants to delay the reduction in number of retail outlets selling tobacco
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/480738/remaining-tobacco-outlets-might-become-magnet-for-ram-raids-nicola-willis-says
In a functioning market (such as supermarkets taking online orders and delivering to the home address) the reduced number of allowed retail outlets would result in the on-line order and delivery of packets of tobacco to nicotine addicts (who have acquired smoking behaviour routines/habits based around the addiction) who resisted the transition to vaping or patches.
So it seems National is really supporting the continuance of the dairy smokes sales turnover interests of businesses while exploiting crime for political purposes.
And of course the talk of a phase out of retail leading to a black market is nonsense – because on-line delivery continues. There is the matter of the gradual reduction in nicotine levels in smokes (so no immediate bump in demand for higher nicotine level tobacco product).
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/476999/claims-illegal-tobacco-trade-will-boom-in-a-smokefree-nz-are-smoke-and-mirrors-experts-say
"Black market" (note the "colour" reference) sounds scary though, so, perfect for the white (not a colour!) Nat-voter!
There is currently a black market due to the high excise taxes, and the legislation will continue to allow growing tobacco for personal use, so I'm not really sure why anyone thinks the existing black market would significantly increase in size.
Given the number of courier package thefts (daily occurrence in our middle-class Auckland suburb), not to mention the legal requirement to ensure that the supply is to people meeting the legal age requirement – this seems like a thoroughly irresponsible method of delivery.
If you want to argue that tobacco should only be dispensed to 'addicts' – then it would be more effective to supply through chemists (though, I don't think they'd be keen).
But, of course, all of those without fixed addresses, without GPs, etc – will have a very strong incentive to get their tobacco 'fix' extra-legally. And, I think you radically underestimate the desperation of the tobacco addict – who has little or no interest in low-nicotine products.
Observationally (using the school my teenage son attends as a benchmark) – the number of teens vaping at school (which is against school rules, just as smoking is) – is really, really high. Far higher than smoking ever was. I'm not sure that this has actually been a health win.
It seems you are running through the National Party talking points in support of maintaining dairy retail supply of tobacco (catering to business greed), despite the associated risk (here crime).
The idea of rummaging through peoples on-line shopping delivery to find a packet of smokes seems a little far-fetched (when numbers using are going from 10 to 5%). And supermarket shopping delivery can be timed for the evening when people are at home (enabling the ID check).
By the end of next year – there will be 600, not 6000, retail outlets selling tobacco. The number of crime incidents involving tobacco will subside.
The same process, albeit more gradual, will occur with liquor outlets.
Despite the high tax on tobacco there has been little development of a black market, and experts believe that the decline in nicotine levels will make little difference either. Use is now well under 10%, and some will be weened off addiction via the lower nicotine rate and others will switch to the cheaper option of vaping.
Given the carcinogen in the tobacco method of delivery of the nicotine it has been a health win to transfer youth to vaping (and certainly it has been to reduce adult smoking rates to under 10%).
This doesn't seem to fit with the narrative that dairies are being ram-raided and having violent thefts because of the presence of tobacco.
I don't think that these (reportedly) teenagers conducting the thefts are smoking the lot themselves – of course there is a black market.
Where do you think these '600' outlets will be located? And what level of security do you think they will need (given the presence on-site of substantially higher levels of tobacco than the corner dairy)? And what methods will be used to provide access for homeless or no-fixed-abode people (often heavy smokers)?
It would be a health win if vaping just replaced tobacco among those already smoking – my point is that vaping has substantially increased nicotine usage amongst teens. You may see that as a health win, I don't.
The evidence dismissing the development of a black market was the related to offshore sourced tobacco. Not so much at present. Just the legal supply to the reducing in size local market (with some internal re-direction via theft).
The effect of lowering of nicotine levels is likely to reduce the size of that market further to 5% (as nicotine addicts switch to the far cheaper vaping and others die off).
Nicotine use is not a health problem (though there are doubts about the safety of some vaping).
The 600 outlets are likely to be supermarkets (they are set up to prevent ramraids) and the 4 Square type dairies (it's notable so far how few of these attacks have occurred in the provinces).
The difficulty of the homeless (on the streets) and those with no fixed address (hostels) without cars (or means to order deliveries) accessing their daily needs from further afield than a local dairy or liquor outlet, is akin to that of every variety of addict to a substance. Suppliers will move in, they probably already have. But there is a much cheaper alternative for the nicotine addict – vaping.
And there is still the option of kiosks (refilled each day) on a trial basis.
The current situation of 6000 outlets for targeting (fog cannons will just lead to the fast raid) so youth can supply gangs ($20,000 tobacco for $5000 cash and supply to controlled addicts/associates on DPB and into prisons) is far from ideal and National's support for its continuance (while grandstanding on law and order) is absurd.
Oh, and stealing groceries from doorsteps is already a thing. Cigarettes would just be an unanticipated bonus.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/thieves-target-supermarket-grocery-deliveries-left-on-customers-doorsteps/GNJ5RV263UBWYGX3JJL6SLRHKE/
ATM, it's not a big issue (much easier for the criminals to just walk into the supermarket and walk out with a trolley full of high-end groceries, without paying) – but if there are easily resalable items (cigarettes) included – then door-step theft becomes more attractive.
And, the idea of any courier driver waiting around to do an ID check is completely ridiculous – you're lucky to get them to drop the package at the door, rather than the letterbox.
Supermarket deliveries are in house, not by courier.
And
Given the little more than 5% who smoke targeting grocery deliveries to find a packet of smokes is unlikely.
Scratching that scab…
“This is not a Māori newsletter; it is a community newsletter and everyone in this community speaks English.
“I, as well as many New Zealanders am not in favour of giving one cultural group special privilege regarding their language simply because they (falsely) claim first nation status.”
Editor of Woodville newsletter apologies (sic) for comments on Māori language, culture
https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/300770392/editor-of-woodville-newsletter-apologies-for-comments-on-mori-language-culture
– Jane Hill
Yeah, nah, you fucking liar. That was your only intention.
Rabuka is back https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/300770546/fiji-set-to-get-a-new-prime-minister-dethroning-bainimarama-after-nearly-16-years
Maybe; Sacha, and with any luck yes. But as a certain Fijian wrote elsewhere today: " I will believe it when I see them shake hands".
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/481170/fiji-has-a-new-coalition-government-rabuka-to-be-pm
Fiji has had 4 coups over the past 35 years. I find it amazing how the major players in each coup (Rabuka, Speight, Bainimarama, etc) seem to a) be prominent in Fijian politics and b) play major roles in each of the coups).
Millsy; the hands they had in crafting the laws under which they were judged goes a fair way to explaining that. This is from 2013, when the current constitution was adopted:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-23/an-constitution-expert-yash-ghai-says-he-doubts-if-fiji-pm-has-/5039704
Clare Daly’s words of wisdom.
”We must recognise our media – strangled by money, more interested in access to power than holding it to account – is anything but free, a water carrier for political and corporate power, dedicated to enforcing the demands of global capital.“
Kicking back with the Saudi bros.
https://twitter.com/ThisIsSoliman/status/1604543495477174272
Mush said he would abide by the wish of a poll of Twitter users
The result was 57.5% wanted him to step down for being Chief Twit.
Afterwards he said “Twitter would make a change to allow only Twitter Blue subscribers to vote in policy-related polls”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/19/musk-twitter-ceo-poll/?
The ego crash landed
The overextended one
Space X rocket man (and satellites encircling the globe for communications*), Tesla (electric cars replacing petrol driven ones), AI ("threat to humanity" says Musk and so he goes all in to save us) and defender of free speech* on Twitter.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/technology/2022/12/elon-musk-says-he-will-step-down-as-twitter-ceo.html