Absolutely marvellous just seen Hannah Tāmaki of the coalition party. More or less said about the new party “it’s exciting. Imagine if colonel sanders had never tried we would never have had that delicious chicken.
Yep – it's funny/ludicrous. But this potentially represents than National Party aligning with the most authoritarian and regressive elements in society. I wouldn't want to be in any cohort that's on the receiving end of their punitive delusions. .
I have my bag of chips out atm watching Lynas Corporation jump up by 14% since Monday.
In the short term I see this may be a problem for the US after the China has threaten to cut off the supply of rare earth minerals. The only other major supplier of rare earths outside of China is Lynas and before this threat from China IRT China's supply of Heavy and Light Rare Earths. Lynas is now looking to build another Rare Earth separation facility in a JV with Blue Line at their facility at Hondo in Texas.
Disclaimer: I have shares in Lynas and two other major Lithium miners in Australia who are tried up Sth Korean, Jap, US auto and computer chip companies
Some wag has called it the new "white gold" and its not only just in the WA where the major lithium and Rare Earth finds. But also in the NT, SA, the far Western states in QLD around the Isa and around the Hill and Cobar in Western NSW as there is a number of rock kickers kicker around atm. Then there is a mad rush a Nickel and Copper going on as well at the moment.
It was street artist Loretta Lizzio who "donated her time "to paint an image of unity, an image of hope" on the Tinning Street silos, in Melbourne's north".
I see shit-lite is sticking with another austerity budget.
Can they get any further right wing economically – they probably will when the majority of the so called left in this country can't even talk about left wing economics, let alone debate it.
Yeah, well. There's been a couple of law changes, guns, benefit penalties, the Climate bill. So there's been some shifts in bureaucracy from piss poor interpretations of the social contract so that's a piss poor interpretation of the rights of New Zealand citizens. But some times you just got to clean them out from the top down and bring in new people as laws are change because old habits can die hard. Otherwise I'd like to see more state control really, and that dosnt necessarily mean bigger is better. WINZ staff need a good clean out, so to does Orange Children. But unless we have more democratised energy or "solar on your roof" then there's probably not a heck of a lot of ways to brake up the monopolies.
And the RNZAF needs new transport aircraft before 2025 as the first one will be grounded due to it running out of airfame hrs. As the last pack of muppets in 97-2001 or 2002 kicked the can down the rd yet again for some other silly muppet to sort out.
The Pirates, the puss, jack tars need two new southern ocean OPV's as the current two OPV's are no longer fit for purpose for the southern ocean as one nearly sunk 12mths ago with almost a total loss of all hands including those on broad were Ronnie, Ms Sage and two of my cuzzie bro's
Faark. I'm gob smacked. Almost sunk eh. Well I think Ron Marks is the right guy for the job right here right now. There is the Capability Plan that was supposed to be released end of last year and it's been sent back several times for revision so presumably it's sitting on Ron'z desk in preparation for the budget announcements latter on this month. He's been a busy lad going from defence meetings in Singapore, the Pacific, APEC, all the usually meet and greets so it will be on him to convert all that political capital into something that can coupe with Climate a Change. This we will need ships and planes, that means cash.
Natural Resources are on the move so to are immigrants, as stocks dwindle from over consumption and foreign raiders, and as new stocks are found that can cause conflict. This we will need an army, airforce and navy.
Cyber Sercurity is a nice to have when you've got ships of your own. This we don't need an army for, don't need the Greens okay neither.
They may be trying to have their cake and eat it. By not bringing in the slight relaxation in budget limits until next year they please the austerity masters, keep the economy stable which is necessary as you know the RW are watching Labour Co. like a kea and will dive down an peck its liver when the slightest advantage, and offer some hope for jam tomorrow. I'll put my order in now in case there isn't enough for latecomers; I think I'll go for raspberry.
What? No. You can't let these economic nobodies run the place. Public life isn't like private life because for a few calories of effort over here in government can cause major change over there. But in private life it's the other way around. You give up your comforts for public life not to rest on it.
Labour, NZFirst and The Greens still have billions in infrastructure spending to budget for and R&D funding to go after 2 years in government and a lot of fortune tellers will be keen to see the devilery end of this governments policies sooner rather than later. Treez and houses, need more.
Jacinda Ardern's performance as PM has certainly shut those "little girl" detractors up. They are all very quiet now. The coalition's actions are seeing the broken pieces of Key's smoke and mirrors "blighted future" jigsaw puzzle of nine years of neglect exposed for the con job it was. The National party are visibly edgy and reeling from not being able to land any more"big hits" on the govt. The tactics of trying to discredit every other minister and get them to resign is backfiring in a swirl of gotcha politics blow-back. The house today was comical and now National faces a developing nightmare script with the formation of nut job political party's akin to a Quentin Tarantino movie.
The Times newspaper reported that May would name a date for her departure on Friday. May will remain as prime minister while her successor is elected in a two-stage process, the newspaper said.
To qualify for residency under the skilled migrant category you need to earn at least $25 per hour, a total of $52,000 per year based on 40 hour working week.
After some research she discovered that according to the Novopay salary assessment, teachers are only contracted to work 25 hours per week which brings their hourly pay to around $36 per hour. Wonder how many teachers react to that ONLY 25 hours a week. A family member does that each week from home after hours.
Ok so someone is looking for residency and they are a teacher. They did look into the situation properly before they came to NZ yes?
Anyways from the same article…
Lees-Galloway says the government has recently added three teaching roles: early childhood, primary and secondary school teachers, to the new Regional Skill Shortage List, which means there is no need for schools to show they can’t get a local teacher. It’s clear there’s a shortage.
“Many skills shortages are temporary and our needs as a country change over time. That’s why it’s not automatic that a skills shortage visa should lead to residency,” he says.
Interesting meeting with the principal and deputy about Miss 14's bullying problem.
…'I noticed a number of email addresses you sent your email to regarding Miss 14's bullying problem..' Yes.
'Did the chair of the BOT reply?'.. Yes, rather promptly.
'What did they say?' They were very helpful and supportive about the situation.
'They've asked for a report on our meeting, no need for you to do it, I can take care of that'…. Ok.
'So you don't need to contact them again on this matter, instead you can deal directly with myself.' I see.
I found that interesting… sure the principal is a lovely person and told me everything a parent would want to hear…. but dang that part was a wtf moment for sure.
On the upside, am thrilled the media are continuing to highlight bullying, somethings got to change, the conversation is getting out there, long may that continue.
So here's an interesting thing on Newsroom arguing that milkshakes do the same thing as hate speech. No, not bringing the boys to the yard, but silencing people:
Milkshakes stop people from doing what they want to do. Hate speech effectively does the same, producing a climate of fear and intimidation in which people do not speak as freely as they might otherwise like to.
I believe the author has fundamentally missed the problem with hate speech: the problem isn't just how it makes the victims feel, the problem is that it empowers bigots and encourages further, physical, and lethal violence.
The intended audience of hate speech isn't the marginalised community, it is other bigots.
The intended audience of milkshake-throwers are people who might be fooled into approving of the lactose-recipient. The waste of food is regrettable, but the absurdity of using food is funny. It doesn't encourage escalation, punches are not so funny (although we should punch nazis). Knives and bullets aren't funny at all. But eggs and milk and flour are inherently absurd. Like dildo baggins. That was fucking hilarious. Escalating that to a brick would have destroyed the entire principle of the act.
Whereas hate speech is always just a step intended to lead somewhere badly.
What these critiques misunderstand is why milkshaking is so potent against Farage and his brethren: It humiliates them.
Nothing animates the far right or shapes its worldview quite so much as the desire to humiliate others—and the fear of being humiliated themselves. It’s why alt-right trolls, projecting their own sexual insecurities, enjoy calling their opponents “cucks.”
It’s why they rally around blustery authoritarian figures like Donald Trump who cast themselves as beyond embarrassment, shame, or ridicule. They brandish humiliation like a weapon while craving release from it.
I have a different take on that article, which was quite good, I thought.
I don’t think the author was trying to demonstrate equivalence at all. He started off arguing that there is a resemblance, a similarity, if you like, between hate speech and throwing a milk shake. The resemblance is in one of the possible consequences.
He then tried to develop the milkshake into a more powerful metaphor:
The point is that the stain of the milkshake gives us a chance to see the invisible stigma created by hate speech. So, if we can see the harm in a milkshake, why can’t we see the harm in hate speech? [my italics]
I don’t think for one moment that he was suggesting that the harms are equal.
The key is in his second-to-last sentence:
But seriously, hate speech means that women, people from racial minorities, or with disabilities, or from LGBTQ communities are being “milkshaked” all of the time. [my italics]
Fair comment, to a degree, but the article still ignores the elephant that the right wing want to keep invisible.
I think that about the biggest lie against regulating hate speech is that it's only being suggested because the people on the brunt of it are offended, or scared, or intimidated.
The "snowflake" argument.
Hate speech needs to be regulated because the people on the brunt of it end up getting murdered.
The problem with the woke isn't that police require resource A or that criminal offence B needs to be increased in order to police the community. It's that Mc Trash reckons nasty words are killing people.
That's a dumbass interpretation to make. Hopefully sane people will just ignore his ignorant ramblings as if to say LGBT or who ever can't speak up and stand up for themselves in a free society so it all needs to be policed with the power of the state.
This kind of political correctness is indeed fascism masked by politeness.
To eradicate parts of our society McTrash can't handel out of a perceived need to cleanse the social conscious of sin, is a disservice not only to those who fought, bled, and died against the tide of abjectly maddened polities, but a disservice to those who will and do fight against these structures–here and elsewhere. This white-washing of things done in the past will only allow them to be facilitated again down the road, as once you destroy a peoples' history, it inevitably sets up a paradigm of resurgence and cyclical reoccurrence. Now the rise in the culture wars is facilitating a Christian reaction from Trump to Putin, Turkey to China and now Brian Tamaki and Alfred Ngaro against the "oppressor classes."
[Please stop the deliberate and pointless provocation and personal insults. I left a similar moderation note for you just 3 days ago here and you have run out of warnings – Incognito]
You're out the gate. So you aren't going to defend yourself or your comments and just baselessly talk shit? Get it in. I'll rubbish any of your economic theories, want to come at me with feelings? I'll rubbish those too. It's quite simple. The social contract puts human rights above animals so it's illegal to send humans to slaughtered houses but it's cool to send animals to slaughtered houses for food. But if you are mean to animals, even say nasty words to them then that might get the err of society in which case that would be immoral. But the case for humans to have free speech is much higher than animals as the social contract implies and again, rubbishing your [deleted] arguments.
Generally speaking, people don’t get banned without ample prior warning and explanation as to what choices they have in order to improve their behaviour. It helps to read and understand the site’s policy 🙂
Commenters usually don’t stray by themselves but they often receive ‘a little help from their friends’, e.g. pointless provocation, little jabs, ‘mild’ personal abuse, etc.
Any corrective measures by Moderators should (IMO) reflect the negative behavioural act or pattern they are aimed at and initially bans can be short and sharp but can also rapidly escalate to long or even permanent bans. Different Moderators deal with issues differently and as they see fit – we all have our idiosyncrasies. So, don’t count on a short ban for a seemingly minor ‘offence’ or on a ban at all. Sometimes auto-moderation is used but this requires much more Moderator’s time and inhibits the flow of the comments.
Is there anything that is not clear in the above? Please ask 😉
Yeah, there's usually a lot of warning, in general.
One thing I have noticed is that occasionally someone just spits the dummy and keeps going like the energiser bunny, not letting something go or deciding a mod note was unjust and ending up outright abusing the mods.
Which is fine if they're a general dick, but sometimes it's just screaming that a normally-regular someone is at the end of their tether, probably with absolutely nothing to do with the TS thread they're dropping the bomb on. Those ones get me down a bit.
Yeah, I know what you mean (I think) and trust me, it gets me down too, especially after a long day when I just want to read the TS and relax a little.
I’m learning that as a Moderator you need to have a much thicker skin than as an Author, which is thicker again than a regular commenter’s skin.
I don’t want to come down on somebody like a ton of bricks because they may be going through a rough patch or something that I/we don’t necessarily know about. However, if they become a nuisance to others it is sometimes better for that person and for the site in general to give them time-out, i.e. a short period to cool down before it becomes too bad (damage control). Most recipients respond reasonable well to this, I’m glad to say.
Some commenters keep harping back to stuff that was said ages ago, as if they keep a tally of all the ‘bad experiences’ here on TS and they can’t or don’t want to let go of things. I feel sad when I see that.
You may have noticed that I’m flexing my Moderator muscles a wee bit more often but I’m still a lousy Moderator and I learn as I go. So far, so good 😉
A recent social media initiative called Kõigi Eesti has seen a blossoming of the movement's logo, appearing on individual social media accounts.
Kõigi Eesti sprang up on Sunday, 17 March, and at the time of writing has over 26,000 ''likes'' on its Facebook page, and a similar number of ''followers''
Kõigi Eesti, literally ''Everyone's Estonia'', also has a Twitter hashtag, rendered into English as ''My Estonia too'', and into Russian as well. However, it is its logo, an outline of a white heart, used as a sticker on individual Facebook profile pictures, which has raised most awareness, according to a report on ETV's Aktuaalne kaamera current affairs show on Tuesday.
Julian Assange's belongings from his time living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London will be handed over to US prosecutors, WikiLeaks has claimed. Ecuadorian officials are said to be travelling to London to allow US prosecutors to 'help themselves' to the items, which include legal papers, medical records and electronic equipment
What are the Ecuadorians getting out of that? A nice old Stealth bomber or one tonne of IEDs partly used? Or trips to Disneyland – Korbachev? wanted to see that when there was a thaw in relations.
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
Hi,I am just going to state something very obvious: American police are fucking crazy.That was a photo gracing the New York Times this morning, showing New York City police “entering Columbia University last night after receiving a request from the school.”Apparently in America, protesting the deaths of tens of thousands ...
Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of History’s clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
Chris Trotter writes – New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
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 ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
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 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Essay: If the Crown harms children, how do you hold it accountable? Analysis by Aaron Smale in light of the Waitangi Tribunal court decision. The post The Crown versus Māori Children appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
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A warning – suicide is discussed in this podcast New Zealand’s own long-running soap Shortland Street doesn’t hesitate to kill off its much-loved characters. But would TVNZ dare to kill off our favourite soap? That’s the fear as times get tough in television – even though it’s been pointed out ...
Asia Pacific Report A West Papuan resistance leader has condemned the United Nations role in allowing Indonesia to “integrate” the Melanesian Pacific region in what is claimed to be an “egregious act of inhumanity” on 1 May 1963. In an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Organisasi Papua Merdeka-OPM ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra A key part of the Albanese government’s political strategy is to fill the news cycle with its presence and messaging. Ministers are deployed to the maximum, even when they’ve little to say. This week ...
Recent extreme weather events showed the importance of a well-functioning insurance system, says Commerce and Consumer Affairs minister Andrew Bayly. ...
By Jo Moir, RNZ News political editor, and Craig McCulloch, deputy political editor New Zealand’s Labour Party is demanding Winston Peters be stood down as Foreign Minister for opening up the government to legal action over his “totally unacceptable” attack on a prominent AUKUS critic. In an interview on RNZ’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Brakenridge, Postdoctoral research fellow at Swinburne University, Centre for Urban Transitions, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute The Conversation, Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock People have a pretty intuitive sense of what is healthy – standing is better than sitting, exercise is great for overall ...
The Wellington-based Reserve Force soldier is now almost three years into his New Zealand Army career with 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. ...
Absolutely marvellous just seen Hannah Tāmaki of the coalition party. More or less said about the new party “it’s exciting. Imagine if colonel sanders had never tried we would never have had that delicious chicken.
comedy gold!
Yep – it's funny/ludicrous. But this potentially represents than National Party aligning with the most authoritarian and regressive elements in society. I wouldn't want to be in any cohort that's on the receiving end of their punitive delusions. .
Our very own Waterford family bringing the Gilead project down under.
Love it – this election coming up is shaping up to be a monster – in a good way!!!
…but Nek Minnit …Prime Minister
TrumpTamaki!Been a bad day for Donnie two scoops.
https://twitter.com/DanEggenWPost/status/1131346967089565696
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7Nt5XXXkAIHUuu.jpg:large
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1131401373440978950
Unbelievable. For some reason this sprung to mind.
Rare earth minerals, China responds to any threat to the supply of chips by raising the issue of rare earth mineral supply to the USA.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-rareearth-explainer/explainer-chinas-rare-earth-supplies-could-be-vital-bargaining-chip-in-u-s-trade-war-idUSKCN1SS2VW
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/21/china-raises-threat-of-rare-earth-mineral-cutoff-to-us/
A real bargaining chip then.
*groan*
steady..
I have my bag of chips out atm watching Lynas Corporation jump up by 14% since Monday.
In the short term I see this may be a problem for the US after the China has threaten to cut off the supply of rare earth minerals. The only other major supplier of rare earths outside of China is Lynas and before this threat from China IRT China's supply of Heavy and Light Rare Earths. Lynas is now looking to build another Rare Earth separation facility in a JV with Blue Line at their facility at Hondo in Texas.
Disclaimer: I have shares in Lynas and two other major Lithium miners in Australia who are tried up Sth Korean, Jap, US auto and computer chip companies
It's all the talk in WA at the moment too replacing the coal mining.
Some wag has called it the new "white gold" and its not only just in the WA where the major lithium and Rare Earth finds. But also in the NT, SA, the far Western states in QLD around the Isa and around the Hill and Cobar in Western NSW as there is a number of rock kickers kicker around atm. Then there is a mad rush a Nickel and Copper going on as well at the moment.
credit where credit is due – whoever painted that mural has some serious talent.
Awesome James.
Deow?
It was street artist Loretta Lizzio who "donated her time "to paint an image of unity, an image of hope" on the Tinning Street silos, in Melbourne's north".
From the artist's instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxeo-irAmLN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
embiggened
Deow mos def does some fine work. But this awesome piece was done by Loretta Lizzio.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/humanity-hoisted-above-the-humbug-art-critic-s-verdict-on-ardern-mural-20190522-p51q83.html
I see shit-lite is sticking with another austerity budget.
Can they get any further right wing economically – they probably will when the majority of the so called left in this country can't even talk about left wing economics, let alone debate it.
Yeah, well. There's been a couple of law changes, guns, benefit penalties, the Climate bill. So there's been some shifts in bureaucracy from piss poor interpretations of the social contract so that's a piss poor interpretation of the rights of New Zealand citizens. But some times you just got to clean them out from the top down and bring in new people as laws are change because old habits can die hard. Otherwise I'd like to see more state control really, and that dosnt necessarily mean bigger is better. WINZ staff need a good clean out, so to does Orange Children. But unless we have more democratised energy or "solar on your roof" then there's probably not a heck of a lot of ways to brake up the monopolies.
And the RNZAF needs new transport aircraft before 2025 as the first one will be grounded due to it running out of airfame hrs. As the last pack of muppets in 97-2001 or 2002 kicked the can down the rd yet again for some other silly muppet to sort out.
The Pirates, the puss, jack tars need two new southern ocean OPV's as the current two OPV's are no longer fit for purpose for the southern ocean as one nearly sunk 12mths ago with almost a total loss of all hands including those on broad were Ronnie, Ms Sage and two of my cuzzie bro's
Would they like an independent complaints authority with that sir?
@EXKIWIFORCE
Faark. I'm gob smacked. Almost sunk eh. Well I think Ron Marks is the right guy for the job right here right now. There is the Capability Plan that was supposed to be released end of last year and it's been sent back several times for revision so presumably it's sitting on Ron'z desk in preparation for the budget announcements latter on this month. He's been a busy lad going from defence meetings in Singapore, the Pacific, APEC, all the usually meet and greets so it will be on him to convert all that political capital into something that can coupe with Climate a Change. This we will need ships and planes, that means cash.
Natural Resources are on the move so to are immigrants, as stocks dwindle from over consumption and foreign raiders, and as new stocks are found that can cause conflict. This we will need an army, airforce and navy.
Cyber Sercurity is a nice to have when you've got ships of your own. This we don't need an army for, don't need the Greens okay neither.
They may be trying to have their cake and eat it. By not bringing in the slight relaxation in budget limits until next year they please the austerity masters, keep the economy stable which is necessary as you know the RW are watching Labour Co. like a kea and will dive down an peck its liver when the slightest advantage, and offer some hope for jam tomorrow. I'll put my order in now in case there isn't enough for latecomers; I think I'll go for raspberry.
What? No. You can't let these economic nobodies run the place. Public life isn't like private life because for a few calories of effort over here in government can cause major change over there. But in private life it's the other way around. You give up your comforts for public life not to rest on it.
Labour, NZFirst and The Greens still have billions in infrastructure spending to budget for and R&D funding to go after 2 years in government and a lot of fortune tellers will be keen to see the devilery end of this governments policies sooner rather than later. Treez and houses, need more.
Jacinda Ardern's performance as PM has certainly shut those "little girl" detractors up. They are all very quiet now. The coalition's actions are seeing the broken pieces of Key's smoke and mirrors "blighted future" jigsaw puzzle of nine years of neglect exposed for the con job it was. The National party are visibly edgy and reeling from not being able to land any more"big hits" on the govt. The tactics of trying to discredit every other minister and get them to resign is backfiring in a swirl of gotcha politics blow-back. The house today was comical and now National faces a developing nightmare script with the formation of nut job political party's akin to a Quentin Tarantino movie.
Ding dong…
The Times newspaper reported that May would name a date for her departure on Friday. May will remain as prime minister while her successor is elected in a two-stage process, the newspaper said.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu/may-expected-to-announce-on-friday-that-she-will-quit-the-times-idUKKCN1ST0E2?rpc=401&
Fascinating article…
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190522-how-the-malaria-vaccine-could-change-world-health
If ever our Minister of Education needs to find some additional money and pay teachers appropiately.
So our teachers do not earn enough to qualify for the skilled migrant category. He should resign as he has NO IDEA.
https://www.times.co.nz/news/teachers-residency-rejected-due-to-low-pay/
To qualify for residency under the skilled migrant category you need to earn at least $25 per hour, a total of $52,000 per year based on 40 hour working week.
After some research she discovered that according to the Novopay salary assessment, teachers are only contracted to work 25 hours per week which brings their hourly pay to around $36 per hour. Wonder how many teachers react to that ONLY 25 hours a week. A family member does that each week from home after hours.
Ok so someone is looking for residency and they are a teacher. They did look into the situation properly before they came to NZ yes?
Anyways from the same article…
“Many skills shortages are temporary and our needs as a country change over time. That’s why it’s not automatic that a skills shortage visa should lead to residency,” he says.
If you are concerned maybe spend some time going through teachers contacts, maybe your family members contract. Here’s a helpful link….
https://education.govt.nz/school/people-and-employment/employment-agreements/collective-agreements/secondary-teachers-collective-agreement/part-four-remuneration/4-1-salary-scales/
Interesting meeting with the principal and deputy about Miss 14's bullying problem.
…'I noticed a number of email addresses you sent your email to regarding Miss 14's bullying problem..' Yes.
'Did the chair of the BOT reply?'.. Yes, rather promptly.
'What did they say?' They were very helpful and supportive about the situation.
'They've asked for a report on our meeting, no need for you to do it, I can take care of that'…. Ok.
'So you don't need to contact them again on this matter, instead you can deal directly with myself.' I see.
I found that interesting… sure the principal is a lovely person and told me everything a parent would want to hear…. but dang that part was a wtf moment for sure.
On the upside, am thrilled the media are continuing to highlight bullying, somethings got to change, the conversation is getting out there, long may that continue.
Keep the dialogue going please media.
'So you will copy me in on your report to the Board about our meeting?'
Mhmmmm you know it Sacha.
I might have known it
Another abstention at the UN
So much for backing the "rules based order"
Easy to see whose rules we obey
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-uk-has-no-friends-left.html
But interesting to see that despite weeks of energetic lobbying the majority of UN nations backed the ruling from the International Court of Justice
Signals the fraying of US/UK power
Pacific music awards live-stream.
So here's an interesting thing on Newsroom arguing that milkshakes do the same thing as hate speech. No, not bringing the boys to the yard, but silencing people:
I believe the author has fundamentally missed the problem with hate speech: the problem isn't just how it makes the victims feel, the problem is that it empowers bigots and encourages further, physical, and lethal violence.
The intended audience of hate speech isn't the marginalised community, it is other bigots.
The intended audience of milkshake-throwers are people who might be fooled into approving of the lactose-recipient. The waste of food is regrettable, but the absurdity of using food is funny. It doesn't encourage escalation, punches are not so funny (although we should punch nazis). Knives and bullets aren't funny at all. But eggs and milk and flour are inherently absurd. Like dildo baggins. That was fucking hilarious. Escalating that to a brick would have destroyed the entire principle of the act.
Whereas hate speech is always just a step intended to lead somewhere badly.
RW protester – I will stop at nothing to fully eradicate them all.
LW protester – I will milkshake/egg them.
Ivory tower denizen – Oh noes, they're the same.
QFT
Unfortunately too many people fail to see this, thereby confusing all forms of protest as the same. They are not.
Real freedom is being able to do what we think is right. Freedom is meaningless without a moral code.
So if you're white and say nigger then it's a cultural norm no mater which country you're in that people around you will frown on you.
Hiring white only will get you fined and frowns.
Material support or actively engaging in brutality will get you arrested.
But as I say nasty words will just get you nasty frowns.
Why milkshaking works: https://newrepublic.com/article/153959/milkshaking-nigel-farage-effective
I have a different take on that article, which was quite good, I thought.
I don’t think the author was trying to demonstrate equivalence at all. He started off arguing that there is a resemblance, a similarity, if you like, between hate speech and throwing a milk shake. The resemblance is in one of the possible consequences.
He then tried to develop the milkshake into a more powerful metaphor:
I don’t think for one moment that he was suggesting that the harms are equal.
The key is in his second-to-last sentence:
Fair comment, to a degree, but the article still ignores the elephant that the right wing want to keep invisible.
I think that about the biggest lie against regulating hate speech is that it's only being suggested because the people on the brunt of it are offended, or scared, or intimidated.
The "snowflake" argument.
Hate speech needs to be regulated because the people on the brunt of it end up getting murdered.
The problem with the woke isn't that police require resource A or that criminal offence B needs to be increased in order to police the community. It's that Mc Trash reckons nasty words are killing people.
That's a dumbass interpretation to make. Hopefully sane people will just ignore his ignorant ramblings as if to say LGBT or who ever can't speak up and stand up for themselves in a free society so it all needs to be policed with the power of the state.
This kind of political correctness is indeed fascism masked by politeness.
To eradicate parts of our society McTrash can't handel out of a perceived need to cleanse the social conscious of sin, is a disservice not only to those who fought, bled, and died against the tide of abjectly maddened polities, but a disservice to those who will and do fight against these structures–here and elsewhere. This white-washing of things done in the past will only allow them to be facilitated again down the road, as once you destroy a peoples' history, it inevitably sets up a paradigm of resurgence and cyclical reoccurrence. Now the rise in the culture wars is facilitating a Christian reaction from Trump to Putin, Turkey to China and now Brian Tamaki and Alfred Ngaro against the "oppressor classes."
Is that the official cuck view sambam?
[Please stop the deliberate and pointless provocation and personal insults. I left a similar moderation note for you just 3 days ago here and you have run out of warnings – Incognito]
Fuck off Gabby
Snofwake spambam.
fascist scum
See my Moderation note @ 8:43 AM.
Gabby You only encourage him and your satirical style takes a nose dive. Please stay giving us the essence of your measured thinking.
We don’t understand most things. Not in the way we will understand them in the future if we continue to approach them with a beginners mind.
Sam Why don't you ponce off and pontificate somewhere else?
You're out the gate. So you aren't going to defend yourself or your comments and just baselessly talk shit? Get it in. I'll rubbish any of your economic theories, want to come at me with feelings? I'll rubbish those too. It's quite simple. The social contract puts human rights above animals so it's illegal to send humans to slaughtered houses but it's cool to send animals to slaughtered houses for food. But if you are mean to animals, even say nasty words to them then that might get the err of society in which case that would be immoral. But the case for humans to have free speech is much higher than animals as the social contract implies and again, rubbishing your [deleted] arguments.
This would be the 'don't cross Jasimonatthew, he'll just spew even more bile, let him be his poisonous self' approach?
Sam's a dick.
I like to read your comments.
Sam will self-ban some time.
I'd prefer it if you were still able to comment when that happens 🙂
Generally speaking, people don’t get banned without ample prior warning and explanation as to what choices they have in order to improve their behaviour. It helps to read and understand the site’s policy 🙂
Commenters usually don’t stray by themselves but they often receive ‘a little help from their friends’, e.g. pointless provocation, little jabs, ‘mild’ personal abuse, etc.
Any corrective measures by Moderators should (IMO) reflect the negative behavioural act or pattern they are aimed at and initially bans can be short and sharp but can also rapidly escalate to long or even permanent bans. Different Moderators deal with issues differently and as they see fit – we all have our idiosyncrasies. So, don’t count on a short ban for a seemingly minor ‘offence’ or on a ban at all. Sometimes auto-moderation is used but this requires much more Moderator’s time and inhibits the flow of the comments.
Is there anything that is not clear in the above? Please ask 😉
Yeah, there's usually a lot of warning, in general.
One thing I have noticed is that occasionally someone just spits the dummy and keeps going like the energiser bunny, not letting something go or deciding a mod note was unjust and ending up outright abusing the mods.
Which is fine if they're a general dick, but sometimes it's just screaming that a normally-regular someone is at the end of their tether, probably with absolutely nothing to do with the TS thread they're dropping the bomb on. Those ones get me down a bit.
Yeah, I know what you mean (I think) and trust me, it gets me down too, especially after a long day when I just want to read the TS and relax a little.
I’m learning that as a Moderator you need to have a much thicker skin than as an Author, which is thicker again than a regular commenter’s skin.
I don’t want to come down on somebody like a ton of bricks because they may be going through a rough patch or something that I/we don’t necessarily know about. However, if they become a nuisance to others it is sometimes better for that person and for the site in general to give them time-out, i.e. a short period to cool down before it becomes too bad (damage control). Most recipients respond reasonable well to this, I’m glad to say.
Some commenters keep harping back to stuff that was said ages ago, as if they keep a tally of all the ‘bad experiences’ here on TS and they can’t or don’t want to let go of things. I feel sad when I see that.
You may have noticed that I’m flexing my Moderator muscles a wee bit more often but I’m still a lousy Moderator and I learn as I go. So far, so good 😉
Sort of disappeared up his/her own arse there.
Thread.
https://twitter.com/donna_gallers/status/1131257328798507008
https://tttthreads.com/thread/1131257328798507008.html
😂
Brilliant. 😀
An Estonian social media ad about the perils of the far-right.
https://twitter.com/koigieesti/status/1129658080332013570
A recent social media initiative called Kõigi Eesti has seen a blossoming of the movement's logo, appearing on individual social media accounts.
Kõigi Eesti sprang up on Sunday, 17 March, and at the time of writing has over 26,000 ''likes'' on its Facebook page, and a similar number of ''followers''
Kõigi Eesti, literally ''Everyone's Estonia'', also has a Twitter hashtag, rendered into English as ''My Estonia too'', and into Russian as well. However, it is its logo, an outline of a white heart, used as a sticker on individual Facebook profile pictures, which has raised most awareness, according to a report on ETV's Aktuaalne kaamera current affairs show on Tuesday.
https://news.err.ee/922982/koigi-eesti-movement-launched-by-concerned-residents
Thanks Joe – effective messaging. What would Bishop and Pastor Tamaki make of it?
Estonia – has a very very low debt to GDP rate. How do they manage that?
Oh boy…
Julian Assange's belongings from his time living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London will be handed over to US prosecutors, WikiLeaks has claimed. Ecuadorian officials are said to be travelling to London to allow US prosecutors to 'help themselves' to the items, which include legal papers, medical records and electronic equipment
https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6038758723001
What are the Ecuadorians getting out of that? A nice old Stealth bomber or one tonne of IEDs partly used? Or trips to Disneyland – Korbachev? wanted to see that when there was a thaw in relations.
ISTR a coincidental IMF loan and a trade deal – this is all probably part of the same package.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/112960575/comedian-tim-batt-trolls-brian-and-hannah-tamakis-coalition-party-with-domain-name-purchase
yet more fun to be had with the bigoted Tāmakis. Go Tim. Marvelous idea