According to one recent Japanese scientific analysis* of the Delta variant in Japan, it may have mutated in such a way to make it much less infectious. There is no indication that this, if actually correct (sounds a bit dubious to me from an evolutionary point of view) might be repeated anywhere else. What's a bit more disturbing is that NZ's daily case rate is now higher than that of New South Wales, which reached between 1 to 2,000 daily cases before peaking and dropping. Changes in infection rates are all over the place worldwide at the moment and it's hard to decipher what is going on. Not sure whether any of the precicitive modelling has been that accurate.
This idea about Japan appears to make no sense. Most mutations of the virus are not successful and don't become dominant. More infectious ones are more likely to get over that hurdle. So the question would be how the less infectious mutation became dominant in order to subsequently die out by being less infectious. We can (I think) exclude the possibility that most infections suddenly mutated in the same way to simultaneously become less infectious.
Probably its just that Japan is successfully implementing a lock down and vaccination and masking strategy and that is working with high compliance.
If some 17 year old South Auckland kid wilfully ignored bail conditions there would be a clamour to have him chucked in jail and the key thrown away. Saying to the system, "Up you, I'll do what I like," would not be greeted well.
Brian Tamaki said today, "I am basically innocent," when further charges were laid against him. "I think this is a national issue today. It's a very important issue to all New Zealanders," he said. He was referring to the 'right to gather.'
It's an important issue for New Zealanders that justice is equally dispensed. Having years on your side, thinking you also have god on your side and a baying crowd outside, should make no difference.
Tamaki was in court on October 20 for being at the second Domain protest on October 16, allegedly breaching bail. Today he apparently was appearing again for breaching bail conditions.
I take it Tamaki is setting his own bail, or should I say that given him by his vulnerable "congregation." So no sweat of Tamaki's back each time he's in breach. Easy come, easy go for him Shameful man in every respect and his wife is no better! Predatory charlatans, the pair of them!
I haven't figured out how to put it onto the android I upgraded partially to use the tracer app (they did make the app a bit more backwards compatible, but not enough for my sturdy beast).
The expiry date is shown on the PDF directly anyway. If it scans with the app then it largely checks its not a fraudulently doctored PDF however. It was actually generated by the MOH.
I actually have no idea how the process works. Are you saying you have to scan a PDF version into the phone, and this is what the venues will then scan in turn (or not).
You jump on the site, they email you a pdf with a QR code and some basic details on it (expiry date, etc). Apparently, there is some way to include this in various apps the young people use to pay things and show qr codes for cafe loyalty programs.
There is a phone number for the tech-impaired who don't handle apps or pdfs.
Basically, it's the opposite of contact tracing: for tracing you scan the venue QR code into your app, for the vaccine pass the venue scans your qr code into their app.
Whats to stop people using other peoples QR codes?
The QR code contains the same information printed in the PDF. It also contains a digital signature of that info signed by the MOH.
So either you embed a QR code which doesn't have matching info for the PDF, or the signature doesn't verify as signed by the MOH.
Both would be invalid. You could probably investigate this if you have access to the venue app and QR code creation/reading/editing facilities and/or PDF editing facilities.
It's basically like what's stopping underage kids using their older siblings' drivers licenses to get into bars.
Except in this case one should be able to audit the use of qr codes to see if one got into the antivaxx crowd, and is being used the same night but hundreds of miles apart.
People checking passes will be able to use an app to scan these. The vaccine pass QR code can be provided from showing the PDF on a phone, a print out of that PDF on paper or from loading it into a digital wallet on a phone.
As long as its a valid pass is not being checked, you can check it by simply looking at the PDF you get emailed.
I don't think these can be attached to the covid tracer app though it also uses QR codes in a different way.
The easiest way is simply to use the link in the email to put it in your digital wallet. Google pay or Apple, depending on your phone. It then also gives you an option to put a shortcut on your home screen.
Already keep my store cards and coffee cards in the digital wallet, wherever possible. Saves having to dig them out from 20 others in a real wallet.
I don't have a digital wallet, and I'm not even sure I want to use the online system.
My physical wallet as my eftpost, visa, AA, drivers licence, and a few other random ones I hardly ever use. Adding a paper pass into that won't be a hard ship (but probably I will just put a photo on my phone if that works).
Theres a signature in the QR code so the app can check was signed by the MOH. But otherwise its just the name and DOB printed in the PDF (probably with a salt) as far as I understand it.
I do think the NSA could probably fake them in a few weeks if they were trying. Most would not have the compute resources for that however.
If they survive quaffing H₂O₂ and the bio pellets this shit's going to end in a Jonestown/Heaven's Gate like mass suicide.
Garner’s sister left her family behind and drove to Dallas about a month ago and has cut off almost all communication with her family.
According to Garner, her sister has so far handed over about $200,000 to the group, and is being forced to drink a hydrogen peroxide solution and take “bio pellets” to ward off COVID-19 and stay healthy. Her phone calls and messages are also being monitored, according to Garner, who believes her sister will never return.
[…]
Garner’s sister was one of the hundreds of people who initially traveled to Dallas to see JFK reappear on Nov. 2. However, when that didn’t happen, the goalposts shifted, and Protzman convinced dozens of people that if they waited long enough, something else would happen.
Katy says her sister’s brief messages to her parents have gone from “be home in a few days” to “I am not coming home, my husband can take care of the kids. I am not leaving until this is over.”
While the group initially appeared to be waiting for the reappearance of JFK, over the weekend, the tone of Protzman’s comments shifted dramatically. Besides proclaiming that he was God’s representative on earth, he also took part in a video chat where participants openly spoke about having to experience death in order to learn the truth.
“Ultimately… we have to experience that physical death… let go… come out on the other side,” one of the participants in the video call suggested.
A good example of what happens when the good idea of 'freedom' steps over the boundary into 'free to do anything your please' as the totalising solution to all problems. Closely related to anarchism and libertarianism.
The only upside is this particular ideological form tends to be more of a threat to themselves than anyone else.
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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, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
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. ...
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next.Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again?First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
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The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Interesting factoids, the last 3 daily infection totals in Japan are LESS than NZ numbers!!!
According to one recent Japanese scientific analysis* of the Delta variant in Japan, it may have mutated in such a way to make it much less infectious. There is no indication that this, if actually correct (sounds a bit dubious to me from an evolutionary point of view) might be repeated anywhere else. What's a bit more disturbing is that NZ's daily case rate is now higher than that of New South Wales, which reached between 1 to 2,000 daily cases before peaking and dropping. Changes in infection rates are all over the place worldwide at the moment and it's hard to decipher what is going on. Not sure whether any of the precicitive modelling has been that accurate.
* https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/11/18/national/delta-variant-self-destruction-theory/
This idea about Japan appears to make no sense. Most mutations of the virus are not successful and don't become dominant. More infectious ones are more likely to get over that hurdle. So the question would be how the less infectious mutation became dominant in order to subsequently die out by being less infectious. We can (I think) exclude the possibility that most infections suddenly mutated in the same way to simultaneously become less infectious.
Probably its just that Japan is successfully implementing a lock down and vaccination and masking strategy and that is working with high compliance.
Yes i had seen that koff,
And Nic that is also ttrue.
Apparently there were 6 infection in Tokyo yesterday.
If some 17 year old South Auckland kid wilfully ignored bail conditions there would be a clamour to have him chucked in jail and the key thrown away. Saying to the system, "Up you, I'll do what I like," would not be greeted well.
Brian Tamaki said today, "I am basically innocent," when further charges were laid against him. "I think this is a national issue today. It's a very important issue to all New Zealanders," he said. He was referring to the 'right to gather.'
It's an important issue for New Zealanders that justice is equally dispensed. Having years on your side, thinking you also have god on your side and a baying crowd outside, should make no difference.
Tamaki was in court on October 20 for being at the second Domain protest on October 16, allegedly breaching bail. Today he apparently was appearing again for breaching bail conditions.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-destinys-brian-hannah-tamaki-charged-over-latest-auckland-lockdown-protest/DPTDTLEIBEI2SLLKQTMF7WVCYE/
Pete (2) … 100% in agreement with your statement.
I take it Tamaki is setting his own bail, or should I say that given him by his vulnerable "congregation." So no sweat of Tamaki's back each time he's in breach. Easy come, easy go for him Shameful man in every respect and his wife is no better! Predatory charlatans, the pair of them!
Surely these passports have to be scanned to check if they are valid? Otherwise people will just photograph other people.
Covid-19 NZ: Jacinda Ardern says vaccine passes don't need to be scanned, Ministry of Health says they do | Stuff.co.nz
how would they load the photo of someone else's pass into the app?
It's just a QR code.
I haven't figured out how to put it onto the android I upgraded partially to use the tracer app (they did make the app a bit more backwards compatible, but not enough for my sturdy beast).
There should be a link to Google Pay (or whatever it’s called) in the Covid Passport email from the Min of Health.
yeah, doesn't seem to work for me.
Oh snap – finally in the google pay app. Must have been checking my email on the phone's web browser rather than the email app directly.
Got there in the end, lol
so having a QR code in the app is a pretty good sign that one is double vaxxed, but it might have expired?
The expiry date is shown on the PDF directly anyway. If it scans with the app then it largely checks its not a fraudulently doctored PDF however. It was actually generated by the MOH.
I actually have no idea how the process works. Are you saying you have to scan a PDF version into the phone, and this is what the venues will then scan in turn (or not).
There is a QR code in the PDF. The scanner just needs to be shown that in which case it can check it was made by the MOH.
Similar to how a phone scans a printed QR code. Should also work for a printed PDF.
would you mind starting from the beginning?
People using the app have to get a paper version first and scan it into their app?
You jump on the site, they email you a pdf with a QR code and some basic details on it (expiry date, etc). Apparently, there is some way to include this in various apps the young people use to pay things and show qr codes for cafe loyalty programs.
There is a phone number for the tech-impaired who don't handle apps or pdfs.
Basically, it's the opposite of contact tracing: for tracing you scan the venue QR code into your app, for the vaccine pass the venue scans your qr code into their app.
ta. So if I transfer the PDF from my laptop to my phone, I just need to open the PDF so a venue can scan it? Or can I just take a photo of it?
This takes us back to Jester's original question. What's to stop people from using other people's QR codes?
Whats to stop people using other peoples QR codes?
The QR code contains the same information printed in the PDF. It also contains a digital signature of that info signed by the MOH.
So either you embed a QR code which doesn't have matching info for the PDF, or the signature doesn't verify as signed by the MOH.
Both would be invalid. You could probably investigate this if you have access to the venue app and QR code creation/reading/editing facilities and/or PDF editing facilities.
Yep.
It's basically like what's stopping underage kids using their older siblings' drivers licenses to get into bars.
Except in this case one should be able to audit the use of qr codes to see if one got into the antivaxx crowd, and is being used the same night but hundreds of miles apart.
People checking passes will be able to use an app to scan these. The vaccine pass QR code can be provided from showing the PDF on a phone, a print out of that PDF on paper or from loading it into a digital wallet on a phone.
As long as its a valid pass is not being checked, you can check it by simply looking at the PDF you get emailed.
I don't think these can be attached to the covid tracer app though it also uses QR codes in a different way.
so what was the thing everyone's been downloading the past day?
never mind, it's the app for the venues, not the vaxxed people.
(I did say start from the beginning 😉 )
The easiest way is simply to use the link in the email to put it in your digital wallet. Google pay or Apple, depending on your phone. It then also gives you an option to put a shortcut on your home screen.
Already keep my store cards and coffee cards in the digital wallet, wherever possible. Saves having to dig them out from 20 others in a real wallet.
I don't have a digital wallet, and I'm not even sure I want to use the online system.
My physical wallet as my eftpost, visa, AA, drivers licence, and a few other random ones I hardly ever use. Adding a paper pass into that won't be a hard ship (but probably I will just put a photo on my phone if that works).
A photo works. So long as it has the QR code.
brilliant, thanks KJT.
Just save the pass emailed to you in photos.
Theres a signature in the QR code so the app can check was signed by the MOH. But otherwise its just the name and DOB printed in the PDF (probably with a salt) as far as I understand it.
I do think the NSA could probably fake them in a few weeks if they were trying. Most would not have the compute resources for that however.
Download yours and you will see there is no photo.
ACT MP thinks Donald Trump made his country "awesome".
And has the usual toddler tantrum about the PM
It's important that people look beyond David Seymour's soundbites and discover who ACT really are.
If they survive quaffing H₂O₂ and the bio pellets this shit's going to end in a Jonestown/Heaven's Gate like mass suicide.
Garner’s sister left her family behind and drove to Dallas about a month ago and has cut off almost all communication with her family.
According to Garner, her sister has so far handed over about $200,000 to the group, and is being forced to drink a hydrogen peroxide solution and take “bio pellets” to ward off COVID-19 and stay healthy. Her phone calls and messages are also being monitored, according to Garner, who believes her sister will never return.
[…]
Garner’s sister was one of the hundreds of people who initially traveled to Dallas to see JFK reappear on Nov. 2. However, when that didn’t happen, the goalposts shifted, and Protzman convinced dozens of people that if they waited long enough, something else would happen.
Katy says her sister’s brief messages to her parents have gone from “be home in a few days” to “I am not coming home, my husband can take care of the kids. I am not leaving until this is over.”
While the group initially appeared to be waiting for the reappearance of JFK, over the weekend, the tone of Protzman’s comments shifted dramatically. Besides proclaiming that he was God’s representative on earth, he also took part in a video chat where participants openly spoke about having to experience death in order to learn the truth.
“Ultimately… we have to experience that physical death… let go… come out on the other side,” one of the participants in the video call suggested.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjb8mv/qanon-jfk-cult-tearing-families-apart
A good example of what happens when the good idea of 'freedom' steps over the boundary into 'free to do anything your please' as the totalising solution to all problems. Closely related to anarchism and libertarianism.
The only upside is this particular ideological form tends to be more of a threat to themselves than anyone else.