Therefore I was hoping to stimulate discussion and encourage people to think about our need to move from eating meat to eating plant based food for the sake of our planet, our ethics and our health.
You probably love animals or at the very least, you’re against animal cruelty. Yet, on the other hand, you probably pay to have animals mutilated, tortured and killed. You probably think you need meat for protein and cow’s milk for calcium. You probably think animals are treated “humanely” before they become a neatly wrapped package on the supermarket shelf. You’ve probably never wondered what is cruel about eating eggs or dairy. You probably think vegans are extreme.
I was the same.
I want to talk to you about what we are doing to this planet, ourselves and our fellow Earthlings. I want to ask you some questions that might make you feel defensive but will also make you question things you’ve always considered to be ‘normal’. I want to ask you to listen to this speech and hear a new perspective. Perhaps it will change your life, perhaps it won’t, but I believe you deserve to know the truth. I know I’m very grateful to have learned it and now I want to share it with you. I think you’ll be grateful, too.
I do understand where meat, milk, eggs, fish etc comes from.
I don’t eat a lot of meat. Never liked milk though do have some yogurt and eggs.
Mostly eat fruit and veges. I think processed food can be as damaging to people and environment – and food chain, as anything else. Can’t get very excited about meat, vegan, vegetarian or not. The biggest issue is environmental sustainability, and health of the whole community located within it.
Paul, you really think the best way to reply to someone that’s just said “I prefer printed comments. I rarely watch linked or embedded videos. I find reading quicker, and enables more reflection.” is to link a 41 minute video?
Um. Well spotted, Andre. My response was based on the selected quote.
I also think propaganda is more effective using images, and sound plus images in video. They tend to impact more on the emotions, and often don’t encourage critical reflection the way print and discussion can.
That is one of the issues of the image-saturated digital age.
Of course, we can spend time critiquing the way videos impact on emotions, but that takes way more time than reading an explanation.
I’ve read several articles that say the way the brain processes video is very different to written material. Supposedly we become more suggestible when watching video (or live performance), but more analytical and skeptical when reading.
The paper below is what I found with a quick search, and doesn’t look the most reliable to me, but it has pretty much the same message as the papers I’d read previously.
Yes. I’ve studied, researched and taught film and media quite a lot – done quite a lot of analysis of visual media. I do like watching videos, movies, and TV dramas.
But when it comes to arguments and political discussions, I prefer print. I prefer print to documentaries. People tend to think documentaries show us reality, but they actually present reality from a perspective, and also, often work on the same level as screen fiction – can be misleading.
[No doubt there are some interesting things in what you are posting. But your comments, because of how you do them, are like Facebook spam. This is an issue of quantity, of frequency, and of the fact that you often don’t do anything other than drop a link or drop a link with virtually no information about what it is.
The link above is a good example of such a comment. It take up a large amount of space (think about people reading on a phone, and there is nothing to say what it is about. You know it’s about veganism, no-one else does. It’s spam.
It also concerns me that you’ve had moderators asking you to stop and you appear to not realise that, which makes me think you are just link dropping and not taking part in the debate because you don’t appear to go back to that conversation again. Again, this is like spam.
There is a certain degree of tolerance for link dropping, but if you look at what other people are doing, then you will see they usually make some attempt to let the readers know what the link is about. It’s good if some of that person’s comments are commentary as well. My suggestion is you post less links and take more time in explaining what they are. But please still pay attention to frequency and whether you are engaging discussion
edit, I need to see you acknowledge that you have read this moderator comment, thanks – weka]
I have read your moderator comment and will add comments at the top of thought provoking videos in future.
Sometimes I don’t go back because I am busy and unable to go back.
Sometimes it’s better to just post fewer comments, but spend more time on each one. I do.
And try to convey what it is that caught my interest about something and why I think it’s important. I spend time working out the key points at a linked site/article, and selecting representative quotes. And it does often mean going back to the article a few times, and checking/re-reading significant bits.
Well, Paul, for once you and I are on the same page. I’ve been vegan for more than 30 years and can assure people that there’s still plenty of variety and enjoyment in food, plus I feel good about environmental and animal welfare issues.
How did Peter Thiel manage to get NZ citizenship? I expect something like the following happened:
He had a little téte a téte with John Key. Word went down the line and reached Peter Dunne’s ears and hey presto, he’s granted citizenship. Unfortunately Peter Dunne has no recollection of it but he’s going to have a look at his files. Either he is also afflicted with a bad case of Amnesia like his former boss, or the system bypassed him. If it proves to be the latter then there should be an investigation.
No nice guy mpledger. Listen to this crap of a speech. He claims Donald Trump understands reality…
Hmmm… and remember Key’s amnesia over Kim Dotcom? Reckoned he’d never heard of him until after the raid. Always suspected there was something a bit odd about his demeanour at that time. It was as if he was trying to hide something.
I suspect there were quite a few filthy rich individuals during his term as PM who were quietly granted NZ citizenship by virtue of the fact they were filthy rich. In other words, the 1% PM looking after his fellow 1%ers.
yep – smelly and stinky these applications. It is easy to understand them letting in thiel – he is what they aspire to – what an ugly thinker that dude is.
When he announced he was resigning as PM my immediate thought was… there’s some shit about to hit the fan and he knows it. I wonder if this is the start of the shit?
Interesting idea.
Watching tonight that the Govt has told Wellington building owners to strengthen some buildings within 12 months or else!
The dairy farmers have been told to fix their polluting habits but have plenty of time to do so. Maybe next year or sometime in 10 years or so. None have been prosecuted so far. Don’t want to bother them.
The buildings that need strengthening provide the much needed floorspace for business to operate from to provide jobs.
Rivers and streams provide the water needed to drink.
Agriculture is a minnow on the backside of the tourism whale. The fallacy that agriculture is the backbone of NZ economy has continued to be peddaled despite its status as an alternative fact when convenient.
Streams and rivers should be protected and cleaned up. Right. Now. Failure to push any action on this front on the part of the government is nothing more than cowardice.
If NZ were able to get its act together and start focusing on wine tourism (high end tourists buying our shit wine to send over there) then the low value freedom campers that barely spend enough to pay for 0.5FTE will soon get the message, which is;
NZ is an expensive place. To live. To visit. To survive.
No wonder the stinking rich buy their residency here.
Easier to flash the cash and wow the masses on their diet of soma and talkies.
A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report said today.
As the global population surges towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050, western tastes for diets rich in meat and dairy products are unsustainable, says the report from United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) international panel of sustainable resource management.
It says: “Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products. Unlike fossil fuels, it is difficult to look for alternatives: people have to eat. A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”
Professor Edgar Hertwich, the lead author of the report, said: “ Animal products cause more damage than [producing] construction minerals such as sand or cement, plastics or metals. Biomass and crops for animals are as damaging as [burning] fossil fuels.”
The recommendation follows advice last year that a vegetarian diet was better for the planet from Lord Nicholas Stern, former adviser to the Labour government on the economics of climate change. Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has also urged people to observe one meat-free day a week to curb carbon emissions.
The panel of experts ranked products, resources, economic activities and transport according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was on a par with fossil fuel consumption because both rise rapidly with increased economic growth, they said.
Hey… its peculiar when you come to think of it … they are calling Trump a sexist – and holding demonstrations over it …
But what about ” I did not have sexual relations with THAT woman ” Big Billy Boy Clinton ?!!? ( in reference to his being caught out with Monica Lewinsky ? )
There are obvious differences between sexual assault and sexual harassment, and consensual sex and rape. Clinton wasn’t a threat to Roe vs Wade either. Nor was he intent on bringing in an authoritarian state. For all the bad things that Clinton did, there are very real differences here that can’t be glossed over.
Like this interview between John Pilger and Julian Assange , for instance?…
You know… the one where the Clinton Foundation was being used as a channel for funding to procure arms from American arms manufacturers ,… which the govt’s of Saudi Arabia , Morocco and Qatar ,… then distributed those arms back to ISIS while telling us all how evil ISIS was and they must be stamped out?
Ever wonder why the USA was accused of dragging its feet over the ISIS issue while pointing the finger at Russia for lifting the heavy weight in fighting ISIS ?…
It might just have had something to do with the fat profits the American arms manufacturers were making and enjoying out of keeping ISIS going , perhaps?….
Bill Clinton does bad shit, it’s not news, but I have zero interest in talking about it. There doesn’t appear to be anything in your comment that relates to what I said about your previous comment, or my original comment about the incoming administration. There are important differences between sexual assault and sexual harassment, or consented sex and rape, please educate yourself. This isn’t about who the goodies and the baddies are, it’s very basic humans rights we are talking about.
We have had “alternative facts” from NZ Governments and MSM for the past 30-40 years according to Roger Douglas neoliberalism was meant to be the best thing since sliced bread?
mickysavage is among six nominations received to replace Cunliffe in New Lynn. If he wins he will have to stand down from The Standard because he’s regarded by some in Labour (read hierarchy) as “too outspoken”. What tripe! They actually don’t read TS do they. Instead they listen to his detractors who have an irrational disregard for members who dare to make comments on those awful things called blogs.
To me, micky’s posts are strong but diplomatic and often understated.
There is also concern in Labour about Presland’s outspoken – and sometimes critical – contributions to The Standard blog under the pseudonym Mickey Savage.
Who the heck has Trevett been talking to ? That’s just a nonsense statement about Presland’s “outspoken – sometimes critical- contributions to The Standard”.
I agree with you, Anne, Micky’s posts are good, interesting and “understated” and I don’t think I’ve ever read one that has been critical of Labour.
and for Weka (8.1) the selection process consists of a meeting where all the candidates speak, a “straw” vote is taken from the floor, and this is considered along with other criteria by the panellists. Depending on the number of members, the LEC can have anything from one person on the panel to a considerable number, and the NZ Council of NZLP (HO) has three. I see from the Trevett story, that the New Lynn LEC has three people on the panel, NZ Council will have three, plus they need to take account of the “straw” vote from the floor. By the way, there is a Q & A session with the candidates and members before the selection meeting.
The raising of the minimum wage debate gave me a moment to pause and recall the whole related issue of secondary tax. During the 2014 election Labour came out with a manifesto commitment to abolish secondary tax. A great policy announcement that I was pleased to hear. Secondary tax seems to just be a draconian measure to punish those the lowest incomes.
The national party response at the time (see link below) was to state they were already going ahead with the policy anyway and that the IRD Business Transformation plan will “address the PAYE system, including secondary tax and end-of-year square-ups.”
And here we are, three years on and nothing has changed. Secondary tax is still in place and causing as much trouble as ever for hard-working low income earners. Labour need to point out things like this next time National respond to their policy announcements with such blatant untruths
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
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 ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague – whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak – has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
“It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Minister’s ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina – Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellington’s Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservation’s biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the plan’s treatment of Auckland passed through the council’s transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasn’t showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. “When I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, we’re seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
Asia Pacific Report Two of the global Freedom Flotilla ships are being prepared in Turkey and almost ready for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Gaza. It is expected that the flotilla will include a New Zealand medical team. Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition ...
Gary Yourofsky – The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K36Zu0pA4U
Paul, please respond to this moderation request,
https://thestandard.org.nz/rip-tpp/#comment-1290900
Thought this was ‘Open Mike.’
Therefore I was hoping to stimulate discussion and encourage people to think about our need to move from eating meat to eating plant based food for the sake of our planet, our ethics and our health.
Actually, I prefer printed comments. I rarely watch linked or embedded videos.
I find reading quicker, and enables more reflection.
I found this guy quite inspirational.
-James Aspey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHOcox2lvQo
I do understand where meat, milk, eggs, fish etc comes from.
I don’t eat a lot of meat. Never liked milk though do have some yogurt and eggs.
Mostly eat fruit and veges. I think processed food can be as damaging to people and environment – and food chain, as anything else. Can’t get very excited about meat, vegan, vegetarian or not. The biggest issue is environmental sustainability, and health of the whole community located within it.
Paul, you really think the best way to reply to someone that’s just said “I prefer printed comments. I rarely watch linked or embedded videos. I find reading quicker, and enables more reflection.” is to link a 41 minute video?
Um. Well spotted, Andre. My response was based on the selected quote.
I also think propaganda is more effective using images, and sound plus images in video. They tend to impact more on the emotions, and often don’t encourage critical reflection the way print and discussion can.
That is one of the issues of the image-saturated digital age.
Of course, we can spend time critiquing the way videos impact on emotions, but that takes way more time than reading an explanation.
I’ve read several articles that say the way the brain processes video is very different to written material. Supposedly we become more suggestible when watching video (or live performance), but more analytical and skeptical when reading.
The paper below is what I found with a quick search, and doesn’t look the most reliable to me, but it has pretty much the same message as the papers I’d read previously.
http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/5jcl/5JCL59.htm
Yes. I’ve studied, researched and taught film and media quite a lot – done quite a lot of analysis of visual media. I do like watching videos, movies, and TV dramas.
But when it comes to arguments and political discussions, I prefer print. I prefer print to documentaries. People tend to think documentaries show us reality, but they actually present reality from a perspective, and also, often work on the same level as screen fiction – can be misleading.
[No doubt there are some interesting things in what you are posting. But your comments, because of how you do them, are like Facebook spam. This is an issue of quantity, of frequency, and of the fact that you often don’t do anything other than drop a link or drop a link with virtually no information about what it is.
The link above is a good example of such a comment. It take up a large amount of space (think about people reading on a phone, and there is nothing to say what it is about. You know it’s about veganism, no-one else does. It’s spam.
It also concerns me that you’ve had moderators asking you to stop and you appear to not realise that, which makes me think you are just link dropping and not taking part in the debate because you don’t appear to go back to that conversation again. Again, this is like spam.
There is a certain degree of tolerance for link dropping, but if you look at what other people are doing, then you will see they usually make some attempt to let the readers know what the link is about. It’s good if some of that person’s comments are commentary as well. My suggestion is you post less links and take more time in explaining what they are. But please still pay attention to frequency and whether you are engaging discussion
edit, I need to see you acknowledge that you have read this moderator comment, thanks – weka]
I have read your moderator comment and will add comments at the top of thought provoking videos in future.
Sometimes I don’t go back because I am busy and unable to go back.
Thanks Paul.
Sorry to cause you trouble.
Sometimes it’s better to just post fewer comments, but spend more time on each one. I do.
And try to convey what it is that caught my interest about something and why I think it’s important. I spend time working out the key points at a linked site/article, and selecting representative quotes. And it does often mean going back to the article a few times, and checking/re-reading significant bits.
I am increasingly convinced that the biggest thing we can do to lower our carbon footprint is to stop eating meat.
Well, Paul, for once you and I are on the same page. I’ve been vegan for more than 30 years and can assure people that there’s still plenty of variety and enjoyment in food, plus I feel good about environmental and animal welfare issues.
Hi red-blooded it is good to see we share some ideas!
What was the main reason you became vegan?
Was it.?
a. health
b. animal cruelty
c. the environment
d. other?
When I heard on the news that Peter Theil had got NZ citizenship, if left me wondering about how did he managed it. It seems like other people have got their before me
http://thespinoff.co.nz/society/25-01-2017/new-zealand-citizen-peter-thiel-5-awkward-questions-and-10-peculiar-facts/
Even if he is a nice guy (and there is some degree of doubt), it sounds a very dodgy granting of citizenship.
How did Peter Thiel manage to get NZ citizenship? I expect something like the following happened:
He had a little téte a téte with John Key. Word went down the line and reached Peter Dunne’s ears and hey presto, he’s granted citizenship. Unfortunately Peter Dunne has no recollection of it but he’s going to have a look at his files. Either he is also afflicted with a bad case of Amnesia like his former boss, or the system bypassed him. If it proves to be the latter then there should be an investigation.
No nice guy mpledger. Listen to this crap of a speech. He claims Donald Trump understands reality…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11788452
Matt Nippert (author of above linked NZH article) tweeted this arvo that:
Out of curiosity I did a google search to see when Kim Dotcom got residency – it was November 2010.
A lot happening around 2010 & 2011.
Hmmm… and remember Key’s amnesia over Kim Dotcom? Reckoned he’d never heard of him until after the raid. Always suspected there was something a bit odd about his demeanour at that time. It was as if he was trying to hide something.
I suspect there were quite a few filthy rich individuals during his term as PM who were quietly granted NZ citizenship by virtue of the fact they were filthy rich. In other words, the 1% PM looking after his fellow 1%ers.
yep – smelly and stinky these applications. It is easy to understand them letting in thiel – he is what they aspire to – what an ugly thinker that dude is.
Donghua Liu…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11218598
Yep. There’s a pattern here…
When he announced he was resigning as PM my immediate thought was… there’s some shit about to hit the fan and he knows it. I wonder if this is the start of the shit?
Doesn’t look like enough to stir him out of a relaxed state. He’s brazened out far worse.
So he was given NZ citizenship in 2010. DIA recommended the application be declined, but Nathan Guy ignored that.
I think we will find all 61 were filthy rich… being the dominant criteria for citizenship by the Key government.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/88540744/water-cutting-out-the-middle-cow
55 billion to be made and cut back the number of cows, win win
Interesting idea.
Watching tonight that the Govt has told Wellington building owners to strengthen some buildings within 12 months or else!
The dairy farmers have been told to fix their polluting habits but have plenty of time to do so. Maybe next year or sometime in 10 years or so. None have been prosecuted so far. Don’t want to bother them.
The meat and dairy industry are protected.
probably because the bring in dollars and provide jobs
The buildings that need strengthening provide the much needed floorspace for business to operate from to provide jobs.
Rivers and streams provide the water needed to drink.
Agriculture is a minnow on the backside of the tourism whale. The fallacy that agriculture is the backbone of NZ economy has continued to be peddaled despite its status as an alternative fact when convenient.
Streams and rivers should be protected and cleaned up. Right. Now. Failure to push any action on this front on the part of the government is nothing more than cowardice.
If NZ were able to get its act together and start focusing on wine tourism (high end tourists buying our shit wine to send over there) then the low value freedom campers that barely spend enough to pay for 0.5FTE will soon get the message, which is;
NZ is an expensive place. To live. To visit. To survive.
No wonder the stinking rich buy their residency here.
Easier to flash the cash and wow the masses on their diet of soma and talkies.
So stop polluting NZ and pollute somewhere else instead, and still steal water? Yeah nah.
UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet
I agree.
New Zealand least corrupt country in the world-New Zealand Herald?
So our Foreign Trust Industry and the allegations in the Panama Papers were all humbug?
Or the rest of the world is going to hell.
Linda Tirado on twitter,
https://twitter.com/KillerMartinis/status/824151665712463872
Hey… its peculiar when you come to think of it … they are calling Trump a sexist – and holding demonstrations over it …
But what about ” I did not have sexual relations with THAT woman ” Big Billy Boy Clinton ?!!? ( in reference to his being caught out with Monica Lewinsky ? )
http://fmshooter.com/hypocrisy-weekends-protests-stunning-not-surprising/
And the original footage of denial ?
Funny old world we live in , in’nit ….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs
Never went round talking about grabbin’ pussy though. Not like some arse hole I keep seeing lately in the news.
There are obvious differences between sexual assault and sexual harassment, and consensual sex and rape. Clinton wasn’t a threat to Roe vs Wade either. Nor was he intent on bringing in an authoritarian state. For all the bad things that Clinton did, there are very real differences here that can’t be glossed over.
Like this interview between John Pilger and Julian Assange , for instance?…
You know… the one where the Clinton Foundation was being used as a channel for funding to procure arms from American arms manufacturers ,… which the govt’s of Saudi Arabia , Morocco and Qatar ,… then distributed those arms back to ISIS while telling us all how evil ISIS was and they must be stamped out?
Ever wonder why the USA was accused of dragging its feet over the ISIS issue while pointing the finger at Russia for lifting the heavy weight in fighting ISIS ?…
It might just have had something to do with the fat profits the American arms manufacturers were making and enjoying out of keeping ISIS going , perhaps?….
No wonder they all loved Hillary …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9xbokQO4M0
Bill Clinton does bad shit, it’s not news, but I have zero interest in talking about it. There doesn’t appear to be anything in your comment that relates to what I said about your previous comment, or my original comment about the incoming administration. There are important differences between sexual assault and sexual harassment, or consented sex and rape, please educate yourself. This isn’t about who the goodies and the baddies are, it’s very basic humans rights we are talking about.
We have had “alternative facts” from NZ Governments and MSM for the past 30-40 years according to Roger Douglas neoliberalism was meant to be the best thing since sliced bread?
mickysavage is among six nominations received to replace Cunliffe in New Lynn. If he wins he will have to stand down from The Standard because he’s regarded by some in Labour (read hierarchy) as “too outspoken”. What tripe! They actually don’t read TS do they. Instead they listen to his detractors who have an irrational disregard for members who dare to make comments on those awful things called blogs.
To me, micky’s posts are strong but diplomatic and often understated.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11788733
Mind you this is coming from Claire Trevett.
Very interesting. I don’t suppose you or someone could explain that selection process a bit better?
Who the heck has Trevett been talking to ? That’s just a nonsense statement about Presland’s “outspoken – sometimes critical- contributions to The Standard”.
I agree with you, Anne, Micky’s posts are good, interesting and “understated” and I don’t think I’ve ever read one that has been critical of Labour.
and for Weka (8.1) the selection process consists of a meeting where all the candidates speak, a “straw” vote is taken from the floor, and this is considered along with other criteria by the panellists. Depending on the number of members, the LEC can have anything from one person on the panel to a considerable number, and the NZ Council of NZLP (HO) has three. I see from the Trevett story, that the New Lynn LEC has three people on the panel, NZ Council will have three, plus they need to take account of the “straw” vote from the floor. By the way, there is a Q & A session with the candidates and members before the selection meeting.
Move on, nothing to see….
https://mic.com/articles/162657/republicans-in-congress-close-yearlong-flint-water-crisis-inquiry-with-no-new-findings
The raising of the minimum wage debate gave me a moment to pause and recall the whole related issue of secondary tax. During the 2014 election Labour came out with a manifesto commitment to abolish secondary tax. A great policy announcement that I was pleased to hear. Secondary tax seems to just be a draconian measure to punish those the lowest incomes.
The national party response at the time (see link below) was to state they were already going ahead with the policy anyway and that the IRD Business Transformation plan will “address the PAYE system, including secondary tax and end-of-year square-ups.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/policies/10416636/Labour-to-axe-secondary-tax
And here we are, three years on and nothing has changed. Secondary tax is still in place and causing as much trouble as ever for hard-working low income earners. Labour need to point out things like this next time National respond to their policy announcements with such blatant untruths