Just thinking aloud for a moment reading the words… foreign political donations….. makes me think of jlr and all of his recent questions in parliament.
Pssst pauline, are these some of your mates on the youtube?
“Senior One Nation figures James Ashby and Steve Dickson claim they had been “on the sauce” drinking scotch for “three or four hours” when discussing seeking a $20m donation from the National Rifle Association to the far-right Australian party.”
Getting on the piss and seeking $20 million from the NRA to water down Australian gun laws sounds like something James Ashby would be proud of.
🤔Ashbygate, profiteering through One Nation ad materials, the One Nation Plane, the alleged sexual relations with 15yr boy, several alleged assualts including a politician, and now the NRA. How can this person be allowed anywhere near our democracy? https://t.co/qIfmRLHXY3
Almost overlooked: You say the Jews are defending Mossad! That is a nasty smear on the Jews – OMG, from the NZ Jewish Council themselves! Ahmed Bhamji is the man, respect to the Masjid E Umar!
And over at stuffed we have that wee poodle Tracy Watkins standing on a bar stool.
Just what is Tract Watkins “sincerely hoping” for here when she says:
“Once the realities of domestic politics intrude – and they have already, after a week-long political truce – those expectations may run far ahead of what Ardern can realistically deliver. Because the extraordinary political circumstances that allowed her to announce new gun laws with near-unanimous support will likely never occur again – we sincerely hope……….”
But if it keeps on rising it will eventually turn cold and become an icicle and then it will fall back to earth and melt away to nothing. Ahhh… not sure what that’s got to do with the price of fish but never mind. It’s late.
Watkins and the rest of the Press Gallery have been reduced to bit players in the last week and a half, they will be wanting to rectify that and have normal service resumed ASAP.
And your answer is ‘ conservative’. Which really should translate not as ‘ conservative ‘ at all. Far more accurate to name her as she is : a neo liberal radical liberalist, a globalist.
… ‘ She was a founding member of the group Conservatives for an Australian Head of State ‘…
This is how the far right wing will launch their attacks on our Prime Minister. By couching her as a recipient of good favor by NZ First and Winston Peters,… which may be true to an extent ,… but certainly and by no means detract’s from the excellent job she is doing.
Is Judith jealous ???
PS : Here’s a clue…
———————————
Sloan said the New Zealand election was “surprising” considering the “success of the previous National Party governments” under former prime ministers John Key and Bill English. She said they “artfully” steered us through the global financial crisis and Christchurch earthquakes.
It’s The Australian. She’s preaching to the choir. Best to just ignore this bullshit.
With the NSW election out of the way it won’t be long now before Morrison calls the Federal polls. Prospects look terrible for the government and their media backers are starting to lose it.
None of it will matter in the long run though WK. Ardern is forging a bond now with the electorate that leaves the commentariat sidelined and grasping for relevance. I’ve stopped worrying.
The Ockers have got their knickers in a knot ’cause the good ol’ Kiwi dollar is up around 95c AUD, and was dollar for dollar a couple of weeks ago. NZD’s rightful place being AUD 80c or less.
Unfortunately for the poor Ockers it’s all their problem, NZD’s cross rates to most major currencies are in sort of normal ranges. Not happy times over the ditch
Yes, I nearly choke on my smoked Chicken roll at lunch today while reading that garbage from old Judith and I normally don’t read anything by her outside the finance section, and even then it’s usually a passing glance as it’s usually a load of bollocks most the time.
Most commentators and most of the journalists in the Oz or in most old Mates paper know 4/5ths of F*** all about MMP and if I had changed $5 since being in Oz since 98 for explaining MMP, the last election and why NZ has MMP I’ll flying about in MkVc Spritfire with my mid to late1930’s Bentley, SS or 3 wheel Morgan in the Hanger with couple of farms in Oz and NZ by now.
They think Key is god and old Bill is a saint over here in the Fourth Estate especially outside of the The Age, SMH and the ABC.
Sometimes I have to bite my tongue 😛 when reading the Oz paper in morning while have a coffee or tea at my local cafe.
Most commentators and most of the journalists in the Oz or in most old Mates paper know 4/5ths of F*** all about MMP and if I had changed $5 since being in Oz since 98 for explaining MMP, the last election and why NZ has MMP I’ll flying about in MkVc Spritfire with my mid to late1930’s Bentley, SS or 3 wheel Morgan in the Hanger with couple of farms in Oz and NZ by now.
You ol petrolhead!
Think of the planet – get a Tesla.
Rest assured Macro, the plant is safe for as I didn’t win $70m Oz lotto last night and I don’t think a Tesla will handle the NT environment as everything up here is big up here in the NT. Even the road trains and the other type of train (the Choo Choo one) have a few problems with the wildlife as the majors roads, rail line outside of Darwin or the major populated areas are unfenced.
Plus I haven’t seen a Tesla car or let alone any charging stations either around Darwin area, but I’ve seen an awful lot of those bloody big gas/ desiel guzzler Yankee 4wd Ute’s / pickup wagons of late and god only knows why the heck you want one of those big wide monsters anyway as they nexts to being bloody useless off road in the wet season.
LOL yeah I’m well aware of those road trains impressive! – I have family in Perth so have visited the West a few times and a friend in Queensland is one of those inveterate outbackers – they just did 10,000 km round the North – can’t for the life of me think why! Actually another mate of mine has a Tesla – and I have been having trouble with the 10th commandment ever since. I shall just have to make do with my hybrid.
Today it was mow the lawns at the bach day -not realising it was also beach hop day. OMG! Literally thousands of yank Tanks – fortunately they were going in the opposite direction. But I spent the day contemplating on the premiss that we really are an adolescent, if not infantile, species.
Having said that – I have a lasting recollection of a ’33 Bentley blatting around the Dunlop tyre factory in Upper Hutt one evening after work had finished for the day. My sis grazed her horse in the paddock next to the factory and I happened to be there when this Bentley arrived. The sound from its large copper pipe exhaust reverberating off the factory walls still lingers in my mind. I was an adolescent then and that sort of thing impressed.
Oh and I’ve got to sit in the cockpit of a Mosquito and been up close and personal to a Spit. Another mate is an ex warbird pilot.
You lucky sod for getting a sit in a mossie, my late NZ grandparents had a Austin 7 Saloon Vintage car which they drag me and younger brother when he was older a enough around NZ and hence my love of the 1930- 40’s cars and planes. But I’ve managed got to having sit in a Panzer 4 and Tiger 1 in the UK a few yrs, but buggers wouldn’t let me out of the hanger after I both started them. That same trip I also got an off limits tour of HMS Victory and would stay with me for a very long time.
hmmmm nice! 2020 delivery and 12,000 pre ordered so maybe not next year. 🙁 but certainly the way to go A range of 200 miles is ok but you would not be taking into the outback very far unfortunately.
Yeah, really needs an i3 style range extender. Workhorse were planning to put one in their w-15, but IIRC last I saw they’ve dropped it. California regs.
Now that is more like it! What was the prob with the regs? A 400 mile range would be very useful. One charge between Auckland and Wellington – making it very do-able.
There’s different regs for petrol-powered range extenders in Cal. Don’t remember exactly what they are, but they’re complicated. They’re the cause of US-spec i3s having to run the battery down to 5% before the range extender can kick on, and the fuel tank being software limited to 7 litres, so the range extender is more a limp-home tool. Whereas euro spec i3s you can tell the range extender to kick on anytime and maintain battery state of charge, and use the full 9 litres of fuel.
That vid is kinda old, it was from before the decision to not have the range extender. The 400 miles was basically 80 miles pure electric plus 320 miles petrol-powered range extension.
Look’s like they nicked a Landrover Defender and just plonked a electic motor in, with hi ho sliver of we go but a of range of 200km aren’t going to get you far in Oz or anywhere else for that matter unless you are Western Europe.
Yes I’ll watched it, as I would be interesting to know how big the engine bay is and wondering to see if it’s possible to retro fit an electric motor into my Landie in the future once the technology advances IRT to range and 4wd.
I have an on-line acquaintance from another site who has retrofitted an old toyota starlet with an electric motor and uses it for local running. It’s been his main mode of transport for some years now. He’s very excited about the new tesla batteries as even a smaller one of them will give him a much extended range. He lives just up the road in the Coromandel and his son attends the local ATC but we haven’t got to meet although he and my eldest used to travel together to Waikato Uni for lectures.
I’ve been watching Tesla IRT it’s batteries of late and have been quite impressed at what they are doing atm. It’s one of the reasons why i has to push the Minister of Finance to spend a little bit more on our on grid Solar System so we can make seemless transition to off grid in the future.
I’ve got fantasies of converting my Defender. Been looking out for a wrecked i3 REx to rob the powertrain and battery out of. Actually bid on one a while back, but it was an easily repairable one so someone else was willing to pay a lot more than I was.
Get rid of the diesel engine and gearbox, stick about a 3:1 single stage reducer on the electric motor, and run it straight into the transfer box. Then I’d have a useful highway speed range, and a useful crawler range.
The electric motor is roughly the same size as the gearbox, so the whole engine bay would be free for controller, range extender etc, and the battery pack would go in the back on the floor. Or maybe below the floor between the chassis rails if I could be bothered tearing it down to package it all in a bit better.
Thank god I’m not the only lunatic around here thinking of converting his Landie to a all electric drive Landie.
I was think of putting the battery system where the fuel tank would’ve been, but between the chassis rails seems a good idea.
My other concern is I have a separate stand alone battery system with Red Arc converter thingy for my fridge and freezer which only put in for very long trips when the local shop isn’t down the road so to speak. I’m wondering if that may need replacing when I go all electric?
I don’t think you’d need replace your existing electronic goods. As long as you’ve got a rough guess of total power output then you should know how much range and usage and storage you’ll need. My neighbour bought a second hand Tesla Model S battery pack online and that’s got enough storage to run his two person house, washer, solar cloth dryer, gadgets, water pump, it’s enough storage to run for three days with out recharging and electric vehicles are, at least the Tesla range is really customisable so you can increase the storage by what ever you want really. Base models are $30k US where as just a year ago they where over a $100k. So the more EVs sold the cheaper they’re getting.
This was the powerful routinely humiliating the powerless ….complete misunderstanding of the law my arse.
An investigation into illegal internal examinations of female prisoners at an Auckland jail brought back horrific memories for the victims, an independent watchdog says.
Auckland University sociologist Professor Tracey McIntosh spoke to prisoners and told Stuff there appeared to have been “a complete misunderstanding” of the law at the Auckland Region women’s jail at Wiri.
She said for her independent oversight role when Corrections investigated claims of illegal, intrusive physical searches of female inmates, the prisoners were brought in to see her and a senior Corrections staffer one by one.
To be able to charge loads of fees
To be able to make parents buy devices they cannot afford
To pander to internation students
To kick out ‘dumb kids’ that make their schools look bad
**TO RUN SCHOOLS AS A TRADEABLE BUSINESS COMMODITY AND NOT A PUBLIC SERVICE**
To be honest, I trust civil servants to run schools than the red faced reactionary bourgeois hacks that control most boards of trustees, and have their own little networks.
The Hubs are going to shine some light on all the corruption and nepotism that goes on in our education system, and some people dont like that.
All the Ruskies need to do is tweet “troops” and out go the lights in Venezuelan again. Hmmmm, James Bond says twice is a coincidence. Who remembers what 007 says about three times?
Guaido just confirmed he is behind the power outage!
“There will be no continuation of electricity in Venezuela until Maduro is removed.”
Looks like a US/Ruski cyber-tech-war over Venezuela. Most likely the power grid has a virus, which unreportedly drops the three phase down to one.
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The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
The prisoner disorder event at Waikeria Prison is over, with all remaining prisoners now safely and securely detained, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says. The majority of those involved in the event are members of the Mongols and Comancheros. Five of the men are deportees from Australia, with three subject to ...
Travellers from the United Kingdom or the United States bound for New Zealand will be required to get a negative test result for COVID-19 before departing, and work is underway to extend the requirement to other long haul flights to New Zealand, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. “The new PCR test requirement, foreshadowed last ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and a lineup of incredibly successful New Zealand women as they confront their imposter syndrome once and for all. First published 20 October, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members ...
With criticism from National piling on over the property market, the prime minister has detailed when the government will make housing announcements. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marco Rizzi, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Western Australia Some Australians could be receiving a COVID-19 vaccine within weeks. Amid the continued spread of the virus and emergence of highly contagious variants, the federal government has accelerated the start of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy — a five-year plan for protecting our imperilled species and ecosystems — fizzled to an end last year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Lecturer, General Dentist & PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Baby teeth, or milk teeth, act like lighthouses to guide the adult ones to their correct destination. A baby tooth will become wobbly and fall out because the adult tooth ...
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he’s joined by Simon Coley, co-founder of All Good and Karma Drinks.Bananas are one of the ...
Tackling topics such as rugby and body image, Stuff’s latest podcast shines a much-needed light on Aotearoa’s complex relationship with masculinity, writes Trevor McKewen, author of the book Real Men Wear Black.I wasn’t sure what to think when two episodes of the new local podcast He’ll Be Right landed in ...
The Rainforest Alliance reveals that 68%* of Kiwis say the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more conscious about environmental and social sustainability issues. Seventy two percent* state that they have been trying to make more sustainable purchasing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies, Curtin University The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has raised concerns that Australia’s proposed News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code could fundamentally break the internet as we know it. His concerns ...
ANALYSIS:By Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path Two weeks after the storming of the US Capitol by the followers of his predecessor, in the middle of an out-of-control pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Cantrell, Lecturer, Creative Writing & English Literature, University of Southern Queensland Described as “the world’s greatest storyteller”, Roald Dahl is frequently ranked as the best children’s author of all time by teachers, authors and librarians. However, the new film adaptation of ...
Peak housing body, Community Housing Aotearoa (CHA) welcomes the updated Public Housing Plan announced today by Minister Woods, and the commitment by this Government to fix New Zealand’s housing crisis. The 8,000 additional homes are a significant ...
Having recently walked much of the South Island stretch of Te Araroa, Kirsten O’Regan reflects on the magnificent landscapes and interesting characters she encountered along the way.On our 36th day of walking, we climb through the fire-blackened hills above Ohau, stopping to examine heat-disfigured trail markers. Fresh green shoots have ...
Miss Torta in central Auckland is putting the spotlight on a snack that’s commonplace in Mexico, but until now relatively unknown in New Zealand.You’ve heard of a torta, but what is it, exactly? Well, depending on the cuisine it can mean a flatbread, cake, tart, sweet pie, savoury pie or ...
Two of three ministerial statements from the Beehive have been released in the name of the PM over the past two days. The more important, insofar as it involves political action that will affect the wellbeing of significant numbers of Kiwis, was the release of the government’s Public Housing Plan ...
Jacinda Ardern has reminded Labour MPs "ongoing vigilance" will be required in 2021 to avoid another Covid outbreak, admitting she held her breath over the summer break. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zareh Ghazarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Monash University Despite many young Australians having a deep interest in political issues, most teenagers have a limited understanding about their nation’s democratic system. Results from the 2019 National Assessment Program – Civics and ...
Pinged $65 for overstaying 10 minutes in a parking block? Put away your hard-earned cash and read this first.Hopefully, by now, I’ve already established myself at The Spinoff as the resident tightarse, determined to avoid all unfair and unnecessary punishments (see: oversize baggage charges). Today, I’m focusing my attention on ...
Nuclear weapons states and their allies risk reputational ruin if they flout a new UN Treaty, Carolina Panico argues The United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons will come into force this month, on January 22, 2021, turning nuclear weapons into illegal objects. It is an achievement that ...
How does one turn into a rabid extremist over the description of a children’s bike? Emily Writes looks at Facebook comments so you don’t have to.You’ve been there, I know it. You’re scrolling along, trying to avoid QAnon conspiracy theories and Trump apocalypse memes when a story catches your eye. ...
Joe Biden is now the President of the United States and many people across America and throughout the world will consequently be breathing more easily. But while the erratic, unpredictable and irresponsible years of the Trump Presidency may be over, ...
Tough border testing for New Zealand honey imports to Japan is re-igniting the conversation about the use of the weed killer glypohsate in New Zealand. ...
The Taxpayers Union should be aware of the law and of the history of ACC. The ACC is a legal system introduced in 1974 to replace the common law right of accident victims to sue for damages for personal injury sustained as a result of negligence ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne Terrorism, political extremism, Donald Trump, social media and the phenomenon of “cancel culture” are confronting journalists with a range of agonising free-speech dilemmas to which there are no easy answers. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nial Wheate, Associate Professor of the Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney You’ve just come from your monthly GP appointment with a new script for your ongoing medical condition. But your local pharmacy is out of stock of your usual medicine. Your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna D’Alessandro, Professor & ARC Future Fellow, University of Sydney On Wednesday this week, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was measured at at 415 parts per million (ppm). The level is the highest in human history, and is growing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington It might be summer in New Zealand but we’re in for some wild weather this week with forecasts of heavy wind and rain, and a plunge in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zareh Ghazarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Monash University Despite many young Australians having a deep interest in political issues, most teenagers have a limited understanding about their nation’s democratic system. Results from the 2019 National Assessment Program – Civics and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle O’Shea, Senior Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University Last week, the McIver’s Ladies Baths in Sydney came under fire for their (since removed) policy stating “only transgender women who’ve undergone a gender reassignment surgery are allowed entry”. The policy was ...
There are good grounds for optimism after the guardrails of American democracy held firm through to Joe Biden's inauguration today as President, writes Stephen Hoadley Pessimism abounds about the perilous condition of American democracy. Commentators and headline writers proffer memes such as ‘broken and divided nation’, ‘the threat from within’. ...
*This article was originally appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Donald Trump will forever be remembered as the president who was impeached twice - and for his rhetoric that struck a chord so deep in America that it will take years to dissipate. Donald Trump leaves Washington with the lowest approval ...
A new plan shows how and where the Government will build 8,000 new state housing places it funded in Budget 2020, Marc Daalder reports Jacinda Ardern has kicked off the political year with a major announcement, promising hundreds of new state housing places in regional centres across the country. With ...
This is the full transcript of President Joe Biden's speech after being sworn in at his inauguration this morning in Washington DC Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America's day. This ...
Analysis: President Donald Trump has left the White House, and his deputy chief of staff confirms he is withdrawing his candidacy to lead the OECD. New Zealander Christopher Liddell withdrew his nomination to be Secretary-General of the powerful 37-member OECD and was one of the last members of the Trump Administration to depart ...
Kate Wills is facing stage four cancer with the same fierce approach she takes into her ocean swimming - never say can't. Even on the mornings Kate Wills feels wretched from her fortnightly chemotherapy treatment, she drags herself up at 5am and goes swimming. “I have to. It’s my job – to ...
Some costs associated with meetings speak for themselves, others are less conspicuous. Victoria University of Wellington's Val Hooper lays those costs out, making suggestions on where we can rein them in. Meetings – when last did we count the costs? And so it’s back to work and one of the ...
Andrew Paul Wood assesses the best-selling picture book by Grahame Sydney It's no great secret the commercially very successful Grahame Sydney has a long-standing beef that his work doesn’t receive more critical and institutional approval. I sympathise about the lack of critical attention, but I can understand why. The Discourse™ ...
This story was produced in collaboration with the Center for Public Integrity and Columbia Journalism Investigations. It was originally published by Public Integrity, Mother Jones, The Arizona Republic and Orlando Sentinel. It is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the ...
Analysis: It has been easy to ignore anyone daring to criticise or even question any aspect of the government’s Covid-19 response. Their voices have rarely been heard, and when they have been raised they have been quickly and decisively howled down by the favoured coterie of academics. ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s US presidential inauguration live blog: inauguration news, analysis and reaction, updated through Wednesday and Thursday. The inauguration ceremony begins at 5.15am Thursday, NZ time, and Joe Biden takes the oath of office around 6am. 7.25am: And what about Trump?In the early hours of this morning, NZ ...
In 10 x 100, we survey a group of 100 people via Stickybeak and ask them 10 questions. Last month we quizzed Wellingtonians. Today, we ask NZ drivers how they’ve found a holiday period without international tourists, and what they get up to while they’re on the road.Across Aotearoa roads ...
Emmanuel Macron's anti-separatist policies have garnered backlash from the international Muslim community. Now, a global coalition has complained to the UN. ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden as they go on an odyssey of women’s rage, and find out how we can channel our anger into good. First published September 15, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by ...
By Lorraine Ecarma in Cebu City The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) will continue to stand against any threats to human rights, chancellor Clement Camposano has declared in response to the termination of a long-standing accord preventing military incursion on campus. In a Facebook post, Camposano said the academic ...
ANALYSIS:By Jennifer S. Hunt, Australian National University Every four years on January 20, the US exercises a key tenant of democratic government: the peaceful transfer of power. This year, the scene looks a bit different. If the last US presidential inauguration in 2017 debuted the phrase “alternative facts”, the ...
By Lulu Mark in Port Moresby In spite of Papua New Guinea’s mandatory mask-wearing requirement under the National Pandemic Act 2020, many public servants attending a dedication service in Port Moresby have failed to wear one. They were issued masks before entering the Sir John Guise Indoor Complex but took ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Moro, Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond University How do scabs form? — Talila, aged 8 Great question, Talila! Our skin has many different jobs. One is to act as a barrier, protecting us from harmful things in the ...
US President Donald Trump is pardoning former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who is accused of fraud in a case involving funds for the border wall. ...
Joel Little with Lorde, Dera Meelan with Church & AP, Josh Fountain with Maala and Randa and Benee – producers make good songs great. Now a new fund from NZ on Air is putting the focus on them.Six months ago it looked like the music industry was on the brink ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denise Buiten, Senior Lecturer in Social Justice and Sociology, University of Notre Dame Australia On average, one child is killed by a parent almost every fortnight in Australia. Last week, three children — Claire, 7, Anna, 5, and Matthew, 3 — were ...
This commendable and realistic decision again underlines that it is the police, not government, who are largely responsible for the reduction in cannabis prosecutions over the past 15 years, writes Russell Brown.The news that New Zealand police have discontinued the annual Helicopter Recovery Operation, which has, each summer for more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ilan Noy, Professor and Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington We will not be able to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us until the world’s population is mostly immune through vaccination ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s US inauguration live blog: inauguration news, analysis and reaction, updated throughout Wednesday and Thursday, NZ time. Reach me at catherine@thespinoff.co.nz.4.00pm: What will Trump be doing tomorrow?It’s pretty well known by now that outgoing president Donald Trump intends to throw out the rulebook when it comes to ...
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling out Mayor Phil Goff for his undignified comment that the claim made by Councillor Greg Sayers asking why Auckland Council is funding yoga classes is “bullshit.” Yesterday, Councillor Greg Sayers penned ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne At 4am Thursday AEDT, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as president and vice president of the United States, replacing Donald Trump and Mike Pence. What follows is ...
*This article was originally published on RNZ and is republished with permission. New Zealanders flocked to beaches and lakes this summer, but it wasn't enough to fill the gap left by international tourists in other regions. The tourism industry is struggling to fill a $6 billion hole left by international tourists ...
Summer reissue: Chef Monique Fiso joins us for a chat about Hiakai – her acclaimed Wellington restaurant, and the title of her stunning new book.First published November 3, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here to learn ...
A new trough was brought to our attention this morning, although ethnicity will limit the numbers of eligible applicants. If you are non-Maori, it looks like you shouldn’t bother getting into the queue – but who knows?We learned of the trough from the Scoop website, where the Kapiti ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Britta Denise Hardesty, Principal Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, CSIRO Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing costs economies up to US$50 billion globally each year, and makes up to one-fifth of the global catch. It’s a huge problem not only for the ...
Police stopping major cannabis eradication operations has given the green light to drug dealers and gangs to expand operations, make more profit, and continue to wreak havoc on the most vulnerable in our society, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. ...
Varieties of merino wool footwear are emerging faster than Netflix series about British aristocracy. Michael Andrew takes a look at the rise of the shoe that almost everyone – including his 95-year-old grandma – is wearing.Some might say it all started with Allbirds. After all, to the average consumer, it ...
A new report from New Zealand’s Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) highlights the realities and challenges disabled people faced during the COVID-19 emergency. The report, Making Disability Rights Real in a Pandemic, Te Whakatinana i ngā Tika ...
The Maritime Union is questioning the reasons provided for ongoing delays at the Ports of Auckland. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says there is a need for an honest conversation about what has gone wrong at the ...
As New Zealand faces a dire shortage of veterinarians, a petition has been launched urging the Government to reclassify veterinarians as critical workers so we can Get Vets into NZ. “New Zealand desperately needs veterinarians from overseas to counter ...
New Zealand is fast developing a reputation as a South Pacific vandal, says Greenpeace, as the government continues to fight against increased ocean protection. At the upcoming meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), ...
The Department of Internal Affairs and Netsafe are urging parents and caregivers to be mindful of the online content their tamariki may be consuming in the lead up to the inauguration of president-elect of the United States of America Joe Biden ...
Care is at the centre of Auckland Zoo’s mandate, and it’s clear to see when you witness the staff doing their day-to-day jobs up close. Leonie Hayden went behind the scenes to talk to two people who would do anything for the animals they look after. “We were having this ...
The Game Animal Council (GAC) is applying its expertise in the use of firearms for hunting to work alongside Police, other agencies and stakeholder groups to improve the compliance provisions for hunters and other firearms users. The GAC has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Verica Rupar, Professor, Auckland University of Technology “The lie outlasts the liar,” writes historian Timothy Snyder, referring to outgoing president Donald Trump and his contribution to the “post-truth” era in the US. Indeed, the mass rejection of reason that erupted in a ...
The internet ain’t what it used to be, thanks to privacy issues, data leaks, censorship and hate speech. But a group of New Zealanders are working on a way to give power back to the people. A flood of headlines over the last week made it clear: the internet has become ...
Fooork! Wonder if pauline has been watching Al Jazeera recently…. llolololollz.
That’s a wickedly excellent photo, perfectly capturing her nature. Kudos to the photographer.
Edit..
Australian PM denounces foreign vote meddling after NRA report
Scott Morrison says laws were made to ‘criminalise taking foreign political donations’ to prevent lobbyists’ influence
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/australian-pm-denounces-foreign-vote-meddling-nra-report-190326032714624.html
Just thinking aloud for a moment reading the words… foreign political donations….. makes me think of jlr and all of his recent questions in parliament.
Pssst pauline, are these some of your mates on the youtube?
…chaser…
https://twitter.com/RichAFerguson/status/1110290843338862592
Dang!!!!!
Thanks Joe
“Senior One Nation figures James Ashby and Steve Dickson claim they had been “on the sauce” drinking scotch for “three or four hours” when discussing seeking a $20m donation from the National Rifle Association to the far-right Australian party.”
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/mar/26/one-nations-james-ashby-says-he-was-on-the-sauce-when-seeking-20m-from-nra
Getting on the piss and seeking $20 million from the NRA to water down Australian gun laws sounds like something James Ashby would be proud of.
Mr Ashby been linked to physical altercations, dodgy dealings and sexual harassment allegations — some of which date back decades.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/the-biggest-james-ashby-scandals-laid-bare/news-story/34dc77f134ab44f5fe4e547be7bc9f27
hopefully the NRA exposure will trip Angry Paula and her white nation party ..
She was fringe anyway …
Most of us would agree with this short video …. and just need to overcome our shyness to express it more.
No.
Natural.
Justice.
Yeah.
Right.
‘natural justice’ in Mainzeal judgment – Stuff.co.nz
https://www.stuff.co.nz/…/former-pm-jenny-shipley-alleges-no-natural-justice-in-main…
Here we go , – more stupidity from the far right.
When will it ever cease?
Big Read: Speargun and mass surveillance – the … – NZ Herald
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216367
National Party gives platform to ‘Islamophobic’ misinformation via Facebook page in name of free speech
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/111567104/national-party-gives-platform-to-islamophobic-misinformation-via-facebook-page-in-name-of-free-speech
More madness going on.
Jews outraged after mosque leader blames Mossad for Christchurch …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/…/jews-outraged-after-mosque-leader-blames-mossad-for-…
”Their all going mad out there , – stark bloody raving mad ! ” …. said Uncle Hec after listening to the national broadcasts on his wireless…
Your link got redirected to spin about an arrest in Ozzy. Why am I not surprised. Madness is the new norm.
Almost overlooked: You say the Jews are defending Mossad! That is a nasty smear on the Jews – OMG, from the NZ Jewish Council themselves! Ahmed Bhamji is the man, respect to the Masjid E Umar!
Hey folks. It might pay to be wary of the rain. We have a state of emergency declared in Westland and the rain has been half a metre and more to come.
Surface flooding is exacerbated after drought conditions as the ground is hard and largely impervious.
Maureen Pugh’s tweeted about it so obviously Bridges was wrong about her as she can tweet. She’s tweeted about bridges washing out.
Irony, and wild weather.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216555
Yeah , pretty damn epic weather,… but I’ve got to say,… with Bridges squawking so much lately…. I did think of Bridges being washed out…
Hell ,… lets all play it again for old times sake’s…
Mike Curb Congregation – Burning Bridges (with lyrics) – YouTube
And over at stuffed we have that wee poodle Tracy Watkins standing on a bar stool.
Just what is Tract Watkins “sincerely hoping” for here when she says:
“Once the realities of domestic politics intrude – and they have already, after a week-long political truce – those expectations may run far ahead of what Ardern can realistically deliver. Because the extraordinary political circumstances that allowed her to announce new gun laws with near-unanimous support will likely never occur again – we sincerely hope……….”
That was a disgraceful article from a clearly troubled Watkins. Troubled that she wouldn’t have any controversy to bait the government with.
Well, I guess if Watkins fell off the bar stool, who would notice. Really.
Hot air doesn’t fall; it rises up and makes your nostrils tingle and your eyes water.
But if it keeps on rising it will eventually turn cold and become an icicle and then it will fall back to earth and melt away to nothing. Ahhh… not sure what that’s got to do with the price of fish but never mind. It’s late.
You need ice to keep the fish fresh? 🙂
Watkins and the rest of the Press Gallery have been reduced to bit players in the last week and a half, they will be wanting to rectify that and have normal service resumed ASAP.
Pressure’s on for these Nats. Another in a ‘bitter relationship break up’. This one is a close advisor to Bennett.
National = car crash.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216533
And just WHO is Judith Sloan ???
Australian economist Judith Sloan rips into ‘ordinary’ Jacinda Ardern …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/…/australian-economist-judith-sloan-rips-into-ordinary-jac…
Here’s the rub :
Judith Sloan – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Sloan
And your answer is ‘ conservative’. Which really should translate not as ‘ conservative ‘ at all. Far more accurate to name her as she is : a neo liberal radical liberalist, a globalist.
… ‘ She was a founding member of the group Conservatives for an Australian Head of State ‘…
This is how the far right wing will launch their attacks on our Prime Minister. By couching her as a recipient of good favor by NZ First and Winston Peters,… which may be true to an extent ,… but certainly and by no means detract’s from the excellent job she is doing.
Is Judith jealous ???
PS : Here’s a clue…
———————————
Sloan said the New Zealand election was “surprising” considering the “success of the previous National Party governments” under former prime ministers John Key and Bill English. She said they “artfully” steered us through the global financial crisis and Christchurch earthquakes.
———————————
There have been several mentions today in various news agencies of ‘speakers ‘ against MMP.
We can see whats being formed against this govt so just be a little vigilant for wolves in sheep’s clothing.
They are gearing up for distraction and an assault on our political system in 2020.
They are howling for vengeance.
Don’t let them have it.
“”I get it: she’s young… ”
Clearly she doesn’t get it at all. Jacinda has what Avasarala has: brains, integrity, and heart. The looks are just a bonus.
It’s The Australian. She’s preaching to the choir. Best to just ignore this bullshit.
With the NSW election out of the way it won’t be long now before Morrison calls the Federal polls. Prospects look terrible for the government and their media backers are starting to lose it.
Maybe, … but sticky little fingers making sticky little texts over the Tasman seem to carry a long way, … mates rates and favours,… so to speak…
None of it will matter in the long run though WK. Ardern is forging a bond now with the electorate that leaves the commentariat sidelined and grasping for relevance. I’ve stopped worrying.
Ever since Dirty Politics I wouldn’t trust em as far as I could kick em.
A Murdoch propagandist and a thoroughly unpleasant person.
The Ockers have got their knickers in a knot ’cause the good ol’ Kiwi dollar is up around 95c AUD, and was dollar for dollar a couple of weeks ago. NZD’s rightful place being AUD 80c or less.
Unfortunately for the poor Ockers it’s all their problem, NZD’s cross rates to most major currencies are in sort of normal ranges. Not happy times over the ditch
Yes, I nearly choke on my smoked Chicken roll at lunch today while reading that garbage from old Judith and I normally don’t read anything by her outside the finance section, and even then it’s usually a passing glance as it’s usually a load of bollocks most the time.
Most commentators and most of the journalists in the Oz or in most old Mates paper know 4/5ths of F*** all about MMP and if I had changed $5 since being in Oz since 98 for explaining MMP, the last election and why NZ has MMP I’ll flying about in MkVc Spritfire with my mid to late1930’s Bentley, SS or 3 wheel Morgan in the Hanger with couple of farms in Oz and NZ by now.
They think Key is god and old Bill is a saint over here in the Fourth Estate especially outside of the The Age, SMH and the ABC.
Sometimes I have to bite my tongue 😛 when reading the Oz paper in morning while have a coffee or tea at my local cafe.
You ol petrolhead!
Think of the planet – get a Tesla.
Rest assured Macro, the plant is safe for as I didn’t win $70m Oz lotto last night and I don’t think a Tesla will handle the NT environment as everything up here is big up here in the NT. Even the road trains and the other type of train (the Choo Choo one) have a few problems with the wildlife as the majors roads, rail line outside of Darwin or the major populated areas are unfenced.
Plus I haven’t seen a Tesla car or let alone any charging stations either around Darwin area, but I’ve seen an awful lot of those bloody big gas/ desiel guzzler Yankee 4wd Ute’s / pickup wagons of late and god only knows why the heck you want one of those big wide monsters anyway as they nexts to being bloody useless off road in the wet season.
LOL yeah I’m well aware of those road trains impressive! – I have family in Perth so have visited the West a few times and a friend in Queensland is one of those inveterate outbackers – they just did 10,000 km round the North – can’t for the life of me think why! Actually another mate of mine has a Tesla – and I have been having trouble with the 10th commandment ever since. I shall just have to make do with my hybrid.
Today it was mow the lawns at the bach day -not realising it was also beach hop day. OMG! Literally thousands of yank Tanks – fortunately they were going in the opposite direction. But I spent the day contemplating on the premiss that we really are an adolescent, if not infantile, species.
Having said that – I have a lasting recollection of a ’33 Bentley blatting around the Dunlop tyre factory in Upper Hutt one evening after work had finished for the day. My sis grazed her horse in the paddock next to the factory and I happened to be there when this Bentley arrived. The sound from its large copper pipe exhaust reverberating off the factory walls still lingers in my mind. I was an adolescent then and that sort of thing impressed.
Oh and I’ve got to sit in the cockpit of a Mosquito and been up close and personal to a Spit. Another mate is an ex warbird pilot.
You lucky sod for getting a sit in a mossie, my late NZ grandparents had a Austin 7 Saloon Vintage car which they drag me and younger brother when he was older a enough around NZ and hence my love of the 1930- 40’s cars and planes. But I’ve managed got to having sit in a Panzer 4 and Tiger 1 in the UK a few yrs, but buggers wouldn’t let me out of the hanger after I both started them. That same trip I also got an off limits tour of HMS Victory and would stay with me for a very long time.
In the wops outside Darwin, this might suit a bit better than a Tesla …
hmmmm nice! 2020 delivery and 12,000 pre ordered so maybe not next year. 🙁 but certainly the way to go A range of 200 miles is ok but you would not be taking into the outback very far unfortunately.
Yeah, really needs an i3 style range extender. Workhorse were planning to put one in their w-15, but IIRC last I saw they’ve dropped it. California regs.
Now that is more like it! What was the prob with the regs? A 400 mile range would be very useful. One charge between Auckland and Wellington – making it very do-able.
There’s different regs for petrol-powered range extenders in Cal. Don’t remember exactly what they are, but they’re complicated. They’re the cause of US-spec i3s having to run the battery down to 5% before the range extender can kick on, and the fuel tank being software limited to 7 litres, so the range extender is more a limp-home tool. Whereas euro spec i3s you can tell the range extender to kick on anytime and maintain battery state of charge, and use the full 9 litres of fuel.
That vid is kinda old, it was from before the decision to not have the range extender. The 400 miles was basically 80 miles pure electric plus 320 miles petrol-powered range extension.
Look’s like they nicked a Landrover Defender and just plonked a electic motor in, with hi ho sliver of we go but a of range of 200km aren’t going to get you far in Oz or anywhere else for that matter unless you are Western Europe.
Yeah it looks like a Landrover – but it is a unique design if u watch the vid.
Yes I’ll watched it, as I would be interesting to know how big the engine bay is and wondering to see if it’s possible to retro fit an electric motor into my Landie in the future once the technology advances IRT to range and 4wd.
I have an on-line acquaintance from another site who has retrofitted an old toyota starlet with an electric motor and uses it for local running. It’s been his main mode of transport for some years now. He’s very excited about the new tesla batteries as even a smaller one of them will give him a much extended range. He lives just up the road in the Coromandel and his son attends the local ATC but we haven’t got to meet although he and my eldest used to travel together to Waikato Uni for lectures.
I’ve been watching Tesla IRT it’s batteries of late and have been quite impressed at what they are doing atm. It’s one of the reasons why i has to push the Minister of Finance to spend a little bit more on our on grid Solar System so we can make seemless transition to off grid in the future.
I’ve got fantasies of converting my Defender. Been looking out for a wrecked i3 REx to rob the powertrain and battery out of. Actually bid on one a while back, but it was an easily repairable one so someone else was willing to pay a lot more than I was.
Get rid of the diesel engine and gearbox, stick about a 3:1 single stage reducer on the electric motor, and run it straight into the transfer box. Then I’d have a useful highway speed range, and a useful crawler range.
The electric motor is roughly the same size as the gearbox, so the whole engine bay would be free for controller, range extender etc, and the battery pack would go in the back on the floor. Or maybe below the floor between the chassis rails if I could be bothered tearing it down to package it all in a bit better.
Thank god I’m not the only lunatic around here thinking of converting his Landie to a all electric drive Landie.
I was think of putting the battery system where the fuel tank would’ve been, but between the chassis rails seems a good idea.
My other concern is I have a separate stand alone battery system with Red Arc converter thingy for my fridge and freezer which only put in for very long trips when the local shop isn’t down the road so to speak. I’m wondering if that may need replacing when I go all electric?
I don’t think you’d need replace your existing electronic goods. As long as you’ve got a rough guess of total power output then you should know how much range and usage and storage you’ll need. My neighbour bought a second hand Tesla Model S battery pack online and that’s got enough storage to run his two person house, washer, solar cloth dryer, gadgets, water pump, it’s enough storage to run for three days with out recharging and electric vehicles are, at least the Tesla range is really customisable so you can increase the storage by what ever you want really. Base models are $30k US where as just a year ago they where over a $100k. So the more EVs sold the cheaper they’re getting.
Speaking of One Nation – Mark Latham, the guy who used to be Australia’s next PM found his way into NSW’s upper house over the weekend.
The Labor government in Queensland has transferred two prisons back into state control from Serco.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-26/queensland-private-prisons-to-be-run-by-state-government/10938192?section=politics
This was the powerful routinely humiliating the powerless ….complete misunderstanding of the law my arse.
An investigation into illegal internal examinations of female prisoners at an Auckland jail brought back horrific memories for the victims, an independent watchdog says.
Auckland University sociologist Professor Tracey McIntosh spoke to prisoners and told Stuff there appeared to have been “a complete misunderstanding” of the law at the Auckland Region women’s jail at Wiri.
She said for her independent oversight role when Corrections investigated claims of illegal, intrusive physical searches of female inmates, the prisoners were brought in to see her and a senior Corrections staffer one by one.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/111569503/womens-prison-scandal-how-abhorrent-searches-came-to-light
Well hello Joe! Good to see you here. Small world isn’t it?
The rich schools oppose the plan to return education to being a public service for the greater good:
http://www.communityschools.org/
They want:
To be able to charge loads of fees
To be able to make parents buy devices they cannot afford
To pander to internation students
To kick out ‘dumb kids’ that make their schools look bad
**TO RUN SCHOOLS AS A TRADEABLE BUSINESS COMMODITY AND NOT A PUBLIC SERVICE**
To be honest, I trust civil servants to run schools than the red faced reactionary bourgeois hacks that control most boards of trustees, and have their own little networks.
The Hubs are going to shine some light on all the corruption and nepotism that goes on in our education system, and some people dont like that.
All right, OK , … lets get hip , baby ,… so hip were all pelvis …
Neil Diamond – You Got To Me 1967 – YouTube
All the Ruskies need to do is tweet “troops” and out go the lights in Venezuelan again. Hmmmm, James Bond says twice is a coincidence. Who remembers what 007 says about three times?
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/385493/russian-air-force-planes-land-in-venezuela-carrying-troops-report
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/venezuela-suffers-blackout-month-190326055858552.html
Guaido just confirmed he is behind the power outage!
“There will be no continuation of electricity in Venezuela until Maduro is removed.”
Looks like a US/Ruski cyber-tech-war over Venezuela. Most likely the power grid has a virus, which unreportedly drops the three phase down to one.