Daily review 28/11/2024
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5:30 pm, November 28th, 2024 - 29 comments
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- Tuesday 10 December
Government has introduced legislation under urgency to allow employers to deduct workers pay for engaging in partial strikes, which will give further power to bosses to intimidate workers and will lead to the escalation of industrial disputes. NZNO workers begin rolling strikes in Auckland today, in their latest round of ...2 hours ago - Govt eyes ‘PPP-lite’ for health centres
Wellington’s Children’s Hospital under construction in 2018, largely funding by a philanthropic donation. Now there are fears of a type of creeping privatisation within the health system, starting with buildings. Photo: Lynn Grieveson Mōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...3 hours ago - Book Review: The Future Embraced
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called The Future Embraced by Kobus Mentz The Future Embraced is more than a book. It is an accumulation of 50 years of work, 13 years in the making. It takes the tone of a mentor, reflecting the accumulated ...4 hours ago - Dream Scenario
2023, directed by Kristoffer Borgli Dream Scenario is a movie about a mild-mannered (read: kind of pathetic and outright whiny) professor played by a nigh on unrecognisable to me Nicolas Cage who suddenly starts appearing in people’s dreams. At first he’s not doing anything other than just watching, failing to ...5 hours ago - How Fed Farmers is driving Willis’s campaign against the banks
The pressure on the retail banks might only be just starting.Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday announced that she was changing the Reserve Bank remit to make it more pro-active in encouraging competition within the retail bank sector.And, Federated Farmers, who have been a major prod in the government’s side over ...7 hours ago - Poll number 4: Dead Govt Walking
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.RNZ reports the latest TVNZ/Verian Poll results:National: 37%, n/c (46 seats)Labour: 29%, n/c (36 seats)Greens: 10%, -2% points (12 seats)ACT: 8%, n/c (10 seats)Te Pāti Māori: 7%, up 3% (9 seats)NZ First: 6%, -1% ...17 hours ago - Guest post!
David has, unfortunately, been losing pieces of himself and turns out it’s a bit hard to write a column when the affected parts are your eyeballs and it’s painful to read, so I offered to add to his pain by writing a guest column for him and the fool said ...19 hours ago - Climate Change: An alternative plan
The government is supposed to release its second Emissions Reduction Plan any day now, and if its anything like the draft, it will be a pile of false accounting and wishful thinking, which will do nothing to actually reduce emissions. The central problem here is that national is legally required ...20 hours ago - Monday 9 December
The families of two workers killed in the forestry industry are pushing for a boss connected to both deaths to be pushed out of the industry, highlighting the need for corporate manslaughter legislation. Politicians are heading to Tokoroa to attend the Save Our Mill meeting regarding the significant proposed job ...22 hours ago
- Climate Change: Sabotaging the Climate Commission
Throughout its term in government National has been annoyed by repeated unwelcome advice from He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission to move faster, do more, or even just do something. But Rod Carr's term as commission chair expired over the weekend, as did those of two other board members. ...23 hours ago
- I Put A Spell On You
You know I can't stand itYou're running aroundYou know better, daddyI can't stand it 'cause you put me downOh, noI put a spell on youBecause you're mineSongwriter: Jay Hawkins.Please note that there is a paywall later in this newsletter, so before I begin, a reminder of my current offers and ...1 day ago - A Confession
Hi,I have a confession to make — I have been on holiday. I don’t really do holidays. They fill me with guilt. I need to be making something, or trying to make something. It’s all tied in with my sense of self worth, but we’ll get to that another day.I’ve ...1 day ago - Simeon Brown alienates another National electorate
Brown’s abrupt and ideological rulings have overturned locally driven plans and expectations and angered locals in yet another National electorate. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, December 9 are:Warkworth residents are angry that Transport ...1 day ago
- Monday Wrap Up: Politics News
1. Anti-red tape ministry advises against anti-red tape bill (The Post, Andrea Vance)David Seymour's anti-red tape ministry says his new bill to slash red tape is unnecessary.An interim regulatory impact statement from [The Ministry of Regulation] said while it supports the overall objectives [of Seymour’s bill], it says the legislation ...1 day ago - Simeon Brown’s fanaticism kills Warkworth intersection fix
I grew up in Warkworth, and the infamous Hill Street intersection has been an issue not just my whole life, but for decades before I was even born. My dad told me stories of how, back in the 80s, he’d set up seats overlooking the intersection and sit watching the ...1 day ago
- Gordon Campbell on the fall of Assad, and the new Dylan movie
Hold the champagne. Ugly and brutal as it was, the Assad regime may have been the lesser evil for Syria, the Middle East region and the rest of the world. The last time an extremist Sunni fighting force – called Islamic State (IS) – exerted control over large swathes of ...2 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #49
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 1, 2024 thru Sat, December 7, 2024. Alternative listing prototype Instead of a "Story of the Week" we added a listing by assigned category, so this installment will ...2 days ago - Mokopuna Thinking
Because the sky is blueIt makes me crySongwriters: Paul McCartney / John Lennon.This morning, I went along to the launch of the Greens’ alternative plan for emissions reduction. Contrasting the coalition’s approach of burying their head in the sand and glowering “thou shalt not” at others who try to stop ...2 days ago - Are Lester Levy and Shane Reti “cooking the books?”
This news piece is important enough it serves as a recap of events:Please consider supporting my work if you can afford to.In July, after most Health NZ Board members had already resigned – many without notice and it was starting to look embarrassing for the sitting Government - Shane Reti ...3 days ago - Watching the Tide
So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bayWatching the tide roll awayI'm sittin' on the dock of the bayWastin' timeSongwriters: Stephen Lee Cropper / Otis ReddingChristmas PartiesAs you might recall from yesterday’s newsletter, last night was Christmas Party time for the Rockels.One of the younger members of ...3 days ago - My Saturday Soliloquy for Dec 7
Mōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty in this week were:PM Christopher Luxon said his Goverment was ‘re-learning’ the austerity-infused economic lessons taught by former National Finance Minister Ruth Richardson in 1991, when she slashed spending to reduce public ...3 days ago
- TKP 26/50 solutions: A new home without a power bill
As part of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50) and When The Facts Change ,I interviewed Octopus Energy Zero Bills Technical Director Nigel Banks from the UK about this week's launch in New Zealand of a partnership with Classic Homes to build new homes in Auckland1 with ...3 days ago
- A wellbeing economy is the only option!
I recently attended a conference organised by WEALL (Wellbeing Economy Alliance) Aotearoa. WEALL defines 'economy' differently from the current neoliberal approach and that is simply 'the way that we produce and provide for one another'. Attending this conference made me even more aware of how far we have drifted away ...3 days ago
- Interview with John Cook about misinformation and artificial intelligence
In March, John Cook met with Adam Ford from Science, Technology & the Future to talk about his work researching misinformation and how to counter it. The interview - published on October 10 - explored the complex and evolving landscape of climate misinformation, covering a range of topics including the different types ...4 days ago
- Economic Progress May Not Add To Wellbeing
How the Prospect Theory of Behavioural Economics Makes Economic Analysis DifficultBehavioural economics has been described as the most revolutionary thing which has happened to economics for ages. The notion that people do not behave like ‘rational economic men’ (women are mainly ignored) undermines the microeconomic foundations of the subject. Not ...4 days ago - National finds out
Since coming to power last year, National has viciously cut the public service, sacking nearly 10,000 public servants (to date). Those people weren't just doing nothing, and it was obviously going to have an impact on something other than the government's books. But while National's over-paid, privately-insured, and DPS-guarded Ministers ...4 days ago
- Lockout of disability workers before Christmas unacceptable
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting President Rachel Mackintosh is condemning the actions of disability support provider Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau Trust in deciding to respond to legitimate strike action by locking out their workers with just a few weeks before Christmas. “The actions of Te Roopu Taurima are totally ...4 days ago
- Friday 6 December
In another blow to the media landscape, Māori TV’s daily news service is set to end after 20 years, following the announcement that they have cut 27 jobs. PSA members at MBIE have voted to initiate industrial action, after rejecting a pay offer because it failed to keep up with ...4 days ago
- An experiment and our Christmas offer to subscribe to The Kākā
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāIt’s that time of the year when we offer 50% off for a year to new subscribers for the next fortnight until December 21, which is ‘Gravy Day’1. It’s our version of a Christmas/Black Monday/Cyber Monday/Singles Day/Boxing Day offer. We call it the ‘Gravy Day ...4 days ago
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.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..Setting the stageQuestion: How does one make money, when something stands in the way?Answer: Get rid of that thing. Or at least dilute it.Present Day, Aotearoa New ZealandIn his Beehive media statement, Seymour recently ...4 days ago - Weekly Roundup 06-December-2024
It’s another Friday and it has been a big week in Auckland. We hope everyone’s excited to be in the final stretch of the year! Here’s some of the stories that have caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely ...4 days ago
- The Days Go By
It must be your skin, I'm sinkin' inIt must be for real, 'cause now I can feelAnd I didn't mind, it's not my kindIt's not my time to wonder whySongwriter: Gavin Rossdale.As the year winds up, I’m feeling a bit mentally drained, so today’s newsletter is one of reminiscing. Today, ...4 days ago - The Hoon around the week to December 6
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with: on Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay saying New Zealand would not buy emissions credits overseas, effectively admitting we’ll renege on our Paris commitments. (RNZ) ...4 days ago
- Paying for National’s roads
The Government has promised 17 Roads of National Significance, but the brutal truth is that it cannot afford them. So Transport Minister Simeon Brown yesterday announced that from now on, tolls and other user charges will be the way New Zealand pays for new roading infrastructure. Tolls are likely ...4 days ago
- Confession: Why Shane Reti & Ayesha Verrall’s Performance Helps Me
Video above. These videos are also designed for those not versed in the detailed subject matter so excuse any repeats of Health NZ facts you are aware of from reading Mountain Tui for too long!Recently, I read a Substack article which, on my brief skim, lamented the rise of critiquing ...4 days ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #49 2024
Open access notables Global emergence of regional heatwave hotspots outpaces climate model simulations, Kornhuber et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Multiple recent record-shattering weather events raise questions about the adequacy of climate models to effectively predict and prepare for unprecedented climate impacts on human life, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Here, we ...5 days ago
- The Bewildering World of Chris Luxon – Three Bad Polls – Three Strikes for National?
.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work..As I wrote on 3 December:“One bad poll for a government can be dismissed as “rogue”. Two? That’s damaging.”Three bad polls? That is when Red Alert lights start flashing; klaxons start to blare; and ...5 days ago - Climate Change: More unwelcome advice
He Pou a Rangi / Climate Change Commission has just released its Review of the 2050 emissions target including whether emissions from international shipping and aviation should be included. After noting that there have been significant changes since the target was originally set in 2019 - stronger evidence that we ...5 days ago
- Join us at 5pm for The Hoon
5 days ago - No sweat
Let's say I want to run a marathon, but I’m not keen on all that running.At the registration desk I say, I want to start at the last kilometre. What's the fee for that?They tell me,We don't offer that option. You have to do the whole race.I reply,Yeah but I ...5 days ago - Climate Change: National wants to cheat on Paris II
Back in September, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts shocked us by suggesting that New Zealand could refuse to meet its international commitments under the Paris Agreement. Now Forestry Minister Todd McClay has echoed that position: Minister for Agriculture and Forestry Todd McClay says the Government won't be buying carbon ...5 days ago
- Marsden Fund changes will undermine prosperity and social cohesion
The Government’s rewrite of the Marsden Fund’s investment plan and terms of reference demonstrates a complete lack of understanding and risks undermining the breadth of research that is essential for the wellbeing and prosperity of New Zealanders, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting President Rachel Mackintosh. “Humanities and social science ...5 days ago
- Thursday 5 December
The Government has announced further changes to the personal grievance regime that will make it even tougher for workers, and changes to the Marsden Fund investment plan to stop funding for humanities and social sciences research. Workers at Kinleith mill are worried that they will lose even more jobs. A ...5 days ago
- Can desalination quench agriculture’s thirst?
This article by Lela Nargi originally appeared in Knowable Magazine, a nonprofit publication dedicated to making scientific knowledge accessible to all. Sign up for Knowable Magazine’s newsletter. Ralph Loya was pretty sure he was going to lose the corn. His farm had been scorched by El Paso’s hottest-ever June and ...5 days ago
- A housing market with bits tacked on doesn’t need many (if any) pure scientists
The humanities and social sciences panels of The Marsden fund will be disbanded and no longer supported, because “real impact on our economy will come from areas such as physics, chemistry, maths, engineering and biomedical sciences,” said Judith Collins. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMorena. Long stories short in Aotearoa’s ...5 days ago
- Cooking the Books
Come with me, and you'll beIn a world of pure imaginationReach out, touch what was onceJust in your imaginationDon't be shy, it's alrightIf you feel a little trepidationSometimes, these things don't needExplanationSongwriters: Anthony Newley / Leslie Bricusse.If you don’t ask, you don’t get... Dream big, or go home… Ask for ...5 days ago - Kirikiriroa Rising
This post is essentially an update on a very similar one I wrote seven years ago. Hamilton: City of the Future, the intervening years have confirmed those speculations. The case for good passenger rail service between our biggest city and its fast growing neighbour remains compelling. Below I offer a ...5 days ago
- Treasury to Government; cut super or raise taxes
The warnings from the Treasury about the state of the country’s finances are starting to appear on a regular basis. So far, they have been delivered by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor Dominick Stephens, and yesterday, he faced the Finance and Expenditure Committee to answer questions on Treasury’s long-term thinking about ...5 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On How Slavishly This Government Is Serving Its Corporate Donors
For much of 2024, centre stage has been taken by (a) the government’s relentless attacks on all forms of Māori empowerment and (b) by the wholesale embrace of mid-1980s style austerity policies, which even the most conservative economies in Europe abandoned a decade ago. Easy to miss that the government ...5 days ago
- Big Eyes
2014, directed by Tim Burton I didn’t expect to be watching a Harvey Weinstein movie today. How it happened was, I had a few hours to kill before my regular afternoon streamer came on, so I was browsing Netflix looking for something I hadn’t already seen that didn’t look terrible, ...6 days ago
- What a thing to happen.
Subjection!Poor, unloved, disparaged, AT. What a thing to happen.In the Game of Thrones version, smirking Little Lord Simeon orders them to disrobe and commands them to parade along K Road, across the rainbow crossings, down Queen Street to Britomart while being pelted with trash, rotten produce and Big Mac boxes.Here ...6 days ago - Government’s personal grievance changes will empower bad employers
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting President Rachel Mackintosh is saying that the Government’s proposal to further weight the scales in favour of employers in personal grievance cases will make workplace culture worse and harm efforts to create a fair playing field for workers. “Making the personal grievance regime even tougher ...6 days ago
- Climate Change: The ETS needs reform
The final ETS auction of the year was held today, resulting in a partial clearance: 4 million of the available 11.1 million units were sold, at the minimum price of $64/ton. Once you add in March's partial sale, the government managed to sell just over 7 million tons all year ...6 days ago
- Throw Away All You Know.
In the cradle of the civilised disobedience derivedFrom a forlorn weeping widow crying tearsthat don’t see eye to eyeKeep the well fullA thirst forgotten A misery made for twoThat’ll use you then throw you awayThat’ll use you then throw you awayThat’ll use you then throw you awaySong: Nowhere.Today, I’m feeling ...6 days ago - NZCTU Rūnanga calling for submissions on proposed changes to NZ Post
The CTU Rūnanga is asking affiliates to support postal workers and get out and make submissions against contracting out postal delivery, to stop job cuts and ensure fair pay and conditions for postal workers. The Postal Workers Union is fighting NZ Post’s plans to replace postal workers with contracted couriers. ...6 days ago
- ‘The cuts will continue until the economy improves’
Health Minister Shane Reti has even more cuts in his sights. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMorena. Long stories short on Wednesday, December 4, with more detail and analysis in the podcast above:Health Minister Shane Reti says spending cuts will continue for an extra year into 2027 because of a ...6 days ago
- Auckland Transport (mostly) goneburger
Auckland Transport has long been a easy punching bag for the public, politicians and media, sometimes deservedly so, other times not. That could all be about to change following an announcement yesterday by the Browns – Wayne and Simeon. Greater Auckland is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew ...6 days ago
- Luxon Takes A Beating
The latest polls are in.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. And who could have guessed that a government that destroys the economy (‘economic vandalism on steroids’), tears up our public health system (‘National is BAD for health’), de-stabilises Crown-Māori relations (‘largest protest in modern history’), eviscerates environmental progress and protections ...6 days ago - It’s not easy being green
As Kermit the frog said, it isn’t easy being green. A Select Committee yesterday heard how difficult it was for the country’s electricity grid operator, Transpower, to prepare for the electrification of New Zealand that will be required if we are to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Their ...6 days ago
- *THOSE* polls! And *NOT* a hung Parliament!
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.One bad poll for a government can be dismissed as “rogue”. Two? That’s damaging.A recent Talbot Mills done for the Labour Party - released on 1 December - had startling results that would’ve raised ...7 days ago - Sabin 33 #5 – Is solar energy worse for the climate than burning fossil fuels?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...7 days ago
- We like to watch
Some millions of years ago, our ancestors learned the trick of standing upright. This made it much easier to reach the bottles on the top shelf and surely aided our progress towards splitting the atom.It also made us more vulnerable. Giving birth became more perilous. Our infants - needing to ...7 days ago - Waimate Water: Not A New Problem
The last time residents of Waimate received a nitrate warning was only two years ago. In 2022, the Glenavy township in South Canterbury were unable to drink their own water for over four months due to it containing nitrate levels high enough to kill an infant. This restriction was lifted ...7 days ago - Restoring the status quo is not enough
Labour held its party conference over the weekend, and Chris Hipkins gave a speech promising to make the current coalition a one term government. Along the way he made some policy promises: restoring free prescriptions, resuming the Smokefree Aotearoa policy, restarting the build of Dunedin hospital, restoring state housing investment, ...7 days ago
- No Matter What I Do, Everything I Do Is Bad
Hi,I wanted to share something that’s been on my mind a bit lately, and I’m not quite sure how to say it besides expressing this idea that on some days I feel like throwing myself into the sea.I am saying this metaphorically — don’t worry — but it’s just this ...7 days ago - Political Wrap Up: 11,000 construction jobs gone, Nurses Strike & Unemployment to reach Pandemic...
Good morning, here’s a quick wrap up of 10 developments:1. HEALTH: AUSTERITY BUDGETFront-line hospital workers told jobs could soon be gone (RNZ / Lauren Crimp)The government is set to fire non-clinical front line roles in Auckland as part of its cost saving measures. This includes teams who support clinical logistics, ...1 week ago - Tuesday 3 December 2024
Today NZNO healthcare workers are striking for safe staffing and fair pay. More job losses are on the line at NZDF due to budget deficits. In political news, Chris Hipkins is trying to build some momentum following the Labour Party conference. Union coverage NZNO: 36,000 Health NZ nurses to ...1 week ago
- Where Is My Mind?
With your feet in the air and your head on the groundTry this trick and spin it, yeah (Yeah)Your head will collapse, and there's nothing in itAnd you'll ask yourselfWhere is my mind?Where is my mind?Where is my mind?Songwriter: Black FrancisClear craniums are the order of the day. Not to ...1 week ago - Gt North Rd improvements to finally start
After around 10 years of delays and frustration, Auckland Transport are finally going to make Gt North Rd greater. In an update sent out yesterday, they said: We are pleased to advise that we have appointed JFC Ltd to deliver the work and they’ll be starting work early January. The ...1 week ago
- Govt says borrowing to build now last resort
The way through our $100 billion-plus infrastructure deficit will not be eased by Chris Bishop’s approach. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Chris Bishop unveiled his major infrastructure funding and financing plan yesterday that made clear borrowing with public debt to build infrastructure would be a last resort, with private ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On Why An AUKUS Led By Trump Is A Scary Prospect
According to Social Development Minister Louise Upton her latest crackdown on the unemployed is just “common sense.” Oh, really. Upston is threatening to reduce or cancel the income of an increasing number of people already living on the breadline – unless they spend more of their scarce money on the ...1 week ago
- Incy Wincy History: Pre-Tolkien Fantasy Arachnids of Unusual Size
It has been remarked that the only truly original invention in The Hobbit is the hobbit himself. Tolkien stole his dwarves from the Poetic Edda (albeit, he redefined the spelling of the plural). The trolls and the manner of their death are also borrowed from Norse tradition. Gandalf is rooted ...1 week ago - How Plastics Fuel Climate Change
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). We're choking our planet with pollution - whether that's greenhouse gases or plastics. But these two crises are deeply connected - ...1 week ago
- Labour 2026, Democrats 2024, and Luxon Accidentally Admits Neoliberalism has Broken the Country
Kia ora kotou, and I hope everyone is having a good start to their week. Usually I try to be a bit more themed and connected and essay-like in what I write, but it’s been too long since I got anything out at all and the topics I keep meaning ...1 week ago - Gendered violence and harassment in the world of work
International Labour Organisation (ILO) convention 190 (C190) provides a framework for the legal, cultural and industrial changes necessary to eliminate and prevent violence, in all its forms, from the world of work. It establishes the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based ...1 week ago
- Govt introduces archaic anti-worker legislation
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...17 hours ago - Swarbrick calls on Auckland Mayor to end delay of revival of St James Theatre
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...2 days ago
- He Ara Anamata: Greens launch Emissions Reduction Plan
Today, the Green Party of Aotearoa proudly unveils its new Emissions Reduction Plan–He Ara Anamata–a blueprint reimagining our collective future. ...2 days ago
- Fossil fuel lobbyist appointment to EECA board called out
The Green Party condemns the Government’s appointment of a fossil fuel lobbyist to the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority Board. ...4 days ago
- Release: Boot camps must be shut down today
The Prime Minister has committed to shut down his government’s boot camps if there is evidence of harm to children – so he must do that today. ...4 days ago - Greens echo OECD call for electricity market reform
The Green Party has welcomed the OECD urging the Government to re-examine separating ‘gentailers’ to make a fairer electricity market for New Zealanders. ...4 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks Auckland housing promise
Housing Minister Chris Bishop has confirmed National has broken yet another election promise. ...5 days ago
- Government smokescreen to downgrade climate ambition
Today the ACT-National Coalition Agreement pet project’s findings on “no additional warming” were released. ...6 days ago
- Release: Health NZ admits errors led to claimed deficit
Health New Zealand has exaggerated its deficit to justify job cuts. ...6 days ago
- Release: More cuts to research, science and innovation sector
The Government’s latest round of cuts to research and innovation targets the long-established and successful Marsden Fund. ...6 days ago
- Govt guts funding for social sciences and humanities
The Government’s decision to axe all Humanities and Social Science research funding through the Marsden Fund is a massive step backwards. ...6 days ago
- You can’t bank on pine trees in a climate crisis
Today’s Government announcement to limit farm forestry conversions tinkers around the edges, instead of focusing on the real problem and stopping pollution at the source. ...6 days ago
- Release: Nicola Willis being sneaky with new taxes
Nicola Willis is refusing to rule out putting sneaky new taxes on Kiwi households. ...7 days ago
- Release: Govt benefit target even further out of reach
Christopher Luxon has once again failed to read the room and claimed success while life gets harder for everyday Kiwis. ...1 week ago
- Govt continues to punch down
The Government’s new initiative to get people off the benefit won’t address the core drivers of poverty such as low incomes, lack of access to adequate housing and lack of employment opportunities. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour urges ACC to pull investments in Israel’s illegal settlements
Labour is urging ACC to divest from companies identified by the United Nations as complicit in the building and maintenance of Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. ...1 week ago
- Release: Further evidence to stop school lunch cuts
A new report provides further proof that David Seymour should not be messing with the free school lunch programme. ...1 week ago
- Jamie Arbuckle: Inquiry into Banking Competition
This week was the start of the bank inquiry hearings into banking competition. The inquiry was confirmed in the NZ First/National Coalition agreement. 140 submissions were received on the inquiry, and we will hear from over 60 submitters including all the major banks. ANZ, New Zealand's largest bank, was first ...1 week ago - Casey Costello: What Once Was…
Entering politics is a privilege afforded to very few and, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Being an MP is a call to service. Whatever your politics you have a duty to show up. Whatever your party's policy, you have made a promise to those who ...1 week ago
- Casey Costello: International Day of Older Persons
Throughout New Zealand it is difficult to think of a sports club, charity, church group, festival, foundation, or service organisation that does not owe its existence, effectiveness, or success to the contribution of older New Zealanders. October 1st is International Day of Older Persons so please take a moment to consider ...1 week ago
- NZ First Member’s Bill To Disestablish Auckland Transport
Today New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will restore democratic control over transport management in Auckland City by disestablishing Auckland Transport (AT) and returning control to Auckland Council. The ‘Local Government (Auckland Council) (Disestablishment of Auckland Transport) Amendment Bill’ intends to restore democratic oversight, control, and accountability ...1 week ago
- Tanya Unkovich: It’s time to start the debate on palliative care as a ‘right’
There is one topic that is the great human leveller, and that is of death and dying. One day, we will all have to face it, and I am of the belief that being able to pass away with grace and dignity is a vital, basic, human right. How we ...1 week ago
- Mark Patterson: Farmers understand we have their backs
Spring is here which means the start of the A&P show season. Those treasured community days where town meets country. There's no rural-urban divide here, just a chance to meet up with family and old friends and celebrate all things that make rural New Zealand so special. I'm embarking on ...1 week ago
- Release: A Labour Government will not join AUKUS
New Zealand will not sign up to the nuclear-powered pillar one, or the pillar two of AUKUS under a Labour Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour will build Dunedin Hospital
Labour will build Dunedin Hospital as it was committed to prior to election 2023. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins: Speech to Labour Party Conference 2024
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi, e rau rangatira ma Tena koutou tēnā koutou tēnā koutou katoa ...1 week ago
- Luxon Folds on ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, is calling Luxon’s leadership a joke after it was revealed this morning on Q+A that ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill was not a bottom line. "New Zealand officially has a laughing-stock Prime Minister whose leadership folded as he trades away the rights of tangata whenua ...1 week ago
- Prime Minister shirks responsibility on global climate commitment
In an interview with Q&A this morning, the Prime Minister refused to say whether he would commit to meeting the Paris Agreement, the international climate agreement which commits all countries to act locally to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. ...1 week ago
- Release: All workers deserve fair treatment
The Government’s latest change to the Employment Relations Act has no justification apart from making it easier to sack employees without having to follow due process. ...2 weeks ago
- COURT OF APPEAL RULING: SFO METHODS “OVERREACH, UNLAWFUL, OPPRESSIVE”
Today the Court of Appeal has found the Serious Fraud Office has been acting indiscriminately and unlawfully throughout an eight year long investigation. The SFO has shown their incompetence and arrogance and shown to be abusing their authority to conduct its own overreaching and unlawful fishing expeditions. The Court of Appeal said the SFO has relied on its misuse of compulsory interview ...2 weeks ago
- Covid Inquiry report underlines need to invest in Health
The Green Party says the report from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 Response underlines the need for proper investment in our health system so we are prepared for future pandemics. ...2 weeks ago
- Waititi Orders Police Withdraw from Matapihi
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki is demanding that the Police Minister immediately remove the heavy Police presence in the Matapihi community, as hundreds of officers saturate the Western Bay of Plenty area. “Minister Mitchell must intervene immediately and order the removal of the armed Police presence in ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Opposition parties unite on way forward to protect ECE
Early childhood education needs to be treated as a public good, say Labour, the Green Party, and Te Pāti Māori in their newly released report of findings from public hearings they held into the Government’s ECE Regulatory Review. ...2 weeks ago
- Government’s First Year a ‘Catastrophe for Māori’
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- Release: 1500 Te Whatu Ora cuts will hurt New Zealanders’ health
Massive cuts across Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora demonstrate National’s willingness to risk the health of New Zealanders. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Government to make public transport more expensive… again
The Government’s decision to push for significant fare increases on buses and trains over the next few years is a huge blow to communities across the country. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National has given up on climate action
Climate action is missing from the list of things National is patting themselves on the back for one year on from becoming government. ...2 weeks ago
- Public transport fare hikes a disaster
The Government’s directive to councils to increase bus and train fares substantially over the next few years is a bitter pill to swallow for communities across the country. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Minister leaves Community Housing Providers out in the cold
Housing Minister Chris Bishop’s speech to Community Housing Providers today should have been titled ‘we want you to build houses, but we refuse to spend money so you’re on your own’. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party appalled by woeful Government offer to school support staff
Support staff across Aotearoa have been dealt yet another devastating blow with the release of the latest collective agreement offer from the Government. ...2 weeks ago
- Relationships & Sexuality Education refresh
The Government welcomes a new report which confirms the way Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) is taught in schools isn’t fit for purpose, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “In a world that’s rapidly changing, young people deserve every opportunity to be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to ...4 hours ago - Applications open for mental wellbeing campaigns
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced that applications will open today for the $5 million Mental Health Promotion Fund for organisations to run campaigns that promote mental wellbeing while at the Digital Mental Health Summit. “Strengthening the focus on prevention and early intervention is one of my key priorities. Our ...4 hours ago
- Raising the visibility of New Zealand’s ethnic communities
A first-of-its-kind report launched today lays the groundwork for growing the visibility of New Zealand’s ethnic communities through data, Ethnic Communities Minister Melissa Lee says. “Too often and for too long, ethnic communities have largely been invisible in public sector data. As a result, their voices have not always been ...18 hours ago
- Pay deductions for partial strikes to be reintroduced
Changes to collective bargaining will help rebalance the rights and consequences of industrial action, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says. A bill to allow for pay deductions in response to partial strikes will be introduced today. “Partial strikes are industrial actions that normally involve turning up to ...19 hours ago
- Strategic leasing another tool in the infrastructure procurement belt
The Government is issuing strategic leasing guidance to agencies to ensure more efficient use of taxpayer dollars where the private sector is better placed to own and maintain infrastructure, Infrastructure Under-Secretary Simon Court says. “On a basic level, strategic leasing is like any other government leasing arrangement, where the government ...20 hours ago
- Next steps for banking competition
The Government is pushing ahead with moves to increase banking competition by boosting Kiwibank and taking steps to ensure the Reserve Bank places greater importance on competition in the sector, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “The change will enable the New Zealand-owned bank to more vigorously compete against the ...20 hours ago
- New campaign promotes alcohol-free pregnancies
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has launched a new public health campaign to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorder by promoting alcohol-free pregnancies. FASD is the leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disorders in New Zealand, causing lifelong physical, behavioural, learning and mental health problems. “The impact of FASD in ...1 day ago
- New Climate Change Commission Chair appointed
Rt Hon Dame Patsy Reddy has been appointed as the new chair of the Climate Change Commission, the independent Crown entity that provides the Government advice, monitoring and reporting to support New Zealand’s transition to a climate-resilient, low emissions future, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “I’m pleased that Dame ...1 day ago
- Commonsense changes to insulation standards
The Government is proposing commonsense changes to reduce the upfront cost of building, while maintaining robust energy efficiency standards, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “We know from a social investment point of view that Kiwis do much better when they have access to affordable, insulated, secure housing. “However, ...1 day ago
- Racing Act changes to boost racing industry sustainability
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- New members appointed to EECA Board
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- JOINT STATEMENT ON AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND FOREIGN AND DEFENCE MINISTERIAL CONSULTATIONS (ANZMIN) DECE...
1. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rt Hon Winston Peters MP and Minister of Defence Hon Judith Collins KC MP hosted Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence the Hon Richard Marles MP and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong on 6 December in ...4 days ago
- Swift avian influenza response in Otago on track
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says good progress is being made in the response to the detection of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, but there is more work to do. “Rigorous testing and monitoring continue to show no confirmed signs of the disease in chicken farms outside of Mainland ...4 days ago
- Funding for Hawke’s Bay water security project
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- Waimārama ban on taking pāua to continue
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- Appointments to the New Zealand Post board
Four new appointments have been made to the New Zealand Post Ltd (NZ Post) board, Acting State-Owned Enterprises Minister Chris Bishop says. “NZ Post is one of New Zealand’s largest State-owned enterprises with revenue of around $1.2 billion and total assets of around $1.5 billion. It is the designated universal ...4 days ago
- Government to partner with private sector to plant trees on low value Crown land
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- International data confirms maths transformation
New international data validates the Government’s plan to transform maths education in New Zealand, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is the longest-running, large-scale international assessment of mathematics and science and takes place every four years. While 2023 results show an improved ...5 days ago
- Government partners to boost rural productivity in Hawke’s Bay
The Government is partnering with Hawke’s Bay farmers and the Regional Council to improve farm productivity and build resilience against adverse weather events, Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay announced today at a ceremony in Hawke’s Bay. “The Government is co-investing $995,000 to grow the Land for Life (LFL) pilot programme ...5 days ago
- Peters visit to New Caledonia concludes
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed his visit to New Caledonia, New Zealand’s closest neighbour. “Over the last few days, we have listened to and learned from a wide range of people in New Caledonia - so that we can better understand the acute challenges it faces,” Mr Peters says. ...5 days ago
- More charter schools to open Term 1 2025 announced
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- New chair appointed to Heritage New Zealand
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- Survey results to drive change for tourism and hospitality workforce
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- Upgrading substations to improve reliability for Wellington metro rail
Wellington commuters will benefit from a $137.2 million funding boost that will deliver long overdue upgrades to substations on the city’s metro rail network and improve the reliability of services, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Our Government is committed to delivering infrastructure that reduces congestion, boosts productivity to support economic growth, ...5 days ago
- Record $434 million in community grants from Lotto NZ
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says Lotto NZ has granted $434 million to the community in the past financial year, an increase of 15 percent from the previous year. “It’s fantastic to see an increase in funding going to important community projects, providing opportunities for New Zealanders to ...5 days ago
- Major review of competition to lift productivity
The Government has launched an ambitious review of New Zealand’s competition rules to combat monopolies and improve economic productivity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Improving competition is one of the most important ways to boost productivity and lift living standards,” Mr Bayly says. “When competition is working ...5 days ago
- NZ-Australia Ministers to discuss foreign policy, defence
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins will host the second Australia and New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ANZMIN) in Auckland tomorrow. “The ANZMIN is an important trans-Tasman forum for strengthening our alliance relationship and developing shared approaches to foreign policy, security, and ...5 days ago
- Funding boost to strengthen Maritime’s rescue team
The Government has approved funding to increase staffing at Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre, ensuring a critical boost in its search and rescue operations, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say.“Our Government is delivering an annual funding boost to New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre to ...5 days ago
- Government releases independent scientific review on biogenic methane science and targets
The Government will carefully consider the findings of the independent review on New Zealand’s biogenic methane science and targets, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts, and Associate Ministers of Agriculture Andrew Hoggard, and Mark Patterson have announced today. The panel of highly regarded, New Zealand ...6 days ago
- New courthouses for Whanganui and Papakura
The Government has agreed to fund new courthouses for both Whanganui and Papakura to help improve access to justice and court timeliness, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith and Associate Minister Nicole McKee say. “In both cases the current buildings are not fit for purpose and need to be replaced. Staying put ...6 days ago
- Positive progress for the NZ ETS
The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) auction today has resulted in a partial clearance, showing work to restore credibility in the market is working, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Today’s auction result shows the market is moving in the right direction to restore credibility in the NZ ...6 days ago
- Catalyst Fund updated for global impact
Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins today announced an updated plan for the Catalyst Fund to be laser focused on clear outcomes and priority research areas. “We are taking a more strategic approach to science funding across the board, as we seek to deliver greater economic impact for ...6 days ago
- Marsden Fund refocused for science with a purpose
Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins today announced the Government has updated the Marsden Fund to focus on core scientific research that helps lift our economic growth and contributes to science with a purpose. “The Government has been clear in its mandate to rebuild our economy. We are ...6 days ago
- Speech to Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and members
Removing rewards for poor employee behaviour Good afternoon everyone, and thank you Malcolm for that lovely introduction. It’s wonderful to be here today at MJH Engineering. Thank you to the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and MJH Engineering for inviting me to speak and share some exciting announcements with you ...6 days ago
- Govt delivers Māori Education Action Plan
The Government has released its Māori Education Action Plan which sets out its approach to deliver better outcomes in the classroom for Māori students, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “25 per cent of learners within our schooling system are Māori. While many achieve excellent results, on average Māori experience worse ...6 days ago
- Removing rewards for poor employee behaviour
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says it is important employees are not rewarded in the personal grievance system for poor behaviour or performance and is introducing changes to personal grievances to strengthen employee accountability. “Simplifying personal grievances is a policy ACT campaigned on, in particular, removing the ...6 days ago
- Protecting NZ food production and ETS credibility
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts have today announced clear rules to limit farm to forestry conversions entering the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). “These changes deliver on a key election commitment to protect food production for farmers while providing ETS certainty for foresters,” Mr ...6 days ago
- Fuel companies required to store more jet fuel
New rules will be introduced that require fuel companies to hold at least 10 days of jet fuel near the country’s busiest airport to provide resilience against supply disruptions, Associate Energy Minister Shane Jones says. “For more than seven years fuel companies have held jet fuel supplies at lower than ...6 days ago
- Strong growth in international student enrolments
New Zealand’s international education sector is rebounding strongly, up 24 per cent year-on-year and 6 per cent above 2023 totals, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds says. “With 73,535 enrolments between January to August 2024, more enrolments have been achieved in just two terms this year than we saw ...6 days ago
- Speech to Early Childhood Education sector– Reducing red tape and barriers to ECE
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- Sex education curriculum to be reviewed after critical report
Education Minister Erica Stanford said it was clear the status quo was not working and teachers needed more certainty. ...2 hours ago - Ferry replacement to cost less than Labour’s iRex – Christopher Luxon
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The announcement is expected on Wednesday. ...2 hours ago
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The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
Stock standard, par for the course, assessment of the COVID response.
For mine the move to "cohort" quarantine was overdue (and with a first week room confinement system would have been better still).
The lesson with the Auckland lockdown, was threefold.
1.it was a risk to open up travel to Oz before vaccination (it was somewhat effective as per Delta variant) was completed there and or here.
2.it would have been wiser to restrict it to WA and Queensland (not states bordering Victoria) or otherwise a one way only option including SA, Tasmania and NSW.
3.they should have used the lockdown in Auckland to bring back Aucklanders (and others with places to stay in Auckland) from overseas – freeing up spaces for others to use the quarantine hotels (to disperse around New Zealand).
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/royal-commission-of-inquiry-into-covid-19-report-from-first-phase-released/5IRKYWF3GRC2DG2Q5PMGV7DM64/
The purpose of looking back is to look forward. Or it should be.
The questions that matter should be "Are we prepared for the next health emergency?", and therefore "Is cutting back staff and services the smart way to get ready?".
(The answers should be obvious).
But the government won't want to talk about this, so instead it will just be a petty exercise in settling scores with Jacinda, who they hated for being competent in a way Luxon could never be.
And that's why Hipkins can't be an effective opposition leader. Instead of "What is the government doing now?" he has to be defensive, answering "What did I do?". See his responses in the media today. All about the past.
The only way Luxon can win next time is by fighting the 2023 election again, against the previous PM. Letting him do it in 2026 would be stupid from Labour. Are they that stupid?
And from the link …
"Professor Plank called for investment in the health system, science sector, community services and public health functions like testing, contact tracing and vaccine delivery, to prepare for a future pandemic.
“The report makes a series of recommendations. Prominent among these is the establishment of a central agency for pandemic planning and co-ordination. This mirrors a similar recommendation from the recent Australian inquiry. I hope the Government takes this and the other recommendations on board,” he said."
(Spoiler: they won't).
The report refers to Oz moving out of lock downs earlier than us, without reference to this indicating a greater confidence in their health system.
This difference in health system capability is growing, not declining.
The 1958 born tell it like is to Americans of route 66, living in the Don Old Trauma Pit
https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/360504118/sharon-stone-blames-ignorant-uneducated-americans-donald-trumps-win
Sharon Stone is like all to many celebrates, basically a moneyed idiot. Who has to punch down to feel good about themselves.
I mean Sharon Stone wants to leave the USA for Italy because she can't live under a fascist – the lack of any political awareness on that one, is priceless.
1.She is no idiot.
2.I doubt she had any need to do it.
3.There is no fascist government in Italy.
2. Who the PM of Italy again…
You are misusing the term, punching down.
The PM of Italy is not a fascist.
Yeah, nah.
"So, Americans who don’t travel, who 80% don’t have a passport, who are uneducated, are in their extraordinary naivety……"
is punching down.
How do you define “punching down”?
I would where it refers to a defence of a class with power and privilege, or a related exercise of power.
Using it as a general term for criticism of others, makes it worthless in political debate.
Everyone has free speech.
JD Vance in Hillbilly Elegy … did what?
FFS stone has power and influence. The celebrities have a voice.
With that voice, stone chose from a position of privilege, to attack people who are poorer than her.
Same dumb attack lines from the same crowd who lost to trump last time – specifically against working people. The democrats have lost working people, and it's their own dam fault.
Stones utterings are dumb because the reek of arrogance, and special type of political naivety.
Here the thing with free speech I can call an ass an ass.
And IMO – defence of the working class doing dumb stuff, like voting Trump. is not a winning strategy.
Honesty is always best.
Well at least the democrats are honest about their hatred of working people.
And attacking working people for their choices is way more stupid idea – but a second election where that fact is thrown in your face is not enough for you SPC?
Punching down, calling people shit and worse so you can feel smug is not a winning strategy. As the democrats have once again proven.
I didn't defend the choices, I defended their right to make them. And not to denigrated people for making them.
THAT SAID: When the offer is shit and utter shit, and when shit is a smug know it all, condescending, do little, gatekeeper of the status quo. Then utter shit starts having appeal – no matter how fubar and totally against your interests – utter shit is.
So sure if you want to keep pushing working people into the arms of people who will use them – keep denigrating them.
You refuse to get it, Adam.
1.those you accuse of punching down, also defend the right of other people to make their own choices.
2.And in case you do not yet know, many of those low income folk voting GOP do not call themselves working class and are anti-union. They are first of all nativist Americans and are against those different to themselves/their "real" America.
Pushing them into the arms of the GOP, they are registered Republicans.
Your facts, are your reckons.
So it's I'm dumb now – that's is your argument. Classy
And your making up shit and have the gall to say to me
I'm done, your just to far off the farm for me.
Indeed.
They're as dumb AF and proud of it.
130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
https://map.barbarabush.org
– Donald Trump 2016
Yesterday Jemele Hill recirculated a study YouGov did in 2022 about the gaps between people’s perceptions and reality.
YouGov asked a series of questions on “What percentage of Americans do you think are [fill in the blank]?” with the [blank] being all sorts of qualities: black, gay, Christian, left-handed, own a passport, etc.
The results were hilarious. Here are some of the percentages that Americans (on average) think their fellow citizens are:
We’ll get to the actual, in vivo percentages in a moment. First I want to point out the absurdity: 1-in-3 are gay/lesbian? Muslims and Jews make up 57 percent of the country? Blacks are 40 percent of the population?
Not to be crass, but if a third of the population is gay/lesbian then where are all the kids coming from?
If a quarter of the country is Muslim and a third is Jewish, then mosques plus synagogues would outnumber churches. Does anyone see more mosques and synagogues than churches as they drive around?
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/americans-have-one-very-strange-cognitive
So slamming people who don't travel or have passports – naive and uneducated is not punching down. Yeah right.
Yeah right…
She really is not, read the Guardian article and educate yourself.
And noting that 80% of Americans do not have passports is fact based.
It explains their susceptibility to Trump’s nationalism
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/19/shapeshifter-who-is-the-real-giorgia-meloni-italy-prime-minister
This from Sharon Stone on the recent US election outcome: “Adolescence is naive and ignorant and arrogant. And we are in our ignorant, arrogant adolescence. So, Americans who don’t travel, who 80% don’t have a passport, who are uneducated, are in their extraordinary naivety……"
https://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/360504118/sharon-stone-blames-ignorant-uneducated-americans-donald-trumps-win
Given the current one year in inept Luxon led coalition govt I would argue similar voter levels of naivety here in New Zealand.
Another wanker punching down – classy.
Sharon Stone appears to have made a point……a strong suit…..or hit a nerve………
People who are being treated like shit, only have which type of shit to embrace – the yanks embraced the true ugly shit, as the lesser evil – the lesser evil.
Your the one who is embracing this fubar message
I'm just pointing out it's typical class warfare from the current crop of US liberals who hate working people.
Every time we travel I thank whatever deity is currently on duty for the fact that 80% of Americans do not possess a passport.
Building on a flood plain, or on good soil – no worries … .
It will still be covered by higher insurance premiums or will it? We still have land for growing food …until we do not and have to import.
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/11/28/hawkes-bay-housing-to-be-built-over-the-best-soils-in-the-world/
Except we are not really growing food to feed ourselves in NZ – we are growing food to sell overseas – so who cares really when we pay less for imported stuff than the premium we pay for local stuff.
The landowners don't care either – they are happy to sell their productive land to developers for housing – and the ones that don't sell are happy as their land values get pushed up due to increased scarcity.
Unsure too why all the projections about increasing populations. The world population is forecast to decline and we will soon be fighting over people of child bearing age.
Some of our retail decline is due to baby boomers moving from working to super, there are already increasing numbers of over 65's working particularly in education and health.
Japan, China, Russia (exacerbated by the war against Ukraine) and others already have declining populations.
It seems to me that too many of these cities are forecasting continued growth but it isn't clear in their plans where the people are going to come from – presumably immigration but no one, and certainly no council) has a clear immigration strategy. Nor are there clear strategies for training up our young people to replace our skilled older people.
Birth rates in NZ are 1.66 – well below replacement. Australia worse at 1.63 which is why even 20 years ago part of their workforce planning was to let NZ train people up and to then recruit them with higher wages. They were quite open about this at the time.
Why we have politicians doing planning on continued growth is beyond me – tis lazy short-term future planning. Especially as generally low paid work such as growing food and tourism and selling logs and milk powder continue to be the be all and end all. No added value at all.
In some respects letting COVID run rampant and having lots of old people die would have put this situation into a much starker relevance – a quick burst of the future as large numbers of baby boomers died off. Think of the benefits – freed up housing, more jobs for young people, transfer of wealth to younger generations before it got sucked up by corporate residential villages, less expenditure on NZS and longer term healthcare ……
Put it this way, GW and planning for it.
What if the Atlantic current goes down? (then there is no global market, added value or otherwise).
In the first phase, even if it is just a rising temperature, there are still more floods and less land suitable for habitation.
Where do the people go?
We really do need to preserve good growing land and plan for building away from flood plains (Westport plan option and or streets where houses are removed to build a car park building* and flood banks protecting neighbourhoods. That, or houses replaced with ones built to be above flood water*).
We need to build with focus on the future.
There is a reason for land use rules.
Russia trying to use winter as a weapon by attacking Ukraine's power supply (apparently widespread use of generators mitigates this).
Presumably hoping for Trump to rescue Ukraine into "peace in our time".
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c4ngn290zr5t