Daily Review 30/06/2016
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6:00 pm, June 30th, 2016 - 58 comments
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Daily review is also your post.
This provides Standarnistas the opportunity to review events of the day.
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- Deep emissions cuts this decade could prevent ‘abrupt ecological collapse’
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Daisy Dunne Swift global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could prevent the “abrupt” collapse of ecosystems, which may otherwise begin within the next few decades, a study finds. The research, published in Nature, finds that uncontrolled climate change would see tropical ocean ecosystems ...7 hours ago - Good riddance
OMV has indefinitely suspended its oil exploration campaign off Taranaki: The future of offshore oil and gas exploration in New Zealand in doubt after OMV announced today it is postponing drilling its Maui-8 exploration well indefinitely due to the Covid-19 crisis. The COSL Prospector rig, which is contracted to ...12 hours ago - Life in Lock Down: Day 15
. . April 9: Day 15 of living in lock-down… The news is great! Sunday: 89 new cases Monday: 67 Tuesday: 54 Wednesday: 50 Today: 29 If these numbers are correct and there’s no unknown “hot spot(s)” around the country, we have demonstrated with great clarity what can be ...12 hours ago - The juxtaposition in this screen shot of the ‘NZ Taxpayers Union Inc’ astroturf lobby group rece...
Sure, we’re all entitled to put our hand out for government support in times of need. No question about that. But THESE GUYS*? What a joke. (Except it’s real. Check for yourself: COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Employer Search) – P * We’ve discussed them before, here, a little bit. ...13 hours ago - Anti-fluoridation propaganda now relies on only four studies. 6: Incestuous relationship of these st...
A Fluoride Action Network (FAN) propaganda video where Paul Connett urges listeners to consider only four studies when considering the possible harmful effects of fluoridation. Paul Connett, director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), now claims “You only have to read four studies…” to come to the ...15 hours ago- Men To Boys.
17 hours ago- Those people deserve a flat white
The pandemic has shown us how effective our public service is. They've pulled together a massive policy response, from a lockdown to economic support to healthcare to planning how to keep everything running when this is over, and done it in next to no time. They are heroes, who have ...1 day ago- Halfway there (maybe)
New Zealand is now officially halfway through its first 4-week lockdown period. The good news is that it seems to be working - people staying at home has reduced the potential for the virus to spread, and we've had steadily decreasing numbers of new cases over the last few days ...1 day ago- A pandemic Peter Principle.
In 1968 Canadian sociologist Laurence Peter coined the phrase “Peter Principle” as a contribution to the sociology of organisations. It explains that in complex organizations people rise to the level of their own incompetence. That is, they get promoted so long as they meet or exceed the specified criteria for ...1 day ago- Hard News: Music is coming home
The practice and business of music has been one of the sectors most gravely impacted by the virus sweeping the world. The emphatic nature of our government's response, necessary as it was, has slammed the industry and the people who work in it.There are New Zealand artists – Nadia Reid, ...1 day ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 14
. . April 8: Day 14 of living in lock-down… The good news first: the downward trajectory of new cases appears to be a real thing. In the last four days, since Sunday, new infections have been dropping: Sunday: 89 new cases Monday: 67 Tuesday: 54 Today (Wednesday): 50 The ...1 day ago- Anti-fluoridation propaganda now relies on only four studies. 5: Don’t censor yourself
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I am a Kiwi living in Jersey City, New Jersey. Jersey City is the second-largest city in the state and is located directly across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan. Locals call it New York’s sixth borough. More than 350,000 New Jersey citizens, including myself, commute to New York daily ...2 days ago- Expanding houses
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. . April 7: Day 13 of living in lock-down… and unlucky for those who are superstitious. A day when there was a ray of sunshine from an otherwise bleak day of worrying signs. Today, as RNZ reported; Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield reported 54 new confirmed and probable cases ...2 days ago- A UBI in Spain
So far, universal basic income policies, which see people given a regular income without any conditions, have been trailed only on a small scale. But now, Spain is introducing one nationwide as a response to the pandemic: Spain is to roll out a universal basic income (UBI) “as soon as ...3 days ago- Anti-fluoridation propaganda now relies on only four studies. 4: Till et al (2020)
Paul Connet, head of the anti-fluoride propaganda group, Fluoride Action Network, claims that the IQ of children bottle-fed in fluoridated areas drops by 9 points. But he misrepresented the research. There is no observable effect. For earlier articles in this series see: Part 1: Anti-fluoridation propaganda now relies on only ...3 days ago- The Role of Government
The Queen’s coronavirus broadcast, with its overtones of Winston Churchill and Vera Lynn, prompted me to reflect on the tribulations my parents’ generation suffered during the Second World War – and I imagine that those parallels, given her own wartime experience, were very much in the Queen’s mind as she ...3 days ago- The irreversible emissions of a permafrost ‘tipping point’
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Dr Christina Schädel Across vast swaths of the northern hemisphere’s higher reaches, frozen ground holds billions of tonnes of carbon. As global temperatures rise, this “permafrost” land is at increasing risk of thawing out, potentially releasing its long-held carbon into the atmosphere. Abrupt permafrost ...3 days ago- How to complain about MDC’s unreasonable LGOIMA charging regime
Back in February, the Marlborough District Council increased the mount it charges for LGOIMA requests. I used the LGOIMA to poke into this, and it seems the case for increased charges is unjustified: the supposed increase in request volumes it rests on is an artefact of the Council suddenly deciding ...3 days ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 12
. . April 6: Day 12 of living in lock-down… Another day of a near-empty Park N Ride carpark; . . And another day of near-empty Wellington streets; . . . Light traffic on the motorway. No apparent increase in volume. Commercial vehicles sighted; a gravel-hauling truck; McAuley’s Transport; a ...4 days ago- A Lamentable Failure of Imagination.
Imagination By-Pass: Had the Communications Minister, Kris Faafoi (above) taken a firm stand with Bauer, reminding them of their obligations to both their staff and the wider New Zealand public, then a much more favourable outcome may well have ensued. He should have made it clear to the Bauer board ...4 days ago- Simon Bridges can’t connect
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Connett promotes Riddell et al (2019) as one of the only four studies one needs to read about fluoridation. But he misunderstands and misrepresents the findings of this study. Image credit: Fluoride Action ... 4 days ago- Could the Atlantic Overturning Circulation ‘shut down’?
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The vast majority of tributes to the Listener hearken back to its glory days, with little reflection on the magazine as it was at its end.I wrote for it, for half the Listener’s life; I have known personally all the editors except the first (mythical) three. From 1978 to 2014 ...5 days ago- Universal income – a challenge to capitalism or a crutch?
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This is the advice from the very top of the anti-fluoride movement – Paul Connett, director of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN). Don’t worry about reading up on all the scientific information “You only have ... 5 days ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 10
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Redline received this article from the KOE a Marxist party in Greece Our friends in the KOE describe here the mounting crisis in Greece and tensions on the Turkish border. As desperate people flee from their homelands which have been ruined after decades of imperialist wars and interventions the people ...6 days ago- And God spake all these words, saying
As the first week of Level Four lockdown unfolded, mounting questions grew as to just what was (and was not) allowed under its “rules”. Partly these were driven by some apparently contradictory messages from different authority figures and explanations carried in the media. Partly they reflected a somewhat sketchy legal basis ...6 days ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 9
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We must root out the traitors among us! ...1 week ago- Climate Change: The benefits of electrification
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. . April 2: Day eight of living in lock-down… Today, my work day starts late. Our rosters and clients have been dramatically changed, lessening (theoretically) the number of people in our work “bubble”. If just one of us catches covid19 the impact could be considerable as Grey Base Hospital ...1 week ago- A note on apartments and bubbles
As Aotearoa enters week two of lockdown, it’s clear we’re all still working out what our “bubbles” look like and how to stay in them to stop the spread of Covid-19. New to the government’s Covid-19 website is some good guidance for people living in apartment blocks. Recent decades have ...1 week ago- Getting in futures shape
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” Lenin Don’t we all know that feeling now.Prospect Magazine alerted me to this particularly apt quote. It is a much more evocative quote than Hemingway’s “gradually then suddenly” which is also doing ...
1 week ago- Maybe axing Clark would be unfair. But what about any of this is fair?
Yesterday was the day the consequences of the lockdown suddenly got very real for many. Firms have been closing and laying people off since the outset of the quarantine but this has mostly been happening out of the public eye. The mass closure of a number of iconic New Zealand ...1 week ago- Might a ‘Coasean’ social contract mitigate overall societal harm from COVID-19?
Brian Williamson1, Prof Nick Wilson2 (1Economic consultant, UK; 2University of Otago Wellington) In this blog, we outline how a win-win social contract could be forged to address the major dimensions of response to the COVID-19 pandemic when using a mitigation strategy: the particular need to protect older people from high ...1 week ago- Returning To “Normalcy”.
Resuming Normal Service: The Republican Party's nominee for in 1920, Warren Harding, promised the American people: “not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration”. If she wishes to remain our prime minister, then Jacinda Ardern will offer New Zealanders the same.HOW EDUCATED AMERICA snickered when the ...1 week ago- New Zealand’s Government Must Save New Zealand’s Media.
No Free Society Without A Free And Functioning News Media: If we are to surrender our civil rights to the broader cause of defeating Covid-19, then foreign corporations must, likewise, surrender their right to inflict immense economic and cultural harm on New Zealanders simply because it improves their bottom line.I’M ...1 week ago- Corona fevers and the madness of models
by Daphna Whitmore A third of the world is under lockdown and a clear assessment of this measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 is urgently needed. With any high-stakes decisions it has to be asked what are we dealing with here? Are the measures warranted? Will they achieve their ...1 week ago- Lockdown day 8
I haven’t done a huge amount in the last few days. I’m reading The Poppy War and I’ve sort of poked at a couple of games – I started SOMA but I’m a wimp and I quit while in the first room after the brain scan. I might try it ...1 week ago- Backstage and Theatre
The swan politicians may be gliding on the water, occasionally snapping at one another. Meanwhile, as the Covid19 crisis illustrates, the officials are desperately paddling below providing the real locomotion. One of the most fatuous recent grandstanding comments (of about a week ago), adding to the public’s anxieties, was ...1 week ago- Legal Beagle: Waiver, the singular Crown and the conduct of Crown legal business
Much has been written about the importance of discretion in an emergency situation, and the concerns raised by the potential for it to be exercised arbitrarily. Given the quality of the discussion, there seemed little point in adding to it at any length. In particular, I point to the evidence ...1 week ago- Highlights from Bauer Media’s science-related reporting
Today has felt surreal. I was all set to touch base online with my science communication students when a colleague shared the news that Bauer Media would be shutting down its publications immediately. The first link I saw implied it was Woman’s Weekly affected, and even that shocked me. But ...1 week ago- Outsiders.
Bogeymen, Real And Imagined: Is the number of psychopathic and sociopathic individuals in any given society truly as vanishingly small as we like to tell ourselves? Isn’t it more likely that the mass-shooters and serial-killers filling the headlines represent only the tip of a much, much larger iceberg of frightfulness? ...1 week ago- We have a right to know the rules we are expected to obey
Outgoing Police Commissioner Mike Bush appeared before the Epidemic Response Committee today, who asked him for the rules police are using to enforce the lockdown. He refused:Police Commissioner Mike Bush has admitted the advice given to Kiwis about what they're able to do during the lockdown hasn't been clear enough. ...1 week ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 7 (sanitised version)
For those folk who find my other Lock-Down Diary versions too “negative” or otherwise unpalatable… Here’s a photo of my cat, . . Better? Tomorrow’s Sanitised Version: a pretty flower. . . . =fs= ...1 week ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 7
. . April 1: Day seven of living in lock-down… This morning I had a brief chat with one of my neighbours, “D” (social distance between us, a good three or four metres). I learned he had resigned from his previous job and had been hired by another company – ...1 week ago- RIP The Listener, New Zealand’s pioneering voice
Funnily enough, my thought as I start this post is whether it will be well written enough. Or should that be well enough written? Because so much of what I know about good writing came from my two stints at The Listener, which this morning was shut down due to ...1 week ago- OK, Britney: stop sniping at National for doing its job
With normal democratic procedures in abeyance, there were two ways to go. First, it was open for the government to dissolve itself and invite the National Party to join a ministry of national salvation. That would have lessened the democratic deficit of the times by having a team of rivals without ...1 week ago- Helpful tips for parents during lockdown
Dr Kirsty Ross Children and young people can respond differently in times of distress. This also varies by age and developmental stage, with younger children having more magical and imaginative thinking, and older children having more awareness and knowledge of the issues our communities are facing (which brings up ...1 week ago- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #13, 2020
46 Articles Physical science of global warming & effects Global response of evapotranspiration ratio to climate conditions and watershed characteristics in a changing environment Greenhouse effect: the relative contributions of emission height and total absorption Observations & observational methods of global warming & effects Climate change induced a ...1 week ago- Hungary is now a dictatorship
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While the economy is on pause under lockdown, the government is beginning to plan how to cope with the post-lockdown, post-tourism, post-export education world we will eventually find ourselves in. They're planning a lot of infrastructure spending as economic stimulus, and have asked for proposals which can start the moment ...1 week ago- Capture: Well spaced out
It's my distraction, setting up tiny scenes to photograph. I've got stuck on the Babushka dolls for now. Something about their bubble shape. Something about their never changing, smiling features, suggesting persistent equanimity. Can we get through everything that is being thrown at us and keep at least a tiny ...1 week ago- Life in Lock Down: Day 6
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While New Zealand is at Alert Level 4, we're making sure that New Zealanders are kept informed and up to date with all the latest developments of the Government's COVID-19 response. It's been a shortened week because of Easter, so we're bringing you our weekly wrap a day early. ...1 day ago - Kiwi kids get behind #NZEggHuntEarlier this week, the Prime Minister informed the nation that the Easter Bunny (and the Tooth Fairy!) were deemed essential workers. However, she made it clear that, due to the restrictions we are all facing at COVID-19 Alert Level 4, the Easter Bunny may find it tricky to get to ...1 day ago
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- Our response to COVID-19We know people are feeling anxious about COVID-19. While the situation is serious, New Zealand has a world-class health system and we’re well-prepared to keep New Zealanders safe. ...2 weeks ago
- SPEECH: Green Party Co-leader James Shaw – Ministerial statement on State of National Emergency an...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The scale of what we face right now is unlike anything we have ever seen before. Overcoming it is our common purpose. ...2 weeks ago - Winston Peters urging New Zealanders overseas to stay putForeign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging New Zealanders overseas to stay where they are amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are reaching a point where the best option for most New Zealanders offshore is to shelter in place, by preparing to safely stay where they are.” "This includes following the instructions ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealanders overseas encouraged to shelter in placeRt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters is encouraging the tens of thousands of New Zealanders travelling overseas to consider sheltering in place, in light of COVID-19. “Since 18 March, we have been warning New Zealanders offshore that the window for flying ...2 weeks ago
- Government confirms Bayfair underpass to go ahead
Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter today confirmed an underpass for people walking and cycling will be part of the Baypark to Bayfair Link project in Tauranga, following thorough investigations by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. “I’m very pleased to announce that the underpass will be going ahead,” said Julie ...8 hours ago - Decisions made on urgent turf maintenanceThe Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson has announced that urgent maintenance of turf and care for plants in non-plantation nurseries will soon be able to go ahead under Level 4 restrictions. “The Government has agreed that urgent upkeep and maintenance of biological assets will be able to go ahead ...1 day ago
- Acknowledging an extraordinary te reo championE tangi ana a Taranaki iwi, e tangi ana te ao Māori, otirā e tangi ana te motu. Mōu katoa ngā roimata e riringi whānui ana, mōu katoa ngā mihi. E te kaikōkiri i te reo Māori, e Te Huirangi, takoto mai. Takoto mai me te mōhio ko ngā ...1 day ago
- Prime Minister’s remarks halfway through Alert Level 4 lockdownToday is day 15 of Alert Level 4 lockdown. And at the halfway mark I have no hesitation in saying, that what New Zealanders have done over the last two weeks is huge. In the face of the greatest threat to human health we have seen in over a century, ...1 day ago
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- More time for health workers and elderly to get flu vaccineThe Government has extended by two weeks till April 27 the amount of time priority groups, such as health workers and those aged over 65, have to get their flu vaccine before it is made available to the wider public. This year’s vaccination campaign is a key component of the ...2 days ago
- Communities step up to help New Zealanders stay connected and fed during lockdownCommunities stepping up to help New Zealanders stay at home to break the transmission of COVID-19 and save lives have received Government support, said Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. “Delivering groceries for the elderly who can’t shop online, providing data packs for low income families to keep them connected, and being ...2 days ago
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- Covid19: Government moving quickly to roll out learning from homeThe Ministry of Education is working with partners to develop a package of options so that students can learn at home when Term 2 begins on 15 April, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. Supports are also being prepared for households with children under five, to help parents and whānau ...2 days ago
- Making learning from home accessible to Māori learners and whānauMāori Television to begin educational te reo programmes Ki te Ao Mārama – a new online learning space Thousands of hard copy learning packs ready for distribution Helpdesk and advice service for kōhanga, kura and wharekura Television, the internet and hard copy learning packs are some of the ways whānau ...2 days ago
- New Zealand to provide assistance to Vanuatu following Tropical Cyclone HaroldForeign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced an initial package of support to help the people and the Government of Vanuatu respond to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Harold. “Our Pacific neighbours have been hit by a Category 5 Cyclone at the same time as dealing with the economic impacts ...2 days ago
- Planning for the future of tourismTourism New Zealand to lead work reimagining the way tourism operates in post-COVID-19 world. Ministers to review International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy investment plan. The Government, industry and business are working together to develop a plan for how tourism will operate in a post-COVID-19 world, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis ...3 days ago
- NZ horticulture sector feeding Kiwis and the world during COVID-19More New Zealanders are taking up the chance to work in horticulture as the sector keeps New Zealanders fed and in jobs during the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown. “Our horticulture sector has long been one of New Zealand’s export star performers, contributing around $6 billion a year to our ...3 days ago
- Work to repurpose PGF funds beginsThe Provincial Development Unit is working through applications and projects to see where Provincial Growth Fund money can be repurposed for initiatives deemed more critical to fighting the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says. “We need to be throwing everything we have at ...3 days ago
- A million workers supported by Govt wage subsidyThe Government’s wage subsidy to protect jobs and keep workers and businesses connected during the lockdown has now supported over a million New Zealanders, with $6.6 billion already paid out. “We’re supporting businesses to pay wages, and stay connected with their workers so that we are all in a better ...3 days ago
- Government helps Pacific communities fight COVIDThe Government is stepping up efforts to help protect New Zealand’s Pacific communities in the fight against COVID-19. Cabinet has agreed that $17 million will be allocated to support a COVID-19 Pacific Response Package, which will: Support Pacific health and disability services facing increased demand; Ramp up public health messaging ...4 days ago
- Statement from the Prime Minister on Dr David Clark“Yesterday evening the Health Minister advised me of his trip to a beach during the lockdown and offered his resignation,” Jacinda Ardern said. “Under normal conditions I would sack the Minister of Health. What he did was wrong, and there are no excuses. “But right now, my priority is our ...4 days ago
- Statement from David ClarkLast night as part of my preparation for the Epidemic Response Committee, I provided the Prime Minister with a complete picture of my activity outside my home during Alert Level 4. That included the fact that on the first weekend of the Alert Level 4 lockdown I drove my family ...4 days ago
- COVID-19 mental health support beginsA range of support is being rolled out across New Zealand to help people look after their mental health during COVID-19 Health Minister David Clark said this morning. “COVID-19 has brought a lot of uncertainty into our lives and many of us will be feeling some level of distress or ...4 days ago
- New Zealanders in Peru to be assisted by Government charter flightThe New Zealand Government has made arrangements to charter a flight for New Zealanders stranded in Peru to depart the country, following agreement with the Chilean government to allow the necessary transit through Chile, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced today. “Like many travellers around the world at the moment, ...4 days ago
- COVID-19 Hospital Preparation Well AdvancedHospital preparations for COVID-19 are well advanced says Health Minister David Clark. “Hospitals across New Zealand are repurposing buildings and training staff to get ready for COVID-19 patients. This gives me confidence that we are well prepared for any potential increase in COVID-19 patients needing hospital level care,” said David ...1 week ago
- Further measures to support businessesThe Government will be introducing legislation to make changes to the Companies Act to help companies facing insolvency due to COVID-19 to remain viable and keep New Zealanders in jobs. The temporary changes include: Giving directors of companies facing significant liquidity problems because of COVID-19 a ‘safe harbour’ from insolvency ...1 week ago
- Govt’s COVID plan, economic strength recognisedThe Government’s plan to cushion the blow of COVID-19 by supporting incomes, jobs and businesses, and position the economy to recover has been backed by another international report. International credit rating agency Moody’s today reaffirmed its highest Aaa credit rating on New Zealand, saying the economy is expected to remain ...1 week ago
- Government supports air services to offshore islandsThe Government has stepped in to support vital air links to our offshore islands, the Chatham Islands, Great Barrier Island and Motiti Island, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. “As part of our $600 million support package to minimise the impacts of COVID-19 on the aviation sector, the Government has ...1 week ago
- Funding certainty for sports through COVID-19National sports organisations have been given certainty of funding to ensure they can remain viable through the COVID-19 pandemic, Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “The global spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on sport and recreation in New Zealand, including the cancellation or postponement of ...1 week ago
- Butchers now allowed to process porkChanges have been made to allow butchers to process pork, only for supply to supermarkets or other processors or retailers that are open, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “We carefully weighed the risk of allowing butchers to open their shops for retail customers, but the risk of spreading COVID-19 ...1 week ago
- Essential workers leave scheme establishedEssential workers who take leave from work to comply with public health guidance are being supported with a leave scheme to ensure they will continue to receive income, say the Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway and Minister for Social Development, Carmel Sepuloni. A number of essential businesses ...1 week ago
- Govt WhatsApp helps share COVID-19 informationA Government WhatsApp channel has been launched to help make information more easily accessible and shareable in the fight against COVID-19. Govt.NZ, which is free to use on any mobile device, will carry information and news for the public, businesses, healthcare providers, not for profits and local government. It can ...1 week ago
- Managed departure plan for stranded foreign nationals enables safe, orderly exitThe Government has announced a plan to enable the safe, orderly exit of tens of thousands of stranded foreign nationals from New Zealand during the current COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said. “When we moved into lockdown a week ago, the ...1 week ago
- Government delivers COVID-19 support to GPs and PharmaciesHealth Minister Dr David Clark says the Government is delivering on its commitment to support general practice doctors and nurses, and pharmacies on the front-line of our fight against COVID-19. "For us to overcome COVID-19, we need community health services such as general practice and community pharmacy to step up ...1 week ago
- Susan Thomas the new Chief High Court JudgeJustice Susan Thomas has been appointed Chief High Court Judge, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. She replaces Justice Geoffrey Venning who has resigned from the position. David Parker paid tribute to Justice Venning, who he said had stewarded the High Court very capably over the last five years. “On behalf ...1 week ago
- Business Finance Guarantee – applications openBusinesses can start applying to their banks for loans under the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme set up to support the New Zealand economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re moving quickly to protect New Zealand businesses, jobs and the economy during this unprecedented global economic shock,” Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. ...1 week ago
- Work starts on ways to fast-track consents to boost recovery from Covid-19 downturnWork is underway looking at measures to speed up consents for development and infrastructure projects during the recovery from COVID 19, to provide jobs and stimulate our economy. Environment Minister David Parker said the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global crisis that will have a wide ranging and lasting impact ...1 week ago
- Advance payments to support contractorsAdvance payments will be made to transport construction industry contractors to retain the workforce and ensure it is ready to quickly gear up to build projects which will be vital to New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic recovery, Transport Minister Phil Twyford announced today. He said keeping the workforce required to build ...1 week ago
- Government seeks infrastructure projectsThe Government has tasked a group of industry leaders to seek out infrastructure projects that are ready to start as soon as the construction industry returns to normal to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones say. The Infrastructure ...1 week ago
- Health system scaled up to prepare for COVID-19Work to scale up the health system in preparation for COVID-19 was today outlined by Health Minister David Clark, as he reported back to the new Epidemic Response Committee. “We are well placed to contain the spread of COVID-19. We have taken early and decisive action at our borders, and ...1 week ago
- Essential media COVID-19 guidelines refinedThe Government is refining its COVID-19 essential business guidance to include the distribution of news publications for communities which are hard to reach. The Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi, said the move was in recognition of the importance for New Zealanders who might be harder to ...1 week ago
- Supermarkets able to open on Easter SundayThe Government is ensuring supermarkets can open on Easter Sunday so we can buy groceries, but stay closed on Good Friday allowing workers to take a break. This provides a balanced approach and ensures we avoid large queues that two days closure may cause. “Supermarkets will be able to open ...1 week ago
- New Zealand defence personnel conclude mission at TajiFollowing the successful conclusion of the Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission at Taji, New Zealand defence personnel are returning to New Zealand from Iraq, in accordance with the Cabinet decision made in June 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark announced today. “New Zealand is very ...2 weeks ago
- Home Support Workers Are On The Front Line, So Why Haven’t They Been Paid?
...7 hours ago - The Unity Books chart for the strange week ending 10 April: Other worlds
Week three of our lockdown Top 10s – books about elsewhere, brought to you by the good humans of Unity Books.A reminder that these lists are completely unshackled from space and time and what’s happening in the world of books right now. Take no notice of the numbers, either – ...7 hours ago - Do Māori Made Easy with me: Week two, day fiveShe’s not a teacher or a fluent speaker – she just wants to practise te reo Māori with you! Join Leonie Hayden as she works through the first four weeks of Scotty Morrison’s Māori Made Easy, thanks to Penguin Random House NZ.Ngā mihi o Te Aranga, happy Easter everyone. We’re still on ...8 hours ago
- NZ lockdown – Day 16: Second death confirmed, cases rise on Good Friday
By RNZ News A Christchurch woman in her 90s who was living in the Rosewood rest home is New Zealand’s second death from Covid-19, the Health Ministry has confirmed. Director of Public Health Caroline McElnay said today the “frail” woman could not have family around her in her last ...8 hours ago - What you need to know about the world of Noughts + CrossesNoughts + Crosses is set in the present day, but if our history had run a wildly different course. Sam Brooks brings you up to speed on what you need to know before you dive into the show.First things first, what is Noughts + Crosses?Noughts + Crosses is a BBC ...8 hours ago
- Covid-19: New Zealand cases mapped and charted, April 10The latest in our new series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall.This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff MembersThese posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry of Health typically publishes data updates in the early ...9 hours ago
- You will know the border has been reached when virus vigilantes stop you in the name of health and ...
Good questions were raised by “a Far North man”, who did not want to be named because of his fear of retribution. Talking to the Northland Age late last month, the man said he was ” … scared. Really scared. Not because of some virus. We have ways to deal ...9 hours ago - Second NZ death from Covid-19
The Ministry of Health called an unscheduled Good Friday press conference to announce the news that a second Kiwi has succumbed to the illness. A second New Zealander has died from Covid-19, a woman in her 90s who had been treated at Burwood Hospital in Christchurch. Dr Caroline McElnay, the Director ...11 hours ago - Another streaming service? Yup, but Quibi comes with a twistSam Brooks takes a look at new American streaming service Quibi, and asks what sets it apart from all the rest.So what is Quibi and what makes it different?Quibi is a new streaming service based out of the US with one twist: you can only watch it on your phone. ...11 hours ago
- Dr Ashley Bloomfield saying kia ora 44 timesToday New Zealand begins two desolate days without updates from Ashley Bloomfield. Here’s something to soften the blow.The daily briefings from Dr Ashley Bloomfield, the director general of health, have become a staple in many people’s lives, especially under lockdown. He’s hardly missed a day, but this Easter weekend is ...12 hours ago
- 1.2m Indonesian workers laid off as coronavirus crushes economyBy Made Anthony Iswara in Jakarta The Covid-19 pandemic, which is spreading like wildfire in Indonesia, has taken not just lives but also the earnings of millions of workers, one month after the government announced Indonesia’s first two confirmed cases of the virus. Jumari, a 61-year-old who works in ...12 hours ago
- A meeting of NZ’s children on how to ruin the lives of parents in lockdownA tape recording in a brown paper bag recently landed in Emily Writes’ letterbox. After thoroughly disinfecting it she was shocked to discover what it contained. Today was a normal day, day 8271 of the lockdown, and I saw there was a parcel in the letterbox. Knowing a trip to ...12 hours ago
- Asia’s Leading E-cigarette Brand Proposes Measures To Prevent New Zealand Minors From VapingIn spite of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown, the New Zealand Parliament’s Health Select Committee is continuing to progress its mandate to regulate vaping and prevent young people from using vaping products. RELX Technology, Asia’s leading independent ...13 hours ago
- The Friday Poem: Once by Vincent O’SullivanA new poem by Vincent O’Sullivan. Once Once in my life I’ve been fishing. A brother-in-law assured, ‘You don’t need to talk out there,’ so we didn’t. After an hour or so he liftedthis reluctant silvery strip from its hook and walloped its head againstthe ridge of the dinghy we sat in for those aeons ...13 hours ago
- OMV Exit Signals End Of Offshore Oil Exploration In NZFriday, April 10: Austrian oil giant OMV has announced today that it’s indefinitely postponing its last remaining oil and gas exploration plans in the Taranaki Basin. Greenpeace is claiming "a win of generational significance" that signals ...14 hours ago
- Week in Politics: The exit plan and life after level 4
Analysis - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is preparing the country for a marathon recovery and life under "the new normal" is starting to take shape, writes Peter Wilson. ...15 hours ago - Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them*
Misinformation, disinformation and just plain lies about Covid-19 are boiling up on the Internet and spilling over into real life. Peter Bale explains how some powerful forces use the chaos and trolling for their own reasons. Christchurch man Raymond Coombs, 38, thought it would be hilarious to pretend he had Covid-19 and cough over fellow shoppers ...15 hours ago - Like nothing else on Earth: Go Further South is the slow-TV balm we needTara Ward talks to Spencer Stoner, the producer of Go Further South, the slow TV sensation that hits our screens this Easter. Let’s change Good Friday’s name to “Great Friday”, or maybe “Even Better Friday”, because Prime is giving us the television tonic every lockdown needs. Go Further South, the ...15 hours ago
- Recipe: Make your own gheeThis versatile ingredient is brilliant for roasting and frying, and it’s a great way to extend the shelf life of butter. It’s also super easy to whip up at home. Until about a year ago I religiously used olive oil to fry and roast with. I preferred using this oil over ...15 hours ago
- Forget old screen ‘time’ rules during coronavirus. Here’s what you should focus on insteadSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher: Children and Technology, Western Sydney University COVID-19 has left parents grappling with the challenges of online learning, entertainment and work. It’s natural the amount of time children spend using screens will now increase. But that’s OK. Screen time recommendations ...16 hours ago
- Coronavirus an ‘existential threat’ to Africa and her crowded slumsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Sanderson, Professor and Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture, UNSW The head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned coronavirus poses “an existential threat to our continent”. Evidence from past crises shows not everyone is ...16 hours ago
- Friday essay: today’s grandmothers grew up protesting. Now they have nothing to loseSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gillian Triggs, Emeritus Professor, University of Melbourne Grandmothers as social activists? What a radical idea … but one that is increasingly true of today’s generation of grandmothers. Witness the determination and courage of Karen Nettleton in pulling out all the stops to ...16 hours ago
- Was the Easter bach invasion real?
Holiday towns around the country have been on edge, fearing Easter visits from city folk going to their baches. But in one instance, the fears might have been over-stated. Tim Murphy reports. Truth is the first casualty of war, and we keep getting told we are in a war against ...16 hours ago - With everyone stuck indoors, esports is poised for its time in the sunSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle O’Shea, Senior Lecturer Sport Management, Western Sydney University Against a global backdrop of cancelled sports leagues, and as part of their season opening, National Rugby League (NRL) fans recently packed the stands of Townsville’s new Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Fortunately, professional ...16 hours ago
- What a simulated Mars mission taught me about food wasteSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dianne McGrath, Environmental Engineering PhD candidate; sustainability and food waste expertise, RMIT University As a food waste researcher, I’m interested in how humans prepare food, eat and manage leftovers. This interest is not just confined to Earth – it extends to other ...16 hours ago
- Covid-19 live updates, April 10: No Bloomfield or Ardern on Good Friday in lockdown NZFor all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level four. The country is shut down, apart from essential services. For updated official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is funded by The Spinoff Members. To support this work, join The ...16 hours ago
- Old ways inform the new for iwi under lockdown
Kayne Peters leaves his Auckland home to spend the lockdown in his whanau bubble in the King Country and help look after those most in need. Ka mate kainga tahi. Ka ora kainga rua. “One dwelling place is overcome, but the second is secure” This whakatauki or proverb well describes ...18 hours ago - Pacific defences: ocean, isolation and lockdown
The natural isolation of small Pacific islands set in the huge Pacific Ocean could prove to be the defining factor if these vulnerable nations manage to remain free of Covid-19. There is every reason to be optimistic if these small nations can keep rigid restrictions in place. Of course, the ...19 hours ago - How will we know it’s gone?
How will we know when we’ve been successful in stopping Covid-19 within New Zealand? Farah Hancock reports. As the country moves into its third week of lockdown and the daily number of cases continues to drop, how can we be certain it's safe to move levels and how will we ...19 hours ago - Let’s not end lockdown early
Are we nearly in the clear? It's too early to tell and we can't take anything for granted, says Professor Nicholas Agar of Victoria University of Wellington. Our nation’s fight against Covid-19 seems to be going well. As a Kiwi, I’m enjoying the global applause for our “go hard and ...19 hours ago - At home in an Auckland hotel: My two weeks in Covid-19 quarantineThe government yesterday announced it would step up its arrivals policy to mandate hotel quarantine or ‘managed self-isolation’ for all returning New Zealanders – people like Andrew Todd, who describes what it’s like to live in a Covid-19 quarantine zone.Four weeks ago, I was living in Canada, earning a meagre ...19 hours ago
- Photo essay: The lockdown rush hour
Christchurch’s arterial routes, and the air around them, are being transformed by the lockdown. David Williams takes a look As the days shorten, the nightly commute comes ever closer to sunset. That would normally mean thousands of cars lining up at busy Christchurch intersections, sending plumes of carbon monoxide into ...19 hours ago - An appointment with Dr Merriman
A doctor's note from novelist Eileen Merriman, a haematologist at North Shore hospital. At the hospital where I work is a critically ill patient infected with Covid-19 in our intensive care unit – younger than me, with no pre-existing medical conditions. And today I overhead a couple of doctors discussing ...19 hours ago - Four-legged training buddy helps Black Stick
Every Friday of lockdown, LockerRoom shares posts from Kiwi sportswomen who've caught our eye with novel ways of keeping on top of their game. This week, gymnasts put their own spin on the toilet paper challenge, the Black Sticks captain gets her pet in on lockdown training, and a triathlete ...19 hours ago - Iwi lock down their rohe – in pictures
If you’re out on the road this weekend, be prepared to be stopped – and not just by the police. Kayne Peters reports on the official and unofficial roadblocks springing up all over the motu. Iwi across the country have stepped up efforts to secure their borders ahead of Easter ...19 hours ago - What’s the plan to keep disabled people safe?
The Covid-19 challenge for disabled people is two-fold: keeping them safe, and ensuring disability support continues to be available to them. What's the plan for this? asks Samuel Murray. While we are rightfully focused on eliminating Covid-19, we need a specific plan that addresses the needs of both the disability ...19 hours ago - Non-essential sales continue on Facebook Marketplace
Although New Zealand-based e-commerce companies like TradeMe are toeing the line on non-essential sales, Facebook Marketplace remains a wild west where buying and selling hasn't stopped, Marc Daalder reports Want a pair of high-heeled Converse shoes to wear during lockdown? How about a cashmere scarf or new jigsaw puzzle? You're ...19 hours ago - Jacinda Ardern’s war on Covid complacency
Halfway through the lockdown, government restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus seem to be taking hold. But the latest suite of measures show the Prime Minister is awake to the dangers of overconfidence, Sam Sachdeva writes “This is going to be a marathon.” Jacinda Ardern’s choice of metaphor to ...19 hours ago - Lockdown letters #15: Read all about it in The Daily ChirpResponding to sudden, shocking change requires a double lens, writes Fiona Farrell.Read more from the Lockdown letters here.My granddaughter has been making a newspaper. The Daily Chirp. It’s very small, as befits a newspaper designed for birds, but it contains news (a worrying rise in Tweet-19), “Adds” for birdseed medicine ...19 hours ago
- Open or else face funding cut – Minister Tehan’s edict to independent schoolsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Education Minister Dan Tehan has warned non-government schools that if they fail to open for the next term they will face losing funding. He said on Thursday that “as part of the funding requirement” a ...1 day ago
- Australia’s coronavirus debate turns to the way outSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Remember how last year’s Easter felt bizarre because the country was in election-mode? How normal that seems, now everything is surreal, with the nation “holidaying” in this peculiar, unpleasant limbo. As we contemplate the grimness ...1 day ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: MPs Tim Watts, Fiona Martin, Clare O’Neil and Helen Haines talk ab...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Michelle Grattan talks with MPs Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Victoria), Fiona Martin (Reid, NSW), Clare O’Neil (Hotham, Victoria) and Helen Haines (Indi, Victoria) about how they do their job during the pandemic. They discuss the operation ...1 day ago
- Kāinga Ora apologises after state housing tenants told rent was going upState housing provider Kāinga Ora is phoning 6000 tenants to apologise after many received letters saying their rent would go up. ...1 day ago
- Coronavirus: what causes a ‘second wave’ of disease outbreak, and could we see this in Australia...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nic Geard, Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne; Senior Research Fellow, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne Following the emergence and rapid spread of COVID-19, several countries have succeeded in bringing local outbreaks under ...1 day ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Testing for Covid19
Analysis by Keith Rankin Today’s chart shows the per capita level of testing performed in a number of countries. While the highest testing rate shown is Norway, we should note that Iceland has tested over eight percent of its population; too high to show on this chart. A ...
1 day ago - NZ lockdown – day 15: Number of new coronavirus cases plummets to 29By RNZ News New Zealand has recorded just 29 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, but the prime minister says a decision on changing the alert level will only be made two days before the lockdown ends. It is the fourth day in a row there ...1 day ago
- Tropical Cyclone Harold: Aerial footage shows Vanuatu destructionThe Guardian’s Pacific Project disaster video. By the Pacific Project Tropical Cyclone Harold lashed the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, ripping off roofs and downing telecommunications, before moving towards Fiji and Tonga. The powerful cyclone made landfall on Monday in Sana province, an island north of Vanuatu’s capital Port ...1 day ago
- What to do if you’ve been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictionsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elyse Methven, Lecturer in Law, University of Technology Sydney The message to everyone during the coronavirus pandemic is to stay at home and only leave if you really need to for, say, food, health care or exercise. Police now have powers to ...1 day ago
- Manaaki: The free online service offering businesses support through Covid-19Business 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 talks to Pat MacFie from Manaaki.This week we have another special podcast highlighting some of ...1 day ago
- Some Labour strategists may agree with Peters that the election should be delayed
NZ First leader Winston Peters today said he wants the election held on November 21, Radio NZ reported. He says he believes the health system would be under the pump in September with the winter flu season and the country potentially still dealing with the impacts of Covid-19. Prime Minister ...1 day ago - Crayfish exports pick up but far from normal
New Zealand Rock Lobster (crayfish) are once again heading to China with the first small consignment being airfreighted last week. It was one of the first primary industry sectors in New Zealand to be affected by Covid-19, and as we now know, the sledgehammer that hit this industry was just ...1 day ago - The coronavirus lockdown might help limit this year’s flu season – but you should still get your...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Bloomfield, Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, University of Notre Dame Australia Lockdown measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 should actually help cut the cases of flu this year. That’s because keeping people apart to reduce the spread of coronavirus ...1 day ago
- We could have had 200 new Covid-19 cases today
New modelling from Te Pūnaha Matatini projects the impact of the lockdown, and what our next steps could be, Marc Daalder reports New figures from a team of mathematicians and scientists modelling the way Covid-19 could affect New Zealand indicate the lockdown has significantly dampened the spread of the virus. ...1 day ago - Bernard & Jarrod: RBNZ wants banks to step up
Bernard Hickey talks to Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr about the latest retail spending data and the Reserve Bank's call for banks to step up as market-makers for corporate and local government bonds. In their latest daily 'Bernard Zooms out to lunch with Jarrod' video, Bernard Hickey and Jarrod ...1 day ago - Easter eggs can bring a little ‘normality’ to kids in isolation. But should we ration them or le...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Georgie Russell, Senior Lecturer, Deakin University This Easter will be especially challenging, with family isolation and many parents under financial strain, or other stressors. So, many parents will be looking to restore some sense of “normality” by welcoming the Easter bunny into ...1 day ago
- Review: The Beths, live (streamed)The Beths’ live-streamed concert yesterday showed that even in lockdown, music isn’t dead. Here’s why it worked, and where you can see Kiwis live streaming for the next week.Yesterday at 9am, Liz Stokes put a giant pineapple mask over her head and played the Animal Crossing theme on a trumpet ...1 day ago
- New Conservative Leader To Contest Waimakariri ElectorateNew Conservative Leader Leighton Baker has lived in and around the Waimakariri district since 1992 and is revelling in the opportunity to represent the electorate in Parliament after the 2020 general election. “Waimakariri is a diverse district with a strong ...1 day ago
- An All-of-government COVID-19 Response Requires Central-local Urban Growth Partnerships“Hard-hit councils, who oversee half this country’s public infrastructure, require financial support from central government that is tied to shared priorities through Urban Growth Partnerships,” says Paul Blair CEO of Infrastructure New Zealand. ...1 day ago
- Airways to close seven traffic control towers
Airways may close seven of its regional air traffic control towers because of a collapse in traveller numbers. The services under review are provided at Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Rotorua and Invercargill Airport as well as the airfield flight information services provided at Kapiti Coast Airport and Milford Sound ...1 day ago - New RMA Climate Change Proposals Increase Cost And UncertaintyProposals to expand the role of local councils into climate change mitigation under the Resource Management Act would add confusion, complexity and duplication, according to the Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) and ...1 day ago
- New modelling reveals the impact of lockdown, and the hopes for eliminationAs New Zealand enters its third week of Covid-19 lockdown, a just released set of modelling provides a flare of light at the end of the tunnel, reports Toby Manhire.On a day that the active case number decreased, it finds that “While New Zealand case numbers remain low, tracing, testing, ...1 day ago
- Scientific modelling is steering our response to coronavirus. But what is scientific modelling?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael L. Brown, Director of the Centre for Philosophy of the Sciences and Lecturer at the School of Philosophy, Australian National University As they released the modelling of the COVID-19 pandemic behind Australia’s social isolation policies this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison ...1 day ago
- Covid-19: New Zealand cases mapped and charted, April 9The latest in our new series of charts, graphics and data visualisations by Chris McDowall.This work is entirely funded by the generosity of The Spinoff MembersThese posts collate the most recent statistics and present them as charts and maps. The Ministry of Health typically publishes data updates in the early ...1 day ago
- Teachers could be called on to estimate year 12 student grades – this is fairer than it soundsSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jim Tognolini, Director, Centre for Educational Measurement and Assessment, University of Sydney Following a meeting with states and territories, federal education minister, Dan Tehan said year 12 students were a priority, and were being sent a clear signal: “There will be no ...1 day ago
- COLFO Urges Minister To Temporarily Extend LicencesThe Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) is calling for an equal extension to all licencing regimes, following the Government’s announcement today offering motorists a six-month licencing grace period. COLFO says that like motorists, licenced ...1 day ago
- An Open Letter to Shane Jones, Minister of ForestryDear Minister Jones, Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Adrian. I am an employee in the forestry industry, a Future Forester, a graduate of Canterbury University and, albeit very small, a forest owner. ...1 day ago
- WHO: Careful what you wish for ending lockdown
As countries in Europe plan a tightrope walk back out of lockdown, the World Health Organisation warns it is too early to relax strict suppression measures in the fight against Covid-19, writes Peter Bale Two weeks into New Zealand's aggressive and early lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19, voices ...1 day ago - Dramatic changes in consumer spending in March
Consumers dramatically changed their spending patterns last month because of Covid-19 and the government ordered lockdown. Official numbers show overall retail spending using electronic cards fell a record seasonally adjusted 3.9 percent on the previous month. Stats NZ senior manager Sue Chapman said spending on eating out and accommodation plunged ...1 day ago - New subsidy for Christchurch businesses
A new $200,000 business subsidy package is being launched in Christchurch to help those affected by Covid-19. The ChristchurchNZ business support subsidy will offer eligible businesses up to $1000 each to seek professional advice. The scheme - funded by ChristchurchNZ, the city's economic development agency, will support small to medium ...1 day ago - Farmers, The Warehouse, apply for wage subsidies
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- Men To Boys.
“At least 13,000 people joined Labour last week and most of them did so to support the party’s under pressure leader Jeremy Corbyn, according to ITV’s political editor Robert Peston.
Peston posted on social media saying that 60% of people who have signed up to the Labour Party last week gave “supporting Corbyn” as the reason why they joined”
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/robert-peston-says-thousands-have-joined-labour-to-support-corbyn-2016-6?r=UK&IR=T
“. Newsnight has spoken to more than 50 Constituency Labour Party chairs and secretaries who endorsed Corbyn last year. Of those, 45 continue to offer their support and believe that their constituencies will again nominate the leader in the now inevitable leadership contest.”
http://bbc.in/29cwOUV
Corbyn has to be far tougher than Cunliffe was. When he gets the Leadership confirmation, he needs to go through to all the electorate committees and get everyone of his disloyal MPs deselected, starting at the top.
There was a #DelectThem action earlier in the week. I didn’t find out what is possible though. How would that process work? Is deselection a matter of the local committee deciding that a sitting MP can’t stand again? I’d be interested to know for NZLP too.
Apparently up until Blair got in local parties could choose their candidate before each general election, so that kept MPs focused on keeping their party membership behind them. Blair and the New Labour changes meant MPs have automatic reselection unless they decide not to run.
Within the last day Ken Livingstone has called for the ability to deselect be given back to the party members.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-ken-livingstone-labour-party-leadership-mp-deselection-rebels-a7109586.html
(I’ve tried 3 times to reply to this so you may end up with 4 comments from me).
Under Blair & New Labour automatic reelection for MPs. Before that local party would select for each general election. Livingstone has called in the last day for local party to be given back that power.
[Apologies, GregJ. I put your namesake Greg into moderation for the night and your handle also got caught. Fixed now. TRP]
The Independent is reporting today that Corbyn will win the Labour members vote 64-33.
Go those Corbanistas!!!!
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Uncaring.
This government’s management of the homelessness crisis.
oh gawd.
Just awful.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/81607939/mans-body-found-in-parts-in-cardboard-bales–reports
I strongly suggest not trying to score political points on this sad tail.
A letter in today’s ODT from a woman asking All Black Fans/NZ Males to please not grope her, yell obscenities at her, say gross suggestive stuff to her, just to let her walk home in safety & peace. I just thought it was ironic with the anti-muslim, anti-refugees brigade wanting them to sign that NZ Values thing. Just sayin’.
She’s an Attention seeker.
Here’s the reality:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2822982/New-Zealand-model-walks-busy-city-streets-remake-New-York-harassment-film.html
gotcha.
Daily Mail says sexual harrassment doesn’t exist. End of discussion.
Do you ever go out on a friday night?
The New York walk was outed as fake, and the walker tried suing the producer for royalties.
Im just pointing out the Queen street walk got nothing.
Though she was looking pretty drab, or maybe men in Queen street have better taste.
Oh another point, notice the lack of beggars:
if she did that now, she would have to walk a gauntlet of them.
Any Herald reporters reading this and want to do another walk,
it should get front page ,
Speechless, as a father of daughters your comment utterly depresses & scares me.
Greg is part of a pretty small group of men in NZ who outright hate feminism and anything that even looks like it. His comment is pretty despicable, but we do know that such people are getting less in number.
once again, Feminism has liberated me, i dont need to get married, to prove anything, .
what did you read into my post thats anti-feminist,
I said the New York slut walk was fake,
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/04/living/amber-rose-slutwalk-feat/
the Queen street one highlighted the fact kiwi men in Queen street have more class, (+and are not rugby boofheads,)
and if she did it today she would be walking a gauntlet of MALE beggars,
and women marry up not down, its not anti feminism its just how things are:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rich-women-like-rich-men-and-rich-men-like-slender-women-2015-09-28
“She’s an Attention seeker.”
That, and your anti-feminist comments of late mark you as a misogynist.
you sound all misandry by making misogynist claims,
feminism and islam have one thing in common,
they dont like any criticism,
[You know what? You’re getting boring, Greg. Take the night off and have a think about your language and its patronising tone. Language that has the effect of excluding people is covered in the policy. Read it, then make up your mind whether this is the blog for you. If it is, get a grip. If not, off you go. Don’t like it? Well cry me a fucken river. TRP]
The Trump campaign’s daily dose of unhinged racism.
Unhinged is right
On that display, the Right is completely unhinged and lacks any intellectual depth.
The only justification I have seen for Trump is that he has appeal to ignorant , frustrated people.
If he achieves selection as Presidential Candidate in the country that is supposed to be the world’s leading democracy, maybe our species deserves the extinction that climate change now threatens us with.
Those who believe in God need to pray hard – but in His usual manner, He will probably refuse to intervene.
Which is why I should not have given him capital letters..
Bloody men!
I used to like krsna he was a good sort god – the stern dude never appealed.
Plague ships for the poor:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/30/homeless-cruise-ship-new-zealand
Great idea, I like it.
Whats wrong with permanent house boats, convenient, storms aside …
gastro traps, for one thing.
Presumably that’s because they’re at sea for long periods of time. Why would a cruise ship in dock be different than something like a university hostel?
Well, for one thing looking at the cruise ships that come into Dunedin vs the colleges of residence, the ships look like they’re much more densely packed than the colleges. I also read an article recently that reckoned cruise passengers were purposefully fed foods of a particular type to, er, be easy on the plumbing, which was built to a minimum cost spec. Take that with a grain of salt though lol.
But to be fair there’s been more than one norovirus outbreak in a college of residence, too. But then both colleges and cruise ships are designed around short term stays. How long are homeless folk expected to live there, and are the layouts even conducive to “living” as opposed to being a holiday cabin? Long double-barrel corridors?
Ships and colleges also have quite strong social hierarchy structures and support staff on every floor if not more. Is this the plan for auckland?
Looks like a square peg for a round hole to me.
Certainly not ideal, and if you are going to spend $5M why not build some actual houses.
$5m will build between 10 and 20 houses housing between 40 and 80 people. A cruise liner with 400 beds houses 400.
Of course, as I point out below, $5m for a cruise liner is essentially getting you scrap metal and not something that you house people in.
I also tend to wonder about who will own the docks against which the permanent resident would be moored.
Yep, these people will be looking for a government guaranteed profit.
Like in the good old days…
http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item102904.html Prison ships…
Cunning plan lure them too the docks with hopes of free accommodation and warmth, send in the press gangs, fill up the war ships and traders and head out…
Oh that’s 19th century my bad.
Employ there kids in our mills and mines,, oh bugger wrong book again…
It’s here somewhere.. the solution , one of us honourable Tories would have written a book on it..
/sarc
Considering the cost of a brand new cruise ship I would expect one that costs $5m, including transporting it to NZ, to probably not be seaworthy. It certainly wouldn’t be habitable.
I’m not against the idea but these people obviously haven’t thought about all the practicalities involved and the $5m is a figure that they’ve pulled out of their arse. See this type of shit from NZ managers all the bloody time. They haven’t got a clue as to what’s really needed and how much it’s going to cost.
Climate change is happening.
But the news media just can’t bear to mention the words climate change.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/81626379/twoyear-drought-runs-long-time-farmer-off-his-land
Another day in John Key’s neo-liberal nightmare.
We have become a cruel, greedy, uncaring and selfish nation under his wretched leadership.
Cruel.
The MSD.
Waatea 5th Estate “The Case of Katherine and the MSD”
This should be compulsory viewing for all New Zealanders.
What is this country coming to?
so very wrong
When English Key talk Welfare they talk in general Stats. They avoid individual stories like a plague. So Katherine’s story might bring reality to the awful plight that many face.
Northern hemisphere jet stream crosses the equator – welcome to climate chaos.
That is terrifying.
Indeed.
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-studies-details-of-a-greening-arctic
Thanks for the sources.
They make for depressing reading.
Tory Justice Minister Michael Gove has got in first announcing he’s running for the leadership of the Conservatives. Theresa May & Boris Johnson expected to announce their bids in the next few hours.
You beat me to it.
Looks like the Tories are taking a leaf out of UK Labour’s book:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36671336
Opps – apparently leadership contests in both the Tories and Labour are pointless now! 🙂
http://eveningharold.com/2016/06/29/lord-vetinari-takes-control-of-the-uk/
Like most people here, I’ve been thinking about the EU vote over the past week and its causes in particular. Then I remembered this video from Charlie Brooker from just over half a decade ago – I think it was soon after the GFC.
Sums up the lie Key has passed on to many New Zealanders.
And they wonder why productivity is down,
its all a fantasy aint it,
workers are just doing enough to survive because we are on a downward slide against the free market,
=
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/23/144-years-of-marriage-and-divorce-in-the-united-states-in-one-chart/
I just watched Theresa May’s full speech for her bid to be Conservative leader.
If she gets it and works as she says then the Torys will definitely be moving the political centre leftwards. A big if of course… if she means it and if she gets it.
Impressive response to it on the twitter
Yeah nah.
If her record on immigration fails to send a chill down your spine, then consider one of May’s very first acts in the role of Home Secretary: in 2010, she ensured that public bodies no longer had to actively try to reduce inequality.
This departure from a key tenet of the Equality Act was not an isolated step; three years later, May expressed her disdain for the Human Rights Act, telling the Sunday Telegraph that she “personally” felt that it had caused problems in the UK.
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/theresa-may-conservative-party-leader-shes-no-progressive-conservative-a7109121.html
Yup. She’s had an epiphany or I forgot the sarc tag. I haven’t workedo ut which yet.
Either way, she’s done the business. Not that there was much to challenge. Labour’s Blairite’s will have taken note and will have to work out how to differentiate themselves I suspect.
“When leaders choose the facts that suit them, ignore the facts that don’t and, in the absence of suitable facts, simply make things up, people don’t stop believing in facts – they stop believing in leaders. They do so not because they are over-emotional, under-educated, bigoted or hard-headed, but because trust has been eroded to such a point that the message has been so tainted by the messenger as to render it worthless.”
“To describe this as a working-class revolt against the elites is to give the elites more credit than they are due. With both sides run by Old Etonians and former Bullingdon boys, the elites were going to win no matter who you voted for.”
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/30/brexit-disaster-decades-in-the-making
That’s an excellent piece by Gary Younge.
So two main protagonists (Cameron and Johnson) have political careers in ruins. Well deserved. Contempt for the poor, years of destruction of working class lives, removal of social support systems. They bear some responsibility for the death of Jo Cox, imo. Maybe not as much as Farage, but some. After unleashing that destruction they cut and run.
That’s the nature of the beast.
Boris knows a poisoned chalice when he sees one…..
Boris Johnson’s surprise announcement in full
Here is Johnson’s surprise announcement at the end of his speech. It came after he called for measures to cut inequality and spread opportunity.
That is the agenda for the next prime minister of this country.
Well, I must tell you, my friends, you who have waited faithfully for the punchline of this speech, that having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me.
My role will be to give every possible support to the next Conservative administration to make sure that we properly fulfil the mandate of the people that was delivered at the referendum and to champion the agenda that I believe in, to stick up for the forgotten people of this country.
And, if we do so, if we invest in our children and improve their life chances, if we continue to fuel the engines of social mobility, if we build on the great reforming legacy of David Cameron, if we invest in our infrastructure and we follow a sensible, one nation Conservative approach that is simultaneously tax-cutting and pro-enterprise, then I believe that this country can win and be better and more wonderful and, yes, greater than ever before.
He should be up on fraud charges.