Different responses to the Covid virus pandemic

Written By: - Date published: 10:11 am, March 16th, 2020 - 105 comments
Categories: capitalism, Donald Trump, health, jacinda ardern, politicans, uncategorized - Tags:

The right, typically, think that the best response, after making an absolute pig’s ear of the situation, is to try and buy a vaccine. Not for everyone’s benefit, only for your own people, presumably excluding illegals.

Yes this actually happened.

Trump’s handling of the crisis has been appalling.  Trying to buy his way out of the problem and then restricting it from the rest of humanity says so much of his values.

And America’s situation can be directly attributed to a decision made by Trump to cut butgets.

Meanwhile in New Zealand the OCR has been cut to 0.25% and Air New Zealand has announced a trading halt ahead of steep cuts to international travel, which will allow not much more than preservation of routes.

And the Government’s planned response to the crisis is to come tomorrow.

Maybe it is time to talk seriously about fundamental system change?

Now could be a perfect time to learn how to act as a community, to look after each other, reduce need for material wealth and learn to tread more lightly on the planet.

105 comments on “Different responses to the Covid virus pandemic ”

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  1. Adam Ash 1
    16 March 2020 at 10:57 am

    The stuttering gap-riddled response of our 'government' is terrifying in its failure to protect us from ourselves.

    The international 'travel ban' allows travellers in with no medical or even temperature checks. They can travel internally by any means they like to their final destination – presumably visiting cafes, shops etc for refreshments and supplies as they go. Their 'self isolation' is on an 'honesty' basis. So a virus carrier can go from Auckland International terminal to Wellington by domestic flight then public transport – with 'only' the two rows either side 'affected' (according to their theories) That means the one traveller can have sat near five rows x 6 across = 30 on the 'plane, and another five rows x 4 = 20 on the bus totalling 50 'exposures' by the time they get off the bus outside the supermarket, then they catch an Uber home with their groceries having huffed their way around the store. So every 400-passenger international flight exposes 400 x 50 = 20,000 New Zealand residents to risk. Pathetic!

    • Sacha 1.1
      16 March 2020 at 11:09 am

      Temperature checks are useful only as theatre to reassure numpties.

    • observer 1.2
      16 March 2020 at 11:38 am

      For NZ residents coming home, what do you suggest?

      Not allowing them to? (presumably not letting them get on a plane at an overseas airport in the first place)

      or

      Incarcerating all of them at Auckland airport, for 2 weeks?

      The vast majority of international visitors will be deterred by the new rules (who books a nice holiday in a beautiful country that you won't be allowed to see for 2 weeks?). So we're really talking about Kiwis here. Short of building huge prison camps, what are the alternatives to self-isolation?

      • SPC 1.2.1
        16 March 2020 at 12:02 pm

        Backpackers arriving here on Monday said they had no intention of abiding by the new rules (budgeting for cheap overnight in hostels) .

        What about those coming in to spend their two week isolation in camper vans (no homestay or hotel booked) – will they be bound to a fixed place for the 2 weeks?

      • Adam Ash 1.2.2
        16 March 2020 at 12:03 pm

        First rule: Don't let them mingle with the general population.

        Given the small numbers involved we should provide dedicated (i.e traveller-only) shuttle bus transport from arrival lounge to home destinations, with similarly dedicated domestic air transport where required. That way we have 'captured' the potential carriers and conveyed them to their homes in a way that eliminates risk to the wider population. This process will also ensure that they do go straight home, and provides for documenting their delivery and enables on-going monitoring.

        At present we have the ludicrous situation whereby each infected arrival can infect tens to hundred of innocent local people while the travellers get from airport to home.

        Its not rocket science, fer goodness sake!

        • Sacha 1.2.2.1
          16 March 2020 at 12:32 pm

          we should provide dedicated (i.e traveller-only) shuttle bus transport from arrival lounge to home destinations

          Good idea. Shuttle drivers could be fully prepared and wearing protective gear. I shudder to think how fast it can spread to and through regular taxi drivers.

        • Incognito 1.2.2.2
          16 March 2020 at 12:38 pm

          At present we have the ludicrous situation whereby each infected arrival can infect tens to hundred of innocent local people while the travellers get from airport to home.

          Its not rocket science, fer goodness sake!

          How did you work out those numbers, if it is not rocket science?

          • Adam Ash 1.2.2.2.1
            16 March 2020 at 1:19 pm

            I thought the numbers were pretty self-explanatory. Eg an infected person sits among five rows with six people in each row gives exposure of 5 x 6 = 30 etc. Plus or minus the individual = 29, if you want to be pedantic. But the individual has also brushed against many others getting along the aisle, they have used the handle of the baggage locker etc etc. So in this example 30 is a good enough round number to give an idea of the potential risk, especially when you consider the arbitrariness of the 'two rows either side' risk zone.

            • Incognito 1.2.2.2.1.1
              16 March 2020 at 2:16 pm

              You said this:

              At present we have the ludicrous situation whereby each infected arrival can infect tens to hundred of innocent local people while the travellers get from airport to home. [my italics]

              What isles, what rows, what transport are you talking about in order to derive these numbers?

              • Sacha …
                16 March 2020 at 4:41 pm

                Aisle F, where the loorolls live. 🙂

                • Anne …
                  16 March 2020 at 9:57 pm

                  Nah. it's bread now. The panic merchants are cleaning out the bread shelves. It's the second time in as many days I've tried to buy my bread. They must be stuffing their freezers with them.

                  I gave vent to a few loud expletives today which I'm happy to say was well received by a couple of nearby shoppers.

      • Gabby 1.2.3
        16 March 2020 at 12:42 pm

        Pop them in requisitioned ghost houses of course.

      • woodart 1.2.4
        16 March 2020 at 1:37 pm

        you are using reasoned logic observer. will go over the heads of many

      • Craig H 1.2.5
        16 March 2020 at 1:44 pm

        NZ residents and citizens can't be refused entry to NZ without changing the Immigration Act, so probably have to allow them to return and isolate as our principal measure.

    • SPC 1.3
      16 March 2020 at 11:59 am

      Sure require

      1. check of a pre booked location (hotel or homestay) and a medical certificate sign off before they fly here.

      2. the location is in the city of the airport they arrive at.

      3. transit to their location is organised for them.

  2. RedLogix 2
    16 March 2020 at 11:14 am

    This event is rapidly demonstrating the impotence of nation states to mount an effective defense against a global threat.

    A few of us here understood the nature of the threat by late January. In my case largely because of well informed Chinese sources who have proven correct at least a fortnight before everyone else. The failure of multiple govts to fully understand this event is by now indefensible.

    There is only one thing that is going to work in addition to a total global travel ban … shut down the entire global economy (except for core essential services, utilities, transport, food and pharmacies) for a period of 3 – 6 weeks. Get the R0 value down to below 1.0 and wait until there are no new cases globally.

    Standardised testing, contact tracing, isolation and social distancing and mandatory reporting systems must all be thrown at it. Any nation that fails to comply remains 100% isolated from the world until it does.

    Sounds drastic, but in the long run will be by far the lowest cost approach. We have to demand this, because our govts have proven unable to.

    • AB 2.1
      16 March 2020 at 11:30 am

      Yes – and just create new money drop it into everyone's bank accounts so they can pay for housing, services, food, medicines etc. Emergency UBI in effect. Stay home, drink wine, read a book, talk sh*t on the Standard, and take a couple months away from your bullshit job. May have some other long-term benefits too.

      • Tony Veitch (not etc.) 2.1.1
        16 March 2020 at 12:50 pm

        Love it – going to start doing so immediately! lol
        Now just waiting for the emergency UBI.

    • SPC 2.2
      16 March 2020 at 12:06 pm

      Why would nations without community spread apply a lockdown? I would agree a month long travel ban by those with no community spread at the same time would be OK.

      • RedLogix 2.2.1
        16 March 2020 at 12:18 pm

        Almost all nations already have community spread, those that don't probably do but don't have any testing capacity.

        There may well be some small very isolated places like maybe Tonga that don't have any cases, but they got there by putting pretty strong travel constraints weeks ago.

        • SPC 2.2.1.1
          16 March 2020 at 12:28 pm

          We have 5 machines for testing – any evidence we have community spread (and that is not partners or family of those who got it offshore)?

          I would agree that without a travel ban we will likely have community spread unless we apply the two week isolation better than we plan to.

          • Adam Ash 2.2.1.1.1
            16 March 2020 at 1:29 pm

            Apparently (as I understand it) in NZ they refuse to test unless there is a clear connection to overseas. So we are NOT testing patients whose symptoms have popped up the general community. Thus we choose to be ignorant of the potential presence of Covid-19 within the general community.

            Thus it is false to say 'We do not have community spread.'.

            We can only say that 'We only test where a patient presents with symptoms or history that includes a direct link to oversees sources of infection, and we do not test unless such a link is there. Thus we have no knowledge of the presence or absence of Covid-19 in the general community.'

            Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

            That deliberate ignorance will cost us dearly in coming times.

            • Incognito 2.2.1.1.1.1
              16 March 2020 at 1:36 pm

              That deliberate ignorance will cost us dearly in coming times.

              It is a judgment call based on an estimated risk analysis by MoH. These decisions are continuously reviewed.

            • SPC 2.2.1.1.1.2
              16 March 2020 at 1:41 pm

              Nor is absence of testing proof of infection.

              And if you believe we already have community spread what is your problem with inbound visitors …

            • swordfish 2.2.1.1.1.3
              16 March 2020 at 3:13 pm

              Adam Ash

              Yep, absolutely. We're just fooling ourselves. Reactive rather than Proactive.

              It's not like we lack the capacity to do more testing. Here's New Zealand, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield a few days ago:

              At the moment our labs can do over 500 tests in a day if they have to, and that capacity can be scaled up if needs be

              The lesson from China, SE Asia vs Italy / Iran / US is: do the maximum you're capable of as early as possible … aggressive & exhaustive testing & contact tracing … and isolation that is enforced & doesn't cut corners timewise.. Flatten the curve or your hospitals will be overwhelmed much sooner than you think.

              I'm guessing we actually have somewhere between 40-160 cases (I calculated based on data from both Dr John Campbell & the excellent Tomas Pueyo paper cited here & elsewhere over recent days).

              But slowly increasing all the time … then clusters … then BOOM ! … exponential explosion in numbers.

              Magical thinking to assume NZ's somehow exempt from the pattern in every other Country. At best, we can only hope that COVID-19 experiences the same Seasonality as the flu … which might briefly delay the speed of spread a little Down Under before we move into Winter … but you wouldn't want to go counting on it.

              • Adam Ash …
                16 March 2020 at 3:28 pm

                "…do the maximum you're capable of as early as possible …"

                Could not agree more. What do they have to loose?

                Test the sewage streams from every major city – that will tell you what is in the community faster than anything.

                Random test 100 citizens on the street in the 5 biggest cities daily, and plot the results. At the moment we have no data. 500 negatives every day would be very reassuring.

            • pat 2.2.1.1.1.4
              16 March 2020 at 7:02 pm

              deliberate ignorance has nothing to do with it…..capacity is the driver.

              Until a few days ago all testing was carried out in Australia and I expect their labs are busy enough with their own citizens…testing on the basis of symptoms and or contact is the logical action, especially given the difficulty in detection pre symptom

    • Sacha 2.3
      16 March 2020 at 12:21 pm

      shut down the entire global economy

      Yep. If only the real power over all our govts was not from those who will resist all attempts to curb their profits thus..

      • RedLogix 2.3.1
        16 March 2020 at 1:07 pm

        Yes. There is no question that the form of capitalism we see in much of the world has gone too far, and wields an outsized political influence that one of the staple conversations here at TS.

        The problem with all ideologies is that having been successful in solving one class of problem, they tend to believe their ideas can therefore solve all problems. This always goes too far, and always ends badly. There is reason to hope this CV event will reset the excesses of capitalism, something long overdue.

    • Paddington 2.4
      16 March 2020 at 1:08 pm

      If, as you claim, nation governments have failed, how do you know any pan-nation leadership would be an y more effective? Besides, not all governments have failed. "Singapore implemented strong surveillance and containment measures, which appear to have slowed the growth of the outbreak." https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6911e1.htm

      • RedLogix 2.4.1
        16 March 2020 at 1:23 pm

        Like individuals some govts will be spectacularly successful and many will fail dismally.

        Just as you don't expect individuals to get into their car and make up whatever road rules are going to suit them that day, watching each nation state make up random responses to this crisis isn't really working.

        Let me put it this way, you can have each nation handle this event it's own way, and no global travel, but not both.

        • Paddington 2.4.1.1
          16 March 2020 at 1:40 pm

          At this stage it's not possible to determine whether the current approach is working better than a globally coordinated one. I don't agree with everything our government has done or is doing, but I far prefer a regime where decisions are made by an accountable government who is serving the interests of it's own citizenry.

          • RedLogix 2.4.1.1.1
            16 March 2020 at 5:21 pm

            Well the one nation that has claimed to have succeeded against CV is of course China. Good luck with 'accountability' in that sandpit.

            • Paddington 2.4.1.1.1.1
              16 March 2020 at 10:17 pm

              China is not an example of an accountable government. Not the last time I checked.

  3. tc 3
    16 March 2020 at 11:46 am

    Great opportunity for a think about how we could we live as an Island. Inevitable with scarcity that it probably comes down to that.

  4. Grumpy 4
    16 March 2020 at 11:58 am

    On the other hand…….moving the German vaccine research to the US would greatly shorten development time due to the elimination of all the EU barriers to development.

  5. Siobhan 5
    16 March 2020 at 11:58 am

    This isn't just about the virus or Trump..its all American politicians and American Health care..

    Take Biden for example..as President he wants to cure cancer..presumably because its something that affected him directly..yet he is fine with the current 'balance' in american access to health care.

    “I would veto anything that delays providing the security and the certainty of health care being available now,” Biden responded.

    ie.. About 44 million people in this country have no health insurance, and another 38 million have inadequate health insurance…not to mention the catastrophic closure of medical centres in rural and semi rural areas..whether or not you have insurance

    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/447982-biden-says-as-president-he-wants-to-cure-cancer

    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/biden-says-he-wouldd-veto-medicare-for-all-as-coronavirus-focuses-attention-on-health.ht

    As someone who lives in an area with a supposedly Thriving economy…but no air conditioning in the Public hospital wards..I'm not so sure about our own ability to deal with an escalation of cases..

    Mar 2, 2020 – … Hawke's Bay DHB says it has spent nearly $12000 on iceblocks and fans for staff working in sweltering summer heat with no air–conditioning.

  6. Adam Ash 6
    16 March 2020 at 12:45 pm

    To inform the discussion, herewith some NZ government sites' info…

    NZ Customs Coronavirus (COVID-19) update

    INZ response to the Covid-19 (Novel Coronavirus) (Updated 15 March)

    To my mind, these 'responses' leave far too much to the discretion of the individual traveller, and do not actively protect the New Zealand public from potential infection from incoming travellers.

    • bill 6.1
      16 March 2020 at 12:59 pm

      For what it's worth, here's my take.

      Those responses betray a mindset that would want to put out a forest fire while feeding the campfire that caused the blaze in the first place.

  7. bill 7
    16 March 2020 at 12:53 pm

    Now could be a perfect time to learn how to act as a community, to look after each other, reduce need for material wealth and learn to tread more lightly on the planet.

    And to somewhat repeat what I've said before – since we might be approaching that point where we understand that a financial economy is not as important as a human economy – run an inventory on all economic activity and permanently shut down anything that doesn't have a positive impact on society (the human economy).

    Begin to lay in the groundwork for whatever production will be necessary in a world with broken supply chains (eg- generic medicines currently being manufactured in China and India…is that sustainable?)

    As of right now, give everyone an emergency payment so the poorer among us can stockpile necessary supplies for upcoming and perhaps extended periods of isolation.

    Shut down all air travel (both domestic and international) – planes run recycled air, which ain't flash when looking at airborne infections. Same thing goes for cruise ships (the internal cabins run on recycled air conditioning)

    Shut down all activity in buildings that run on recycled air – do it today.

    All that said, 'everyone' knows politicians and other decision makers connected to the world of business aren't the sharpest tacks in the box; that they tend towards blunt short term visions, and so will inflict tsunamis and avalanches of bureaucratic incompetence on all of our heads – so, y'know, cut a cash rate, bail out a business, and tell people to wash their hands 🙄

    • Poission 7.1
      16 March 2020 at 1:11 pm

      As of right now, give everyone an emergency payment so the poorer among us can stockpile necessary supplies for upcoming and perhaps extended periods of isolation.

      The government can make enhanced support for beneficiary's by reducing the cost of electricity (being the majority shareholder in gen,meredian,mercury) by 20-25%)

      It could also provide immediate topup,for those pay as you go for an equivalent amount.

      • bill 7.1.1
        16 March 2020 at 2:54 pm

        I can't speak for everyone, but those kind of reductions would generate the approximate princely sum of $20 a month for me – hardly sufficient in terms of stocking the cupboards for 2, 3 or 4 weeks of isolation.

    • Wayne 7.2
      16 March 2020 at 1:44 pm

      Bill

      As always your first response seems to to introduce a communist style government. You are too much in love with the idea of the local Soviets that were established immediately after the 1917 revolution.

      It would be much better to look at what the democracies (us, the UK, the US) did during WW2. And things are not that bad (yet).

      • bill 7.2.1
        16 March 2020 at 2:37 pm

        Wayne. Go fuck yourself with this constant trolling of me as some Maoist or Bolshevik.

        If you sincerely believe that I'm all for introducing some kind of communist state, then you're sincerely stupid.

        AGW is driven by the carbon emissions that come from industry's energy sources. The only way to cut those emissions by the required degree is to cut superfluous economic activity.

      • AB 7.2.2
        16 March 2020 at 7:15 pm

        "You are too much in love with the idea of the local Soviets that were established immediately after the 1917 revolution"

        Because the Soviets were elected locally, and then destroyed by an authoritarian vanguardist (Lenin), maybe they don't sound all bad? Though I’d guess you prefer top-down structures where the 'right' people get to make decisions for all of us.

        "It would be much better to look at what the democracies (us, the UK, the US) did during WW2."

        Like the 94% top marginal tax rate implemented in the USA in 1944? I imagine Bill might be on board for that. Are you trying to acquire lefty street cred Wayne?

      • KJT 7.2.3
        16 March 2020 at 7:48 pm

        The Soviets, Democratic worker committees in every workplace, similar idea to the German Union reps on every board, in that arch ” communist State”, Germany?

        Unfortunately purged in short order, by anti Democratic authoritarian arseholes. The problem with violent revolutions.

        Democracy. I can see why Wayne doesn't like the idea.

        Way to many on the "left" don't like it, either.

    • Stunned Mullet 7.3
      16 March 2020 at 1:52 pm

      "Begin to lay in the groundwork for whatever production will be necessary in a world with broken supply chains (eg- generic medicines currently being manufactured in China and India…is that sustainable?)"

      Where do you suggest we get the generic medicines we currently get from South East Asia if not from China/India ? In case you hadn't noticed we have no significant manufacture locally and PHARMAC don't usually like paying for more expensive generics out of Europe/USA.

      Shut down all activity in buildings that run on recycled air – do it today.

      What like pharmaceutical manufacturing plants ? Hospitals etc.

      • bill 7.3.1
        16 March 2020 at 2:40 pm

        Where do you suggest we get the generic medicines we currently get from South East Asia if not from China/India ?

        As of right now, the US and elsewhere that source generic medicines from China and India is in a precarious situation because supply chains are breaking/broken.

        • Stunned Mullet 7.3.1.1
          16 March 2020 at 3:35 pm

          Yes there are some concerns about a few particular molecules where the Indian authorities are limiting export and saving for their home market. However, I don't believe there are any widespread shortages in NZ at this point.

          I expect there may be similar supply concerns with medicines coming out of the Eu and North America, but back to the question …

          Where do you suggest we get the generic medicines we currently get from South East Asia if not from China/India ?

      • Kay 7.3.2
        16 March 2020 at 2:44 pm

        Yes, well, we've been trying for a long time to explain the downsides of Pharmac's sole supply arrangements with generic companies…

  8. Adam Ash 8
    16 March 2020 at 3:55 pm

    Important point here from UK, British Society for Immunology president Arne Akbar:

    ""For example, we don't yet know if this novel virus will induce long-term immunity in those affected as other related viruses do not. Therefore, it would be prudent to prevent infection in the first place."

    Herd Immunity

    This agrees with Chinese observations that patients can get recurring infections of Covid-19, and the effect of the second infection on a patient already weakened by the first round is increasingly severe.

    Bugger.

  9. Tony Veitch (not etc.) 9
    16 March 2020 at 4:25 pm

    Aussie humour!



  11. Muttonbird 11
    16 March 2020 at 10:06 pm

    Regular flu says, "hi."

    The 2017-2018 flu season was severe for all US populations and resulted in an estimated 959,000 hospitalizations and 61,099 deaths.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017–18_United_States_flu_season

    Again, can I ask what the media mass driven hysteria is about?

    Coronavirus is not the Spanish fucking Flu, no matter how much some people want it to be!!!

    • Sacha 11.1
      16 March 2020 at 10:09 pm

      Pandemic-deniers are as bad as their climate equivalent. What do you really think you are contributing?

      • Muttonbird 11.1.1
        16 March 2020 at 10:19 pm

        I’m trying to get my head around the staggeringly unprecedented and damaging reaction to this particular flu which has resulted in the deaths of very very few people.

        It seems that because China built a hospital in two days (umm, that’s what China does), and Italy’s notoriously terrible heath system fell over, everyone is kneecapping themselves into recession.

        I googled Pandemic-denier and came up with this page telling people how to deal them.

        Other advice these helpful people gave:

        You are more likely to DIE from the coronavirus if you believe in western medicine

        https://poddtoppen.se/podcast/1063165791/the-health-ranger-report/you-are-more-likely-to-die-from-the-coronavirus-if-you-believe-in-western-medicine

        Is this the sort of thing you want to align with?

        • Sacha 11.1.1.1
          16 March 2020 at 10:25 pm

          If you do not understand why all the public health experts in the world are taking this seriously enough to persuade governments to act, perhaps the problem is staring you in the mirror. Time to breathe rather than yell.

          • Muttonbird 11.1.1.1.1
            16 March 2020 at 10:36 pm

            I don't think it's public health experts which are persuading governments to act in such over-arching ways, it's the media in whose interests it is to have eyeballs on screens. In Coronavirus they have found themselves a golden egg.

            What are those public health experts not advocating non-movement orders every single fucking winter in that case?

            This level of lockdown hasn't been tested before. I think it is a shitty, panicky plan loosely brought about by hundreds of disparate and pressured players.

        • mauī 11.1.1.2
          16 March 2020 at 10:44 pm

          Maybe you'll get it when multiple G8 countries start keeling over.

          • Muttonbird 11.1.1.2.1
            16 March 2020 at 10:52 pm

            Not 100% sure what you are referring to but they will keel over only because they over-reacted and have fucked themselves economically by doing so.

            How's our curve going? Flat enough?

            • McFlock 11.1.1.2.1.1
              17 March 2020 at 1:07 am

              The 2017 flu was not regular flu, as your own link states.

              It was combatted with a vaccine that was only 10% effective, as your link states.

              The mortality rate was higher because of systemic shortages of basic medical equipment, as your link states.

              And that was 0.3% prevalence in the US. If the yanks stop at a million cases, I guess their day of prayer worked.

              As for the media driving NZ's response rather than the expert advisory group or the national pandemic plan, whatevs. And implying that we don't need the protective measures we're implementing because we don't have many cases is headdesk material doctors are pretty used to, now. Antivaxxers use it a lot.

    • Muttonbird 12.1
      16 March 2020 at 11:02 pm

      Paul Graham is an English-born American computer scientist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, and essayist. He is best known for his work on Lisp, his former startup Viaweb, co-founding the influential startup accelerator and seed capital firm Y Combinator, his blog, and Hacker News.

      Is he a bit like Nick Mowbray and Sam Morgan?

      Know-nothing right wing entrepreneurs who have weighed in heavy on the government to close borders and schools.

      The same guys quoted by Farrar and Simon Bridges…

      Maybe closing borders and schools means nothing to you rich types. I don’t know.

  14. Muttonbird 14
    16 March 2020 at 11:27 pm

    NZ: 8 cases (all foreigners), 0 hospitalisations, 0 deaths, 20,000 people out of work and counting.

    • Adam Ash 14.1
      17 March 2020 at 12:25 am

      Remember, Muttonbird, NZ is not testing asymptomatic cases.

      So we are in the situation where there is no knowledge of what is happening in the general community. We are not asking, so we simply do not know.

      Absence of evidence is NOT evidence of absence.

      People without symptoms have been found to have higher virus loads than those with symptoms, meaning these unidentifiable carriers are more likely to spread the virus than those showing symptoms.

      Health officials indicate that NZ has capacity to do 500 tests a day, yet they are doing very few. How many tests are they doing? Why not use the full testing capacity to explore the general population? To sample arriving travellers? What (apart from the truth) are they afraid of?

  16. joe90 16
    17 March 2020 at 1:35 pm

    The right, typically, think that the best response, after making an absolute pig’s ear of the situation, is to try and buy a vaccine. Not for everyone’s benefit, only for your own people, presumably excluding illegals.

    Yes this actually happened.

    A flat denial from the company.

    https://twitter.com/usbotschaft/status/1239639771313582085

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  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 day ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 day ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    2 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    4 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    4 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    5 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    5 days ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    Bowalley Road
    6 days ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    6 days ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    6 days ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • No new funding for cycling & walking

    Studies show each $1 of spending on walking and cycling infrastructure produces $13 to $35 of economic benefits from higher productivity, lower healthcare costs, less congestion, lower emissions and lower fossil fuel import costs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • 99

    Dad turned 99 today.Hell of a lot of candles, eh?He won't be alone for his birthday. He will have the warm attention of my brother, and my sister, and everyone at the rest home, the most thoughtful attentive and considerate people you could ever know. On Saturday there will be ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Open Government: National reneges on beneficial ownership

    One of the achievements of the New Zealand’s Open Government Partnership Fourth National Action Plan was a formal commitment from the government to establish a public beneficial ownership register. Such a register would allow the ultimate owners of companies to be identified - a vital measure in preventing corruption, money ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt One.

    This project analyzes security politics in three peripheral democracies (Chile, New Zealand, Portugal) during the 30 years after the end of the Cold War. It argues that changes in the geopolitical landscape and geo-strategic context are interpreted differently by small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Tea and Toast

    When the skies are looking bad my dearAnd your heart's lost all its hopeAfter dawn there will be sunshineAnd all the dust will goThe skies will clear my darlingNow it's time for you to let goOur girl will wake you up in the mornin'With some tea and toastLyrics: Lucy Spraggan.Good ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • NLTP 2024 released – destroying pipeline of shovel ready local projects

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Waka Kotahi yesterday released the latest National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) for 2024-27. The NLTP sets out what transport projects will be funded for the next three years, including both central and local government projects. As expected given the government’s extremely ideological transport policy, it’s ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    1 week ago
  • Can Brown deliver his roads

    The Government’s unveiling of its road-building programme yesterday was ambitious and, many would say, long overdue. But the question will be whether it is too ambitious, whether it is affordable, and, if not, what might be dropped. The big ticket items will be the 17 so-called Roads of National Significance. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • New paper about detecting climate misinformation on Twitter/X

    Together with Cristian Rojas, Frank Algra-Maschio, Mark Andrejevic, Travis Coan, and Yuan-Fang Li, I just published a paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment where we use the Computer Assisted Recognition of Denial and Skepticism (CARDS) machine learning model to detect climate misinformation in 5 million climate tweets. We find over half ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • Excerpting “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies.”

    In the late 2000s-early 2010s I was researching and writing a book titled “Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Chile, New Zealand and Portugal.” The book was a cross-regional Small-N qualitative comparison of the security strategies and postures of three small … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Hating for the Wrong Reasons: Of Rings of Power, Orcs and Evil

    A few months ago, my fellow countryman, HelloFutureMe, put out a giant YouTube video, dissecting what went wrong with the first season of Rings of Power (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ6FRUO0ui0&t=8376s). It’s an exceptionally good video, and though it spans some two and a half hours, it is well worth your time. But ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: “Least cost” to who?

    On Friday the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment released their submission on National's second Emissions Reduction Plan, ripping the shit out of it as a massive gamble based on wishful thinking. One of the specific issues he focused on was National's idea of "least cost" emissions reduction, pointing out that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Israeli Lives Matter

    There is no monopoly on common senseOn either side of the political fenceWe share the same biology, regardless of ideologyBelieve me when I say to youI hope the Russians love their children tooLyrics: Sting. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Luxon Cries

    Over the weekend, I found myself rather irritably reading up about the Treaty of Waitangi. “Do I need to do this?” It’s not my jurisdiction. In any other world, would this be something I choose to do?My answer - no.The Waitangi Tribunal, headed by some of our best legal minds, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Just one Wellington home being consented for every 10 in Auckland

    A decade of under-building is coming home to roost in Wellington. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday September 2:Wellington’s leaders are wringing their hands over an exodus of skilled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Container trucks on local streets: why take the risk?

    This is a guest post by Charmaine Vaughan, who came to transport advocacy via her local Residents Association and a comms role at Bike Auckland. Her enthusiasm to make local streets safer for all is shared by her son Dylan Vaughan, a budding “urban nerd” who provided much of the ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #35

    A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, August 25, 2024 thru Sat, August 31, 2024. Story of the week After another crammed week of climate news including updates on climate tipping points, increasing threats from rising ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • An Uncanny Valley of Improvement: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power, Episodes 1-3 (Season ...

    And thus we come to the second instalment of Amazon’s Rings of Power. The first season, in 2022, was underwhelming, even for someone like myself, who is by nature inclined to approach Tolkien adaptations with charity. The writing was poor, the plot made no sense on its own terms, and ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Alcohol debris and Crocodile Tears

    I write to you this morning from scenes of carnage. Around the floor lie young men who only hours earlier were full of life, and cocktails, and now lie silent. Read more ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When Do We Look Away?

    Hi,The first time I saw something that made me recoil on the internet was a visit to Rotten.com. The clue was in the name — but the internet was a new thing to me in the 90s, and no-one really knew what the hell was going on. But somehow I ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • The decades just fly by

    You turn your back for a moment and a city can completely transform itself. It was, oh, just the other day I was tripping up to Kuala Lumpur every few months to teach workshops and luxuriate in the tropical warmth and fill my face with Char Kway Teow.It has to ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • 2024 Reading Summary: August

    Completed reads for August: Aesop’s Fables (collection), by Aesop Berserk: Volume XXV (manga), by Kentaro Miura Benighted, by J.B. Priestly Berserk: Volume XXVI (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXVIII (manga), by Kentaro Miura Berserk: Volume XXIX (manga), by Kentaro Miura ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • Is recent global warming part of a natural cycle?

    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with John Mason. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is recent global warming part ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago
  • White Noise

    Now here we standWith our hearts in our handsSqueezing out the liesAll that I hearIs a message, unclearWhat else is there to decide?All that I'm hearing from youIs White NoiseLyrics: Christopher John CheneyIs the tide turning?Have we reached the high point of the racist hate and lies from Hobson’s Pledge, ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • The Death Of “Big Norm” – Exactly 50 Years Ago Today.

    Norman KirkPrime Minister of New Zealand 1972-1974Born: 6 January 1923 - Died: 31 August 1974Of the working-class, by the working-class, for the working-class.Video courtesy of YouTubeThese elements were posted on Bowalley Road on Saturday, 31 August 2024. ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • Claims and Counter-Claims.

    Whose Foreshore? Whose Seabed? When the Marine and Coastal Area Act was originally passed back in 2011, fears about the coastline becoming off-limits to Pakeha were routinely allayed by National Party politicians pointing out that the tests imposed were so stringent  that only a modest percentage of claims (the then treaty ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago

  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 hours ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 hours ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
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  • District Court judges appointed

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