George Bush: a “B” in ECON101
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3:04 pm, September 28th, 2007 - Comments Off on George Bush: a “B” in ECON101
Categories: humour -
Tags: humour
QUESTION: Do you think there’s a risk of a recession? How do you rate that?
BUSH: You know, you need to talk to economists. I think I got a B in Econ 101. I got an A, however, in keeping taxes low and being fiscally responsible with the people’s money.
Someone (Michael Roston) actually checked though and it turns out that Bush received grades of 71 and 72 in Economics — a grade that “would correspond with a C-”
Via Think Progress
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A record 41,028 new homes have been consented in the year ended March 2021 March 2021 consent numbers the highest since the 1940s Record number of new homes consented in Auckland The number of new homes consented is at an all-time high, showing a strong and increasing pipeline of demand ...34 mins ago - Whānau-centred support for parents and tamarikiUp to 60 whānau in Counties Manukau will be supported through the first three years of their parenthood by a new whānau-centred model of care, said Associate Health Minister, Hon Aupito William Sio. “Providing this support to young parents is something we have to get right. It’s a priority both ...1 hour ago
- NZ backs moves to improve global access to COVID vaccinesNew Zealand welcomes and strongly supports the announcement made by the United States Trade Representative to work for a waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines at the WTO, Trade Minister Damien O’Connor said. “New Zealand supports equitable access to COVID vaccines for all. No one is safe from the ...2 hours ago
- Tourism communities: support, recovery and re-set planTIHEI MAURI ORA Tuia te whakapono Tuia te tumanako Tuia te aroha Tuia te hunga ora Ki te hunga ora Tihei Mauri ora Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa. Thank you, Hilary and thank you, Chris, and everyone at TIA for this ...4 hours ago
- Support, recovery and re-set plan for tourism communitiesFive South Island tourist communities targeted for specialist support Pressure on Māori tourism operators and Conservation facilities recognised Domestic and international-facing tourism agencies put on more secure footing Long-term plan to re-set tourism with a focus on sustainability, industry standards and regional economic diversification A plan to ensure the immediate ...4 hours ago
- Speech on NZ Rail PlanCheck against delivery E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karanga maha o te wa, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. Ki ngā mana whenua o Taranaki Whānui anō nei aku mihi ki a koutou. Nōku te hōnore kia haere mai ki te whakanuia tēnei huihuinga whakahirahira. Nō ...5 hours ago
- Government hits massive milestone in Violence Prevention & EliminationMinister for Family and Sexual Violence Marama Davidson announced a major milestone at a hui in South Auckland today, with the launch of the national engagement process on the prevention and elimination of family and sexual violence. “There is no room for violence in our lives – there is no ...5 hours ago
- Fee waiver extended for conservation tourism businessesTourism businesses operating on public conservation land will have another six months of fees waived to help them adjust to the downturn in international visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Acting Minister of Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall has announced. "We acknowledge it has been a difficult year for ...5 hours ago
- ‘Lua Wave’ to future-proof Pasifika Festivals in AotearoaPasifika festival organisers will receive additional support to adapt to the COVID-19 environment thanks to the Government’s newly launched ‘Lua Wave’ component of the Pasifika Festivals Initiative, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “This initiative has not only been to support festival organisers to recover from ...5 hours ago
- Crown accounts show confidence in Govt economic planThe Government’s financial accounts continue to reflect the resilience of the economy and confidence in the Government’s economic recovery plan. The Crown accounts for the nine months to the end of March 2021 show both OBEGAL and the operating balance remain better than forecast in the Half Year Economic and ...5 hours ago
- Energy Trusts of NZ Autumn ConferenceIt’s a pleasure to be here today. Thank you Karen [Sherry] for the introduction and thanks to the Energy Trusts Executive for inviting me to speak at tonight’s event. It is an exciting time to come to speak to trustees of distribution companies. For many decades the electricity industry was ...6 hours ago
- New partnership to grow Māori success in STEMA new partnership with the Pūhoro STEM Academy will support thousands more rangatahi Māori to participate and succeed in the fields of science, technology, and innovation, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Since 2016, Pūhoro has worked with Māori students to build their capability and create pathways to employment ...6 hours ago
- Rail builds platform for economic recoveryTransport Minister Michael Wood and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dr David Clark today released the Government’s long term vision for a sustainable rail network that supports our economic recovery. New Zealand Rail Plan lays out how the Government is building a resilient, reliable and safe network, as well as the indicative ...8 hours ago
- NZ and UK agree to lift the pace of free trade talksNew Zealand and the United Kingdom have agreed to rapidly lift the tempo of talks, as the two countries enter a new phase in free trade negotiations, Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor announced today. “UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, and I spoke today about ...19 hours ago
- Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill passes first readingThe Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill has passed its first reading and will now be considered by Parliament’s Justice select committee. “The Bill updates and improves New Zealand’s counter-terrorism legislation and ensures that the right legislative tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said. “The ...20 hours ago
- Statement on The Speaker and Annual Review Debate“The serious issue of alleged sexual assault and harassment at Parliament was poorly managed and inappropriately politicised last night. The tone of the debate did not reflect well on Parliament as a whole,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “Any investigation of claims of sexual assault should be in a manner ...1 day ago
- Govt motoring towards zero-carbon buses and protecting drivers’ conditionsTransport Minister Michael Wood is seeking feedback on options for the next phase of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) review to better protect bus drivers’ pay conditions, and also achieving the Government’s target of fully decarbonising the public transport bus fleet by 2035. Michael Wood said investing in our ...1 day ago
- Drop in unemployment shows Govt economic plan is workingThe Government’s economic recovery plan continues to be reflected in the labour market, with more people in work and unemployment falling. Stats NZ figures show employment rose by 15,000 in the March quarter, with 14,000 more women in work. The unemployment rate fell from 4.9 percent to 4.7 percent. This ...1 day ago
- Government sets pay and workforce expectations for the Public SectorThe Government’s Workforce Policy Statement issued today sets out its expectations for pay and employment relations in the Public Sector, the Minister of Finance and Minister for the Public Service say. “New Zealand has had an exceptionally successful health and economic response to COVID-19. This has been supported by the ...1 day ago
- Author Ben Brown is New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading AmbassadorLyttleton writer Ben Brown (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa) will be New Zealand’s first Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador, promoting the value of reading for children and young people, Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti announced today. A poet and award-winning author, Ben Brown writes books, non-fiction and short stories ...2 days ago
- Celebrating New Zealand’s firefighters this International Firefighters’ dayWith two fire stations already complete, and building underway on 16 fire stations around the country, today we celebrate International Firefighters’ Day for the important role firefighters have in keeping communities across the country safe, says Minister of Internal Affairs, Jan Tinetti. The work is progressing due to Government funding ...2 days ago
- Ron Brierley knighthood to goRon Brierley has written to the Clerk of the Executive Council to tender his resignation as a Knight Bachelor. The Queen has been informed. The forfeiture follows the Prime Minister initiating the process to remove his Knighthood. The Clerk of the Executive Council wrote to him on 6 April 2021 ...2 days ago
- Employment boost for rural communitiesThe Government is continuing to create opportunities for at-risk rangatahi overcome barriers to employment, education or training with the next tranche of He Poutama Rangatahi programmes, Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “We’re focused on supporting rangatahi to get what they need to progress in the ...2 days ago
- Pre-Budget speech to Wellington Chamber of CommerceThank you for the invitation to speak today, it is great to be here. I mean that both sincerely and literally. For this equivalent speech last year I took part virtually, beaming in from the Beehive Theatrette with only a socially distanced press gallery bearing silent witness. You are a ...2 days ago
- Budget 2021 reprioritises nearly $1 billionThe Government’s strong pandemic response and the better than expected economic recovery means not all the money allocated in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund has been spent, Grant Robertson said in his annual pre-Budget speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this morning. “As part of Budget preparation I ...2 days ago
- Speech on Digital Identity Trust FrameworkI'd like to start by thanking Graeme, David and Ben from NZTech and Digital Identity New Zealand for inviting me to speak to you. I’m so sorry I can’t be there in person, but I want to acknowledge those of you who are, including some of this country’s top tech ...3 days ago
- NZ Cook Islands travel bubble significant step in COVID-19 recoveryNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown have today announced that, pending final confirmation by New Zealand’s Director-General of Health and the Cook Islands Secretary of Health, two-way quarantine-free travel will commence between the two countries on 17 May (NZT). “Two way quarantine-free travel ...3 days ago
- Minister for State Owned Enterprises saddened by passing of KiwiRail ChairMinister for State Owned Enterprises, David Clark is deeply saddened to hear about the passing of KiwiRail Chairman, Brian Corban. “I know Brian was seen as a transformative leader within KiwiRail, well respected for his wisdom, honesty and sense of humour,” said David Clark. Mr Corban served as Chair of ...3 days ago
- Speech to the China Business Summit by the Minister for Trade and Export GrowthDistinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Tena koutou katoa. Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you today for this China Business Summit – my first as Minister for Trade and Export Growth as well as Minister of Agriculture – and to have the opportunity to speak to you ...3 days ago
- Productivity Commission inquiry into immigration settingsThe Productivity Commission will hold an inquiry into immigration settings to ensure New Zealand’s long term prosperity and wellbeing, Grant Robertson and Kris Faafoi say. This inquiry, the first under the new Productivity Commission chair, Dr Ganesh Nana, will focus on immigration policy as a means of improving productivity in ...3 days ago
- Speech to China Business SummitLadies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, ate marie, tena koutou katoa, good morning. I am very happy to be here with you once again at my fourth China Business Summit. Thanks again to you, Fran, for being the driving force behind this event. As ever, I’m very pleased to see such ...3 days ago
- Speech to Te Taumata Wahine Toa Hui, KerikeriI would like to begin by acknowledging a few people here today. Firstly, Chris Karamea Insley for his hard work and commitment to the vision of Te Taumata. I’d also like to acknowledge Minister Nanaia Mahuta, New Zealand’s first Maori wahine Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom you have just heard ...5 days ago
- Jobs for Nature to boost employment in the SouthA suite of significant Jobs for Nature projects will boost conservation efforts and create jobs across the southern South Island, Acting Minister for Conservation Dr Ayesha Verrall announced from Te Anau today. “The Government’s Jobs for Nature programme is investing in the future of the area’s stunning environment, with projects ...6 days ago
- Regional economic potential unlocked as Bay of Plenty project gets underwayA milestone for jobs, businesses and regional economic development in Bay of Plenty is being marked as construction gets underway on the multi-million dollar Ōpōtiki harbour infrastructure project. Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash has joined Whakatōhea iwi, local councils and representatives of the aquaculture and marine industry at ...6 days ago
- New Pilot to unlock cultural potential in communitiesArts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni today announced Manatū Taonga (Ministry for Culture and Heritage) is now accepting applications from cultural sector organisations to host cultural activators in eight communities around Aotearoa. “This pilot, as part of Te Tahua Whakahaumaru (Creative Arts Recovery and Employment Fund), aims to build ...6 days ago
- Supporting New Zealanders Through Winter MonthsFrom tomorrow, 1 May, over one million New Zealanders receiving either a Main Benefit or New Zealand Superannuation will get more money each week through the Winter Energy Payment. “The Winter Energy Payment started as part of the Government’s December 2017 Families Package designed to help older New Zealanders and ...6 days ago
- New Zealand to donate 250,000 courses of COVID-19 vaccines to FijiNew Zealand has offered, and Fiji has accepted, sufficient doses of AstraZeneca for 250,000 people from New Zealand’s domestic vaccine portfolio, New Zealand Associate Minister of Health and Foreign Affairs Aupito William Sio and Fiji Health and Medical Services Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete announced today. “New Zealand and Fiji are working together closely to support ...7 days ago
- Te Ōhanga Māori Report Speech*Check with delivery* Insights from Te Ōhanga report First and foremost - thank you for the mahi of everyone who has been involved in producing this report. The Government needs up-to-date and accurate data on the size and scope of the Māori economy for us to understand how best to ...1 week ago
- New ACC Board Chair AppointedMinister for ACC Carmel Sepuloni is delighted to announce the appointment of Hon Steve Maharey CNZM, as a new member and chair successor for the board of ACC. He will commence as a member on 1 May 2021 and become Chair on the retirement of Dame Paula Rebstock on 31 ...1 week ago
- Greater role for a public forestry serviceA greater role for a public forestry service has been outlined by the Forestry Minister, to drive the focus on regional economic development, skills training, and a low-emissions future. Stuart Nash today announced Te Uru Rākau (Forestry New Zealand) will be renamed Te Uru Rākau - New Zealand Forest Service, ...1 week ago
- Hamish Coney: Toi Tū Toi Ora – How may we learn?
Toi Tū Toi Ora, currently nearing the end of its run at the Auckland Art Gallery - Toi o Tāmaki (until May 10) is the blockbuster for these times. Although conceived well before the Covid Pandemic, the timing of this bustling exhibition seems pre-ordained for the period of deep introspection ...2 hours ago - Public service pay will get scant lift from Robertson – but let’s see if the Budget can keep gov...
The Ardern government is cruising along with poll ratings still far above those of its opponents and a leader enjoying almost cult status. Her deputy, Grant Robertson, wears a matching suit of political armour, although one-time Labour Minister (and then ACT leader) Richard Prebble contends he is the worst finance ...2 hours ago - Maritime Union Says Coastal Shipping Must Complement Rail And Road
The Maritime Union says the Government’s announcement today of major investment in rail is a positive move, and is urging more action on coastal shipping. Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison says the Government’s approach ...2 hours ago - Furious feedback: Bulletin readers respond to public sector wage freeze
This morning’s edition of The Bulletin called for feedback on the pay freeze coming for huge chunks of the public service. The reaction has been one of almost unanimous rage. Public servants don’t often get the chance to share their unfiltered views with the media. So the response this morning to ...2 hours ago - The Government’s No Test For Forestry Conversions Is Destroying The ProvincesLobby group 50 Shades of Green prediction that regional New Zealand will be covered in exotic pine is coming to fruition before our very eyes. The wholesale removal of productive land for exotic forestry continues at pace as sales of farmland to ...2 hours ago
- Budget 2021: Found Billion Dollars A “Second Chance” To Build Back BetterGreenpeace is calling on Finance Minister, Grant Robertson to use the recently uncovered $926 million of unspent Covid Recovery funds to make good on Labour’s election promise to ‘Build Back Better’. The funds could provide a much-needed boost to ...2 hours ago
- Free speech in Parliament challenged: Maori Party MPs press the Speaker to bar questions they rega...
The Speaker was reprimanded by the PM yesterday, in the aftermath of the furore generated when he accused a former parliamentary staffer – to whom he had previously apologised for claiming he was a rapist – of sexual assault. Then he was chided by Maori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer for ...2 hours ago - A sideways appreciation of the NZ Chinese Growers Monthly typefaceKerry Ann Lee looks at the enduring appeal of Chinese typeface and letterpress design in the digital age.In 1952, a slow boat from Hong Kong arrived in New Zealand carrying one metric tonne of lead type. This would be used by the Dominion Federation of New Zealand Chinese Commercial Growers ...3 hours ago
- Save The Children Says New Government Approach To Tackle Family And Sexual Violence Must Include Chi...Save the Children New Zealand welcomes today’s announcement by Government of an inclusive multi-agency approach and consultation to challenge the country’s horrendous rates of family and sexual abuse. "Family violence and child abuse rates in ...4 hours ago
- “Disheartened And Dispirited” Educators Upset, Uncertain Following Public Sector Pay Res...Educators across the country are shocked that the Government has chosen to restrict public servants' pay for a further three years, says education union NZEI Te Riu Roa. Teachers, principals and support staff, and a huge range of other education ...5 hours ago
- BNZ Backing New Zealand’s Business-led RecoveryBank of New Zealand (BNZ) has today released its half year result to 31 March 2021 and is focused on supporting businesses large and small to lead New Zealand’s economic recovery. BNZ announced its statutory net profit increased by $293 million (or 80%) ...5 hours ago
- Police, post-primary teachers unions join criticism of government's public sector pay freeze
The teachers and police associations have come out hard against the government's pay freeze for the public sector, with the move being called a "kick in the guts". ...5 hours ago - If it doesn’t sell, you’re screwedA few weeks back all three of Catherine Robertson’s Gabriel’s Bay novels made the Nielsen top 10 charts. But the series, about a small town full of hard cases, very nearly didn’t happen. She rips back the veil. I wrote Gabriel’s Bay because I was on thin ice with my publisher ...5 hours ago
- Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – May 6 2021
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Parliament’s Speaker Trevor Mallard Henry Cooke (Stuff): National v Mallard: That atrocious late-night debate is ...6 hours ago - The Future Is MāoriWith Māori values becoming an increasingly integral part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s society, the future of our economy is Māori, and it is bright, Reserve Bank Assistant Governor Christian Hawkesby says. Mr Hawkesby was speaking on a panel at the Institute ...6 hours ago
- NZ To Follow Biden Decision To Back WTO Waiver For A People’s VaccineIt’s Our Future* welcomes a tweet by Trade Minister Damien O’Connor noting support for the proposal of a WTO waiver for Covid vaccines, having initially sat on the sidelines. This follows the decision by the Biden administration to back the WTO ...6 hours ago
- Mother: “Why Is Labour Harming My Child?”Video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/COeX04Fj-Xc/?igshid=13wg6ospiv38m "I don't understand how the government can be so cruel" says mother of two Katy Thomas, "they are sitting by on an issue that is more urgent than ever. They are definitely ...6 hours ago
- Dunne Speaks: Mallard Has To Go...6 hours ago
- 54% Brits Say Jacinda Ardern Most Successful Pandemic Leader...6 hours ago
- The brilliant and perverse absurdity of Labour’s austerity budget of 2021By freezing most state sector wages, cutting $926m of Covid spending plans and strangling transport projects, Labour is pivoting to budget austerity and public debt reduction too soon after a crisis, argues Bernard Hickey. This story was originally published in Bernard Hickey’s email newsletter The Kākā and is republished with permission.The Labour ...7 hours ago
- Why we should take a women-centred approach to diagnosing and treating iron deficiencySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claire Badenhorst, Lecturer at Massey University, Massey University Iron deficiency is a common nutritional disorder worldwide, and pre-menopausal women are most at risk of being diagnosed with it. New Zealand’s most recent nutritional survey (from 2008/09) shows 12% of women may suffer ...7 hours ago
- A cave site in Kenya’s forests reveals the oldest human burial in AfricaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Crowther, Senior Lecture in Archaeology, The University of Queensland Africa is often referred to as the cradle of humankind – the birthplace of our species, Homo sapiens. There is evidence of the development of early symbolic behaviours such as pigment use ...7 hours ago
- ‘See What You Made Me Do’ will change the way we think about domestic violence. Here’s what ne...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Associate Professor, Criminology and Justice Studies, RMIT University It may be a familiar statistic, but it is still shocking and unacceptable. In Australia, almost every week a woman dies at the hands of her partner or ex-partner. In a much-anticipated ...7 hours ago
- ‘Fit for service’: Why the ADF needs to move with society to retain the public trustSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Damian Powell, Historian and Principal, Janet Clarke Hall, The University of Melbourne The Australian Defence Force has faced a reckoning in the past few months. First came the shocking Brereton report exposing alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan. Then, in recent weeks, ...7 hours ago
- Here’s why the planned NDIS reforms discriminate against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peo...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Gilroy, ARC Research Fellow in Indigenous Health, Disability and Community Development, University of Sydney The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is one of the greatest human services reform in Australia’s history, and holds great promise in improving the lives of hundreds ...7 hours ago
- Australia’s states are forging ahead with ambitious emissions reductions. Imagine if they worked t...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Nelson, Associate Professor of Economics, Griffith University The NSW transport minister said this week that rolling out a distance-based tax on electric car owners (as the state treasurer flagged) would make them the “laughing stock of the world”. Instead, he proposed ...7 hours ago
- Is your kid studying a second language at school? How much they learn will depend on where you liveSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mairin Hennebry-Leung, Lecturer in Languages and TESOL, University of Tasmania People learn a second language for many reasons, including work, to better understand the world, an interest in the culture of the language itself, and love. Learning a language has many benefits. ...7 hours ago
- A Belgian farmer moved a rock and accidentally annexed France: the weird and wonderful history of ma...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Imogen Wegman, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania This week, a farmer in the Belgian town of Erquelinnes caused an international ruckus when he moved a stone standing in his tractor’s path. This stone marked the boundary between Belgium and France. By ...7 hours ago
- Live updates, May 6: Wellington students challenge MPs over funding after classroom closuresWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for May 6, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz 8.05am: Hutt Valley High students challenge MPs over funding after classroom closures Students at Wellington’s Hutt Valley High School are outside parliament today, protesting the loss of ...7 hours ago
- No ‘crime against nature’ here: Why my critics are wrong about Western SpringsLast week The Spinoff published an opinion column harshly criticising Auckland Council’s decision to fell a stand of trees at Western Springs in central Auckland. Here, Auckland councillor Pippa Coom responds.I’m currently reading my way through the almost 20,000 pieces of feedback received on the Recovery Budget, Auckland Council’s 10-year ...8 hours ago
- Small businesses report strong sales for March
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Small businesses reported a spike in sales in March, leading to higher wages and more jobs. Accounting software firm Xero's new small business index rose sharply in March, up 17 points to 122. A reading above 100 suggests ...8 hours ago - Government lays out 10-year plan for rail investmentThe government has announced freight rail will now be funded from the same pot as roads. ...8 hours ago
- Where will New Zealand stand in rising tensions between China and other allies?Close trans-Tasman friend and ally Australia is taking a more aggressive stance against China - with South China Sea and Taiwan potential flashpoints. Where will New Zealand stand? ...8 hours ago
- The Bulletin: Shock and anger at public sector pay freezeGood morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Shock and anger at public sector pay freeze, Ardern reprimands but doesn’t sack speaker Mallard, and unemployment rate stays persistently low.It’s not often governments make the decisions that are genuinely surprising to observers, but what happened yesterday might come close. Finance ...8 hours ago
- Six Months Of Government Inaction“Today marks six months since Ministers in the 53rd Parliament were sworn in and they have very little to show it,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “To date, just 4.8 percent of the population has been vaccinated. Jacinda Ardern’s Government ...10 hours ago
- Inequality an accident waiting to happen for children
Researchers are calling on the Government to take action after uncovering an alarming connection between childhood safety and social disadvantage Child poverty adds insult to injury, a recent study reveals. Researchers are calling for a strategy from the Government to ensure the safety of young children after analysis of Growing Up in ...10 hours ago - Book of the Week: Helen Kelly, Prime Minister
Finlay Macdonald reviews a new biography of Helen Kelly Helen Kelly was born in 1964, putting her right at the tip of the baby boomer tail. Generational labels are tiresome, particularly the way they’re now deployed in the proxy class warfare of housing affordability. But at least it helps ...10 hours ago - The Silver Fern shooting star equally loved and feared
Funny, fierce, generous, tenacious and one of the best netballers New Zealand has produced. The tributes haven't stopped for Margaret Forsyth, who died aged 59 this week. Margaret Forsyth, the kind of netballer others tried and failed to beat with tricks, will be remembered as one of the greatest goal attacks ...10 hours ago - Virtual victory gives Kiwi Ironwoman a crack at Kona
After recovering from burn-out, Kiwi triathlete Vanessa Murray is returning for a second shot at the giant of Ironman events in Kona, having won an on-line challenge. Vanessa Murray’s first full-distance Ironman was at the biggest event of them all, the Ironman world championships in Kona, Hawaii, eight years ago. It was a ...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 6 May
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...10 hours ago - Rabbits: A town over-run
A small South Island town is under siege from a plague of rabbits that has taken up residence over the entire area The seaside village of Mōeraki in North Otago paints a pretty picture from a distance but up close, under the buildings, on the hills and along roadsides, things quickly get less ...10 hours ago - Newsroom daily crossword, Thursday 6 May
...10 hours ago - Newsroom's daily sudoku, Thursday 6 May
...10 hours ago - How Biden’s quiet radicalism may embolden New Zealand’s political leftThe candidate who was dismissed by many as the ultimate Democrat centrist seems set on making his presidency the most ambitiously left-wing since Roosevelt’s. Many in the Beehive will be taking notice, writes BusinessDesk’s Pattrick Smellie. So much for “Sleepy Joe”.As his first 100 days of leadership slide by, 78-year-old Joe ...11 hours ago
- The poor treatment of sexual violence victims in court runs deep in our historyA proposed new law has highlighted the often distressing experiences of women in New Zealand courtrooms. Change is well overdue, as Elizabeth Bowyer explains. Over the past 18 months, as the sexual violence legislation bill has been making its way through Aotearoa’s parliamentary processes, heightened attention has been paid to the ...11 hours ago
- Pressure mounts against internet censorship
Even the Chief Censor spoke out against a proposal that would empower the Government to censor the internet with little oversight. ...11 hours ago - A very mediocre podcast
Celebrate being average. After all, it's not terrible. Aucklander Paul Catmur runs an advertising agency, and no one in the world of advertising would ever be caught admitting to be being average. Except Catmur is very aware of his own shortcomings, and is making them work for him. Mediocrity ...11 hours ago - Pressure mounts against censoring internet without human rights protectionsEven Chief Censor speaks out against empowering government to censor the internet with little human rights oversight ...11 hours ago
- Parliament's Xinjiang motion a significant step up – but what next?
No references to genocide, but unanimous concern about Uyghurs is still major. ...11 hours ago - When the Government knows best
It won't be the detail of this month's Budget that will show the Government's colours as much as the document's big theme of centralising decision-making and control, writes columnist Peter Dunne ...11 hours ago - One country, two faces policy: How NZ businesses deal with China
With trade exceeding $31bn, businesses says they're taking realistic approaches to dealing with China – not just idealistic ...11 hours ago - US return to Trans-Pacific trade deal would open large can of worms for NZ
If the US decides to reactivate the original trade deal, would there be another groundswell of opposition? You betcha. ...11 hours ago - Upgrades for myGov and My Health Record sites in budget’s $1.2 billion digital strategySource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra More than $500 million of a $1.2 billion digital economy strategy in Tuesday’s budget will be spent on overhauling the federal government’s myGov and My Health Record sites. The initiatives, to be announced by Scott ...15 hours ago
- Wenda warns over massive ‘demon troops’ military crackdown in PapuaAsia Pacific Report newsdesk Indonesia is unleashing a massive military crackdown in West Papua with the use of “demon troops” and spurning human rights, warns a Papuan leader. Benny Wenda, interim president of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP), said in a statement today that cutting off the ...16 hours ago
- More twists in Samoa election saga, with more court action likelyRNZ Pacific The decision by Samoa’s head of state to call a second election will be challenged in the courts, as the country’s month-long political stalemate descends into legal quagmire. Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II on Tuesday announced he would revoke the results of the general election held on April 9, ...16 hours ago
- Pacific journos call on governments to uphold public right to informationBy Geraldine Panapasa in Suva Information as a public good is a powerful theme for this year’s World Press Freedom Day and serves as a reminder to Pacific Island governments that the public have a right to information that affects their lives, says a Fiji-based media educator. Associate Professor Shailendra ...16 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: what should the budget do for women? Jennifer Westacott (BCA) and Mi...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra What do business and union leaders believe should be in a budget that is designed in part to pitch to women? Jennifer Westacott, CEO of the Business Council of Australia, says as well as spending ...19 hours ago
- Sports concussions affect men and women differently. Female athletes need more attention in brain re...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shreya Mcleod, PhD candidate in sport-related concussion, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle News emerged last week that AFLW player Jacinda Barclay, who died last year at age 29 following a short period of mental illness, had abnormalities in ...20 hours ago
- Sport concussion in women: are they increasing, and are there long-term cumulative effects?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shreya Mcleod, PhD candidate in sport-related concussion, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle News emerged last week that AFLW player Jacinda Barclay, who died last year at age 29 following a short period of mental illness, had abnormalities in ...20 hours ago
- Mallard’s expensive allegation and an extraordinary night in parliamentSpeaker Trevor Mallard said he was standing up for a victim of sexual violence. The opposition said he’s a bully who wasted over $300,000. The prime minister just shook her head at the whole circus. Justin Giovannetti on an emotional night in parliament, and what happens next.The furore that erupted ...20 hours ago
- NFTs hit the big league, but not everyone will win from this new sports crazeSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Karg, Associate Professor, Business School, Swinburne University of Technology Some buy sporting memorabilia for love. Others for money. The world record for most money paid for a sports-related item goes to the original Olympic manifesto written in 1892 by International Olympic ...20 hours ago
- PM's failed bid to rein-in Trevor Mallard
Comment: Senior members of the government tried to avoid the hysterical scenes that played out in Parliament on Tuesday night. Instead of heeding their advice, Speaker Trevor Mallard lost control of his emotions, writes political editor Jo Moir. After a select committee appearance late last year where Trevor Mallard was interrogated ...20 hours ago - ‘Famously fed up’. How the work of feminist writer Kate Jennings changed AustraliaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Moore, Professor of English, UNSW Any social movement needs inspiration. It needs people who can imagine a different future and, more than that, make that future graspable. Kate Jennings did that for the Australian women’s movement — with her incandescent anger, ...21 hours ago
- NSW deputy premier threatens to sue FriendlyJordies, reminding us that parody hits in a way traditio...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Glitsos, Lecturer in Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro is reportedly threatening legal action against YouTuber and political satirist Jordan Shanks, better known as friendlyjordies, over allegedly defamatory and “racist” comments. Shanks’s parodying of ...21 hours ago
- Parliament's Xinjiang debate: the speeches in full
On Wednesday, Parliament unanimously noted its concern about "severe human rights abuses taking place against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities" in China's Xinjiang province. The full speeches from the parliamentary debate are reproduced below: Brooke van Velden, ACT Party: Mr Speaker, I move that this House is gravely concerned ...22 hours ago - Uyghur Muslims: Parliament unanimously urges action, stops short of 'genocide' declarationParliament has unanimously called for action to prevent severe human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, in a motion that stopped short of calling those abuses genocide. ...23 hours ago
- Parliament declares 'grave concern' over Xinjiang human rights abuses
New Zealand's 'grave concern' at the mass detention and treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China is now on the parliamentary record, in a move likely to involve some form of retaliation from Beijing Parliament has unanimously declared its grave concern about “severe human rights abuses” in China’s Xinjiang province, after ...23 hours ago - The first step to curbing COVID vaccine misinformation is finding out who is most vulnerable. Our re...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stan Karanasios, Associate professor, The University of Queensland The success of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout will depend on everyone’s willingness to receive it. But experts have warned vaccine misinformation online puts Australia’s communities at risk, and some more than others. Often, misinformation ...23 hours ago
- Fox scents are so potent they can force a building evacuation. Understanding them may save our wildl...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stuart McLean, Professor Emeritus, University of Tasmania Foxes, like other animals, use scent to communicate and survive. They urinate to leave their mark, depositing a complex mix of chemicals to send messages to other foxes. Research by myself and colleagues has uncovered ...23 hours ago
- Popstars is good now, actuallyAfter a faltering start, Popstars is now the show that the audience deserves, writes Sam Brooks.Look, I stand by every word of my initial Popstars review. Based on the first week of episodes, we were looking down the barrel of nearly two months of drama-free reality TV that felt like ...24 hours ago
- Scheduled LIVE: Buchanan and Manning on Microlateralism – Is This How New Zealand Becomes Relevant...A View from Afar (midday, Thursdays NZST): In this week’s podcast Selwyn Manning and Paul Buchanan will debate: Recently New Zealand Government confirmed its intention to be defined as an independent Pacific Island state, where its foreign policy should be considered against the collective values that its peoples share, ...24 hours ago
- COHA Denounces Brutal Repression by Security Forces in ColombiaSource: Council on Hemispheric Affairs – Analysis-Reportage By COHA Editorial Board From Washington DC The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) denounces the systematic violations of human rights perpetrated by the security forces of the government of Colombia. The government of President Iván Duque has deployed special units ...24 hours ago
- Male voices dominate the news. Here’s how journalists and female experts can turn this aroundSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Shine, Journalism Discipline Lead, Curtin University Last week, the ABC announced it had achieved a milestone it had been trying to reach for more than two years. For the first time, in the previous month of March, it had equal numbers ...24 hours ago
- Parliament debates Uyghur human rights motionThe wording of ACT's parliamentary motion was changed for a second time ahead of this afternoon's debate on China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims, which is now taking place. ...1 day ago
- Public Service Pay Freeze And Unacceptable “bombshell” – Police AssociationThe government’s "bombshell" announcement of a three-year public sector wage freeze was dropped at the very moment the Police Association sat down with Police to begin negotiations on the 2021 payround. Association President Chris Cahill says ...1 day ago
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