It’s been a really tough year for a lot of people under this bloody awful government, so well done to all the authors and commenters* here who keep pushing for a better, fairer NZ.
A special Christmas greeting to Lynn the Grinch đ for your tireless work keeping the site running and keeping this a safe place to speak where people know their privacy is respected.
*To all those who read the site but don’t comment, you also play a big part in making the site one of the most popular, and increasingly one of the more influential beyond the blogosphere. Don’t be afraid to add your voice to the mix either.
To all those who read the site but donât comment, you also play a big part in making the site one of the most popular, and increasingly one of the more influential beyond the blogosphere. Donât be afraid to add your voice to the mix either.
That’s me for the most part. Even though I rarely posted before, and haven’t since leaving New Zealand this past July (currently in the US and will be in Southeast Asia next week to start a new job), I still check in daily to read one of New Zealand’s finer political blogs.
Yep. Conservatives across the world are busy pushing neo liberal propaganda. Left blogs play an important role, as the MSM bash Labour and the Greens daily. It is nice to have something like the Standard to read, kudos to the Standard and commentators for keeping things positive. đ
Merry Christmas, Frohe Weinacht and thank you moderators, techos (looking at you, Lynn), post authors, and commenters on The Standard. It’s been a treat and an education.
All the very best over the holidays and in the new year.
A big ups on this day to all those who will spend their day giving those less fortunate a Christmas day, i havn’t been able to celebrate Christmas for so many years i’ve lost count,
There’s a couple of reasons why it’s a non-starter in my world, the first being my rebellious nature just doesn’t allow me to be told by ‘them’ when,what, and how to celebrate ‘anything’, the other reason of course is that i refuse to take part in an exercise that has been specifically designed to remove from me copious amounts of money when i have always lived under the strains of a tight budget,
My Christmas ‘wish’, both Slippery the Prime Minister and Dave Shearer went into the Christmas break saying that next year, 2013, was going to be all about ’employment’, the wish is just for once that they both come back to the Parliament and openly admit that the economic system we labor under does not and can never deliver anything near full employment for all those who are able to and seek work,
Only when ‘our leaders’ stop bullshitting us about employment can there be some form of intelligent discussion where the ‘punishment’ of those who cannot find work stops….
The Standard has become my wee corner on the net because of Lynn Prentice, and a whole group of people I’ve come to admire and respect for their experience and knowledge. Over the years we’ve had a huge number of people contribute, many of whom have passed on to other things …. but a handful such as Irish, zetetic, Eddie and felix have pretty much been with us all the way.
The current group of authors, James Henderson, r0b, karol, QoT, Bill, yourself and others are carrying the torch forward with fabulous energy and commitment. I’d write more often, but frankly I spend enough time moderating as it is, and not being on the inside loop of the political system I tend to only post when I feel I have something I really want to say. I’m humbled by the sheer effort and capability you guys bring and I’m always learning from you.
And to the commenters who breath life into this place. While I love to moan about the sheer number to trawl through each day … I also love reading you all. There’s a real heart and spirit you bring.
And to all of you who read us but never comment; yes I understand. Sometimes the threads must seem like a bit of a cliquey shark-pool to the uninitiated. It takes time to find your voice; but it’s the flak and crap that you have to wade through which refines and sharpens your thinking.
Nothing would delight me more than to have to wade through 1000 comments a day. We’ve become a bit of a tribe. A very loose, nomadic one … but loud, energetic and fun.
Whatever happens in 2013 I’d love for you to all remember these two things:
1. It’s about values. What is important to you? What is important to the other person?
2. It’s about people. We’re all different and while we put boundaries around behaviour, it is our diversity which is our strength and source of inspiration.
And I Ă m really happy with having other people moderating, especially since I only seem to write posts when I am irritated. While I mix it in with work, mostly while compiling after header changes or updating target hardware, there are getting to be too many comments. I’m sure we have already had days with more than a thousand comments.
There have been days when I only get to read comments before work, and after I crawl home after an 11 hour day. But on those days I mostly just read what other moderators did with their varying styles. It works pretty well having a number of people with a little time to spare to read and modate the comments stream… And we never have to organize it – it just happens….
To all those at The Standard you are the church bells of the 21st C.
Snoopy’s Christmas
The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights
And reached for the trigger to pull it up tight.
Why he never fired
Will we never know?
Or was it the bells from the village below
Why the elites fear the internet.
Although fictitious, the song recalls a historical event. During World War I, in 1914, “The Christmas Truce” was initiated not by German and British commanders, but by the soldiers themselves.[2] The length of the cease-fire varied by location, and was reported to have been as brief as Christmas Day or as long as the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Trench-bound combatants exchanged small gifts across the lines, with Germans giving beer to the British, who sent tobacco and tinned meat back in return. No Man’s Land was cleared of dead bodies, trenches were repaired and drained, and troops from both sides shared pictures of their families and, in some places, used No Man’s Land for friendly games of football.[3] The song even has the initiator correct as it was generally the German soldiers who called over to the British and initiated the truce and, in the song, it is the Red Baronâa German WWI heroâwho extends the hand of Christmas friendship to Snoopy.
“Snoopy’s Christmas” reached the #1 position in the New Zealand pop charts in 1967, and remains a popular Christmas song in that country.*
Wikipedia
Before the internet there was only one borderless means of communication heard by all and that couldn’t be censored.
Christmas truces 1914, 1915, 1916
Richard Schirrmann, who was in a German regiment holding a position on the Bernhardstein, one of the mountains of the Vosges, wrote an account of events in December 1915: “When the Christmas bells sounded in the villages of the Vosges behind the lines ….. something fantastically unmilitary occurred. German and French troops spontaneously made peace and ceased hostilities; they visited each other through disused trench tunnels, and exchanged wine, cognac and cigarettes for Westphalian black bread, biscuits and ham. This suited them so well that they remained good friends even after Christmas was over.” He was separated from the French troops by a narrow No Man’s Land and described the landscape as: “Strewn with shattered trees, the ground ploughed up by shellfire, a wilderness of earth, tree-roots and tattered uniforms.” Military discipline was soon restored, but Schirrmann pondered over the incident, and whether “thoughtful young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other.”.
Christmas bells, those Christmas bells ringing through the land.
While the church bells were spreading their message of peace and goodwill, heard across the front line, giving soldiers the courage to defy their officers, the mainstream media were playing their usual role.
The events of the truce were not reported for a week, in an unofficial press embargo which was eventually broken by the New York Times on 31 December. The British papers quickly followed, printing numerous first-hand accounts from soldiers in the field, taken from letters home to their families, and editorials on “one of the greatest surprises of a surprising war”. By 8 January pictures had made their way to the press, and both the Mirror and Sketch printed front-page photographs of British and German troops mingling and singing between the lines. The tone of the reporting was strongly positive, with the Times endorsing the “lack of malice” felt by both sides and the Mirror regretting that the “absurdity and the tragedy” would begin again.
Coverage in Germany was more muted, with some newspapers strongly criticising those who had taken part, and no pictures published. In France, meanwhile, the greater level of press censorship ensured that the only word that spread of the truce came from soldiers at the front or first-hand accounts told by wounded men in hospitals.[21] The press was eventually forced to respond to the growing rumours by reprinting a government notice that fraternising with the enemy constituted treason, and in early January an official statement on the truce was published, claiming it had happened on restricted sectors of the British front, and amounted to little more than an exchange of songs which quickly degenerated into shooting
Now just imagine if there had been an internet in 1914
*That “Snoopy’s Christmas” reached the #1 position in the New Zealand pop charts in 1967, and still remains popular is not an accident.
This was at the height of the Vietnam war, when New Zealand politicians, following Australia’s example were contemplating bringing in conscription. It was also at a time when pirate radio was taking off, breaking through the MSM monopoly control of the airwaves was able to give “Snoopy’s Christmas” message of peace, the airtime denied it in other countries.
It’s always been one of my favourites despite the fact that many people seem to loathe it (inexplicably).
If you want an interesting read on the same topic, try a chapter in Robert Axelrod’s famous book ‘The Evolution of Cooperation’. As a political scientist, one of the examples he looked at was the ‘outbreak of peace’ between the troops in WWI. He analysed it in terms of the conditions that allowed cooperation to occur. He also noted how the ‘High Command’ recognised the subversive nature of the cooperation and eventually twigged to how to undermine it – by altering one of the important conditions for cooperation to emerge amongst humans.
Merry XMas to the Standard, it’s captains, it’s crew and all who sail in her. The Standard has been a mainstay for me, a supportive community in a time of political nastiness. Shipley made me depressed, Key makes me angry but not depressed and that is mainly due to the balancing haven that the Standard represents. Thank you.
To all the Standardistas and all the commentators a happy Festivus and may all of you be there next year to spar with and annoy the shit out off. Peace out!
Happy Christmas Standardistas and to all who have contributed ever since those long ago kiwiblogblog days, especially Lynn, r0b, the Bills and all other fearless and generous commenters and posters since Robinsod, and thank God too for the courageous Tapu Misa (linky thing below, read her and weep), John and Gordon Campbell, Chris Trotter and the Hickeys, Orams et al who dare to put others before themselves and carry on the unstoppable two millenia legacy of Progression whose birth we celebrate today. The point is tipping, brothers and sisters, peace and strength to you all.
I rarely comment as others at the Standard do a far better job than me discussing the reality of life for most of us in NZ under the Key /Nact government. But the Standard is an important part of my day and my political understanding would be lost in a sea of public relations propaganda without my daily dose of the country’s best blog. Compliments of the season to everyone.
Big ups to all who keep The Standard functioning – you guys are awsome! The next 2 years will see this shitty neo liberal government in its death throes, but the challenge for the Left will be to present to voters,cohereht Social Democratic policies focusing on full employment, poverty elimination, social justice, equality of opportunity & environmental enhancement.
Let’s never forget that the first Labour Government, coming out of the 1930’s Deopression & heading into WW2, had abolished entrenched poverty within 7 years of gaining office – if we did it once, we can do it again.
Yes a mighty big merry christmas to all. I am trying to waste less time with you lot but its pretty hard to ignore when things pop up and go astray or our elected reps run amok in all sorts of naughty ways.
i have turned over yet another leaf; clean for the first time in a wee willie winkie while.
(so i will not be forgetting this birthday, and look forward to spending my prudent resources on some Real Serious political commentary and satire in the new year)
-Rock On (Machine) and i liked your comment ak(79?)
Merry Christmas from James the Hebe đ Turn The Page-Metallica
So where does debt come from if it isnât naturally a part of human societies? Again it is the imposition of scarcity by the ruling class â designed to extract and hoard wealth in the hands of a powerful elite â that creates the notion of debt. Does this sound familiar in todayâs context? Many countries were âmodernizedâ throughout the 20th Century by introducing market systems that structure debt into the economies of newly founded nations. These nations now must pay tributes â in the form of interest payments â to external banks that extract wealth from the poor countries and hoard it in the coffers of wealthy countries.
It’s worth remembering that almost all the problems we have are man-made. Therefore they can be unmade.
Kia ora have a great kiwi christmas best wishes for 2013. May it hold better things for all people not just the 1%.
Ma Ihowa koe e manaaki, mana koe e tiaki.
Merry Xmas and wishing you all happy times. Thanks to each and every one of you for making The Standard the great blog that it is. I read daily and appreciate the time, effort and thought that goes into making it such a treasure.
Ah yes. The bottom of the South Island certainly got the most summery weather yesterday.
However, Auckland, after a gloomy start to the day, turned out not so bad in the end. Not very summery, but it was fine, warm and humid. I enjoyed a bit of a walk along a beach in the East Coast Bays, in a refreshing and bracing wind – kind of like this NZH author recommended:
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-rightâs plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
Holding On To The Present:The moment a political movement arises that attacks the whole idea of social progress, and announces its intention to wind back the hands of Historyâs clock, then democracy, along with its unwritten rules, is in mortal danger.ITâS A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in ...
Stuck In The Middle With You:As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Actâs and NZ Firstâs extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country heâs described as âfragileâ, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of MÄori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
Buzz  from the Beehive The governmentâs official website â which Point of Order monitors daily â not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example. This shows National down ...
It Takes A Train To Cry:Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winterâs night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfatherâs house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of MÄori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary â including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal â that its ...
Dead Woman Walking: New Zealandâs media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been Nationalâs media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but heâs not ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Keyâs flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMPâs five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as âits largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliffâ. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. Itâs important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the countryâs leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that âcorruptâ the nationâs ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
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 in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. Itâs important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that âthe first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.â When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECDâs second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commissionâs 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the governmentâs official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:Â we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition  NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamarikiâs statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. âThere are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a âfirst strikeâ (that is, a âstage-1 convictionâ under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a âsecond strikeâ. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesnât normally happen in politics. Thatâs refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to âsaveâ the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Governmentâs official website – arrived in Point of Orderâs email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive  Melissa Lee â as may be discerned from the screenshot above â has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Governmentâs focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes –Â Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu â often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
This afternoonâs interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour childrenâs spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te PÄti MÄori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veteransâ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veteransâ affairs spokesperson Greg OâConnor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxonâs management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonightâs court decision to overturn the summons of the Childrenâs Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about MÄori without evidence, says Te PÄti MÄori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. âThe judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last yearâs severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labourâs environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our countryâs most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a âget out of jail freeâ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te PÄti MÄori Justice Spokesperson, TÄkuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, MÄori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. âThis act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.â Said Te PÄti MÄori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mĆ TÄmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with MÄori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
People with an interest in the health of Northlandâs marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. âThis is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the countryâs total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ć-RÄkau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mĆ Ć-RÄkau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ć-RÄkau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Governmentâs plan to supercharge New Zealandâs EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four â and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Governmentâs plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âI have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People â Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Governmentâs plan to restore law and order. âSpeaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). âNew Zealandâs goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. âIâm putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure âone stop shopâ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. âThe NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
WhÄnau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. âGiving these whÄnau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Governmentâs goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave OâSullivan (OBE). âOur sympathies are with the OâSullivan family with the sad news of Dave OâSullivanâs recent passing,â Mr Peters says. âHis contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmacâs largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.  âAccess to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwisâ lives. Weâve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,â says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. âWe know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,â Dr Reti says. âEvery day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikoheâs new $14.7 million sports complex. âThe completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,â Mr Jones says. âThis facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Petersâ engagements in TĂŒrkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.  âReturning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,â Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen â good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood â a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - Â It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Â Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Â Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. âOur Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealandâs hydrogen future, with the opening of the countryâs first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. âI want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealandâs own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealandâs energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. âThe report shows that New Zealandâs emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,â Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where heâll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Governmentâs work to restore law and order. âAttending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the worldâs largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. âThe reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealandâs wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin  NgÄ mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho  Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today.  I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. âOur Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealandâs overseas missions.  âOur diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealandâs interests around the world,â Mr Peters says.  âI am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. Â âOver 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. âIt is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. âOur coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
âChina remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,â Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says.  Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Douglas, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation., UNSW Sydney The history of budget jet airlines in Australia is a long road littered with broken dreams. New entrants have consistently struggled to get a foothold. Low-cost carrier Bonza has just become the industryâs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosalind Dixon, Director, Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, UNSW Sydney Australia is finally having a sustained conversation about violence against women and what we can do about it. It is more than time. Australian women and girls continue to experience ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne stockfour/Shutterstock Preliminary bulk billing data released this week shows a 2.1% rise in bulk billing up to March. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Schulz, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide Australia is once again grappling with how we can stop gendered violence in our country. Protests over the weekend show there is enormous community anger over the number of women who are dying and National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University AnastasiaDudka/Shutterstock What if the government was doing everything it could to stop thieves making off with our money, except the one thing that could really work? Thatâs how it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Erin Harrington, Senior Lecturer in English and Cultural Studies, University of Canterbury The Conversation It seems to be a time of old favourites. This month our experts have recommended two new seasons â the second season of Alone Australia (although ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland A bright Eta Aquariid meteor photobombed this photo of comet C/2020 F8 (SWAN) in May 2020.Jonti Horner Meteors â commonly known as shooting stars â can be seen on any night of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Flannery, Honorary fellow, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock Current concentrations of carbon dioxide (COâ) in Earthâs atmosphere are unprecedented in human history. But COâ levels today, and those that might occur in coming decades, did occur millions of years ago. ...
Winston Peters has been keen to dismiss speculation on our involvement in Aukus but will give a speech tonight on the direction of our foreign policy, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Usmar, Lecturer in Critical Media Literacies, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images With the coalition governmentâs ban of student mobile phones in New Zealand schools coming into effect this week, reaction has ranged from the sceptical (kids will just get ...
A new report on protecting journalism and democracy in New Zealand recommends a levy be charged on global platforms like Facebook and Google to fund media firms undertaking public interest reporting. It also calls for the reinstatement of a powerful Broadcasting Commission to distribute public funding for journalism and other ...
On International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi and the wider union movement are celebrating the proud history of the labour movement during a tough time for working people. ...
From bills to beards, a walk through the former Green co-leaderâs time in politics. After close to a decade in politics, James Shaw is preparing to bid farewell to parliament. Tonight will see the former minister deliver his valedictory address, certain to be a speech filled with Shawâs trademark wit ...
Two months ago, MPs unanimously voted to give themselves a week off in Efeso Collinsâ honour. On Tuesday, most were too busy to give even an hour of their time. The day FaâanÄnÄ Efeso Collins died, parliament felt different. In a building that operates at a breakneck pace, everyone stopped ...
Indiaâs election involves hundreds of millions of people and is a months-long affair. Hereâs how voting works and whatâs at stake.The biggest-ever election in world history started on April 19, with more than 10% of the worldâs population eligible to vote. Elections in India, the worldâs most populous country ...
After the Christchurch earthquake, the then-national civil defence boss compared his experience to “putting a team on the rugby field who have never ever played together before”. Now, eight years later â and following a damning inquiry into the emergency response of cyclones Gabrielle, Hale and the Auckland anniversary weekend floods â ...
“I had just come off the end of a major robbery case which I had been working on for six months when I got a call on the afternoon of September 1, 1992, that some remains had been found at a building site in Devonport, so I drove over with ...
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Comment: Journalists are very good at telling other peopleâs stories, but they fall well short when writing about their own profession. Perhaps that is why it is so undervalued. Every successive poll on the publicâs attitude toward journalism is more alarming than the last. In the last month we have ...
Opinion: A young MÄori woman and her Pacific partner arrive at their local hospital by ambulance. She has gone into labour at just under 24 weeks, but the couple havenât recognised the symptoms â and donât know the risks of premature birth for their baby. By the time they arrive, ...
Behind closed doors, NZ First will be arguing fiercely against any watering down of the ministerial decision-making powers in the Bill The post Bishop backtracks after fast-track backlash appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Emotional scenes played out in the Invercargill courthouse on the first two days of the coronial inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones, in which the boyâs mother was accused of disposing of her sonâs body. The second season of Newsroomâs award-nominated podcast The Boy in the Water ...
Opinion: The impression from the carpark is very inviting. The area is well fenced but barred so there is easy visibility of loved ones. Inside, the spaces are welcoming and clean and staff are friendly and clearly comfortable. I am greeted by âKimâ. She has worked here for three years, ...
Asia Pacific Report A Pacific civil society alliance has condemned French neocolonial policies in Kanaky New Caledonia, saying Paris is set on âmaintaining the status quoâ and denying the indigenous Kanak people their inalienable right to self-determination. The Pacific Regional Non-Governmental Organisations (PRNGOs) Alliance, representing some 15 groups, said in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Foreign investment proposals with implications for Australiaâs strategic or economic security will face tougher scrutiny, under a policy overhaul to be announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Wednesday. At the same time, the government ...
A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry report has warned government that a repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act could cause harm to children in care. ...
The Treasury has published today three new papers covering government consumption multipliers, automatic stabilisers and the impacts of global shocks on New Zealandâs economy. ...
Asia Pacific Report The Pacific state of Hawaiâiâs House of Representatives has joined the stateâs Senate in calling for a ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza, becoming the first state to pass such a resolution, reports Hawaii News Now. In March, the Senate passed a ceasefire resolution with a 24â1 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ferrie, A/Prof, UTS Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research and ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Technology Sydney PsiQuantum The Australian government has announced a pledge of approximately A$940 million (US$617 million) to PsiQuantum, a quantum computing start-up company based in Silicon Valley. Half ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, University of South Australia Cameron Prins/Shutterstock If you spend a lot of time exploring fitness content online, you might have come across the concept of heart rate zones. Heart rate zone training has become more ...
SPECIAL REPORT:By Eugene Doyle He is the most popular Palestinian leader alive today â and yet few people in the West even know his name. Absolutely no one in Gaza or the West Bank does not know him. That difference speaks volumes about who dominates the media narrative that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will McCallum, PhD Candidate – School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University Earlier this year, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of not supporting Operation Sovereign Borders â the military-led border security operation that has âclosed Australiaâs borders ...
By Melyne Baroi in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinea MP, Peter Isoaimo, who had been ousted by the National Court in an alleged bribery case, has been reinstated by the Supreme Court on appeal. A three-member Supreme Court bench found that the National Court had erred in finding that ...
Publisher Chris Holdaway reflects on the unique project of collecting the work of the late, terrific poet Schaeffer Lemalu. One of the nice things you can do as a truly independent publisher is to make the books that writers want to make, whatever they happen to be. Thatâs how Iâve ...
Those profiled in the stamp series served on overseas deployments from 1995 onwards, and all have been awarded theNew Zealand Operational Service Medal. ...
Last nightâs dismal poll result for the coalition government shows the limits of trying to govern as an opposition, argues Joel MacManus. Thereâs a quote from the American political activist Barbara Deming: âVengeance is not the point; change is. But the trouble is that in most peopleâs minds, the thought ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shireen Morris, Associate Professor and Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, Macquarie University Leonid Andronov/Shutterstock Foreign interference in Australian democracy poses a growing risk to our national sovereignty. It refers to coercive, corrupt or ...
A defendant charged by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining by deception in relation to a mortgage fraud scheme. Sentencing has been scheduled for 14 August 2024. ...
What to say when pesky journalists ask gotcha questions like âcan you name a single book youâve ever read?â and âdid you read it, or did you just see the movie?âThis week, Act Party arts spokesperson Todd Stephenson foolishly agreed to an interview with Newsroomâs Steve Braunias regarding his ...
Explainer - What will a ban on cellphones in schools achieve? Can students use them during lunch breaks? And what happens if you need to contact your child? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jodi Rowley, Curator, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, Australian Museum, UNSW Sydney Jodi Rowley, CC BY-NC-ND In winter 2021, Australiaâs frogs started dropping dead. People began posting images of dead frogs on social media. Unable to travel to investigate the deaths ...
In the year ended March 2024, 0.4 percent of home transfers were to people who didnât hold New Zealand citizenship or a resident visa, according to figures released by Stats NZ today. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wasay Majid, Research Assistant , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau New Zealandâs accommodation supplement scheme is facing scrutiny, with Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently saying âthere is merit in considering whether the current settings are fair and sustainable long-termâ. The ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor The first prime ministerial candidate has been announced in Solomon Islands and it is not Manasseh Sogavare. The man of the hour is Jeremiah Manele, the MP for Hograno/Kia/Havulei constituency in Isabel Province, who served as minister of foreign affairs in the last government. ...
Protesting the removal of bins by leaving piles of your dogâs shit for others to deal with doesnât make you a hero â itâs precious and entitled behaviour. You havenât truly lived until youâve stood on the shoreline of Aucklandâs Cheltenham beach, desperately trying to scoop increasingly liquid dog shit ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon will be alert to the factors driving the dire polling, but won't be waving the white flag just yet, RNZ political editor Jo Moir writes. ...
Writer, teacher and academic Vincent OâSullivan died on Sunday 28 April. Here we gather tributes from friends, colleagues, and students who remember his extraordinary contributions. I went down to the garage tonight. There was a bird shrieking out in the bush, in the dark, maybe a kÄkÄ. Miraculously, through the ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a burnt-out corporate escapee explains how she gets by âworking as little as possibleâ. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Female Age: 31 Ethnicity: PÄkehÄ Role: Contractor in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Schmidt, Professor of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney Albert Russ / Shutterstock The icebreaker of many a barbeque conversation is something like âwhat do you do for a crust?â âI teach chemistry at university,â is what we usually reply. Then silence. Our ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asher Flynn, Associate Professor of Criminology, Monash University Shutterstock Sexual harassment is often considered to be a person-to-person act, but new research shows Australians are also experiencing and perpetrating workplace harassment in large numbers through technology. Our latest study shows one ...
A petition signed by more than 16,500 people, demanding the government take stronger action to halt the genocide of Palestinians by the State of Israel, is being presented to the House of Representatives today by Hon Phil Twyford. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Burnett, Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University jenmartin/Shutterstock April has been a bad month for the Australian environment. The Great Barrier Reef was hit, yet again, by intense coral bleaching. And Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek delayed ...
Winston Peters might not give a âratâs derriereâ about last nightâs poll, but it revealed the unusual absence of a honeymoon period and little payoff for the governmentâs action plan approach, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
Merry Christmas all.
It’s been a really tough year for a lot of people under this bloody awful government, so well done to all the authors and commenters* here who keep pushing for a better, fairer NZ.
A special Christmas greeting to Lynn the Grinch đ for your tireless work keeping the site running and keeping this a safe place to speak where people know their privacy is respected.
*To all those who read the site but don’t comment, you also play a big part in making the site one of the most popular, and increasingly one of the more influential beyond the blogosphere. Don’t be afraid to add your voice to the mix either.
Peace out.
That’s me for the most part. Even though I rarely posted before, and haven’t since leaving New Zealand this past July (currently in the US and will be in Southeast Asia next week to start a new job), I still check in daily to read one of New Zealand’s finer political blogs.
Yep. Conservatives across the world are busy pushing neo liberal propaganda. Left blogs play an important role, as the MSM bash Labour and the Greens daily. It is nice to have something like the Standard to read, kudos to the Standard and commentators for keeping things positive. đ
Merry Christmas, Frohe Weinacht and thank you moderators, techos (looking at you, Lynn), post authors, and commenters on The Standard. It’s been a treat and an education.
All the very best over the holidays and in the new year.
A big ups on this day to all those who will spend their day giving those less fortunate a Christmas day, i havn’t been able to celebrate Christmas for so many years i’ve lost count,
There’s a couple of reasons why it’s a non-starter in my world, the first being my rebellious nature just doesn’t allow me to be told by ‘them’ when,what, and how to celebrate ‘anything’, the other reason of course is that i refuse to take part in an exercise that has been specifically designed to remove from me copious amounts of money when i have always lived under the strains of a tight budget,
My Christmas ‘wish’, both Slippery the Prime Minister and Dave Shearer went into the Christmas break saying that next year, 2013, was going to be all about ’employment’, the wish is just for once that they both come back to the Parliament and openly admit that the economic system we labor under does not and can never deliver anything near full employment for all those who are able to and seek work,
Only when ‘our leaders’ stop bullshitting us about employment can there be some form of intelligent discussion where the ‘punishment’ of those who cannot find work stops….
Well it’s a cracker day here, we’ll be getting the bbq fired up and knocking the tops off a few with a few friends.
I’d just like to thank the stadardista community for making this site what it is and invigorating the left in New Zealand.
I’d also like to thank everyone who has to work today for looking after the rest of us – it’s much appreciated.
Cheers IB.
One eye on The Standard, the other on the job.
The Standard has become my wee corner on the net because of Lynn Prentice, and a whole group of people I’ve come to admire and respect for their experience and knowledge. Over the years we’ve had a huge number of people contribute, many of whom have passed on to other things …. but a handful such as Irish, zetetic, Eddie and felix have pretty much been with us all the way.
The current group of authors, James Henderson, r0b, karol, QoT, Bill, yourself and others are carrying the torch forward with fabulous energy and commitment. I’d write more often, but frankly I spend enough time moderating as it is, and not being on the inside loop of the political system I tend to only post when I feel I have something I really want to say. I’m humbled by the sheer effort and capability you guys bring and I’m always learning from you.
And to the commenters who breath life into this place. While I love to moan about the sheer number to trawl through each day … I also love reading you all. There’s a real heart and spirit you bring.
And to all of you who read us but never comment; yes I understand. Sometimes the threads must seem like a bit of a cliquey shark-pool to the uninitiated. It takes time to find your voice; but it’s the flak and crap that you have to wade through which refines and sharpens your thinking.
Nothing would delight me more than to have to wade through 1000 comments a day. We’ve become a bit of a tribe. A very loose, nomadic one … but loud, energetic and fun.
Whatever happens in 2013 I’d love for you to all remember these two things:
1. It’s about values. What is important to you? What is important to the other person?
2. It’s about people. We’re all different and while we put boundaries around behaviour, it is our diversity which is our strength and source of inspiration.
Best wishes and love to you all.
RedLogix
And I Ă m really happy with having other people moderating, especially since I only seem to write posts when I am irritated. While I mix it in with work, mostly while compiling after header changes or updating target hardware, there are getting to be too many comments. I’m sure we have already had days with more than a thousand comments.
There have been days when I only get to read comments before work, and after I crawl home after an 11 hour day. But on those days I mostly just read what other moderators did with their varying styles. It works pretty well having a number of people with a little time to spare to read and modate the comments stream… And we never have to organize it – it just happens….
đ
And so say all of us! ave a good day everyone.
Thanks to Lynn for all the hard work and smarts in making this blog work. Thanks to all the commenters, the lurkers and all the other authors.
Murky weather here in Auckland, which is pretty normal for this time of year.
To all those at The Standard you are the church bells of the 21st C.
Snoopy’s Christmas
Why the elites fear the internet.
Before the internet there was only one borderless means of communication heard by all and that couldn’t be censored.
Christmas truces 1914, 1915, 1916
While the church bells were spreading their message of peace and goodwill, heard across the front line, giving soldiers the courage to defy their officers, the mainstream media were playing their usual role.
Now just imagine if there had been an internet in 1914
*That “Snoopy’s Christmas” reached the #1 position in the New Zealand pop charts in 1967, and still remains popular is not an accident.
This was at the height of the Vietnam war, when New Zealand politicians, following Australia’s example were contemplating bringing in conscription. It was also at a time when pirate radio was taking off, breaking through the MSM monopoly control of the airwaves was able to give “Snoopy’s Christmas” message of peace, the airtime denied it in other countries.
on target! (synchronised)
Good comment Jenny.
It’s always been one of my favourites despite the fact that many people seem to loathe it (inexplicably).
If you want an interesting read on the same topic, try a chapter in Robert Axelrod’s famous book ‘The Evolution of Cooperation’. As a political scientist, one of the examples he looked at was the ‘outbreak of peace’ between the troops in WWI. He analysed it in terms of the conditions that allowed cooperation to occur. He also noted how the ‘High Command’ recognised the subversive nature of the cooperation and eventually twigged to how to undermine it – by altering one of the important conditions for cooperation to emerge amongst humans.
Merry belated Christmas to all!
happy xmas to ‘The Standard’ and all who fly its colours
NZ would be a far worse place without you all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Vfp48laS8
Aroha nui
Merry XMas to the Standard, it’s captains, it’s crew and all who sail in her. The Standard has been a mainstay for me, a supportive community in a time of political nastiness. Shipley made me depressed, Key makes me angry but not depressed and that is mainly due to the balancing haven that the Standard represents. Thank you.
Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate Christmas.
Happy midwinter festival, to the pagans.
Happy family get together time for the atheists.
Happy Helios for the sun worshipers.
And to everyone else my best wishes and may your boxing day bargains be a steal.
And Merry Christmas to the Standards crew for all their hard work making this a relevant and interesting forum.
To all the Standardistas and all the commentators a happy Festivus and may all of you be there next year to spar with and annoy the shit out off. Peace out!
Happy Christmas Standardistas and to all who have contributed ever since those long ago kiwiblogblog days, especially Lynn, r0b, the Bills and all other fearless and generous commenters and posters since Robinsod, and thank God too for the courageous Tapu Misa (linky thing below, read her and weep), John and Gordon Campbell, Chris Trotter and the Hickeys, Orams et al who dare to put others before themselves and carry on the unstoppable two millenia legacy of Progression whose birth we celebrate today. The point is tipping, brothers and sisters, peace and strength to you all.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10855864
(ps Lynn was thatthe Lyn Prentice on TV3 news last night?)
Nope. Not me…
I rarely comment as others at the Standard do a far better job than me discussing the reality of life for most of us in NZ under the Key /Nact government. But the Standard is an important part of my day and my political understanding would be lost in a sea of public relations propaganda without my daily dose of the country’s best blog. Compliments of the season to everyone.
Yes, Merry Marxmas, David Shearer.
Big ups to all who keep The Standard functioning – you guys are awsome! The next 2 years will see this shitty neo liberal government in its death throes, but the challenge for the Left will be to present to voters,cohereht Social Democratic policies focusing on full employment, poverty elimination, social justice, equality of opportunity & environmental enhancement.
Let’s never forget that the first Labour Government, coming out of the 1930’s Deopression & heading into WW2, had abolished entrenched poverty within 7 years of gaining office – if we did it once, we can do it again.
Merry Christmas to all Standardistas.
And lprent and the authors do deserve special praise and recognition. Something for the rest of us to contemplate in the new year.
Merry Christmas to all. May its message of peace, mercy, charity and fellowship live on.
Happy whatever-you-celebrate-at-this-time-of-year, everyone.
From me to you all, Merry Christmas.
And thanks to all for the stimulating posts and comments, I’m learning every day. Awesome!
This is a community of people trying to make our little country a better place for everyone, keep up the good work.
Yes a mighty big merry christmas to all. I am trying to waste less time with you lot but its pretty hard to ignore when things pop up and go astray or our elected reps run amok in all sorts of naughty ways.
i have turned over yet another leaf; clean for the first time in a wee willie winkie while.
(so i will not be forgetting this birthday, and look forward to spending my prudent resources on some Real Serious political commentary and satire in the new year)
-Rock On (Machine) and i liked your comment ak(79?)
Merry Christmas from James the Hebe đ Turn The Page-Metallica
In the spirit of Marxmas:
It’s worth remembering that almost all the problems we have are man-made. Therefore they can be unmade.
Nice work folks.
Best wishes
Kia ora have a great kiwi christmas best wishes for 2013. May it hold better things for all people not just the 1%.
Ma Ihowa koe e manaaki, mana koe e tiaki.
Merry Xmas and wishing you all happy times. Thanks to each and every one of you for making The Standard the great blog that it is. I read daily and appreciate the time, effort and thought that goes into making it such a treasure.
Brilliant day in Sunny Dunedin. Ho ho ho.
Ah yes. The bottom of the South Island certainly got the most summery weather yesterday.
However, Auckland, after a gloomy start to the day, turned out not so bad in the end. Not very summery, but it was fine, warm and humid. I enjoyed a bit of a walk along a beach in the East Coast Bays, in a refreshing and bracing wind – kind of like this NZH author recommended:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10855957
Some were swimming and playing on the beach also (I’m not so much into swimming these days, in our not-so-100% pure waters).
Today, whoever, is back to gloomy and wet.
Hop you’re making the best of your summery weather, r0b.
Colonial Viper, I miss you. Come back soon.