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:
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
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The pungent smell of gasoline in your car can be an alarming and potentially dangerous problem. Not only is the odor unpleasant, but it can also indicate a serious issue with your vehicle’s fuel system. In this article, we will explore the various reasons why your car may smell like ...
Tree sap can be a sticky, unsightly mess on your car’s exterior. It can be difficult to remove, but with the right techniques and products, you can restore your car to its former glory. Understanding Tree Sap Tree sap is a thick, viscous liquid produced by trees to seal wounds ...
The amount of paint needed to paint a car depends on a number of factors, including the size of the car, the number of coats you plan to apply, and the type of paint you are using. In general, you will need between 1 and 2 gallons of paint for ...
Jump-starting a car is a common task that can be performed even in adverse weather conditions like rain. However, safety precautions and proper techniques are crucial to avoid potential hazards. This comprehensive guide will provide detailed instructions on how to safely jump a car in the rain, ensuring both your ...
Graham Adams writes about the $55m media fund â When Patrick Gower was asked by Mike Hosking last week what he would say to the many Newstalk ZB callers who allege the Labour government bribed media with $55 million of taxpayersâ money via the Public Interest Journalism Fund â and ...
Note: this blog post has been put together over the course of the week I followed the happenings at the conference virtually. Should recordings of the Great Debates and possibly Union Symposia mentioned below, be released sometime after the conference ends, I'll include links to the ones I participated in. ...
The following was my submission made on the “Fast Track Approvals Bill”. This potential law will give three Ministers unchecked powers, un-paralled since the days of Robert Muldoon’s “Think Big” projects.The submission is written a bit tongue-in-cheek. But it’s irreverent because the FTAB is in itself not worthy of respect. ...
One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 âredesign of the welfare stateâ â which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty â various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being âWorking for Familiesâ, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing âon why Melissa is muteâ. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Leeâs ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling â or non-handling â of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealandâs two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from âserious populist discontentâ. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring âhard-working peopleâ. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
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The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
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The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
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In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to âdefend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.â To achieve this, they have pledged they âwill not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workersâ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
Itâs a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes –Â Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people â the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cassâs review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
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This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the âholiday highwayâ into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes –Â Thereâs a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere â mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting MÄori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
MÄori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, MÄori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Governmentâs refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
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 ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. âRecently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachersâ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul.  âThe Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. âScience, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. âThe coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealandâs latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âOur Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. âNew Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. âI am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. âPets are important members of many Kiwi families. Itâs estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iranâs shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.  âThese attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.  "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand â Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.  âDame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,â says Dr Reti. âI have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Governmentâs 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âBoosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Governmentâs plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âOur country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,â Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.  âWe cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. âThis is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin itârule ...
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 iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term âbulk billedâ refers to a GP visit they donât have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss whatâs in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to whatâs been on my mind for a while. Itâs very important. You see weâve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so weâve destroyed valuable coastal habitat â in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he canât stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
MÄori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of MÄori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao MÄori (the MÄori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, âWeâre here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment thatâs thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didnât find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. âI thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, hereâs our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
ZoĂ« Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new âFast-track Approvals Billâ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister â the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory â gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australiaâs flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But thatâs changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum âre-imaginedâ itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-oldâs seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so itâs wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhardâs rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Youâd be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesnât require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project Youâre not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesnât fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingwayâs Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans peopleâs self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelonaâs city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoffâs Wellington editor Joel MacManus: âYou can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups âClimate Action VUWâ, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Governmentâs âWar on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiâs popularity has grown exponentially â and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, theyâre better for the environment. No, thatâs not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
âIt will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealandersâ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether youâre watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, itâs not the done thing to know â let alone ask â what our colleagues are paid. Yet, itâs easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The governmentâs plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up â and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. Itâs consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
Hineaupounamu âMissyâ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. âIn 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
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.