lew, I think, was trying to make a little joke. Miro is licensed under the GPL which was written and published by an organisation called GNU.
Advocates of the GNU prefer the term “Free software” as they believe the term Open Source misses the point. This is a common clash of similar ideologies in the FSF/GNU community and the source of much /facepalming from the outside.
Effectively though, Free software is open source, but open source isn’t always free software.
This could have all been avoided if the English language could disambiguate between Free (beer) and Free (speech). About the closest we can get is Gratis vs. Libre
Chris S, Effectively though, Free software is open source, but open source isn’t always free software.
No, free software is not always open source either. iTunes, utorrent and Internet Explorer are the first three examples that spring to mind, I’m sure you can think of many more.
No, free software is not always open source either. iTunes, utorrent and Internet Explorer are the first three examples that spring to mind, I’m sure you can think of many more.
You have it the wrong way around. Free software is necessarily open source, but open source is not necessarily free software. Hint: it relies upon a definition of “free” other than “costs nothing”; as they say “free as in freedom, not as in free beer”. Hence Chris S’s distinction between “gratis” and “libre”. This would be clear if you’d read the links in his post : )
djp,
Sidenote: it is interesting that it is often lefties that are into free/opensource software
Yeah, lefties and libertarians; one of the few places they tend to see eye to eye.
Expat: The EPMU doesn’t really have a lot of minimum wage members as their membership is heavily made up of skilled tradesmen – engineers, printers, linesmen and the like. Unions with a lot of members at or near minimum wage (like Service & Food or Unite) usually have graduated fee structures based on income.
Sure fine. Rebate on the same scale as the tax reductions. The union movement should be pitching in during these hard times if they want to honour their heritage – thats why they were formed.
“Unions cost money to run mate, you can’t just go cancelling your revenue stream because it’s a nice thing to do.”
Businesses cost money to run mate, you can’t just have the government chewing up more of their revenue stream by increasing the minimum wage just because it is a nice thing to do.
The Unions SHOULD discount their fees. Unions are there to improve the life of workers right? So in a year when wage increases arent likely to happen, why WOULDN’T an organisation with that as its goal decrease the levy on their host to improve their life?
Unless of course the Union is less about helping workers and more about helping themselves than they want you to believe.
Kimble: Unions are non-profit organisations and they’re mostly struggling financially as it is, particularly the ones with members on or close to the minimum wage. Unite for example barely even pays its organisers, many of them are voluntary.
I can therefore only laugh at this whole narrative about unions “helping themselves” instead of their members. It’s bollocks – unions are mass democratic associations, not profit-seeking corporates out to screw money from their clients to improve their profit margins.
There simply isn’t the money to reduce fees and in any case even a 20% cut would only mean an extra dollar a week for a full time worker. And that’s hardly worth sending the union to the wall for a dollar a week now, is it?
Nor is there the demand. In fact in all my discussions with workers on various worksites this year not a single one has demanded fee reductions. No union that I’m aware of has had a resolution through its democratic body for reductions. In fact, the only people who’ve even raised the idea have been right-wingers who have a dislike for unions. Funny that, isn’t it?
New Zealand’s economic performance and the PM’s vision  Michael Reddell writes – When I wrote yesterday morningâs post, highlighting how poorly both New Zealand and its Anglo peer countries have been doing in respect of productivity in recent times (ie, in the case of New ...
Hi all,Firstly - thank you! You guys are awesome. The response I’ve received to last night’s mail has been quite overwhelming. It’s a ghastly day outside, but there are no clouds in here.In case you didn’t read my email and are wondering what on earth I’m talking about you can ...
If there was still any doubt as to who is actually running this government â and it isnât the buffoon from Botany â then this weekâs announcement of a huge spend up on charter schools has settled the matter. While jobs and public services continue to be cut in the ...
Half of Christchurch City Holdings Ltd’s directors and its chair resigned en masse last night in protest at Christchurch City Council’s demand to front-load dividends File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The chair of Christchurch City Council’s investment company and four of its independent directors resigned in protest last ...
The University of Waikato has reworded an advertisement that begins the tender process for its new $300 million-plus medical school even though the Government still needs to approve it. However, even the reworded ad contains an architectâs visualisations of what the school might look like. ACT leader David Seymour told ...
As a follow-up to the Rings of Power trailer discussion, I thought I needed to add something. There has been some online mockery about the use of the same actor for both the Halbrand and Annatar incarnations of Sauron. The reasoning is that Halbrand with a shave and a new ...
This isn’t quite as dramatic as the title might suggest. I’m not going anywhere, but there is something I wanted to talk to you about.Let’s start with a typical day.Most days I send out a newsletter in the morning. If I’ve written a lot the previous evening it might be ...
Buzz from the Beehive The promise of tax relief loomed large in his considerations when  the PM delivered a pre-Budget speech to the Auckland Business Chamber. The job back in Wellington is getting government spending back under control, he said, bandying figures which show that in per capita terms, the ...
Yesterday de facto Prime Minister David Seymour announced that his glove puppet government would be re-introducing charter schools, throwing $150 million at his pet quacks, donors and cronies and introducing an entire new government agency to oversee them (the existing Education Review Office, which actually knows how to review schools, ...
Seeing that, in order to discredit the figures and achieve moral superiority while attempting to deflect attention away from the military assault on Rafa, Israel supporters in NZ have seized on reports that casualty numbers in Gaza may be inflated … Continue reading → ...
David Farrar writes – Newstalk ZBÂ report: The man responsible for a horror hit and run in central Wellington last year was on a suspended licence and was so drunk he later asked police, âDid I kill someone?â Jason Tuitama injured two women when he ran a red ...
Muriel Newman writes –Â Former US President Ronald Reagan once said, âFreedom is a fragile thing and itâs never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.â The fight for ...
Why Courts should have said Waitangi Tribunal could not summons Karen Chhour Gary Judd writes – In the High Court, Justice Isacs declined to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal to compel Minister for Children, Karen Chhour, to appear before it to be ...
Bryce Edwards writes –Â The number of voices raising concerns about the Governmentâs Fast-Track Approvals Bill is rapidly growing. This is especially apparent now that Parliamentâs select committee is listening to submissions from the public to evaluate the proposed legislation. Twenty-seven thousand submissions have been made to Parliament ...
An average of 166 New Zealand citizens left the country every day during the March quarter, up 54% from a year ago.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and housing market is sinking into a longer recession through the winter after a slump in business and consumer confidence in ...
The government has made it abundantly clear they’re addicted to the smell of new asphalt. On Tuesday they introduced a new term to the country’s roading lexicon, the Roads of Regional Significance (RoRS), a little brother for the Roads of National (Party) Significance (RoNS). Driving ahead with Roads of Regional ...
School is outAnd I walk the empty hallwaysI walk aloneAlone as alwaysThere's so many lucky penniesLying on the floorBut where the hell are all the lucky peopleI can't see them any moreYesterday morning, I’d just sent out my newsletter on Tama Potaka, and I was struggling to make the coffee. ...
Hi,I wanted to check in and ask how you’re doing.This is perhaps a selfish act, of attempting to find others feeling a similar way to me — that is to say, a little hopeless at the moment.Misery loves company, that sort of deal.Some context.I wish I could say I got ...
I have hitherto been fairly quiet on the new season of Rings of Power, on the basis that the underwhelming first season did not exactly build excitement – and the rumours were fairly daft. The only real thing of substance to come out has been that they have re-cast Adar ...
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 ...
“The thing is,” Chris Luxon says, leaning forward to make his point, “this has always been my thing.”“This goes all the way back to the first multinational I worked for. I was saying exactly the same thing back then. The name of our business needs to be more clear; people ...
Buzz from the Beehive Itâs been a momentous few days for Childrenâs Minister Karen Chhour. The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision which blocked a summons order from the Waitangi Tribunal for her. And today she has announced the Government is putting children first by introducing to ...
In 2014 former Australian army lawyer David McBride leaked classified military documents about Australian war crimes to the ABC. Dubbed "The Afghan Files", the documents led to an explosive report on Australian war crimes, the disbanding of an entire SAS unit, and multiple ongoing prosecutions. The journalist who wrote the ...
Rob MacCulloch writes –Â According to the respected Pew Research Centre, “In seven of eight [European] countries surveyed, the most trusted news outlet asked about is the public news organization in each country”. For example, “in Sweden, an overwhelming majority (90%) say they trust the public broadcaster SVT”. ...
David Farrar writes – Kata MacNamara reports:  Details of Tony Blakelyâs involvement in the New Zealand Governmentâs response to the pandemic raise serious questions about the work of the Covid-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry over which he presides. It has long been clear that Blakely, a ...
Chris Trotter writes – Are you a Brahmin or a Merchant? Or, are you merely one of those whose lives are profoundly influenced by the decisions of Brahmins and Merchants? Those are the questions that are currently shaping the politics of New Zealand and the entire West. ...
RNZ reports –Â It’s supposed to be a haven of healing and spiritual awakening but residents of the Kawai Purapura community say they’ve been hurt and deceived. It’s the successor to the former Centrepoint commune, and has been on the bush block opposite Albany shopping centre since 2008. It ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. Usually we have a video chat to go with this wrap, but were unable to do one this week. We’ll be back next week.Several reports ...
The Transport Minister has set a hard 'fiscal envelope' of $6.54 billion for transport capital spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy is settling into a state of suspended animation as the Government’s funding freezes and job cuts chill confidence and combine with stubbornly high interest rates to ...
To be precise, the term âanti- Zionismâ refers to (a) criticism of the political movement that created a modern Jewish state on the historical land of Israel, and to (b)the subjugation of Palestinians by the Israeli state. By contrast, the term âanti-Semitismâ means bigotry and racism directed at Jewish people, ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Because hurricanes are one of the big-ticket weather disasters that humanity has to face, climate misinformers spend a lot of effort muddying the waters on whether climate change is making hurricanes more damaging. With the official start to the hurricane ...
Yesterday the Mayor released what he calls his “plan to save public transport” which is part of his final proposal for the Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP). This comes following consultation on the draft version that occurred in March which showed, once again, that people want more done on transport, especially ...
And it's a pleasure that I have knownAnd it's a treasure that I have gainedAotearoa’s coalition government is fragile. It’s held together by the obsequious sycophancy of Christopher Luxon, who willingly contorts his party into the fringe positions of his junior coalition partners and is unwilling to contradict them. The ...
The Select Committee hearing submissions on the fast-track consenting legislation is starting to become a beat-up of regional councils. The inflexibility and slow workings of the Councils were prominent in two submissions yesterday. One, from the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, simply said that the Waikato Regional Council’s planning decisions were ...
Back in April, the High Court surprised everyone by ruling that Ministers are above the law, at least as far as the Waitangi Tribunal is concerned. The reason for this ruling was "comity" - the idea that the different branches of government shouldn't interfere with each other's functions. Which makes ...
Buzz from the Beehive Tolling was mentioned when Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced the government was re-introducing the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme, with 15 âcrucialâ projects to support economic growth and regional development across New Zealand. All RoNS would be four-laned, grade-separated highways, and all funding, financing, and ...
or the past 14 years, ever since the Spanish government cheated on an autonomy deal, Catalonia has reliably given pro-independence parties a majority of seats in their regional parliament. But now that seems to be over. Catalans went to the polls yesterday, and stripped the Catalan parties of their majority. ...
David Farrar writes –Â Radio NZÂ report: Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins said the Electoral Commission should make sure the system ran smoothly and âtaking away the right of thousands of people to voteâ was not the answer. âThousands of people enroled and voted on the day. If ...
Don Brash writes –Â There was a rather revealing headline in the Herald on Sunday today (12 May). It read âOne in 8 Auckland homes on market were bought during boom, may now sell for lossâ. The first line of text noted that âNew data shows one in ...
Mike Grimshaw writes –Â At a time when universities are understandably nervous regarding the establishment of the University Advisory Group (UAG) and the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) it may seem strange â or even fool-hardy â to state that there are long-standing issues in the tertiary sector ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes –Â A lack of perspective can make something quite large or important seem small or irrelevant. Against a backdrop of high-profile, negative statistics it is easy to overlook the positive. For instance, the fact that 64 percent of Maori are employed is rarely reported. For ...
Earlier this year, the Herald ran a series of articles amounting to a sustained campaign against raised pedestrian crossings, by reporter Bernard Orsman. A key part of that campaign concerned the raised crossings being installed as part of the Pt Chevalier to Westmere project, with at least 10 articles over ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 19 include:PM Christopher Luxon is expected to hold his weekly post-cabinet news conference at 4:00pm on Monday.Parliament is not sitting this week. It resumes next week for a two-week sitting session up to and ...
Hi,Thanks to all the beautiful Worms who came to the LA Webworm popup on Saturday.It was a way to celebrate the online store we launched last week — and it was super special.As I talk about a lot, I really value our community here — and it was a BLAST ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, May 5, 2024 thru Sat, May 11, 2024. (Unfortunate) Story of the week "Grief that stops at despair is an ending that I and many others, most notably ...
Last night the largest solar storm in decades resulted in Aurorae being seen across Aotearoa, causing many to ask why?Why was the sky pink? What was all this stuff about the power grid? Have we, as so many have wondered since the election, reached the end of days?I had a ...
We have been on the road in England, squeezing down narrow lanes, flying up the M6, loving hedgerows and villages and cathedrals, liking the 21st century less.There have been moments when it’s felt like a movie trope. The pub in Exford, lovely seventeenth century bar, almost more dogs than people, ...
There’s a solar-storm on at the moment, and since the South Island is having a day and night with clear skies, that means Aurorae. I have just got back from a midnight visit to Tunnel Beach – southwards-looking over the Sea, and without the light pollution. Quite a few others ...
Michael Bassett writes – Iâm not sure that itâs much comfort to anyone to know that the post-Covid surge in violent crimes, gang activity, ram raids, random shootings, thuggery and stabbings is occurring in other countries as well as New Zealand. These days, wagging school, out-of-control welfare and ...
Oliver Hartwich writes –Â Cast your mind back to mid-December. A new Prime Minister had just been sworn in, the new Government started its 100-day programme, and Christmas was only days away.Amid all the haste, a report landed that would have deserved our attention.I am talking about the ...
TL;DR: An unseasonally early icy blast at the same time as some long-overdue maintenance almost caused Aotearoa-NZ’s electricity system to black out this week. That’s because a quadropoly of gentailers1 have prioritised paying dividends from their rising profits and adding debt over investing in 1.5 GigaWatts of new wind farms ...
Hi,Before we crack into today’s Webworm, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Israel is pushing into Rafah. Over 100,000 Palestinians are now attempting to flee the one place that was deemed “safe”.Trouble is, the place they’re fleeing to is already destroyed. Total annihilation is the end goal here.“Israel is ...
âIt has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly.â GoetheI was struck at a recent conference on equity for the elderly, how many presenters implicitly relied upon Statistics New Zealand. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveReporting on defence spending late last year, RNZ said the coalition government will have to make some tough calls this term to help the force address staff shortages and ageing infrastructure. “These are huge, huge amounts of government spending. It’s a significant proportion of the government’s ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â I am always wary when I hear that the Controller and Auditor-General has commented on or made recommendations to the government about an issue of public policy that does not relate strictly to public expenditure. According to the legislation, the role of the Controller ...
How Labourâs and Nationalâs failure to move beyond neoliberalism has brought NZ to the brink of economic and cultural chaos  Chris Trotter writes – TO START LOSING, so soon after you won, requires a special kind of political incompetence. At the heart of this Coalition ...
And why did the Crown not challenge the Tribunal’s jurisdiction?  Gary Judd writes – Retired District Court Judge, David Harvey, has posted on his A Halflings View Substack an excellent summary of Justice Isacsâ judgment declining to uphold the witness summons issued by the Waitangi Tribunal ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result?As a political scientist, Iâve been asked these questions many times and ...
Macklemore isn’t someone I’d usually think about. Sure I liked his big hit from a few years back, everybody did it was catchy and cool with some memorable lines. But if I was going to think of artists who might speak out on political matters or world events, he wouldn’t ...
Another week goes by in the Luxon governmentâs efforts to roll back the past 70 years of social progress. The school lunches programme is to be downgraded by $107 million, and women need bother their heads no longer about pay equity, let alone expect ACC to provide adequate sexual violence ...
Brrr, the first cold snap of the year. Hope you’re rugged up nice and warm. Here are some stories that caught our eye this week… This Week on Greater Auckland On Monday, we had a post from a new contributor, Connor Sharp, who dug into the public feedback ...
Almost all of the Wellington City Council’s recommended zoning changes to allow many more apartments and townhouses in its inner-suburbs have been approved.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guest on geopolitics, ...
Open access notablesA Global Increase in Nearshore Tropical Cyclone Intensification, Balaguru et al., Earth's Future:Tropical Cyclones (TCs) inflict substantial coastal damages, making it pertinent to understand changing storm characteristics in the important nearshore region. Past work examined several aspects of TCs relevant for impacts in coastal regions. However, ...
Do you believe New Zealand runs its general elections fairly and competently? As a voter, can you be confident that the votes on your ballot will be counted towards the final result? As a political scientist, Iâve been asked these questions many times and always answered âyesâ, with very few ...
Thus far May has followed on from a quiet April in the blogging department, but in fairness, it has been another case of doing what I am supposed to be doing, namely writing original fiction. Plus reading. So don’t worry – I have been productive. But in order to reassure ...
Buzz from the Beehive A new government agency will open for business on July 1 â the Social Investment Agency. As a new standalone central agency effective from 1 July, it will lead the development of social investment across Government, helping ministers understand who they need to invest in, what ...
Bryce Edwards writes –Â Â âFollow the moneyâ is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The ...
Alwyn Poole writes –Â After being elected to Parliament in 2008 the maiden speech of Hipkins was substantially around education policy. He was Labourâs spokesperson for education 2011 â 2017. He was Minister for Education from 2017 until February 2023. This is approximately 88% of the time Labour ...
Eric Crampton writes – A fashion industry group is lobbying for protections. They make the usual arguments and a newer one. None of it makes sense. An industry group says it pumped $7.8 billion into the economy last year – that’s 1.9 percent of New Zealand’s GDP. ...
In December 2006, Fiji's military leader Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government in a coup. He ruled Fiji for the next 16 years, first as dictator, then as "elected" Prime Minister. But now, he's finally been sent to jail where he belongs. Sadly, this isn't for his real crime of ...
Don't like National's corrupt Muldoonist "fast-track" law? Aotearoa's environmental NGO's - Greenpeace, Forest & Bird, WWF, Coromandel Watchdog, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, Kiwis Against Seabed Mining, and others - have announced a joint march against it in Auckland in June: When: 13:00, 8 June, 2024 Where: Aotea Square, Auckland You ...
The Minister for Mental Health has found the Suicide Prevention Office and mental health support for 111 calls slipping through his fingers, says Labour spokesperson for Mental Health Ingrid Leary. ...
Todayâs justification from the Minister for Children for scrapping protections for our tamariki was either a case of ignorance or deliberate deception. ...
The Green Party says the Governmentâs misguided policy on gangs will fail, following the announcement of the establishment of a national gang unit and district gang disruption units to target gang activities. ...
âWith Police pay negotiations still unresolved after six months in Government, Mark Mitchell has today rolled the Commissioner out for a rebrand of their approach to gang crime,â Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.  ...
The Government bringing back 50 charter schools will not increase achievement and is a distraction from the core mission of the education system, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is showing extreme concern over the Environment Select Committees adoption of a lucky dip draw to determine hearings for the Fast Track Approvals bill. Of the 27,000 submissions, 2,900 requested to present. All organisations will be heard; however, the remaining 2,350 submitters will be subject to a ...
Today New Zealand First will introduce a Memberâs Bill that will protect womenâs spaces. The âFair Access to Bathrooms Billâ will require, primarily in the interest and safety of women and girls, that all new non-domestic publicly accessible buildings provide separate, clearly demarcated, unisex and single sex bathrooms. This Bill ...
The Green Party is welcoming Climate Change Minister Simon Wattsâ continuation of Hon. James Shawâs cross-party work on climate adaptation, now in the form of a Finance and Expenditure Committee Inquiry. ...
The National Government plans to cut 390 jobs at ACC, including roles in the areas of prevention of sexual violence, road safety and workplace safety. ...
The Government has been caught in opposition to evidence once again as it looks to usher in tried, tested and failed work seminar obligations for job-seeking beneficiaries. ...
This morningâs pre-Budget speech from the Minister of Finance offered no âmeaningfulâ news on the Governmentâs trickle-down economics based plans. ...
The Green Party is welcoming the announcement by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop to approve most of the Wellington City Councilâs District Plan recommendations. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion âThis House Believes British Museums are not Very Britishâ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP HĆ«hana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of MÄori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of MÄori land. ...
A senior, highly respected Kingâs Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga MÄori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealandâs growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesnât know or care about the frontline cuts sheâs making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. Â ...
Todayâs Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and itâs only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. âThis is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. âThe government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicineâ, said Ayesha Verrall âThis is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
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 ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters today announced further sanctions on 28 individuals and 14 entities providing military and strategic support for Russiaâs invasion of Ukraine. âRussia is directly supported by its military-industrial complex in its illegal aggression against Ukraine, attacking its sovereignty and territorial integrity. New Zealand condemns all entities and ...
A year on from the tragedy at Loafers Lodge, the Government is working hard to improve building fire safety, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. âI want to share my sincere condolences with the families and friends of the victims on the anniversary of the tragic fire at Loafers ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for having me here in the lead up to my Governmentâs first Budget. Before I get started can I acknowledge: Simon Bridges â Auckland Business Chamber CEO. Steve Jurkovich â Kiwibank CEO. Kids born ...
New Zealand and Vanuatu will enhance collaboration on issues of mutual interest, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âIt is important to return to Port Vila this week with a broad, high-level political delegation which demonstrates our deep commitment to New Zealandâs relationship with Vanuatu,â Mr Peters says.  âThis ...
Minister for Land Information, Chris Penk will travel to Peru this week to represent New Zealand at a meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific region on behalf of Trade Minister Todd McClay. The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting will be held on 17-18 May ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford will head to the United Kingdom this week to participate in the 22nd Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) and the 2024 Education World Forum (EWF). âI am looking forward to sharing this Governmentâs education priorities, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based ...
Minister of Education Erica Stanford has today thanked outgoing New Zealand Qualifications Authority Chair, Hon Tracey Martin. âTracey Martin tendered her resignation late last month in order to take up a new role,â Ms Stanford says. Ms Martin will relinquish the role of Chair on 10 May and current Deputy ...
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and President Emmanuel Macron of France today announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Callâs work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.  This change gives effect to the outcomes of the November 2023 Call Leadersâ Summit, ...
Distinguished public servant and former diplomat Sir Maarten Wevers will lead the independent review into the disability support services administered by the Ministry of Disabled People â Whaikaha. The review was announced by Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston a fortnight ago to examine what could be done to strengthen the ...
Todayâs announcement by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster of a National Gang Unit and district Gang Disruption Units will help deliver on the coalition Governmentâs pledge to restore law and order and crack down on criminal gangs, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. âThe National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units will ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today expressed regret at North Koreaâs aggressive rhetoric towards New Zealand and its international partners. âNew Zealand proudly stands with the international community in upholding the rules-based order through its monitoring and surveillance deployments, which it has been regularly doing alongside partners since 2018,â Mr ...
Air Vice-Marshal Tony Davies MNZM is the new Chief of Defence Force, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. The Chief of Defence Force commands the Navy, Army and Air Force and is the principal military advisor to the Defence Minister and other Ministers with relevant portfolio responsibilities in the defence ...
Legislation to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act has been introduced to Parliament. The Billâs introduction reaffirms the Coalition Governmentâs commitment to the safety of children in care, says Minister for Children, Karen Chhour. âWhile section 7AA was introduced with good intentions, it creates a conflict for Oranga ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins will this week travel to the UK and Italy to meet with her defence counterparts, and to attend Battles of Cassino commemorations. âI am humbled to be able to represent the New Zealand Government in Italy at the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of what was ...
The upcoming Budget will include funding for up to 50 charter schools to help lift declining educational performance, Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced today. $153 million in new funding will be provided over four years to establish and operate up to 15 new charter schools and convert 35 state ...
âThe results of the public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has now been received, with results indicating over 13,000 submissions were made from members of the public,â Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. âWe heard feedback about the extended lockdowns in ...
Foreign Minister, Defence Minister, other Members of Parliament Acting Chief of Defence Force, Secretary of Defence Distinguished Guests Defence and Diplomatic Colleagues Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon, tÄna koutou, apinun tru  Itâs a pleasure to be back in Port Moresby today, and to speak here at the Kumul Leadership ...
Health, infrastructure, renewable energy, and stability are among the themes of the current visit to Papua New Guinea by a New Zealand political delegation, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. Â âPapua New Guinea carries serious weight in the Pacific, and New Zealand deeply values our relationship with it,â Mr Peters ...
The coalition Government is launching Roads of Regional Significance to sit alongside Roads of National Significance as part of its plan to deliver priority roading projects across the country, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âThe Roads of National Significance (RoNS) built by the previous National Government are some of New Zealandâs ...
A high-level New Zealand political delegation in Honiara today congratulated the new Government of Solomon Islands, led by Jeremiah Manele, on taking office.  âWe are privileged to meet the new Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet during his governmentâs first ten days in office,â Deputy Prime Minister and ...
New Zealand voted in favour of a resolution broadening Palestineâs participation at the United Nations General Assembly overnight, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe resolution enhances the rights of Palestine to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly while stopping short of admitting Palestine as a full ...
Introduction Good morning. Itâs a great privilege to be here at the 2024 Infrastructure Symposium. I was extremely happy when the Prime Minister asked me to be his Minister for Infrastructure. It is one of the great barriers holding the New Zealand economy back from achieving its potential. Building high ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced the upcoming Budget will include new funding of $571 million for Defence Force pay and projects. âOur servicemen and women do New Zealand proud throughout the world and this funding will help ensure we retain their services and expertise as we navigate an increasingly ...
New Zealandâs ability to cope with climate change will be strengthened as part of the Governmentâs focus to build resilience as we rebuild the economy, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âAn enduring and long-term approach is needed to provide New Zealanders and the economy with certainty as the climate ...
Jobseeker beneficiaries who have work obligations must now meet with MSD within two weeks of their benefit starting to determine their next step towards finding a job, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âA key part of the coalition Governmentâs plan to have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker ...
A new standalone Social Investment Agency will power-up the social investment approach, driving positive change for our most vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Investment Minister Nicola Willis says. âDespite the Government currently investing more than $70 billion every year into social services, we are not seeing the outcomes we want for ...
Check against delivery Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you to outline the Coalition Governmentâs approach to our first Budget. Thank you Mark Skelly, President of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, together with your Board and team, for hosting me.  Iâd like to acknowledge His Worship ...
Your Excellency Ambassador Meredith, Â Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassadors from European Union Member States, Â Ministerial colleagues, Members of Parliament, and other distinguished guests, Thank you everyone for joining us. Â Ladies and gentlemen -Â Â In diplomacy, we often speak of âcloseâ and âlong-standingâ relations. Â ...
The Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) will be repealed this year so that a better regime can be put in place to provide New Zealanders safe and timely access to medicines, medical devices and health products, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. âThe medicines and products we are talking about ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. âWellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. âWith 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. âWe are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayersâ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in TairÄwhiti and Hawkeâs Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealandâs engagement with the region.  The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu.  âNew Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealandersâ security and wellbeing. âCongratulations to this yearâs recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealandâs defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealandâs digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. Â âThe immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Governmentâs school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Asia Pacific Report France has declared a state of emergency on the Pacific territory of New Caledonia â New Zealandâs closest neighbour â after four people, including a police officer, have been killed in pro-independence riots over voting changes that further marginalise indigenous Kanaks, news agencies report. The move came ...
The biggest winner from the 2024 Ockham book awards talks to Madeleine Chapman about her fascination with stages of life, advocating for the arts, and whatâs next. Last night, at a not-as-long-as-expected ceremony at Q Theatre in downtown Auckland, Emily Perkins won the Big Prize for the second time. Her ...
With funding ending for Archives New Zealandâs digitisation programme, Hera Lindsay Bird shares a taste of whatâs being lost â because history isnât just about the big-ticket items. On Tuesday morning the PSA held a snap protest outside the National Library in Wellington, urging the government to continue funding the ...
âNorth Korea would better serve its people by meaningfully re-engaging with the international community through diplomacy rather than threatsâ says Mr Peters. ...
Following comments from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in yesterdayâs pre-budget speech that not adjusting tax brackets for inflation each year is âlazyâ, the Taxpayersâ Union is releasing a new poll that reveals that the vast majority of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wendy Marie Cumming-Potvin, Associate Professor/ Director of Research (School of Education), Murdoch University Shutterstock Despite social change, LGBTQI+ people still face discrimination at school and in the community. Language for diverse genders and sexualities is continually changing. LGBTQI+ allyship is part ...
Should I tell her before I see someone else? Invent a story about being stuck overseas? Grow my hair long? Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzHello Hera,Iâve been seeing my hairdresser for about 12 years, making this one of the longest relationships of my adult life (longer than my ...
More than 25 environmental and community groups have published an Open Letter calling on Parliament to honour Te Tiriti and protect the environment. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jakob Weis, Postdoctoral research associate, University of Tasmania Dust storm blowing off the Australian east coast over the South Pacific.Jeff Schmaltz/NASA GSFC, Author provided The Southern Ocean, a region critical to Earthâs climate, hosts vast blooms of microscopic ocean plants known ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin Dew, Professor of Sociology, Te Herenga Waka â Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images One in three of us will develop cancer at some point in our lives. But survival rates have improved to the point that two-thirds of those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mona Nikidehaghani, Senior Lecturer in Accounting, University of Wollongong Many Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late last year. Now a draft NDIS reform ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Belinda Smaill, Professor of Film and Screen Studies, Monash University National Archives of Australia In 2017, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull alighted from a helicopter to announce a grand plan: Snowy Hydro 2.0. It would turn the famous hydroelectric scheme into a ...
In some ways, I couldnât have been closer to the tragedy. In others, I was a whole universe away. This essay was first published on 3 March, 2024. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Had you been trying to market a suburb in ...
WorkSafe has found shortcomings at Fire and Emergency (FENZ) over how two volunteer firefighters died in a landslide in Cyclone Gabrielle. But it will not prosecute FENZ, nor release its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ray Nickson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Newcastle Law School, University of Newcastle Bullying by judges, magistrates and other judicial officers is a factor in many lawyers leaving the profession. This month is the first anniversary of the Judicial Commission of Victoriaâs ...
The prime minister has made it clear this is a no frills budget in all but name, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The group has also raised concerns about the power that ministers could have after it was revealed Shane Jones failed to report a dinner with a company deputy chair. ...
Minister Shane Jonesâ failure to declare a dinner with mining interests is just one red flag of many about the Governmentâs proposed fast-track legislation, Transparency International says. Earlier this week, Newsroom revealed Jones, the Resources Minister, at a dinner on the West Coast on February 16, encouraged a mining company ...
Exclusive: A transgender man is bringing an unprecedented human rights case against the Department of Corrections. He tells Alex Casey about his experience at work and what heâs fighting for. This story contains transphobic language and references to self-harm. Take care. A trans Corrections officer is taking a case against ...
Opinion: New Zealand is a country of food producers. We may be a small, isolated nation at the end of the world, but we create an outsized amount of kai, most of it bound for faraway shores. Each year New Zealand exports enough food to feed 39 million people their ...
When households and businesses pulled the country back from the brink of painful power cuts on the coldest day of the year, there was no reward for the sacrifices they made in turning off their heat pumps and lights. Matt Ward, SolarZero CEO Photo: Supplied Consumers saved the day ...
Critics say they cause consumer confusion, contribute to food waste and should be ditched, but brands and retailers rely on them. I thought Pods were dead. Discontinued to the dismay of thousands. Sold for hundreds on Trade Me before disappearing for ever. So when I found some in a dairy ...
Opinion: A recent study published in Natureâs Scientific Reports recently presented a novel approach to predicting which chemicals might be emitted from a vape. During heating, chemicals can break down into smaller molecules. A process known as pyrolysis. This study combined deep learning computational methods with chemical structure information from ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 16 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
While womenâs sport is exploding in Aotearoa and around the world, you still donât hear a lot of talk about athletes and their periods, RED-S, breastfeeding and visible panty-lines. SASS Talk isnât afraid to have that kĆrero.LockerRoom founder Suzanne McFadden and Olympian broadcaster Sarah Cowley Ross host the episodic podcast, sparking ...
RNZ Pacific Outgoing Secretary-General Henry Puna of the Pacific Islands Forum is ânot surprisedâ with the violent unrest in New Caledonia which has shut down the French Pacific territory. New Caledonia has come to a virtual stop after three days of civil unrest, resulting in burning, shooting and looting, as ...
COMMENTARY:By Antoinette Lattouf Sorry Palestinian women and children. It seems Australiaâs leading womenâs media company has more pressing issues to cover than the seemingly endless human rights atrocities committed against you. Itâs been seven months of almost complete silence from Mamamia and their most popular writers and podcast hosts. ...
Asia Pacific Report As Israel drives the Palestinians deeper into another Nakba in Gaza with its assault on Rafah, the Palestine Youth Aotearoa (PYA) and solidarity supporters in Aotearoa New Zealand tonight commemorated the original Nakba â âthe Catastropheâ â of 1948. The 1948 Nakba . . . more than ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gwilym Croucher, Associate Professor, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne On one level, the 2024 federal budget brought few big surprises for universities. The two key measures were already announced leading up to May 14: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday handed down his third budget. It had a second successive surplus and sweeteners, including relief on energy bills, and tax breaks for development of green hydrogen and critical minerals processing. ...
Books editor Claire Mabey reports on the winners of this yearâs book awards.Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction ($65,000 prize)Lioness by Emily Perkins (published by Bloomsbury), about a middle-aged woman wrestling with her life choices, has won the $65,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction.Hooo boy this ...
Emily Perkins has won the fiction prize at the 2024 Ockham book awards for her novel Lioness. She collects $65,000, the most loot you can pocket in New Zealand letters, as winner of the Jan Medlicott Acorn fiction prize for her satire of the anxious rich. It’s kind of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute This yearâs budget has âsomething for everyoneâ, with very little in the way of cuts and no new taxes. Itâs a classic âgood newsâ pre-election budget. Whether it is too good to ...
A new steel-making furnace will reduce emissions so much, environment officials have pitched reducing the whole country's supply of carbon credits. ...
Three people have now died in New Caledonia in the wake of pro-independence protests and escalating unrest. Charles Wea, a spokesperson for international relations in the New Caledonian territorial Presidentâs office, confirmed the deaths to RNZ Pacific. The circumstances are unclear in the French territoryâs third day of violence. Franceâs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Ziguras, Director, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne The federal government is due to introduce legislation on Thursday to enable new caps on the number of international student places at educational institutions in Australia. These include ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University Jaana Dielenberg Australians have more pet cats than ever before â more than 5 million in total. With the growing number, expectations on pet owners are shifting. Many cat owners are now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Campbell, Lecturer, Performing Arts, UniSA Creative, University of South Australia Tracey Leigh/State Theatre Company of South Australia Symphonie of the Bicycle is a tour de force. Actor and writer Hew Parham takes the audience through comic and heartfelt parallel stories ...
Why worry about accurate messaging around gangs when you can throw out some scary numbers instead? As sure as night follows day, Mark Mitchell will premise a gang policy announcement with a spine-tingling stat about soaring gang membership. âNew Zealanders need only look at the fatal shooting in Ponsonby recently ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Theresa Larkin, Associate professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong BonNontawat/ShutterstockWhy is blood red?â Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales What a great question about something in our body, Asher. Blood is inside our body, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University The Gaza war has now entered its eighth month and a resolution to the conflict still seems far off. Israel claims to have killed 13,000 Hamas militants so far. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raven Cretney, Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Planning, University of Waikato Getty Images Adaptation to climate change will challenge New Zealand politically and economically. As such, it becomes a problem of imagination. We will need to fund things differently, build differently, restructure aspects ...
A new 10-year budget for Auckland has dropped funding for the fourth and final part of the up to $1.4 billion dollar Eastern Busway, partly because the Government ditched the regional fuel tax. The Auckland Council believes it has been left $600m short by that early call to do away ...
Connor Molloy, said: âChristopher Luxon is right to point out that inflation over the last 14 has pushed New Zealanders into higher income tax brackets so that they are paying more of their wages in tax even when they are not better off." ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Breadon, Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute Shutterstock Health was a centrepiece of last yearâs budget, based on a new vision for Medicare. This year, there is less health reform, but the budget does set the foundation for ...
Macronâs plan has backfired. But there can be no sustainable solution without cooperation of all parties, writes a former Australian diplomat New Caledonia.ANALYSIS:By Denise Fisher Monday night saw demonstrations by independence supporters in New Caledonia erupt into serious violence for the first time since the 1980s civil disturbances. ...
We wonât be violent, but we will organise and do everything in our power to prevent further degradation of our taiao, writes Te RĆ«nanga o NgÄti Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik. In the early 1950s, prime minister Sidney Hollandâs National government was under enormous pressure to increase housing supply ...
"The United Kingdomâs Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill has just passed its final stage in Parliament (last night, NZ time) and will soon be enshrined into law. This will mean that the UK has banned export of farmed animals by sea. The Australian ...
The Governmentâs success in designing a national climate adaptation framework will depend entirely on its propensity to utilise landscape architects. ...
Matariki Williams speaks with NgÄhuia Te AwekĆtuku about her extraordinary memoir, Hine Toa.NgÄhuia Te AwekĆtuku has a seemingly effortless approach to knowledge: the ingesting, digesting and sharing of it has been part of her scholarship for decades. The week after I interviewed her, I was heading to Venice to ...
A memo accidentally released by Wellington City Council shows at least $5.2 million of pipes needing urgent repair have just been covered up by $55 million of brand new bus and cycle lanes on Thorndon Quay. ...
A damning briefing paper released by a group of offshore wind developers warns that if Trans Tasman Resources gets the go-ahead to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight, it would spell the end of New Zealandâs chance to embrace offshore wind ...
The government intends for new charter schools to be operating by the beginning of 2025. How does the model work? Shanti Mathias explains. What did David Seymour announce? On Tuesday, Act Party leader and minister for education David Seymour said the upcoming government budget would include $153m of new funding ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Walker-Munro, Senior Lecturer (Law), Southern Cross University Drones are an example of the ‘dual-use technologies’ that can fall foul of research security concerns.Goh Rhy Yan / Unsplash Over the weekend, Queensland University of Technology PhD student Xiaolong Zhu became national ...
AYB: It’s not opensource – it’s Free Software ; )
L
Looks a lot like the video equivalent of Songbird.
Contrary to the first poster this is open source software.
it,
More like the video equivalent of Spotify
illuminatedtiger:
lew, I think, was trying to make a little joke. Miro is licensed under the GPL which was written and published by an organisation called GNU.
Advocates of the GNU prefer the term “Free software” as they believe the term Open Source misses the point. This is a common clash of similar ideologies in the FSF/GNU community and the source of much /facepalming from the outside.
Effectively though, Free software is open source, but open source isn’t always free software.
This could have all been avoided if the English language could disambiguate between Free (beer) and Free (speech). About the closest we can get is Gratis vs. Libre
Are there any decent channels for it yet? Last time I tried it was when it was called Democracy Player
Sidenote: it is interesting that it is often lefties that are into free/opensource software
Chris S,
Effectively though, Free software is open source, but open source isn’t always free software.
No, free software is not always open source either. iTunes, utorrent and Internet Explorer are the first three examples that spring to mind, I’m sure you can think of many more.
Chris S
Funnily enough Richard Stallman still had a go at the term “free software” when I attended one of his talks. Then again he’s like that on most things.
Felix, Chris S was talking about the GNU definition of free software (http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html)
Felix,
No, free software is not always open source either. iTunes, utorrent and Internet Explorer are the first three examples that spring to mind, I’m sure you can think of many more.
You have it the wrong way around. Free software is necessarily open source, but open source is not necessarily free software. Hint: it relies upon a definition of “free” other than “costs nothing”; as they say “free as in freedom, not as in free beer”. Hence Chris S’s distinction between “gratis” and “libre”. This would be clear if you’d read the links in his post : )
djp,
Sidenote: it is interesting that it is often lefties that are into free/opensource software
Yeah, lefties and libertarians; one of the few places they tend to see eye to eye.
L
Felix:
I’m surprised uTorrent isn’t opensource being one of those few Windows applications that was written with WINE in mind.
Yeah, but don’t blow out your download limits. RSS can be very addictive.
Whanake.
Yeah I’m aware of that Lew, it’s just a really silly term.
it,
Yeah, seems odd indeed.
djp,
Not that you’d understand but yep, and they are generally more inclined to give their energy and labour away for free too.
UUUUuuum, no.
Let’s not descend into left/right parochial generalisations that are patently not true.
People of any political persuasion participate in technology related (or other) for free / open source organisations.
I do and you’d consider me to be right of Gengis Khan (while some at KB would see me left of Michael Cullen).
How ’bout that Min. Wage increase huh?
I reckon the EPMU et al should match it by rebating union fees to those on the minimum wage.
UUUUuuum, no.
Let’s not descend into left/right parochial generalisations that are patently not true.
People of any political persuasion participate in technology related (or other) for free / open source organisations.
I do and you’d consider me to be right of Gengis Khan (while some at KB would see me left of Michael Cullen).
How ’bout that Min. Wage increase huh?
I reckon the EPMU et al should match it by rebating union fees to those on the minimum wage.
What do you reckon people?
And there I was, trying to be careful by saying both “opensource” *and* “free”. At least everybody agrees it’s “cool”. đ
we agree, once… don’t get too comfortable with the situation though.. đ
Expat: The EPMU doesn’t really have a lot of minimum wage members as their membership is heavily made up of skilled tradesmen – engineers, printers, linesmen and the like. Unions with a lot of members at or near minimum wage (like Service & Food or Unite) usually have graduated fee structures based on income.
Sure fine. Rebate on the same scale as the tax reductions. The union movement should be pitching in during these hard times if they want to honour their heritage – thats why they were formed.
Rebate on the same scale as tax reduction? I’m not sure what you mean, or even why that’s relevant.
Give back unions fees to those who need it most as unions were formed to protect the workers most at risk during recessionary times
Its relevant because people are suffering this recession.
Don’t be obtuse.
Obtuse? Not at all. Unions cost money to run mate, you can’t just go cancelling your revenue stream because it’s a nice thing to do.
Have you even thought this through? Or is this just another cheap dig at the unions from right-wingers who don’t understand what they’re about?
“Unions cost money to run mate, you can’t just go cancelling your revenue stream because it’s a nice thing to do.”
Businesses cost money to run mate, you can’t just have the government chewing up more of their revenue stream by increasing the minimum wage just because it is a nice thing to do.
The Unions SHOULD discount their fees. Unions are there to improve the life of workers right? So in a year when wage increases arent likely to happen, why WOULDN’T an organisation with that as its goal decrease the levy on their host to improve their life?
Unless of course the Union is less about helping workers and more about helping themselves than they want you to believe.
Kimble: Unions are non-profit organisations and they’re mostly struggling financially as it is, particularly the ones with members on or close to the minimum wage. Unite for example barely even pays its organisers, many of them are voluntary.
I can therefore only laugh at this whole narrative about unions “helping themselves” instead of their members. It’s bollocks – unions are mass democratic associations, not profit-seeking corporates out to screw money from their clients to improve their profit margins.
There simply isn’t the money to reduce fees and in any case even a 20% cut would only mean an extra dollar a week for a full time worker. And that’s hardly worth sending the union to the wall for a dollar a week now, is it?
Nor is there the demand. In fact in all my discussions with workers on various worksites this year not a single one has demanded fee reductions. No union that I’m aware of has had a resolution through its democratic body for reductions. In fact, the only people who’ve even raised the idea have been right-wingers who have a dislike for unions. Funny that, isn’t it?
Its is funny Daveo, not for the reason you think though.
Your arguments sound like a recalcitrant member of the BRT arguing against raising the MW.
The major unions in this country have very strong balance sheets, they should return some of that wealth to their members during this recession.