NZ Medical Association drops its opposition to the legalisation of cannabis

Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, October 13th, 2020 - 38 comments
Categories: drugs, Ethics, law - Tags: ,

Newshub are reporting that the NZMA no longer has a position on the current referendum on the legalisation of cannabis,

NZMA chairperson Dr Kate Baddock wrote a letter in NZ Doctor apologising to members who felt they hadn’t been given the chance to speak their minds.

Until Dr Baddock’s letter was published, the association opposed its legalisation.

It comes after at least one doctor quit her NZMA membership and others spoke out against the association’s stance on the cannabis referendum.

…

Dr Baddock said NZMA has opposed the legalisation of cannabis since 2012, saying it should be decriminalised and treated as a health issue.

…

Dr Baddock told RNZ last week NZMA “didn’t do anything” to further inform its position when the referendum was announced. She also admitted to not consulting members before previously choosing to oppose the legalisation of cannabis. New Zealanders will be asked in the election if they believe recreational use of cannabis should be legal.

TVNZ political reporter Benedict Collins on twitter,

So after staunchly opposing the legalisation of cannabis all year NZ Medical Association chair Kate Baddock has issued a statement and apology, in the middle of voting, saying actually the NZMA has “no position regarding the cannabis referendum”.

Followed by Green MP Chole Swarbrick’s response,

1.1 million New Zealanders have cast a vote. Already misleading “no” campaigns latched onto Dr Baddock’s misrepresentation of NZMA’s view with fervour – all year – and it spread far and wide. It’s far harder to undo a mistruth than tell it. This is just so disappointing.

If you haven’t voted yet, this quiz from the NZ Drug Foundation is a good explainer of what the various issues involved are and why to vote yes. Bullet points of the 8 key control measures of The Bill,

  1. Tax revenue will go towards drug education and treatment
  2. Free up Police to focus on serious crime
  3. Increased access for those that use cannabis for medical treatment
  4. Cannabis will remain strictly illegal for people under 20
  5. Potency levels will be limited for safety
  6. Sales will be restricted to licenced premises
  7. There will be no consumption in public places
  8. There will be plain packaging and clear warning labels, with zero advertising.

The Royal NZ College of General Practitioners has held a neutral stance, but provides more in depth explanations of the medical issues here.

38 comments on “NZ Medical Association drops its opposition to the legalisation of cannabis ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. tc 1
    13 October 2020 at 6:53 am

    This has an odour about it to strong to ignore given the lofty position many people hold these bodies in.

    Suddenly a week from the date voting closes the position changes ? Whiffy indeed from the doctors pulpit.

    • lprent 1.1
      13 October 2020 at 7:39 am

      It sounds like there was rather more internal opposition inside the NZMA than the executive had realised. Hardly surprising after some of obviously pent up opinions by doctors expressed recently about the NZMA position.

      I voted on Sunday. I voted yes for the Cannabis referendum.

      Despite never being a consumer of cannabis*, I can’t see any reason to continue to try to suppress it. I couldn’t see any reason back in the late 1970s. I can’t now.

      I’d prefer it to be regulated, taxed heavily and treated as a medical problem. In other words – just like alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs. Having set of laws around that simply aren’t enforced (except when used for police pressure) like the misuse of drugs act with regards to cannabis is an abuse of process and travesty of the legal process.

      Sure there are people who have difficulties with it. There are people who have problems with food, sunlight, and driving a straight line. But in the last 22 years in my 60 unit apartment block, I’ve seen several people carried out feet first after failing in their battle with alcohol addiction – one last week. I haven’t seen anyone have the same problem with cannabis, and the waft of reefers is often strong here.

      • Just for the record. I tried smoking cannabis once in 1979. I found that it interfered with programming for days because I wound up as fuzzy as hell. Never used it again. Hangovers were somewhat easier to deal with – and educational as well. I have relatives who do/have used cannabis. Some even have stupid convictions to prove that. I still can’t see any point to either. But I guess that is why I still refer to cannabis as ‘dope’. Using cannabis in my mind is just silly. Trying to suppress it is an exercise in futility. The whole debate is daft
      • bruce 1.1.1
        13 October 2020 at 8:17 am

        https://machash.com/special/261745/how-steve-jobs-benefitted-from-marijuana/

        https://www.civilized.life/articles/does-bill-gates-smoke-weed/

        But the guys who had a bit to do with development of the idea both supported freedom to use it. And to me thats the whole debate different strokes for different folks. Everybody is different and have different reactions to different things, so why mandate the we can only use the most destructive of the myriad of mind altering substances out there. Its very hard to find a people that don't use something, its as much a part of humanity as the colour of skin or who we choose to sleep with, not an issue for government regulation.

      • Tiger Mountain 1.1.2
        13 October 2020 at 9:09 am

        I was a yes vote too, after never being a Cannabis leaf user apart from brief sampling in 70s, partly because I never took up smoking cigarettes and did not like the delivery mechanism.

        Many of my friends have smoked Cannabis socially and recreationally for years without the fights, aggression, and brain damage that some of the drinking population seem to excel at. But I have recently tried micro doses of good quality custom produced NZ Cannabis oil and it is great stuff for relaxation and arthritis pain!

        The Cannabis Referendum has to be the most information rich one ever run so far, with longitudinal Academic studies, international social and medical experience, proposed legislation that covers all the grumpy brigade worries–age, when, where, health, pricing, product quality etc. and; millions in venture capital are raring to add to the economy. Our young and brown communities will likely get less attention from the coppers and less records and fines/incarceration. Yet despite all this it seems the “Nope” lobby has put big money into a negative, talkback level campaign that sees the result teetering on a “No” vote. One wonders if the liquor industry is in the background contributing a few bucks also to the nopers. This is so frustrating given the coherent arguments for a “Yes” vote.

        • Mika 1.1.2.1
          13 October 2020 at 9:34 am

          I think the question is not necessarily "are there potential harms from cannabis use" (there are), rather, does the current criminalisation model mitigate or exacerbate these potential harms. Clearly, the criminalisation framework is not helping harm reduction goals.

          In contrast Portugal decriminalised all drugs around 20 years ago, the result being reduction in use across the board, along with incredible improvements in rates of health and social harms.

          https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it

          Our approach should be guided by evidence like this.

        • Treetop 1.1.2.2
          13 October 2020 at 4:25 pm

          Good to hear that cannabis is helpful for arthritic pain.

          Were cannabis to become legal it is going to be interesting to hear how beneficial it is for chronic health conditions. I would try a balm first for the arthritic pain.

      • RedLogix 1.1.3
        13 October 2020 at 9:40 am

        My experience with the leaf is much the same; not interesting enough to be worth persisting with. And much the same with alcohol, we only drink to be sociable. (As a pair of introverts that isn't too often either.

        Alcohol addiction takes out around 5% of the population and cannabis has it’s own downsides. If it were up to me I'd like to see both drugs off the table, but I recognise that the law is probably not the correct tool to be using to achieve that.

        I suspect a lot of people are heavily conflicted and as a result are not saying much on this; and that while we're willing to tolerate the legalisation of cannabis, does not mean we have to like it much.

    • weka 1.2
      13 October 2020 at 9:19 am

      My understanding too is that it's been members who've forced the issue and made the NZMA change their position. Good on those members.

  2. RRM 2
    13 October 2020 at 8:21 am

    The only difference between Ardern and Collins on this issue, is – at least you know Collins would never honour a yes vote in the referendum.

    Ardern won't even say what she thinks about it, because just like Collins she's afraid of upsetting the conservative element of her base.

    So if weed referendum was polling 80% or 90% YES, then there would be some hope of a law change occurring. But as it stands I think the cause is probably dead for another 10 or 20 years… 🙁

    • Sacha 2.1
      13 October 2020 at 8:47 am

      It will be an easy issue to paint as a coalition win for the Greens, thus satisfying right-leaning Lab voters.

    • I Feel Love 2.2
      13 October 2020 at 8:55 am

      And like the rest of us Adern has the right to keep her opinion to herself. Sure there maybe politics involved, but just shows why she's leader of a country likely to win another term.

      Ex long term pot smoker here, gave up about 5 years ago, best thing I did giving up, it's addictive, harmful and makes you stupid. I voted "yes", as I believe it's a health issue, not a criminal one.

      • Bearded Git 2.2.1
        13 October 2020 at 9:05 am

        Good post I Feel…..I've smoked 2 joints in the last 35 years, and only the very occasional spliff before that, but cannabis was my friend in 1987 on top of a Bolivian Hotel listening to the UK election result and finding out that Thatcher had been re-elected as PM.

        • greywarshark 2.2.1.1
          13 October 2020 at 10:31 am

          Thanks for sensible informed opinion I Feel Love. I had experience trying to reading-coach at a recovery from drug house. They had not realised that the cannabis users had difficulty with their memory retention. They could read a page of the book on drug taking and feel they understood it but to actually recall the message to relate it to someone couldn't be done, there was no retention. Apparently the memory does come back, after some time, all – I don't know.

          Despite seeing that I think that legalising it and making it a medical thing with controls, brings it into the sunlight and cuts the ground from under most of the criminal element. There will still be the growers of the potent high THC? but hey it is in our DNA/DNZ to not do everything according to the rules, some revel in breaking them so can't aim for 100% solutions.

      • bruce 2.2.2
        13 October 2020 at 9:12 am

        Current long term smoker, addictive yea maybe but theres some on the shelf but not feeling like smoking for the last few months so it stays there for summer. In the past smoke every day for 6 months stop to go overseas no problem, While working a conference or week away with work stop no problem. I've always been stupid so no problem there. And i really hate to think of my health if I'd drunk like I smoke.

        Vive la difference

  3. Sacha 3
    13 October 2020 at 9:01 am

    The NZMA can dress this up as a 'clarification' of their stance as hard as they like. Their open letter to members tries to justify their initial firm opposition:

    The Cannabis Legalisation and Control referendum is not an actual Bill; it is a vote for or against recreational cannabis (with a proposed Bill in the offing). NZMA’s normal process regarding any topical issue, whether it be climate change or cannabis, is to fall back on its position statements (if there is one) and speak to the content of that. The cannabis position statement was created in 2012 and reiterated in 2019 when the Medicinal Cannabis Bill was being introduced.

    Obvious bullshittery. The referendum question quite clearly refers to the drafted law. Plenty has been written about the medical implications of that law as proposed. It's not some abstract question about whether cannabis is harmful.

    It was always within NZMA's power to take a neutral stance on something their members were likely to be divided on, just like the College of GPs did. Instead, Baddock spent weeks braying her strong opposition all over the media. Not professional at all.

  4. Robert Guyton 4
    13 October 2020 at 9:35 am

    To my amazement, Shaun Plunket, right-wing talkback jock on Magic Radio, reversed his opposition and voted yes for the cannabis referendum, then broadcast his action on his show. His listeners were, by and large, incensed but Plunket, in his usual way, blazed away at them in defence of his change. His usually-regressive positions generally rile me; he's hammered the word "woke" into the softened brains of most of his reactionary, Nat-voting listeners, and actively erodes left-wing positions on almost everything, but here, he's done right.

    • Dennis Frank 4.1
      13 October 2020 at 10:05 am

      Interesting, Robert. What reasoning did he deploy against his listeners? I won't ask what your motivation was for tuning in… angel

  5. Dennis Frank 5
    13 October 2020 at 10:12 am

    The medical establishment is an orthodoxy. It was established originally to provide a reliable alternative to folk medicine. Trouble is, it got infected by the ideology of scientism. So we ended up with establishment robots vs alternative charlatans as a lose/lose proposition. Competent practitioners on both sides of the ideological divide got ignored in the public arena. Word of mouth drove sufferers towards them instead.

    I have a nuanced view of the user thing – retrospectively looking back on over half a century of weighing the pros & cons. In the 1960s Timothy Leary told us: turn on, tune in, drop out. I discovered it wasn't that simple. Joints rolled with leaf didn't actually turn you on, just gave you unlimited lungfuls of smoke. Much experimenting later, I did manage to get high & after refining the technique in subsequent years I found you only need a toke or two of high-thc stuff to shift consciousness. That gets you tuned in.

    Into what?? Cosmic consciousness (was the slogan). I'd frame it in more prosaic terms. You attuned to the world around you. Ego separates you. Getting high diffused the barrier. Your psyche transcends the ego-driven perspective you are used to, you don't just see the big picture, you feel it. You become a part of the whole.

    That reconnection to nature is organic in effect. Recall that health and holistic evolved from the same language root. You are whole when you embed as part of the natural world. Tough for city kids to achieve, when the psyche develops encultured to be separate and individualistic. So thinking hippies reconnected & became Greens while the others toked too much & went blotto.

    Then the drop-out phase, where the rubber really hits the road. Leary ushered it in as liberation via de-conditioning. Cool for the time, but no thought of consequences. Eventually we had to drop back in. Altered. Then operate as shapeshifter, talk to the straights as if their world is plausible – and subtly alert them to all the reasons why it isn't. A lifetime campaign.

    The neuroplasticity angle is where the action is, I reckon. Why did it empower me & friends so much while disempowering other users? Coevolution. As Castenada explained, there are ways to use a plant ally & here's how. Shamanic function mediates the real/imaginal boundary, but mental discipline is required at all times. If you lose the plot, you get delusional. Your brain rewires itself in response to the experiences you have. As the doormouse said, feed your head. Feed it quality, do it right.

    • McFlock 5.1
      13 October 2020 at 1:54 pm

      lol it's that sort of rambling foolishness that stopped marijuana being decriminalised twenty years ago.

      I've long felt its biggest proponents were its worst advertising.

      • weka 5.1.1
        13 October 2020 at 2:01 pm

        not sure what it says that this reads to me as one of Dennis' more understandable comments 🙂

        • Incognito 5.1.1.1
          13 October 2020 at 2:05 pm

          It was almost lucid 😉

        • McFlock 5.1.1.2
          13 October 2020 at 2:16 pm

          I've clawed through it three times and it still seems to boil down to the same old "more people would be smart and rational like me if they got stoned".

          • mac1 5.1.1.2.1
            13 October 2020 at 2:37 pm

            The reference to Casteneda gives it away. Shaman or charlatan? Non-fiction or fiction? Cultural anthropologist or cultist? I read his first four books as a young man. I favour the second of each of my three options.

            Mind you, as one of the Irish diaspora, there is a little green man living at the bottom of my garden. Well, that's what I tell the kids who visit.

            I can even show them the door to the house in the palm tree, but, unlike Casteneda, I never claimed to go inside.

            • Dennis Frank 5.1.1.2.1.1
              13 October 2020 at 3:22 pm

              Binary framing doesn't help much. I never decided one way or the other. The book by the woman he spent a large part of his life with illuminated his dodgy side: her testimony convinced me that he did succumb to the guru complex eventually. The books written about him by sceptics (I own at least one of them) helped clarify the extent to which he (may have) embroidered his experiences to sell his books.

              I personally, even as a young man, found parts of his narrative too much of a stretch. Other parts, I did verify from experience. Having been brainwashed by physicists at university gave me a different perspective too – hard to say who was less convincing! wink

    • weka 5.2
      13 October 2020 at 2:04 pm

      the great thing about legalising is that we'll now get much better at growing strains for specific purposes. The people that respond well to contemplative cannabis will have a choice.

      I really hope that the per household limit gets interpreted loosely by the police. Some of our best growers are going to be small, too small to warrant all the costs and process of a licence.

      • Dennis Frank 5.2.1
        13 October 2020 at 3:28 pm

        You seem confident of the outcome. I'm not so much. The electorate seems like to split on the issue & 5/10% one way or the other isn't important. So Labour will have to take a stance collectively, which will pit their progressives against their conservatives. Most likely outcome of that will be muddle thro the middle: decriminalisation, not legalisation. We have defacto that now, of course, but they'll have to eliminate the racist targeting of Maori users that the cops are addicted to.

        • Ad 5.2.1.1
          13 October 2020 at 4:04 pm

          It's a non-binding referendum on a future legislative proposal, so no party would have to take any notice of this referendum result. Whichever way it went.

          • Dennis Frank 5.2.1.1.1
            13 October 2020 at 4:18 pm

            Oh yes, I do realise that. I'm just doing a reading of how the expediency side of things will play out. Do nothing would kill any pretence that Labour is progressive stone dead. Doubt they'll be that stupid!!

          • Patricia Bremner 5.2.1.1.2
            14 October 2020 at 2:44 am

            However Jacinda did say in the Debate, she would be guided by the Public vote.

        • weka 5.2.1.2
          13 October 2020 at 5:17 pm

          More that if it's a no vote, then it will happen later rather than sooner.

  6. RedBaronCV 6
    13 October 2020 at 12:13 pm

    Fascinating how some personalities claim the right to speak for others without ever consulting on what views those others may actually hold.

    I can see the Chairperson being replaced sometime in the near future. Anyone calling for a resignation?

  7. In Vino 7
    13 October 2020 at 1:49 pm

    I feel very similar about that red-necked old duffer who spoke out on behalf of Greypower without any consultation that I knew of.

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    The mediocrity who stands to be a Prime Minister has a litany.He uses it a bit like a Koru Lounge card. He will brandish it to say: these people are eligible. And more than that, too: These people are deserving. They have earned this policy.They have a right to this policy. What ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago

  • More “partnerships” (by the look of it) and redress of over $30 million in Treaty settlement wit...
    Buzz from the Beehive Point of Order has waited until now – 3.45pm – for today’s officially posted government announcements.  There have been none. The only addition to the news on the Beehive’s website was posted later yesterday, after we had published our September 26 Buzz report. It came from ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    3 days ago

  • ALEX HOLLAND: Labour’s spending
    Alex Holland writes –  In 2017 when Labour came to power, crown spending was $76 billion per year. Now in 2023 it is $139 billion per year, which equates to a $63 billion annual increase (over $1 billion extra spend every week!) In 2017, New Zealand’s government debt ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • If not now, then when?
    Labour released its fiscal plan today, promising the same old, same old: "responsibility", balanced books, and of course no new taxes: "Labour will maintain income tax settings to provide consistency and certainty in these volatile times. Now is not the time for additional taxes or to promise billions of ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago

  • THE FACTS:  77% of Kiwis believe NZ is becoming more divided
    The Facts has posted –        KEY INSIGHTSOf New Zealander’s polled: Social unity/division 77%believe NZ is becoming more divided (42% ‘much more’ + 35% ‘a little more’) 3%believe NZ is becoming less divided (1% ‘much less’ + 2% ‘a little less’) ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on the cynical brutality of the centre-right’s welfare policies
    The centre-right’s enthusiasm for forcing people off the benefit and into paid work is matched only by the enthusiasm (shared by Treasury and the Reserve Bank) for throwing people out of paid work to curb inflation, and achieve the optimal balance of workers to job seekers deemed to be desirable ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Wednesday’s Chorus: Arthur Grimes on why building many, many more social houses is so critical
    New research shows that tenants in social housing - such as these Wellington apartments - are just as happy as home owners and much happier than private tenants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The election campaign took an ugly turn yesterday, and in completely the wrong direction. All three ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Old habits
    Media awareness about global warming and climate change has grown fairly steadily since 2004. My impression is that journalists today tend to possess a higher climate literacy than before. This increasing awareness and improved knowledge is encouraging, but there are also some common interpretations which could be more nuanced. ...
    Real ClimateBy rasmus
    3 days ago

  • Bennie Bashing.
    If there’s one thing the mob loves more than keeping Māori in their place, more than getting tough on the gangs, maybe even more than tax cuts. It’s a good old round of beneficiary bashing.Are those meanies in the ACT party stealing your votes because they think David Seymour is ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • The kindest cuts
    Labour kicks off the fiscal credibility battle today with the release of its fiscal plan. National is expected to follow, possibly as soon as Thursday, with its own plan, which may (or may not) address the large hole that the problems with its foreign buyers’ ban might open up. ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago

  • Green right turn in Britain? Well, a start
    While it may be unlikely to register in New Zealand’s general election, Britain’s PM Rishi Sunak has done something which might just be important in the long run. He’s announced a far-reaching change in his Conservative government’s approach to environmental, and particularly net zero, policy. The starting point – ...
    Point of OrderBy xtrdnry
    4 days ago

  • At a glance – How do human CO2 emissions compare to natural CO2 emissions?
    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 ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • How could this happen?
    Canada is in uproar after the exposure that its parliament on September 22 provided a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran who had been invited into the chamber to participate in the parliamentary welcome to Ukrainian President Zelensky. Yaroslav Hunka, 98, a Ukrainian man who volunteered for service in ...
    Open ParachuteBy Ken
    4 days ago

  • Always Be Campaigning
    The big screen is a great place to lay out the ways of the salesman. He comes ready-made for Panto, ripe for lampooning.This is not to disparage that life. I have known many good people of that kind. But there is a type, brazen as all get out. The camera ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • STEPHEN FRANKS: Press seek to publicly shame doctor – we must push back
    The following is a message sent yesterday from lawyer Stephen Franks on behalf of the Free Speech Union. I don’t like to interrupt first thing Monday morning, but we’ve just become aware of a case where we think immediate and overwhelming attention could help turn the tide. It involves someone ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Competing on cruelty
    The right-wing message calendar is clearly reading "cruelty" today, because both National and NZ First have released beneficiary-bashing policies. National is promising a "traffic light" system to police and kick beneficiaries, which will no doubt be accompanied by arbitrary internal targets to classify people as "orange" or "red" to keep ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago

  • Further funding for Pharmac (forgotten in the Budget?) looks like a $1bn appeal from a PM in need of...
    Buzz from the Beehive One Labour plan  – for 3000 more public homes by 2025 – is the most recent to be posted on the government’s official website. Another – a prime ministerial promise of more funding for Pharmac – has been released as a Labour Party press statement. Who ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    4 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: The Vested interests shaping National Party policies
    As the National Party gets closer to government, lobbyists and business interests will be lining up for influence and to get policies adopted. It’s therefore in the public interest to have much more scrutiny and transparency about potential conflicts of interests that might arise. One of the key individuals of ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    4 days ago

  • Labour may be on way out of power and NZ First back in – but will Peters go into coalition with Na...
    Voters  are deserting Labour in droves, despite Chris  Hipkins’  valiant  rearguard  action.  So  where  are they  heading?  Clearly  not all of them are going to vote National, which concedes that  the  outcome  will be “close”. To the Right of National, the ACT party just a  few weeks  ago  was ...
    Point of OrderBy tutere44
    4 days ago

  • GRAHAM ADAMS: Will the racists please stand up?
    Accusations of racism by journalists and MPs are being called out. Graham Adams writes –    With the election less than three weeks away, what co-governance means in practice — including in water management, education, planning law and local government — remains largely obscure. Which is hardly ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on whether Winston Peters can be a moderating influence
    As the centre-right has (finally!) been subjected to media interrogation, the polls are indicating that some voters may be starting to have second thoughts about the wisdom of giving National and ACT the power to govern alone. That’s why yesterday’s Newshub/Reid Research poll had the National/ACT combo dropping to 60 ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    4 days ago

  • Tuesday’s Chorus: RBNZ set to rain on National's victory parade
    ANZ has increased its forecast for house inflation later this year on signs of growing momentum in the market ahead of the election. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National has campaigned against the Labour Government’s record on inflation and mortgage rates, but there’s now a growing chance the Reserve ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago

  • After a Pittsburgh coal processing plant closed, ER visits plummeted
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Katie Myers. This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Pittsburgh, in its founding, was blessed and cursed with two abundant natural resources: free-flowing rivers and a nearby coal seam. ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • September-23 AT Board Meeting
    Today the AT board meet again and once again I’ve taken a look at what’s on the agenda to find the most interesting items. Closed Agenda Interestingly when I first looked at the agendas this paper was there but at the time of writing this post it had been ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    4 days ago

  • Electorate Watch: West Coast-Tasman
    Continuing my series on interesting electorates, today it’s West Coast-Tasman.A long thin electorate running down the northern half of the west coast of the South Island. Think sand flies, beautiful landscapes, lots of rain, Pike River, alternative lifestylers, whitebaiting, and the spiritual home of the Labour Party. A brief word ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • Big money brings Winston back
    National leader Christopher Luxon yesterday morning conceded it and last night’s Newshub poll confirmed it; Winston Peters and NZ First are not only back but highly likely to be part of the next government. It is a remarkable comeback for a party that was tossed out of Parliament in ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago

  • 20 days until Election Day, 7 until early voting begins… but what changes will we really see here?
    As this blogger, alongside many others, has already posited in another forum: we all know the National Party’s “budget” (meaning this concept of even adding up numbers properly is doing a lot of heavy, heavy lifting right now) is utter and complete bunk (read hung, drawn and quartered and ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    5 days ago

  • A night out
    Everyone was asking, Are you nervous? and my response was various forms of God, yes.I've written more speeches than I can count; not much surprises me when the speaker gets to their feet and the room goes quiet.But a play? Never.YOU CAME! THANK YOU! Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • A pallid shade of Green III
    Clearly Labour's focus groups are telling it that it needs to pay more attention to climate change - because hot on the heels of their weaksauce energy efficiency pilot programme and not-great-but-better-than-nothing solar grants, they've released a full climate manifesto. Unfortunately, the core policies in it - a second Emissions ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • A coalition of racism, cruelty, and chaos
    Today's big political news is that after months of wibbling, National's Chris Luxon has finally confirmed that he is willing to work with Winston Peters to become Prime Minister. Which is expected, but I guess it tells us something about which way the polls are going. Which raises the question: ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago

  • More migrant workers should help generate the tax income needed to provide benefits for job seekers
    Buzz from the Beehive Under something described as a “rebalance” of its immigration rules, the Government has adopted four of five recommendations made in an independent review released in July, The fifth, which called on the government to specify criteria for out-of-hours compliance visits similar to those used during ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • Letter To Luxon.
    Some of you might know Gerard Otto (G), and his G News platform. This morning he wrote a letter to Christopher Luxon which I particularly enjoyed, and with his agreement I’m sharing it with you in this guest newsletter.If you’d like to make a contribution to support Gerard’s work you ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • LINDSAY MITCHELL: Alarming trend in benefit numbers
    Lindsay Mitchell writes –  While there will not be another quarterly release of benefit numbers prior to the election, limited weekly reporting continues and is showing an alarming trend. Because there is a seasonal component to benefit number fluctuations it is crucial to compare like with like. In ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • BRIAN EASTON: Has there been external structural change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase.   Brian Easton writes –  Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • CRL Progress – Sep-23
    It’s been a while since we looked at the latest with the City Rail Link and there’s been some fantastic milestones recently. To start with, and most recently, CRL have released an awesome video showing a full fly-through of one of the tunnels. Come fly with us! You asked for ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    5 days ago

  • Monday’s Chorus: Not building nearly enough
    We are heading into another period of fast population growth without matching increased home building or infrastructure investment.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Labour and National detailed their house building and migration approaches over the weekend, with both pledging fast population growth policies without enough house building or infrastructure investment ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago

  • Game on; Hipkins comes out punching
    Labour leader Chris Hipkins yesterday took the gloves off and laid into National and its leader Christopher Luxon. For many in Labour – and particularly for some at the top of the caucus and the party — it would not have been a moment too soon. POLITIK is aware ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    5 days ago

  • Tax Cut Austerity Blues.
    The leaders have had their go, they’ve told us the “what?” and the “why?” of their promises. Now it’s the turn of the would be Finance Ministers to tell us the “how?”, the “how much?”, and the “when?”A chance for those competing for the second most powerful job in the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago

  • MIKE GRIMSHAW:  It’s the economy – and the spirit – Stupid…
    Mike Grimshaw writes – Over the past 30-odd years it’s become almost an orthodoxy to blame or invoke neoliberalism for the failures of New Zealand society. On the left the usual response goes something like, neoliberalism is the cause of everything that’s gone wrong and the answer ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #38
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 17, 2023 thru Sat, Sep 23, 2023. Story of the Week  Opinion: Let’s free ourselves from the story of economic growth A relentless focus on economic growth has ushered in ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • The End Of The World.
    Have you been looking out of your window for signs of the apocalypse? Don’t worry, you haven’t been door knocked by a representative of the Brian Tamaki party. They’re probably a bit busy this morning spruiking salvation, or getting ready to march on our parliament, which is closed. No, I’ve ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago

  • Climate Town: The Brainwashing Of America's Children
    Climate Town is the YouTube channel of Rollie Williams and a ragtag team of climate communicators, creatives and comedians. They examine climate change in a way that doesn’t make you want to eat a cyanide pill. Get informed about the climate crisis before the weather does it for you. The latest ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Has There Been External Structural Change?
    A close analysis of the Treasury assessment of the Medium Term in its PREFU 2023 suggests the economy may be entering a new phase. Last week I explained that the forecasts in the just published Treasury Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU 2023) was similar to the May Budget BEFU, ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago

  • Another Labour bully
    Back in June, we learned that Kiri Allan was a Parliamentary bully. And now there's another one: Labour MP Shanan Halbert: The Labour Party was alerted to concerns about [Halbert's] alleged behaviour a year ago but because staffers wanted to remain anonymous, no formal process was undertaken [...] The ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Climate Change: Ignoring our biggest problem
    Its that time in the election season where the status quo parties are busy accusing each other of having fiscal holes in a desperate effort to appear more "responsible" (but not, you understand, by promising to tax wealth or land to give the government the revenue it needs to do ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • New community-level energy projects to support more than 800 Māori households
    Seven more innovative community-scale energy projects will receive government funding through the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund to bring more affordable, locally generated clean energy to more than 800 Māori households, Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods says. “We’ve already funded 42 small-scale clean energy projects that ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Huge boost to Te Tai Tokerau flood resilience
    The Government has approved new funding that will boost resilience and greatly reduce the risk of major flood damage across Te Tai Tokerau. Significant weather events this year caused severe flooding and damage across the region. The $8.9m will be used to provide some of the smaller communities and maraes ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Napier’s largest public housing development comes with solar
    The largest public housing development in Napier for many years has been recently completed and has the added benefit of innovative solar technology, thanks to Government programmes, says Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods. The 24 warm, dry homes are in Seddon Crescent, Marewa and Megan Woods says the whanau living ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Te Whānau a Apanui and the Crown initial Deed of Settlement I Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me...
    Māori: Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna te Whakaaetanga Whakataunga Kua waitohua e Te Whānau a Apanui me te Karauna i tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga hei whakamihi i ō rātou tāhuhu kerēme Tiriti o Waitangi. E tekau mā rua ngā hapū o roto mai o Te Whānau ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Plan for 3,000 more public homes by 2025 – regions set to benefit
    Regions around the country will get significant boosts of public housing in the next two years, as outlined in the latest public housing plan update, released by the Housing Minister, Dr Megan Woods. “We’re delivering the most public homes each year since the Nash government of the 1950s with one ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Immigration settings updates
    Judicial warrant process for out-of-hours compliance visits 2023/24 Recognised Seasonal Employer cap increased by 500 Additional roles for Construction and Infrastructure Sector Agreement More roles added to Green List Three-month extension for onshore Recovery Visa holders The Government has confirmed a number of updates to immigration settings as part of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Poroporoaki: Tā Patrick (Patu) Wahanga Hohepa
    Tangi ngunguru ana ngā tai ki te wahapū o Hokianga Whakapau Karakia. Tārehu ana ngā pae maunga ki Te Puna o te Ao Marama. Korihi tangi ana ngā manu, kua hinga he kauri nui ki te Wao Nui o Tāne. He Toa. He Pou. He Ahorangi. E papaki tū ana ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Renewable energy fund to support community resilience
    40 solar energy systems on community buildings in regions affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events Virtual capability-building hub to support community organisations get projects off the ground Boost for community-level renewable energy projects across the country At least 40 community buildings used to support the emergency response ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • COVID-19 funding returned to Government
    The lifting of COVID-19 isolation and mask mandates in August has resulted in a return of almost $50m in savings and recovered contingencies, Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Following the revocation of mandates and isolation, specialised COVID-19 telehealth and alternative isolation accommodation are among the operational elements ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Appointment of District Court Judge
    Susie Houghton of Auckland has been appointed as a new District Court Judge, to serve on the Family Court, Attorney-General David Parker said today.  Judge Houghton has acted as a lawyer for child for more than 20 years. She has acted on matters relating to the Hague Convention, an international ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
    The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-up
    Another $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Taupō Supercars revs up with Government support
    The future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarter
    The economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs
    The Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today.   “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • More support for victims of migrant exploitation
    Temporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Strong export boost as NZ economy turns corner
    An export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te Karaka
    The Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Further business support for cyclone-affected regions
    The Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underway
    Defence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General Assembly
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Midwives’ pay equity offer reached
    Around 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • New Zealand provides support to Morocco
    Aotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilience
    The Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today.  A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Government invests in Greymouth’s future
    The Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
    Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflation
    Economy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New cancer centre opens in Christchurch
    Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience
    $12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

  • New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...
    Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 weeks ago

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