Insiders from both sides said agreement was only reached through negotiation between the political leaders, with officials at an impasse.
Despite the local complaints that the PM shouldn't have gone, looks like her presence and Damien O'Connor's presence were critical to getting the deal over the line.
In addition to some good outcomes, it also includes climate enforcement, so a handy tool to convince the agricultural sector to reduce emissions.
It does seem rather ironic based on some of the crap I read prior to the trip.
However I wonder if her critics have the capacity to understand irony. It usually seems to me that they are rather wedded to living in a misogynistic 19th century society.
Mind you I also consider they are such completely incompetent wannabe arse-lickers (Mike Hosking comes to mind) that they fail to understand that having skill in business has virtually no relevance to having skills in politics.
I've worked in and around both (I avoid becoming a politician or a manger) and I can't see much of transfer between the skills sets. My opinion is that being competent line manager is usually a detriment to becoming a politician. John Key was interesting when you look over his career. I get the impression that his business roles were more selling and politics than managerial.
I haven't time to do a full article on it, but structural theorists ought well have a crack at the reaggregation of the state since as of today we now have one single health entity.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s so many public services gained fresh legislation that assumed strong communitarian voice into prioritisation of many kinds of state service.
Primary and secondary education got Tomorrow's Schools and the formation of school boards with locally elected representatives.
Local government got the 1989 act that required all budgets to go to public consultation. Hundreds of tiny councils were joined into sub-regional blocs.
Regional government was professionalised and given specific tasks held over from Rabbit Boards and the like.
Health got the full regionalisation of health provision with the formation of mostly elected District Health Boards to reflect regionally specific delivery.
Polytechs were clumped together into regions to reflect industry specialisation and response.
Even the entire territorial ocean was divided up into policed and tradeable blocs of fish.
Maori were strongly regionalised through negotiating Treaty settlements through iwi, and professionalised as a result.
Government also generated regional growth strategies, encouraged with bounteous wheelbarrows of cash if the regions did the work.
This regionalised set of structures corresponded with a strong legislative underpinning within the new RMA that local voices could, if regionally collected , truly stop or alter the power of the big state and of big business – and that still remains the case.
The citizen empowered was at the heart of this. They were to stand and represent within public service structures.
Power and decisionmaking was supposed to be delegated down to the lowest appropriate level.
It is this government that has killed most of this communitarian citizen off in favour of centralised structures.
There is no current proof recentraliation will do good. It will of course take many, many years to measure any good in it. And we are a vastly different country to what we were 35 years ago.
There's certainly a pattern to what Labour are doing, but I'm not sure there's a logic.
If one is around for long enough in a business or other organisation – it's not uncommon to see an oscillation between centralisation and decentralisation, with each announced as exciting and original, and each aimed at solving the same set of problems. Which might suggest that neither the origin of, nor the solution to, those problems lies in the structures of the body tasked with solving them. But working on structure and culture is a technocratic and non-ideological thing to do – a comfortable place for centrists to play in.
We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. Presumably the plans for our employment were being changed. I was to learn later in life that, perhaps because we are so good at organizing, we tend as a nation to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization. During our reorganizations, several commanding officers were tried out on us, which added to the discontinuity. – Ogburn (1957)
The revised, extended version of the poem focuses more clearly on its true subject – the onset of acquisitive individualism and a society of conspicuous consumers. In the poem, purchased artefacts displace human agency and "trivial things" come to dominate. – Pope (1712)
At the start of Covid one of the main reported problems was that hospital systems could not talk to one another. It wasn’t supposed to be like that but 22 separate ideas on what computer system was needed ended up in an expensive farce for only 5 million people.
Canterbury DHB is in the red to the tune of $180 million and its board and senior management can't agree about what should be done about it.
Seven executive members leaving within a few weeks was "a crisis for Canterbury". She had told the board that its adversarial approach to the senior management team had made it impossible for her to continue.
"Fraud on a grand scale" was how Justice Lyn Stevens yesterday described the actions of former Otago District Health Board chief information officer Michael Swann and his friend and business associate Kerry Harford.
Just another neolib failure…..these 22 !! DHB’s act as self contained mini empires. Who ever thought that was a good idea ? !
Also when whistle blowers tried to alert of the above linked CRIMS..(and there are many more) they were told mind your own business !. Hey, just like always.
"Throughout these investigations the board were kept fully informed of the issues and potential risks they posed," he said.
"I am confident that throughout the period the health and welfare of patients and staff was not compromised. I am also confident that the appropriate authorities were kept informed of the issues."
He refused to be interviewed by RNZ, instead issuing a statement.
You need to go back earlier than that. This timeline is some help – though I can remember locally-elected hospital boards prior to 1983 where this timeline starts. In short, there is a long history of structural tinkering from both major parties. A quote from the piece:
New Zealand has undergone four previous public health transformations since the early 1980s, each bringing with it a new set of organisations and structures to fund and deliver health services to the community.
The first was the establishment of Area Health Boards in 1983, followed by the Regional Health Authorities and Crown Health Enterprises (1993-1997), and Health Funding Authority and Hospital and Health Services (1998-2001). Eventually, this led to the introduction of 21 District Health Boards (DHBs) in 2001.
The problem is that there are drawbacks to both centralisation and regionalisation.
If everything is centralised, services are integrated and consolidated but you lose the local representation, and then decisions like "oh, it's most efficient to have a single head trauma centre up here, 95% of patients will have helicopter access within ideal treatment times", and bugger the 5% who don't get treatment in time. The old "the numbers are so small it doesn't matter" problem.
But likewise, regionalisation gives so much local control that treatment can become a postcode lottery, and cooperations between areas is difficult.
And then governments see a big restructure as a great way to conceal (or promise to address) the systemic underfunding of the health sector that has existed for decades.
Yes Labour installed a healthcare system that is now considered to 'complicated for a nation of 5 million.
Maybe they should have thought about that when they invented that system? Btw, what was Andre Little doing during the Helen Clark years?
seriously, this is not even ment as a zinger, this is literally what happened during the life time of all of us.
but surely if you want to complain about healthcare – but not include the labour party and the parts it plays in mananing healthcare in this country – then just simply pretend that the 22 DHB are the best thing since sliced toast, and stop asking who thought it was a good Idea. Cause in the end you will always come back to the Labour Party and Helen Clark and her ministers at the time.
After becoming “too complicated for a small nation”, Aotearoa’s health system will be overhauled in just a couple of weeks’ time, and the 20 district health boards will be scrapped. So what’s actually changing come July 1?
That became evident within months of the DHB's forming with quite a lot of previously integrated systems falling down.
As a user I really disliked the DHB system – if you have ever moved DHB's regions and had children under specialists it is a nightmare. More so if they actually get admitted in one DHB area who only have the responsibility to get your child "fit to travel to their own DHB". Having had a child discharged while still very unwell from one DHB and us having to drive frantically back to our own DHB as they turned bluer and bluer as their oxygen depleted and going immediately to our local DHB where they went straight into intensive care was a nightmare.
Trust me you never wanted to get admitted seriously unwell in the wrong DHB area.
As for BOT's having sat on these – once after a previous board full of lawyers and accountants set up ridiculous forward contracts for school maintenance amongst other things – my biggest observation is that local input has allowed the religious into state schools. This isn't unintended in my view and was always part of the plan in devolving centralised control. It isn't co-incidence the connection between the religious and the right and the notion of localism.
My wife works for a northern DHB. They have just introduced a new computer program that seriously effects her job. No training. Fiasco is one word. Another way of describing it is monumental cluster fuck.
Yes, a friend of mine moved from Auckland to Blenheim 4 years ago. She was really annoyed to find that several of the tests she had regularly in Auckland because of previous illnesses and family histories were not available at her new DHB because of their differing standards and policies relating to her age.
22 DHB's for 5 million people. 22 boards, levels of managers, finance, supply etc and all that branding.
National serve capital not people as this 'reform' had nothing to do with efficiency just more carving up the public asset to hopefully flog it off to mates.
he Helen Clark-led Labour government introduced the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000, which led to the creation of 20 district health boards (DHBs) across the country.
Yes Adrian, that computer linking is a biggie. They also developed their own silos. They overpaid Boards and Managers. Just to name a few wee problems.
“I know what the average Māori (person) will think and they’re not walking around every day thinking about the United Nations’ Declaration of Indigenous Peoples – they’re thinking about their housing, their health, their education.’’
For all those critics of Pharmac and the current Government’s efforts in healthcare:
There's been a carve out for New Zealand medicines and Pharmac, as patent requirements sought by the EU would have made medicines here more expensive by hundreds of millions of dollars a year – New Zealand refused and that's not part of the deal, the only country in the OECD to have that exemption.
That's really good news, I am very pleased to see that the pharmaceutical industry's campaign against Pharmac hasn't weakened the Governments commitment to it.
Yeah an insidious part of that campaign was the "but Australia pays for it" neglecting to point out that Australia pays for more high cost medicines in part because they (the government) pay much less of basic medical care costs for which you are expected to pay a higher price or have insurance.
NZ puts much more money proportionally into basic health care.
You are, if you have a decent income for instance expected to have medical insurance. If you don't you get levied on your income. Even with Medicare you pay quite a bit more for your doctor and prescriptions than here. It is a clear government policy.
This reduces the cost to the government for basic health care and frees up money to be spent on expensive medicines.
NZ doesn't spend enough per capita is definitely a problem though.
Proportionally was related to basic care vs costly new medicines. not Aus to NZ on a population basis. I can see why that was confusing in how I wrote it.
I have posted this previously but I remember being at a DHB meeting where their accountant got up and spoke about his disgust at reducing the hours of care for elderly to save costs. He made the point that many of the staff will still do the extra work needed and that they, the managers new this. He had calculated his estimate of the "free hours" each year they would get and it ran into millions. Not a single DHB manager disputed his claims and they proceeded uncaringly with the cuts. In my experience most DHB managers had previously worked to wreck the system in the UK and were now here wrecking ours.
Mental Health spending is another area they have consciously done things like reduce bed numbers despite staff opposition. to doing so. The neglect of dental health for low income and disabled is another area where they have reduced their effort year on year. These things were all management decisions that had everything to do with costs not to do with local health needs.
Reversing this stuff can't be done without spending more money and that has to include responding to the supply and demand staff shortages.
"There's been a carve out for New Zealand medicines and Pharmac, as patent requirements sought by the EU would have made medicines here more expensive by hundreds of millions of dollars a year – "
This smells like spin and nonsense, PHARMAC are very very slow at funding new medicines and we only spend around a billion a tear on pharmaceuticals. Existing product prices wouldn't increase as they are subject to funding agreements.
This smells like lazy reckons and sour grapes, which is ironic. Pharmac is the funder and Medsafe is the regulator and these are very different roles that both require proper evidence-based decision-making and that takes time. Who said anything about existing product prices? And if you make assertions about funding agreements set in stone then you need to back that up, which won’t be an easy task for you as they are confidential. So, pull the other one.
it is a fact that vote health spends in the order of 1 billion a year on pharmaceuticals per the pharmaceutical schedule via retail pharmacy and via in hospital usage – this is publicly available information.
The majority of pharmaceuticals that have lost intellectual property (IP) protection are supplied within a tender system the prices are contracted and visible and again this is publicly available information.
The pharmaceuticals that are protected by IP are subject to many and varied contracts between the manufacturer and PHARMAC and again the prices are contracted (along with rebates that are confidential). Prices for these pharmaceuticals do not go up – certainly not since the arrival of PHARMAC some decades ago.
Therefore we are left with the newer products which PHARMAC has yet to fund – as you will be aware there is a rather large number of these and they are remarkably slow at funding newer agents despite the new funds that have been made available to them.
To suggest that patent extensions and the like would have added 'hundreds of millions of dollars' to the pharmaceutical costs in nz annually is a nonsense unless one expects a large proportion of the newer agents are suddenly due to come off patent and would be subject to longer patent terms and that there are cheaper generics available and that this situation repeats itself on an annual basis.
Again we spend just over a billion a year funding pharmaceuticals – the ‘hundreds of millions a year ‘ throwaway comment is simply not credible.
The only one who’s not credible here is you because you still haven’t provided any support for your reckons, just more reckons and throw away comments, which for all I know you’ve made up from scratch. I can easily do your homework for you, e.g., link to Pharmac’s tender outcomes, but I didn’t make your reckons. If you want I can park you in Pre-Mod until you have put up something with a bit of substance or change your nom de plume to something more fitting for the quality of your comments here. In particular, you have not countered the claim by the Government as per my original quote.
As I have previously said the claim by the government is hyperbolic nonsense for a total pharmaceutical budget in NZ that is just over a billion dollars per annum and where new patent protected medicines are 'drip fed' to the medical community.
Perhaps a challenge for you – provide an example of a pharmaceutical funded by the government in NZ that has had an increase in price increase over the last decade which could support the government's statement.
I'm not sure where the statement from the government originated, I very much doubt it was from PHARMAC or any healthcare professionals – maybe from the health ministers spin doctors ? They do appear to be coming up with a load of codswallop on a daily basis at present.
So, you cannot or don’t want to back up your own comment, just digging in and doubling down.
It really is a stupid move to put the onus back on somebody who challenges you to provide support for your reckons. You make the claims, you back it up.
The main outcome of the new health structure – at least in the short/medium term – is going to be the rationalisation and centralisation of elective surgery and other procedures. New Zealanders are going to have to be prepared to travel for advanced healthcare to just a few centres. It makes sense to have excellent care in one city rather than very good care in six.
Maori health has now been given the rope it has been demanding, we will see if they hang themselves or haul up Maori health outcomes with it. The ball is in their court.
To keep up with medical innovations and to be involved in clinical trials a close relationship with [the 2] medical schools is a huge advantage if not a prerequisite. The latter need to have a bigger presence and footprint in the heartland of NZ.
Which is what used to happen previously to rationalise spare capacity e.g. Taumarunui during the off-ski season used to do lots of hip replacement operations.
People didn't mind travelling for serious stuff. What happened is people in place like Taumarunui now had to travel for hours for normal every day stuff. For those communities that used to have local hospitals medical travel has ben a way of life ever since the DHB system was set up.
Many of those rural hospitals also were close to high Maori population areas in the NI at least.
Healthcare is everything from the everyday stuff such as GP visits (incl. Pharmacy) and taking & dropping off samples to full-on hospital care (incl. A&E) with all the more specialised services plus all the wrap-around services (incl. radiology service, for example). It is huge.
Patients need community for well-being and healing (and for palliative & ‘pastoral’ care). This has been brought up again during the pandemic and all isolations that people had to endure. This can be very hard on people who are scared, confused, unwell, or in pain (mentally or physically). For example, elderly people are confined to their rooms even today when there are any positive cases in their rest-home and it is bloody hard on them (and on staff and relatives).
"Medical tourism" was great for Taumarunui. Some one I knew whose mother had her hip done there spent the best part of a week contributing to the local economy. They drove their Mum down, and then spent several nights in a very nice motel while she recovered from the surgery and was OK to be driven back home.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that federal action on climate change is against the constitution:
Supreme Court handcuffs Biden’s climate efforts
The decision comes amid accumulating warnings from scientists that human-caused climate change is increasing the likelihood of more severe floods, droughts, storms and other calamities in the coming decades.
…
The 6-3 ruling erects a significant obstacle to Biden’s hopes of addressing global warming through executive branch action — barely six months after a Senate stalemate shut down congressional Democrats’ efforts to pass their biggest-ever climate bill.
The Senate filibuster prevented their attempt at regulation and the Supreme Court ruling preempts any further attempts. The descent of US empire has accelerated this week. Sadly this will have ramifications for us all.
Its part of a Fascist coup in the USA with the aim of cementing white minority rule. The United States is one Democratic president serious about taking on Fascism – or one election clearly rigged by voter suppression and Gerrymanders – away from serious and escalating civil violence.
How the Supreme Court could radically reshape elections for president and Congress
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday that it has agreed to hear a case next term that could upend election laws across the country with the potential endorsement of a fringe legal theory about how much power state legislatures have over the running of congressional and presidential elections.
…
Depending on how broadly the Supreme Court rules in the North Carolina redistricting case, Amar says support for the theory by the court could affect the 2024 presidential election. States with Republican-controlled legislatures could see it as an invitation to set new election rules that take power away from voters when picking electors for the Electoral College or to make state lawmakers, not courts, the judges in disputes after the election.
FDR was able to leverage that threat to ensure the enactment of the New Deal, so it is potentially possible. I don't see it as likely given the current impotent response of the Democratic party. AOC however raises the justifiable impeachment of at least two of the Justices:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for supreme court justices to be impeached for misleading statements about their views on Roe v Wade.
Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks took aim at justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. Both were appointed by former president Donald Trump and had signaled that they would not reverse the supreme court’s landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade during confirmation hearings as well as in meetings with senators.
On Friday, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch formed part of the conservative majority which in effect ended legal access to abortion in most states, and Ocasio-Cortez said “there must be consequences” for that.
Anne Gorsuch, a radical anti-environmental activist, was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981 to be the first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She worked hand-in-glove with Reagan’s controversial Secretary of the Interior James Watt to undermine federal environmental regulations.
Here is how The Washington Post described her controversial 22-month tenure as EPA administrator in her 2004 obituary. In 1983, after she and her first husband, David Gorsuch, divorced, she married Robert F. Burford, a rancher and head of the Bureau of Land Management.
Her 22-month tenure was one of the most controversial of the early Reagan administration. A firm believer that the federal government, and specifically the EPA, was too big, too wasteful and too restrictive of business, Ms. Burford cut her agency's budget by 22 percent. She boasted that she reduced the thickness of the book of clean water regulations from six inches to a half-inch.
Republicans and Democrats alike accused Ms. Burford of dismantling her agency rather than directing it to aggressively protect the environment. They pointed to budgets cuts for research and enforcement, to steep declines in the number of cases filed against polluters, to efforts to relax portions of the Clean Air Act, to an acceleration of federal approvals for the spraying of restricted pesticides and more.
It seems likely some who have been very vocal about not accepting what happened, and telling things as they are, don't want to tell things as they were and certainly don't want them to be called what they were.
Interesting that it appears at this time, following a narrative framework that replicates the back alley abortion clinics and systems that were set up to aid women.
Sometimes, illegal abortion clinics were all about the money for those performing – so, there is no guarantee that the intention is altruistic in either case. But here it is assumed.
There are many factors to unpick here, but one noticeable lack is a failure to mention that there is a large number of people who have a castration sexual paraphilia, (which is not replicated in regards to abortion).
(The transgender messaging has long moved on from discomfort in one's sexed body, to body modification without need for distress, a fundamental difference that many choose to ignore.)
The eunuch community online, also expresses the desire to halt development for growing people, and offers up castration as a means to do so.
There really needs to be better scrutiny and discussion on these topics, rather than promotional puff pieces in the media.
The conservative backlash against this insanity is going to be ugly and violent. Because these disturbed and amoral individuals have captured the narrative of oppression and the levers of power in “polite” society, the only tool that remains for normal people who want to protect women and children, is rough justice.
I do not endorse that prospect, but it is clearly happening right now in the US of A, with the growth of the Proud Boys and the irrational rulings of the Supreme Court.
So surgery is to be granted to someone who identifies as eunuch identity if they are in danger of self harm. Does it not occur to anyone that the person would have to be really disturbed to threaten or be at risk of self harm if they are not castrated. I have known quite a few suicidal people over the years and the treatment or support that is offered has never included give them what they want. It’s a bit like telling the ex partner of someone who is suicidal to go back to them to stop them suiciding.
It's about Eunuchs being recognised and treated as a gender identity – and I think they may have pulled the draft off the site, which is hard to navigate if you are unfamiliar with it.
Isaiah 5:8-9 “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land. The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing: “Surely the great houses will become desolate, the fine mansions left without occupants.”
Luxo: "bottom feeders GTFO"
Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luxo: "abortion = murder!!!11!1"
Ecclesiastes 6:3-6 "A stillborn child is better than [the prideful man] — for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man… Do not all go to one place?"
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Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
It may have been a short week but there’s been no shortage of things that caught our attention. Here is some of the most interesting. This week in Greater Auckland On Tuesday Matt took a look at public transport ridership in 2024 On Thursday Connor asked some questions ...
The East Is Red: Journalists and commentators are referring to the sudden and disruptive arrival of DeepSeek as a second “Sputnik moment”. (Sputnik being the name given by the godless communists of the Soviet Union to the world’s first artificial satellite which, to the consternation and dismay of the Americans, ...
Hi,Back on inauguration day we launched a ridiculous RFK Jr. “brain worms” tee on the Webworm store, and I told you I’d be throwing my profits over to Mutual Aid LA and Rainbow Youth New Zealand. Just to show I am not full of shit, here are the receipts. I ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump over Gaza and Ukraine.Health expert and author David Galler ...
In an uncompromising paper Treasury has basically told the Government that its plan for a third medical school at Waikato University is a waste of money. Furthermore, the country cannot afford it. That advice was released this week by the Treasury under the Official Information Act. And it comes as ...
Back in November, He Pou a Rangi provided the government with formal advice on the domestic contribution to our next Paris target. Not what the target should be, but what we could realistically achieve, by domestic action alone, without resorting to offshore mitigation. Their answer was startling: depending on exactly ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guest David Patman and ...
I don't like to spend all my time complaining about our government, so let me complain about the media first.Senior journalistic Herald person Thomas Coughlan reported that Treasury replied yeah nah, wrong bro to Luxon's claim that our benighted little country has been in recession for three years.His excitement rose ...
Back in 2022, when the government was consulting internally about proactive release of cabinet papers, the SIS opposed it. The basis of their opposition was the "mosaic effect" - people being able to piece together individual pieces of innocuous public information in a way which supposedly harms "national security" (effectively: ...
With The Stroke Of A Pen:Populism, especially right-wing populism, invests all the power of an electoral/parliamentary majority in a single political leader because it no longer trusts the bona fides of the sprawling political class among whom power is traditionally dispersed. Populism eschews traditional politics, because, among populists, traditional politics ...
I’ve spent the last week writing a fairly substantial review of a recent book (“Australia’s Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race”) by a couple of Australian academic economists on Australia’s pandemic policies and experiences. For all its limitations, there isn’t anything similar in New Zealand. ...
Mr Mojo Rising: Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it.ABOUT TWELVE KILOMETRES from the farm on the North Otago coast where I grew up stands ...
You're nearly a good laughAlmost a jokerWith your head down in the pig binSaying, 'Keep on digging.'Pig stain on your fat chinWhat do you hope to findDown in the pig mine?You're nearly a laughYou're nearly a laughBut you're really a crySongwriter: Roger Waters.NZ First - Kiwi Battlers.Say what you like ...
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Climate denial is dead. Renewable energy denial is here. As “alternative facts” become the norm, it’s worth looking at what actual facts tell us about how renewable energy sources like solar and wind are lowering the price of electricity. As ...
SIR GEOFFREY PALMER is worried about democracy. In his Newsroom website post of 27 January 2025 he asserts that “the future of democracy across the world now seems to be in question.” Following a year of important electoral contests across the world, culminating in Donald Trump’s emphatic recapture of the ...
The Government hasn’t stopped talking about growth since the Prime Minister made his “yes” speech at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce last week. But so far, the measures announced would seem hardly likely to suddenly pitch New Zealand into the fast-growth East Asian league. The digital nomad announcement hardly deserved ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Health NZ's CEO has resigned, but frontline healthworkers are sceptical that installing new leadership will make any difference to a system grappling with problems. ...
Gail Duncan, Chairperson of the St Peter’s on Willis Social Justice Group, one of the organisations invited to submit on the Bill, says the Government’s actions are unprecedented. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amani Kasherwa, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, The University of Queensland In late January, a rebel group that has long caused mayhem in the sprawling African nation of Democratic Republic of Congo took control of Goma, a major city of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University An ad falsely depicting independent candidate Alex Dyson as a Greens member.ABC News/Supplied The highly pertinent case of a little-known independent candidate in the Victorian seat of Wannon has exposed a gaping ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland Nik/Unsplash You might have heard that eating too many eggs will cause high cholesterol levels, leading to poor health. Researchers have examined the science behind this myth again, and ...
Everything you missed from the third day of the Treaty principles bill hearings, when the Justice Committee heard four hours of oral submission. Read our recaps of day one of the hearings here, and day two here. Parliament was quiet on Friday for the third day of hearings on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Jeffries, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, Western Sydney University Tijana Simic/Shutterstock The news last week that three people in Sydney were hospitalised with botulism after receiving botox injections has raised questions about the regulation of the cosmetic injectables industry. The ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jens Blotevogel, Principal Research Scientist and Team Leader for Remediation Technologies, CSIRO Mino Surkala, Shutterstock Lithium-ion batteries are part of everyday life. They power small rechargeable devices such as mobile phones and laptops. They enable electric vehicles. And larger versions store ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edith Jennifer Hill, Associate Lecturer, Learning & Teaching Innovation, Flinders University Netflix Netflix’s new limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the story of the elaborate cancer con orchestrated by Australian blogger Annabelle (Belle) Gibson. The first episode opens with Gibson’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dee Ninis, Earthquake Scientist, Monash University Greece’s government has just declared a state of emergency on the island of Santorini, as earthquakes shake the island multiple times a day and sometimes only minutes apart. The “earthquake swarm” is also affecting other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Western Australian state election will be held on March 8. A Newspoll, conducted January 29 to February 4 from a sample ...
She’s back behind the wheel, and this time, she wants to find out what it is that makes us tick. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. After a prolific career on stage and screen, 83-year-old Miriam Margolyes is on the road again. ...
A new poem by Jordan Hamel. Real Poet Every word earned its place and so did he, so should you. Real poet lives in the capital but writes himself into the Mackenzie country golden hour, man of the paper land, he neglects to mention his pollen ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Understanding Te Tiriti by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Press, $25) No better time to get ...
The committee has published this list to inform the public about its work, and to give clarity to submitters who have contacted the committee asking if they will be invited to make an oral submission. ...
Alex Casey and Gabi Lardies dissect their Laneway 2025 experience. Gabi Lardies: Hi Alex :))))))) Congratulations on not getting sunburnt. Everyone I talked to at Laneway yesterday was braving the sun for one thing. Charli XCX. How was your brat experience?Alex Casey: We will talk about the rest of ...
The US President's suggestion, which sparked enormous debate globally, has been labelled as a threat, not a proposal, by the Federation of Islamic Associations. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine McCarthy, Senior Lecturer in Interior Architecture, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Interior of Auckland South Men’s Prison.Getty Images Prisons are not colourful places. Typically, they are grey or some variation of a monochrome colour scheme. But increasingly, ...
FICTION1Tree of Nourishment (Kāwai 2) by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)Interesting to note that the author of the biggest-selling New Zealand novel in Waitangi Week is Māori (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai, and Ngāti Kahungunu).2 Kāwai: For Such a Time as This (Kāwai 1) by Monty Soutar (David ...
Remembering the renowned New Zealand writer, who died on February 5, 2025. The Stopover When the trout rise like compassion It is worth watching when the hinds come down from the hills with a new message it will be as well to listen. – Brian Turner Poet, environmentalist, sportsman, journalist, ...
Survivors can choose to have former High Court judge Paul Davison assess their individual claims to tailor payments to their personal circumstances. ...
Are we too modest when it comes to celebrating our putrid plant life?She’s beauty. She’s grace. She smells like a decaying corpse and lurks in the backrooms of Auckland Zoo, wallowing tragically in a bucket. In recent weeks an Australian corpse plant named Putricia has captured the noses and ...
Politicians from the coalition government received a frosty reception at Waitangi this year, but Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says the pōwhiri that received so much attention was just one part of many events throughout the week. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Allen, Postdoctoral research associate, Griffith University A humpback whale mother and calf on the New Caledonian breeding grounds.Mark Quintin All known human languages display a surprising pattern: the most frequent word in a language is twice as frequent as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin Keogh, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University Jordan Mailata is an Australian-born NFL star who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles as an offensive left tackle. This position favours very tall, heavy and strong athletes who ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nigel Tucker, Research Associate in Environment and Sustainability, James Cook University TREAT volunteers planting treesTREAT Like ferns and the tides, community conservation groups come and go. Many achieve their goal. Volunteers restore a local wetland or protect a patch of urban ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karyn Healy, Honorary Principal Research Fellow in Psychology, The University of Queensland Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock The start of the school year means new classes, routines, after-school activities and sometimes even a new school. This can be a really exciting time for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kerrie Sadiq, Professor of Taxation, QUT Business School, and ARC Future Fellow, Queensland University of Technology The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released a discussion paper this week on investment tax breaks. The study looks at whether tax incentives, such as instant ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naomi Zouwer, Visual Artist and Lecturer in Teacher Education, University of Canberra Galleries and art museums can be intimidating and alienating even for adults. Imagine it from a child’s point of view. Stern security guards in uniforms stationed the doors, bags checked, ...
The clock is ticking in the great chain chase. 2025 is an election year in New Zealand. Not the general variation, obviously, but the local form. If you’re thinking of running, nominations open in just five months, and your chances are good – about 50% across the various races; in ...
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300626662/eu-and-new-zealand-secure-free-trade-agreement
Despite the local complaints that the PM shouldn't have gone, looks like her presence and Damien O'Connor's presence were critical to getting the deal over the line.
In addition to some good outcomes, it also includes climate enforcement, so a handy tool to convince the agricultural sector to reduce emissions.
How good it is I can't say yet, a lot to take in. But it's worth it just to watch the PM's haters react …
"We need a proper CEO to get a trade deal not a princess doing a photo-op what a wasted journey she'll never get …
oh shit, she has."
It does seem rather ironic based on some of the crap I read prior to the trip.
However I wonder if her critics have the capacity to understand irony. It usually seems to me that they are rather wedded to living in a misogynistic 19th century society.
Mind you I also consider they are such completely incompetent wannabe arse-lickers (Mike Hosking comes to mind) that they fail to understand that having skill in business has virtually no relevance to having skills in politics.
I've worked in and around both (I avoid becoming a politician or a manger) and I can't see much of transfer between the skills sets. My opinion is that being competent line manager is usually a detriment to becoming a politician. John Key was interesting when you look over his career. I get the impression that his business roles were more selling and politics than managerial.
I haven't time to do a full article on it, but structural theorists ought well have a crack at the reaggregation of the state since as of today we now have one single health entity.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s so many public services gained fresh legislation that assumed strong communitarian voice into prioritisation of many kinds of state service.
Primary and secondary education got Tomorrow's Schools and the formation of school boards with locally elected representatives.
Local government got the 1989 act that required all budgets to go to public consultation. Hundreds of tiny councils were joined into sub-regional blocs.
Regional government was professionalised and given specific tasks held over from Rabbit Boards and the like.
Health got the full regionalisation of health provision with the formation of mostly elected District Health Boards to reflect regionally specific delivery.
Polytechs were clumped together into regions to reflect industry specialisation and response.
Even the entire territorial ocean was divided up into policed and tradeable blocs of fish.
Maori were strongly regionalised through negotiating Treaty settlements through iwi, and professionalised as a result.
Government also generated regional growth strategies, encouraged with bounteous wheelbarrows of cash if the regions did the work.
This regionalised set of structures corresponded with a strong legislative underpinning within the new RMA that local voices could, if regionally collected , truly stop or alter the power of the big state and of big business – and that still remains the case.
The citizen empowered was at the heart of this. They were to stand and represent within public service structures.
Power and decisionmaking was supposed to be delegated down to the lowest appropriate level.
It is this government that has killed most of this communitarian citizen off in favour of centralised structures.
There is no current proof recentraliation will do good. It will of course take many, many years to measure any good in it. And we are a vastly different country to what we were 35 years ago.
There's certainly a pattern to what Labour are doing, but I'm not sure there's a logic.
If one is around for long enough in a business or other organisation – it's not uncommon to see an oscillation between centralisation and decentralisation, with each announced as exciting and original, and each aimed at solving the same set of problems. Which might suggest that neither the origin of, nor the solution to, those problems lies in the structures of the body tasked with solving them. But working on structure and culture is a technocratic and non-ideological thing to do – a comfortable place for centrists to play in.
It 's not enough to simply observe it as a generational binge-purge cycle.
It affects services delivered to us all, from cradle to grave.
"I think we've really cracked it this time…" – hope springs eternal.
At the start of Covid one of the main reported problems was that hospital systems could not talk to one another. It wasn’t supposed to be like that but 22 separate ideas on what computer system was needed ended up in an expensive farce for only 5 million people.
Just another neolib failure…..these 22 !! DHB’s act as self contained mini empires. Who ever thought that was a good idea ? !
Also when whistle blowers tried to alert of the above linked CRIMS..(and there are many more) they were told mind your own business !. Hey, just like always.
Geraint Martin……I certainly remember that name….and then he shuffled off to Te Papa. And after “fixing” things, then shuffled off from there…..
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/te-papa-chief-executive-geraint-martin-quits-after-controversial-restructure/ROIIS65LEFTWHI6RFZGF4UFVNM/
Labour thought that they were a good idea at the time. The DHB came into being under Helen Clark.
You need to go back earlier than that. This timeline is some help – though I can remember locally-elected hospital boards prior to 1983 where this timeline starts. In short, there is a long history of structural tinkering from both major parties. A quote from the piece:
The problem is that there are drawbacks to both centralisation and regionalisation.
If everything is centralised, services are integrated and consolidated but you lose the local representation, and then decisions like "oh, it's most efficient to have a single head trauma centre up here, 95% of patients will have helicopter access within ideal treatment times", and bugger the 5% who don't get treatment in time. The old "the numbers are so small it doesn't matter" problem.
But likewise, regionalisation gives so much local control that treatment can become a postcode lottery, and cooperations between areas is difficult.
And then governments see a big restructure as a great way to conceal (or promise to address) the systemic underfunding of the health sector that has existed for decades.
It was…………..Labour? Aaargh. And Helen Clark ? Noooooo.
Well if that was meant to be some shocking zinger for me….bad luck, lol.
As with every IDEA … fuckwits will pervert the intent. HENCE my comments about the Mini Empires.
And the fraudulent crims.
Yes Labour installed a healthcare system that is now considered to 'complicated for a nation of 5 million.
Maybe they should have thought about that when they invented that system? Btw, what was Andre Little doing during the Helen Clark years?
seriously, this is not even ment as a zinger, this is literally what happened during the life time of all of us.
but surely if you want to complain about healthcare – but not include the labour party and the parts it plays in mananing healthcare in this country – then just simply pretend that the 22 DHB are the best thing since sliced toast, and stop asking who thought it was a good Idea. Cause in the end you will always come back to the Labour Party and Helen Clark and her ministers at the time.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300614631/cheat-sheet-how-new-zealands-health-system-is-changing
That became evident within months of the DHB's forming with quite a lot of previously integrated systems falling down.
As a user I really disliked the DHB system – if you have ever moved DHB's regions and had children under specialists it is a nightmare. More so if they actually get admitted in one DHB area who only have the responsibility to get your child "fit to travel to their own DHB". Having had a child discharged while still very unwell from one DHB and us having to drive frantically back to our own DHB as they turned bluer and bluer as their oxygen depleted and going immediately to our local DHB where they went straight into intensive care was a nightmare.
Trust me you never wanted to get admitted seriously unwell in the wrong DHB area.
As for BOT's having sat on these – once after a previous board full of lawyers and accountants set up ridiculous forward contracts for school maintenance amongst other things – my biggest observation is that local input has allowed the religious into state schools. This isn't unintended in my view and was always part of the plan in devolving centralised control. It isn't co-incidence the connection between the religious and the right and the notion of localism.
My wife works for a northern DHB. They have just introduced a new computer program that seriously effects her job. No training. Fiasco is one word. Another way of describing it is monumental cluster fuck.
Yes, a friend of mine moved from Auckland to Blenheim 4 years ago. She was really annoyed to find that several of the tests she had regularly in Auckland because of previous illnesses and family histories were not available at her new DHB because of their differing standards and policies relating to her age.
22 DHB's for 5 million people. 22 boards, levels of managers, finance, supply etc and all that branding.
National serve capital not people as this 'reform' had nothing to do with efficiency just more carving up the public asset to hopefully flog it off to mates.
why National?
blame N for defunding the DHB during their reign, but don't blame them for 20 of the 22 DHBs. That was grown on Labours compost pile. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/explained/124915117/the-plan-to-get-rid-of-district-health-boards-and-centralise-healthcare-explained#:~:text=Sure
Yes Adrian, that computer linking is a biggie. They also developed their own silos. They overpaid Boards and Managers. Just to name a few wee problems.
“I know what the average Māori (person) will think and they’re not walking around every day thinking about the United Nations’ Declaration of Indigenous Peoples – they’re thinking about their housing, their health, their education.’’
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/jackson-not-comfortable-with-co-governance-draft
For all those critics of Pharmac and the current Government’s efforts in healthcare:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/470119/new-zealand-and-european-union-secure-historic-free-trade-deal
That's really good news, I am very pleased to see that the pharmaceutical industry's campaign against Pharmac hasn't weakened the Governments commitment to it.
Yeah an insidious part of that campaign was the "but Australia pays for it" neglecting to point out that Australia pays for more high cost medicines in part because they (the government) pay much less of basic medical care costs for which you are expected to pay a higher price or have insurance.
NZ puts much more money proportionally into basic health care.
'NZ puts much more money proportionally into basic health care.'
Nonsense, spending per capita on health in Australia is above 5k US per annum in NZ it is barely 4k.
Didn't say they spent less per capita.
You are, if you have a decent income for instance expected to have medical insurance. If you don't you get levied on your income. Even with Medicare you pay quite a bit more for your doctor and prescriptions than here. It is a clear government policy.
This reduces the cost to the government for basic health care and frees up money to be spent on expensive medicines.
NZ doesn't spend enough per capita is definitely a problem though.
Proportionally was related to basic care vs costly new medicines. not Aus to NZ on a population basis. I can see why that was confusing in how I wrote it.
you reckon these guys will be paid better or worse after renegotiating their old contracts with the old/new owner?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300614631/cheat-sheet-how-new-zealands-health-system-is-changing
If I had to take a punt better.
I have posted this previously but I remember being at a DHB meeting where their accountant got up and spoke about his disgust at reducing the hours of care for elderly to save costs. He made the point that many of the staff will still do the extra work needed and that they, the managers new this. He had calculated his estimate of the "free hours" each year they would get and it ran into millions. Not a single DHB manager disputed his claims and they proceeded uncaringly with the cuts. In my experience most DHB managers had previously worked to wreck the system in the UK and were now here wrecking ours.
Mental Health spending is another area they have consciously done things like reduce bed numbers despite staff opposition. to doing so. The neglect of dental health for low income and disabled is another area where they have reduced their effort year on year. These things were all management decisions that had everything to do with costs not to do with local health needs.
Reversing this stuff can't be done without spending more money and that has to include responding to the supply and demand staff shortages.
Time will tell.
"There's been a carve out for New Zealand medicines and Pharmac, as patent requirements sought by the EU would have made medicines here more expensive by hundreds of millions of dollars a year – "
This smells like spin and nonsense, PHARMAC are very very slow at funding new medicines and we only spend around a billion a tear on pharmaceuticals. Existing product prices wouldn't increase as they are subject to funding agreements.
This smells like lazy reckons and sour grapes, which is ironic. Pharmac is the funder and Medsafe is the regulator and these are very different roles that both require proper evidence-based decision-making and that takes time. Who said anything about existing product prices? And if you make assertions about funding agreements set in stone then you need to back that up, which won’t be an easy task for you as they are confidential. So, pull the other one.
it is a fact that vote health spends in the order of 1 billion a year on pharmaceuticals per the pharmaceutical schedule via retail pharmacy and via in hospital usage – this is publicly available information.
The majority of pharmaceuticals that have lost intellectual property (IP) protection are supplied within a tender system the prices are contracted and visible and again this is publicly available information.
The pharmaceuticals that are protected by IP are subject to many and varied contracts between the manufacturer and PHARMAC and again the prices are contracted (along with rebates that are confidential). Prices for these pharmaceuticals do not go up – certainly not since the arrival of PHARMAC some decades ago.
Therefore we are left with the newer products which PHARMAC has yet to fund – as you will be aware there is a rather large number of these and they are remarkably slow at funding newer agents despite the new funds that have been made available to them.
To suggest that patent extensions and the like would have added 'hundreds of millions of dollars' to the pharmaceutical costs in nz annually is a nonsense unless one expects a large proportion of the newer agents are suddenly due to come off patent and would be subject to longer patent terms and that there are cheaper generics available and that this situation repeats itself on an annual basis.
Again we spend just over a billion a year funding pharmaceuticals – the ‘hundreds of millions a year ‘ throwaway comment is simply not credible.
The only one who’s not credible here is you because you still haven’t provided any support for your reckons, just more reckons and throw away comments, which for all I know you’ve made up from scratch. I can easily do your homework for you, e.g., link to Pharmac’s tender outcomes, but I didn’t make your reckons. If you want I can park you in Pre-Mod until you have put up something with a bit of substance or change your nom de plume to something more fitting for the quality of your comments here. In particular, you have not countered the claim by the Government as per my original quote.
Fill you boots bud.
https://pharmac.govt.nz/medicine-funding-and-supply/the-funding-process/medicines-and-medical-devices-contract-negotiation/
As I have previously said the claim by the government is hyperbolic nonsense for a total pharmaceutical budget in NZ that is just over a billion dollars per annum and where new patent protected medicines are 'drip fed' to the medical community.
Perhaps a challenge for you – provide an example of a pharmaceutical funded by the government in NZ that has had an increase in price increase over the last decade which could support the government's statement.
I'm not sure where the statement from the government originated, I very much doubt it was from PHARMAC or any healthcare professionals – maybe from the health ministers spin doctors ? They do appear to be coming up with a load of codswallop on a daily basis at present.
So, you cannot or don’t want to back up your own comment, just digging in and doubling down.
It really is a stupid move to put the onus back on somebody who challenges you to provide support for your reckons. You make the claims, you back it up.
Noted for future reference.
The government spin-meisters made the claims – they should back them up.
I clearly explained why their claims were absurd hyperbole, that you are unable or unwilling to comprehend what I point out is hardly my problem.
That is a big win. "Today is a good day for Kiwis"
The main outcome of the new health structure – at least in the short/medium term – is going to be the rationalisation and centralisation of elective surgery and other procedures. New Zealanders are going to have to be prepared to travel for advanced healthcare to just a few centres. It makes sense to have excellent care in one city rather than very good care in six.
Maori health has now been given the rope it has been demanding, we will see if they hang themselves or haul up Maori health outcomes with it. The ball is in their court.
Or the difference between specialist service and no service at all: https://thestandard.org.nz/mother-nature-gives-groundswell-nz-the-middle-finger/#comment-1804112.
To keep up with medical innovations and to be involved in clinical trials a close relationship with [the 2] medical schools is a huge advantage if not a prerequisite. The latter need to have a bigger presence and footprint in the heartland of NZ.
Otago Medical School are very present in Dunedin and Christchurch so it's mainly the North Island that needs to catch up.
Which is what used to happen previously to rationalise spare capacity e.g. Taumarunui during the off-ski season used to do lots of hip replacement operations.
People didn't mind travelling for serious stuff. What happened is people in place like Taumarunui now had to travel for hours for normal every day stuff. For those communities that used to have local hospitals medical travel has ben a way of life ever since the DHB system was set up.
Many of those rural hospitals also were close to high Maori population areas in the NI at least.
Thank you for your comments.
Healthcare is everything from the everyday stuff such as GP visits (incl. Pharmacy) and taking & dropping off samples to full-on hospital care (incl. A&E) with all the more specialised services plus all the wrap-around services (incl. radiology service, for example). It is huge.
Patients need community for well-being and healing (and for palliative & ‘pastoral’ care). This has been brought up again during the pandemic and all isolations that people had to endure. This can be very hard on people who are scared, confused, unwell, or in pain (mentally or physically). For example, elderly people are confined to their rooms even today when there are any positive cases in their rest-home and it is bloody hard on them (and on staff and relatives).
"Medical tourism" was great for Taumarunui. Some one I knew whose mother had her hip done there spent the best part of a week contributing to the local economy. They drove their Mum down, and then spent several nights in a very nice motel while she recovered from the surgery and was OK to be driven back home.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that federal action on climate change is against the constitution:
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/30/supreme-court-handcuffs-biden-on-major-climate-rule-00043423
The Senate filibuster prevented their attempt at regulation and the Supreme Court ruling preempts any further attempts. The descent of US empire has accelerated this week. Sadly this will have ramifications for us all.
Its part of a Fascist coup in the USA with the aim of cementing white minority rule. The United States is one Democratic president serious about taking on Fascism – or one election clearly rigged by voter suppression and Gerrymanders – away from serious and escalating civil violence.
It gets worse:
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/30/1107648753/supreme-court-north-carolina-redistricting-independent-state-legislature-theory
Is it potentially possible for Biden to alter the number of Supreme Court Judges. Then stack it with human beings?
FDR was able to leverage that threat to ensure the enactment of the New Deal, so it is potentially possible. I don't see it as likely given the current impotent response of the Democratic party. AOC however raises the justifiable impeachment of at least two of the Justices:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/27/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-supreme-court-justices-impeach-kavanaugh-gorsuch-thomas
Biden can't do much as President but as the Constitution is silent on the size of the Supreme Court, the size is set by Congress via legislation.
It's a family thing.
Anne Gorsuch, a radical anti-environmental activist, was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981 to be the first female administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. She worked hand-in-glove with Reagan’s controversial Secretary of the Interior James Watt to undermine federal environmental regulations.
Here is how The Washington Post described her controversial 22-month tenure as EPA administrator in her 2004 obituary. In 1983, after she and her first husband, David Gorsuch, divorced, she married Robert F. Burford, a rancher and head of the Bureau of Land Management.
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/6/26/2106335/-Gorsuch-poised-to-accomplish-his-mother-s-mission-of-undermining-the-EPA-in-upcoming-SCOTUS-ruling
It must be exciting to be an American and to be there at this time.
A story in the news today highlights the debates going on past abortion, Jan 6, the economy, immigration, cost of living and so on.
"Texas educator group proposes referring to slavery as “involuntary relocation” in second grade curriculum."
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/06/30/texas-slavery-involuntary-relocation/
It seems likely some who have been very vocal about not accepting what happened, and telling things as they are, don't want to tell things as they were and certainly don't want them to be called what they were.
They’re heading towards repealing the13th Amendment .
Finland/NATO called his bluff. Poots backed down.
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1542249958161670145
Sympathetic article in the Independent UK, about an barnyard castration clinic in the US, in the early 2000s.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/trans-history-underground-sugical-clinic-b2110589.html#comments-area
Interesting that it appears at this time, following a narrative framework that replicates the back alley abortion clinics and systems that were set up to aid women.
Sometimes, illegal abortion clinics were all about the money for those performing – so, there is no guarantee that the intention is altruistic in either case. But here it is assumed.
There are many factors to unpick here, but one noticeable lack is a failure to mention that there is a large number of people who have a castration sexual paraphilia, (which is not replicated in regards to abortion).
The current draft for the WPATH Standards of Care actually included a whole section on eunuchs, which was released late last year.
(The transgender messaging has long moved on from discomfort in one's sexed body, to body modification without need for distress, a fundamental difference that many choose to ignore.)
The eunuch community online, also expresses the desire to halt development for growing people, and offers up castration as a means to do so.
There really needs to be better scrutiny and discussion on these topics, rather than promotional puff pieces in the media.
Yes, Who benefits from the creation of a bunch of people with children's bodies and adult ages?
The conservative backlash against this insanity is going to be ugly and violent. Because these disturbed and amoral individuals have captured the narrative of oppression and the levers of power in “polite” society, the only tool that remains for normal people who want to protect women and children, is rough justice.
I do not endorse that prospect, but it is clearly happening right now in the US of A, with the growth of the Proud Boys and the irrational rulings of the Supreme Court.
So surgery is to be granted to someone who identifies as eunuch identity if they are in danger of self harm. Does it not occur to anyone that the person would have to be really disturbed to threaten or be at risk of self harm if they are not castrated. I have known quite a few suicidal people over the years and the treatment or support that is offered has never included give them what they want. It’s a bit like telling the ex partner of someone who is suicidal to go back to them to stop them suiciding.
Direct link to WPATH here: https://www.wpath.org/soc8
It's about Eunuchs being recognised and treated as a gender identity – and I think they may have pulled the draft off the site, which is hard to navigate if you are unfamiliar with it.
Here’s an archived .pdf copy of what was released:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IL9odleDVgbiGxt6v42dLFnU_SDfDXra/view
Tutorial for men on how to behave on twitter 😂
https://twitter.com/sbartemio/status/1542690958885564416
As opposed to in our BBQ culture presumably
"And a man can cook dinner on a fire pit, yet most women prefer the convenience of a gas stove."
Faaaarrrkkkk…
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/vicious-hawkes-bay-prison-assault-mongrel-mob-inmate-stabs-guard-12-times-in-face-in-cowardly-shocking-attack/AYQUW5FK5C3QQNXUSPHRVSV7MM/
Sorry for you and your colleagues Puke. And of course for the poor guy who was stabbed. It must feel very close to the bone
Sorry for you and your colleagues Puck. And of course for the poor guy who was stabbed. It must feel very close to the bone
Luxon vs The Bible
Luxo: "i gots me 7 houses yo"
Luxo: "bottom feeders GTFO"
Luxo: "abortion = murder!!!11!1"