Why and who the hell would give John Bolton air time to talk about ANY foreign policy issue?, and especially North Korea….this is a man who still defends the invasion of Iraq as a success.
Most Liberal media seem to have adopted the strategy that any enemy of Trump instantly becomes an ally, even to the point now of giving oxygen to psychopathic nutters like Bolton..RNZ listens deserve and expect better balance than that.
What RNZ didn't bother pointing out in their segment is that Bolton goes on to say in his usual insane style " Bolton resumed his call for the US to consider military action against North Korea.",
Just take a read of this Guardian piece…The heading is of course highlighting the 'attacks Trump' part, and not the lets get into a war with North Korea part..WTF, no mention of Bolton undermining Trumps attempts to negotiate with N Korea with his infamous 'Libya model' statement.
We all want to see the end of Trump, but the my enemies enemies are my friends strategy is not the way to do this, and undermines all goodwill, moral highground and moral indignation that we have the right to feel and act upon in the efforts to bring people like Trump down…attacking him from the Left is the only winning strategy that will work in the longrun, Bernie Sanders has been showing the way on this since 2016.
Ummm… when you state "We all want to see the end of Trump" be aware that you do not state a fact. There is a significant section of the population who are okay with Trump. You and I might disagree with them but they do exist. Trying to pretend everybody thinks like you do is the height of intellectual arrogance.
The other thing is you seem to think RNZ should be a tool of the left. Why else would you write the following"…attacking him from the Left is the only winning strategy."?
The first part up to the end of the links was all I sent RNZ, what was written after was for the benefit of TS readers.
I don't think RNZ should come down on anyone's side, what I believe they have the obligation to do is provide fair and balanced reporting…nothing more nothing less.
Bernie Sanders has been showing the way on this since 2016.
Uhh, in 2016 Bernie got 13.2 million votes in the Dem primary. That was a mere 43% of the roughly half of the roughly 30% of the electorate that bothered to vote in the primaries and identify as Democrats. Yes, that nets down to just 6% of the electorate. And he only got there by hoovering up the entire share of people that really couldn’t take Hillary or just preferred someone else.
That’s hardly the stuff of a shining political future. This time around, there’s plenty of other options, which is why he’s fading to currently be somewhere around half to a quarter the support he got last time around.
What point is it that I am missing? Please clarify.
That you think points of view you disapprove of shouldn't be aired?
That there is some massive leftie majority out there just waiting to be awakened by the right messiah, that you just know is there despite there being precisely zero evidence for its existence?
That a media organisation having someone on to have their say automatically means they are endorsing and allying themselves with the view being expressed?
"Sanders began the campaign as an underfunded, septuagenarian, avowed democratic socialist, who was best known in Washington for decades of rants against free trade deals. He will end it a few million votes short of the nomination of a party in which he remains an outsider, a surprisingly close runner-up to arguably the most heavily favored non-incumbent candidate for a party nod in recent memory, Hillary Clinton."
Democrats, said Jared Bernstein, a liberal economist and former adviser to Obama and Vice President Biden, have moved away from talk of deficit reduction and "grand bargains" on safety net spending, and toward "a much more truly progressive agenda."
"Bernie very effectively tapped a progressive energy that's been building for a long time," Bernstein added. "Could that energy have coalesced behind someone else, like Sen. [Elizabeth] Warren? Probably. But Bernie's been an extremely effective and disciplined messenger."
I'm pretty sure this point, that Bernie has changed the political landscape, has been made on numerous occasions, by a number of folk on this site..however maybe you would feel a bit more comfortable to hear this point made by Bernstein who as the Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden in the Obama Administration, can hardly be accused of being a self deluded 'Leftie'.
And I'm pretty sure the corporate Democrats wouldn't inch towards a more progressive standpoint, or atleast make vaguely progressive noises, unless they felt there was a wide demand for such a thing.
There is no certainty that either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren will get the nomination for Democratic US Presidential candidate. Currently it 's not even a likelihood.
The Subpoena hearings may well push both Democrats and the wider electorate the other way, favoring simply the person most likely to simply get Trump out: Joe Biden.
Either way, there has been a large policy shift in the dems. Not all of it Bernie, by any means – resistance to the orange one has also mobilised a lot of people.
"favoring simply the person most likely to simply get Trump out: Joe Biden" are you mad? Biden is fucked, the guy is suffering from some sort of dementia. he will never make it all the way to the election, let alone the end of the primaries,
Warren has obviously now been anointed the new DNC saviour.
Well one of us is dead wrong because i had figured using an episode involving obvious Biden foreign political interference (possibly corruption), to attack Trump was a sure end to his campaign. The negative effects on Trumps campaign seem less than certain.
"Arguably Hillary was the leftie and Obama the centrist"
Holy hell you really are one deluded melonfarmer, both of them are liberal capitalists and have nothing (or very little) to do with the Left..that is just a plain fact..no argument or debate need be entered into.
Uhh, do you understand that if left" and "right" are to have meaning, it has to be with reference to where the political centre is? That you are not the centre of the political universe, rather you are so far out there that the centre is a tiny speck barely brighter than a star? And the fact that Obama won the office (twice) and Hillary failed makes a pretty clear marker for how far left a candidate can be and still be electable.
Gotta disagree with that last line – there are many more determinants of election victory than simply how "left" or "right" one is compared to the electorate.
Although yeah, most of any given population would stand well to the right of the promontory from where Adrian makes his proclamations of political validity. So far to the right that he finds it difficult to judge the distance between the people he his observing.
No, what you guys seem to have missed or just ignore (for whatever reason) is that the (Liberal) Left have dragged us all so far to the right over the past 25 or so years, that a so called centre leftist like Clinton or Obama or NZ Labour today for that matter would have been considered centre right then, infact all I am advocating for is a much needed realignment…
"President Obama said his economic policies are "so mainstream" he'd be considered a moderate Republican in the 1980s."
And compared with politicians 200 years ago both Clinton and Obama were centre left to extreme left.
But if we're talking about the US in 2008 and comparing Obama and Clinton's relative positions, then both my 200y.o. benchmark and your 30 y.o. benchmark are completely irrelevant.
@McFlock, I hardly think comparing political positions from within the life times of the people involved to that of political positions 200 years ago makes any sense or has any relevance to this conversation whatsoever.
Not sure the USA in 1995 was all that left wing. 3 strikes laws, Iraq, and all that.
And for NZ, 14% of current voters in NZ weren't even born 25 years ago, so not sure about "us all", either. And it was the height of the Bolger/Shipley governments.
I don't mind utopians – it's good to have goals.l But I think even your recollections are decidedly red-tinted.
But compared to, say, NZ politicians 45 years ago, yeah HC and Obama would probably be right wing. But that would be a pointless comparison, like comparing them to the US "founding fathers".
"some massive leftie majority out there just waiting to be awakened by the right messiah"
"Messiah" is a mischaracterisation of Sanders. At some rally when the crowd chanted "Bernie", he looked irritated and wagged his finger – "no no, it's not Bernie it's you". Near the end of Karl Stead's fabulous novel 'My Name was Judas' the narrator says, "Our friend was not the Messiah / Nor will there be one". Sanders, it seems to me, knows this instinctively, which is part of what makes him qualitatively different from all others in the race, and important historically, win or lose.
But it's absolutely clear to me that everyone on here reads into the situation in the US exactly what they want to. And that there is no point in commenting on it any more.
"I didn't realise when I set up Matrix Homes that vested interests would not want it to succeed," he says. "We were selling a two-bed house for $99k, and that doesn't help us when the industry is trying to explain why houses are 700-800k."
The building industry was resistant; so too was bureaucracy."
I wish they'd done something indepth on that rather than just interviewing the business owner. Looks interesting, but too short on detail to see what is going on. We've been so focused on the cost of purchasing, I'd really like to see more on the costs from council's post leaky building, and from the housing industry raking in profits. Also the banks and the conditions they put on mortgages. That thing about having to build larger houses is one I hear too often.
Exactly – why not write into The Detail or whoever is doing the in-depth stuff at Radionz and ask them to look into what you have outlined? They are trying hard and turning out some good background stuff I think. What do you think?
The problem with his business model – at a guess- is that the house is a prefab so he doesnt get paid anything till it goes on site. Thats a huge cashflow issue.
Dont see how the banks have an issue with small houses per se. they happily lend on small apartments.
The real problem is small sections, where the building- land ratio makes more sense with high land costs.
And my impression was that people think of these small houses as a sort minor dwelling at the back of an existing house. That can be a minefield as far as consents go. My guess is he didnt have a very good planners working with him to navigate these issues FIRST before starting construction.
Twyford can tell him all about wanting big numbers but only getting a trickle
"Dont see how the banks have an issue with small houses per se. they happily lend on small apartments."
Banks routinely refuse to lend on small builds, or make the conditions unattractive, afaik because they see small houses, especially if owner built or not a cookie cutter house, as a liability if it comes to a mortgagee sale. At least this is what I hear from people trying to get mortgages.
Banks (and everyone else with a finger in the pie, and that includes local and central gov) are seeking to protect their interest…consider if he had succeeded what would the effect have been.
Actually HNZ would have been the perfect client….but there was still risk. If they had supplied HNZ what was to stop them (or someone else) taking the model to the wider market?
only for the signee…the whole model is potentially too disruptive.A pity because there is so much potential to reduce housing costs but thats never really been the main concern
They've dispatched specialised protest-suppression personnel and kit with a command structure separate from the PLA, too.
Here's hoping cool heads prevail.
China has quietly more than doubled its deployment of mainland security forces in Hong Kong, according to foreign envoys and security analysts, in the most dramatic move yet by Beijing to prepare for a potential worsening of unrest in the global financial center.
There is a dreadful inevitability about the final outcome for Hong Kong and China Administration must not only win, but be seen to win. Otherwise what effect on the billion or so Chinese on the mainland. And the protestors? Top marks for persistence and courage but they cannot be allowed by the Chinese Mainland Admin, to succeed.
The monarch reportedly asked aides for first time in her reign just how and when should could dismiss a PM.
The Queen sought advice on the circumstances in which she could sack a prime minister ahead of Tuesday’s incendiary Supreme Court ruling, i has been told.
Boris Johnson will be dismissed by Queen if he tries to ignore court order to implement Benn Act, says Grieve
Dominic Grieve, one of the 21 Tories who had the whip removed after rebelling over Brexit and one of the MPs involved in drafting the Benn Act to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, has said he thinks the legislation is robust, and that ministers will not find loopholes in it.
In an interview with Sky News, Grieve said that if Boris Johnson tried to ignore the law, the courts could force him to comply.
[Johnson] would be taken to court and a writ of mandamus would be issued against him and he would be told, as a matter of law, that he has to write the letter [to the EU requesting a Brexit delay]. The case could go to the supreme court and I suspect the courts could deal with it very quickly.
Grieve also said that, if Johnson tried to ignore the courts, ultimately he could be dismissed as prime minister by the Queen.
A source …in Scotland…. asking about sacking a PM ?
Thats absurd , the only person she can ask for 'advice' is Johnson himself. The story says so at the end. Clearly just scuttlebutt which is typical of UK papers..the rest of the world calls it fake news
On the subject of a CIA whistleblower citing Trump abused his power by asking a favour of the Ukrainian president to dig dirt on Biden, Biden himself on camera told the story of how he insisted the Ukrainian government fire its attorney general before he/the US government would give it a billion dollar loan which seems like a pretty obvious abuse of power too. Biden visited the Ukraine 13 times over 25 months. George Galloway suggests Biden's son Hunter was acting as a proxy for Joe Biden. In other words, the Biden versus Trump feud seems to be more about a battle between equally corrupt adversaries.
Ever occur to you to look for perspectives beyond the recycled Repug talking points tailored to appeal to convergence moonbats peddled for clickbait by the likes of Jimmy Dore and Galloway?
And the prosecutor who was appointed to replace Shokin (he who was sacked because Biden said he was not pursuing corruption) actually finally closed down the Burisma investigation ….there were no calls for his sacking from Biden, in fact he (Lutsenko ) was in that position until last month.
Burisma was also under investigation in the UK for fraud and money laundering.The UK says the Ukrainians were dragging the chain . The Ukrainians say the UK prosecutors were.
Ukraine is an oligarchy, public officials are in the pocket of who has the ascendancy at the time
At the moment Kolomoisky (Zelensky has described him as his business partner) is back in the driving seat after having been demoted by Poroshenko.
The hellish nature of the Ukrainian oligarchy is covered in this Kyiv Post link
But given the choice between a domestic oligarchy and a Kremlin controlled one, it's not a difficult choice for the Ukraine to prefer their own. Nor would admitting a Putin appointee likely decrease corruption.
And the US is the absolute showpiece of corruption free democracy?
Nah, like Jimmy Carter says "Its just an oligarchy now "
Except we call them tycoons
With money and corporations running the show
Getting rid of Shokin did nothing to defeat corruption
And the Ukrainians, as is so startlingly clear, are not one people as much as the nationalists of Western Ukraine would like them to be .The people of the east twice voted Yanukovich in
And if the US is so keen to stamp out corruption (I mean really?)they would have made damned sure to avoid the bad optics of Biden and Archer being on the Burisma board being paid eye watering amounts ,shortly after Biden senior gets put in charge of Ukraine.You really think th e US gives a flying fuck about corruption??When they've backed the most corrupt, undemocratic countries on the planet?
Check out Latin America through the decades.
And if they were so keen on democracy , Pyatt and Nuland wouldn't been heard plotting over the phone on who should be PM
"Yats is the man "
The US has poured billions in to Ukraine with no reduction in corruption, but plenty of their own corporations like Monsanto reaping the benefits.Their money isn't conditional on anti corruption drives , rather on further deprivatisations so US companies can get in and make a profit.
And geopolitically the ruling elites stay aligned to US elite interests
The latest Conservative rabbits from the hat (The Sorting Hat – hopefully it contains enough magic to sort this lot out.)
Brexit: Government to reveal detailed plan for EU negotiations https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49881345
"Hollow Men" and its worthy successor "Utopia" are really good at mocking the language of senior bureaucrats and operatives. While it's Australian, it's a small shift to here, scaled down.
This one I particularly enjoyed for its grandiloquence brought down to the smell of the printed paper:
Actually Jones said bluntly just what other MPs slyly hint at. Why else would Bridges for instance offer bridges for some and not for others? Pretty blatant but not really up front. "Vote for our lot if you want bridges built," is the message though. All the time.
Why would Farrar spend so much time on focus groups if it wasn't to find out who to whom and to what to set the promise (bribe).
It's more concerning that net policy outcomes aren't much better than a tin-pot African nation, even though they represent a vast improvement over those of the previous government. Shane Jones is what he is, but given you were happy with Brownlee the Beast, your complaint is partisanship, not objectivity.
I agree that that someone needs to be held accountable for the CTV building that collapsed during the Christchurch Ruamoko. We lost A lot of good people in that desaster there whanau will be happy.
I say that the media needs to be held up to have honest content as they have a major influence on the way people behave I have seen some behaving badly.
Yes some tamariki and Mokopuna have bad teeth I made sure to my Tamariki looked after their nihor. One can jump up and down all they want but the horse won't drink Te Wai.
Its great that more putea is going into Maori health.
I think it is needed to have 18 years olds being kept in the youth justice. I say some don't grow up till quite long in the nihor.
Indigenous 100 interviewing 100 indigenous tangata Wehie isn't it reka that tangata whenua o Aotearoa are receiving more respect.
Moden Maori art is great there are some good artists rising from Maoridom some beautiful art to Kia Kaha.
Yes Te pro action against Papatuanuku Warming has started rolling against Te neanderthal who are to short sighted to see that there greed of money and power will cause A Papatuanuku wide tragedy now I can see that we the leftist of Te Papatuanuku are going to stop the BULLSHIT of the neanderthal lies and make the Papatuanuku a CARBON NEUTRAL PAPATUANUKU.
An unstoppable climate change movement takes hold
Climate chaos is playing out in real time from California to the Caribbean, and from Africa to the Arctic and beyond. Those who contributed least to the problem are suffering the most.
I called the Climate Action Summit to serve as a springboard to set us on the right path ahead of crucial 2020 deadlines established by the Paris Agreement on climate change. And many leaders – from many countries and sectors – stepped up.
A broad coalition – not just governments and youth, but businesses, cities, investors and civil society – came together to move in the direction our world so desperately needs to avert climate catastrophe.
The Summit also showcased ways in which cities and global industries like shipping can achieve major reductions in emissions. Initiatives to protect forests and safeguard water supplies were also highlighted.
More than 100 leaders in the private sector committed to accelerating their move into the green economy.
A group of the world's largest asset-owners – responsible for directing more than $2 trillion – pledged to move to carbon-neutral investment portfolios by 2050
This is in addition to a recent call by asset managers representing nearly half the world's invested capital – some $34 trillion – for global leaders to put a meaningful price on carbon and phase out fossil fuel subsidies and thermal coal power worldwide
The International Development Finance Club pledged to mobilise $1 trillion in clean energy funding by 2025 in 20 least developed countries
Too many countries still seem to be addicted to coal – even though cheaper, greener options are available already. We need much more progress on carbon pricing, ensuring no new coal plants by 2020, and ending trillions of dollars in giveaways of hard-earned taxpayers' money to a dying fossil fuel industry to boost hurricanes, spread tropical diseases, and heighten conflict
And I will make sure that the commitments that countries, the private sector and local authorities have made are accounted for – starting in December at the UN Climate conference in Santiago, Chile. The UN is united in support of realising these initiatives.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time
Science tells us that on our current path, we face at least 3C of global heating by the end of the century. I will not be there, but my granddaughters will
I refuse to be an accomplice in the destruction of their one and only home.
Young people, the UN – and a growing number of leaders from business, finance, government, and civil society – in short, many of us – are mobilising and acting. But we need many others to take climate action if we are to succeed
We have a long way to go. But the movement has begun.
António Guterres is Secretary-General of the United Nations
We need to stop all the plastic waste from entering our natural environment.
Stop producing the stuff stop using it all together we did not need plastic in the days of old. We used natural materials paper made from plant products
Glass bottles for our fluids don't let the pro carbon people's lies Te Tairawhitimate is going to fall on our heads if we choose to change the way we live to a non carbon closed loop system we're everything we use gets recycled.
That's the only way we are going to SURVIVE in my eyes care for our ENVIRONMENT care for others culture care and respect for everyone.
How worried should we be about microplastics?
Plastic is everywhere – in our food, air, water and oceans. But do we know enough to determine how harmful it is to our health?
If you enjoy a spot of food, like to breathe air and partake in the occasional drink of water (tap or bottled), then you’re almost certainly an unwitting consumer of microplastics.
People who use triangular nylon tea bags are the latest group to be shocked at their exposure to plastics. According to one study, they could be getting about 11bn or so particles of plastic with their Earl Grey or breakfast tea.
Microplastics have turned up pretty much everywhere that scientists have looked for them – from the bottom of the deepest parts of our oceans to the stomachs of whales, seabirds and in our own poo.
Those fancy tea bags? Microplastics in them are macro offenders
But should we be worried about our plastic diet – either for the sake of our own health or for the health of the environment?
What is microplastic?
There’s no agreed definition, but researchers have generally referred to pieces of plastic smaller than about 5mm as microplastic. However, the University of New South Wales’s Mark Browne, who has been researching plastics since 2004, says it’s better to think about plastics relative to the units they’re measured in. So microplastics are between one micrometre and 1,000 micrometres wide (there are 1,000 micrometres in one millimetre
What is it doing to our health?
“There’s an absence of science here,” says Browne. “We know that across particle sizes, plastics can cause issues. The critical issue now is what are the concentrations that people and wildlife are being exposed to. We don’t need more studies on which products emit plastics. We need studies that expose organisms or models to these doses to see if they cause problems
Lauren Roman, at CSIRO oceans and atmosphere, says that for all animals “the size of the plastic matters”.
“If the piece is too big, the animal won’t eat it or, in the case of seabirds, they will regurgitate it. If it’s very small then it can just pass straight through them.”
For larger pieces, Roman says there is some evidence that plastic accumulating in the stomachs of animals can suppress their appetite – known as the “dietary dilution effect” that could have knock-on effects Ka kite Ano link below.
A study that tells us that it's just common sense that everyone everywhere needs to plant trees to sequence carbon emissions from the Tawhirimate. Planting trees does not need huge investment just the will of the tangata and government. The can be grown from seed or to jump ahead a year take cutting off Mama trees cloning them planting them and caring for them. I don't think many place are like Aotearoa we're we can just plant tree keeping the weeds in check for 2 years and walar you have a forests growing
Massive Forest Restoration Could Greatly Slow Global Warming
The right trees, planted in the right locations, could store 205 gigatons of carbon dioxide.
The team has also created a planning toollinked to the map that will be open to the public starting July 5. Individuals and organizations can zoom in to any location to see where new forests could be started.
Crowther has not studied other carbon sequestration techniques that have been discussed a lot lately, such as ocean fertilization (growing algae to soak up carbon) or direct air capture (machines that pull CO2 from the atmosphere), but he thinks they would be much more expensive than growing trees. He estimates it might cost the world $300 billion to plant the 0.9 billion hectares. And new forests provide another strong benefit: they restore biodiversity, which is crucial because so many plant and animal species are disappearing. Crowther says he began to study reforestation because he was really looking for ways to stop species loss. Tremendous benefits beyond carbon sequestration "come from biodiversity—providing food, medicines, clean water and all sorts of things for humans," he says.
Chazdon cautions that replanting may not be as simple as it sounds, and she wonders if 0.9 billion new hectares will ever be possible, given competing priorities. More trees consume more water, and this could threaten agriculture or other human activities in dry areas. And local people may not want forests if they need to generate income from the land, say from farming or herding. Some prominent reforestation programs, such as ones in the Philippines, have failed "because there was no local involvement," she says.
The best places to start reforestation are where multiple benefits can readily be gained. In a July 3 Science Advances paper, Chazdon and colleagues identify a series of locations in the tropics that have higher-than-average potential for benefits as well as ease of getting started.
All the new tree work, Chazdon says, signals that "we're entering into the practicality stage" of smart reforestation. "We can bring a lot of interdisciplinary science to bear. I hope there will be more interaction between scientists and politicians, realizing that the tools we now have can guide reforestation that is the most cost-effective, and has multiple benefits and fewer tradeoffs."
Eco Maori was trying to organise the planting of 50.000 trees this year but there are too many hurdles to jump through Ma Te Wa the trees will be planted in 2020
I tau toko the protests against the action Zealanders signs being plasted around the Auckland university the person in charge of the university needs to pulled up about this
Yes people have to learn to be careful around Awa and Tangaroa as Wai is a powerful force that can take lives quickly.
Another problem with the Westcoast access rail last time it was a road problem it caused by Global warming some of the people still want to mine coal.
That's good that our government has stopped the banning of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
250 years since Cook landed in Turangi A Kiwa I'm not sure about the weaveing together.
Let's hope not to much damage is caused by the big Bush fire in Australia the bushfire season started early there this year.
If he didn't want heaps of tamariki he should not have donated his dna.
The Glacier in France and most of the other Glacier around Papatuanuku are dissolving because of Human Caused Global Warming I see some storys about Climate Change are being muted.
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Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
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: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
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. ...
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 ...
Asia Pacific Report Two Palestinian resistance groups have condemned “the brutal assault” on prisoners at Ofer Prison, saying it was “barbaric criminal behaviour that reflects the fascist and terrorist nature of” Israel. In the joint statement, Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) called the attack a “miserable attempt” by Israel ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist in Avarua, Rarotonga Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown hopes to have “an opportunity to talk” with the New Zealand government to “heal some of the rift”. Brown returned to Avarua on Sunday afternoon (Cook Islands Time) following his week-long state visit to China, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sonia R. Grover, Clinical Professor of Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne Polina Zimmerman/Pexels Menstruation, or a period, is the bleeding that occurs about monthly in healthy people born with a uterus, from puberty to menopause. This happens when the endometrium, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Barclay, Senior Lecturer, School of Art and Design, Australian National University Despite the perceived outrage at Khaled Sabsabi’s depiction of Hassan Nasrallah in his 2007 work You, Australian art has long made subjects of outlaws and questionable figures. And it is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney Lisa Tomasetti/Opera Australia “It’s an old song”, Hermes (Christine Anu) sings at the opening of Hadestown, but “we’re gonna sing it again and again”. Based on a ...
An additional $13 million will be invested in tourism infrastructure, including upgrading huts and resolving the backlog in Milford Sound concessions. ...
The reality is that we have no obligation to tolerate the intolerant. They are using violence to shut down and silence others. The result of tolerating intolerant views is the loss of everyone’s freedom of speech except for the one who most effectively ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University Adwo/Shutterstock Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely ...
Alex Casey unearths Simon Court’s full sales pitch for how menstrual cups could end poverty. On Friday last week, Act MP Simon Court was accused of “mansplaining” during a parliamentary committee hearing about benefit sanctions. After submitter Rachel Dibble shared her concerns about period poverty and the impact that sanctions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato It’s an unfortunate fact that bad people sometimes want guns. And while laws are designed to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, the determined criminal can be highly resourceful. There are three main ...
Asia Pacific Report Two independent Jewish Voices groups in Aotearoa New Zealand have written an open letter to the government condemning the Zionist “colonisation” project leading to genocide and criticising the role of the NZ Jewish Council for its “unelected” and “uncritical support” for Israel. The groups, Alternative Jewish Voices ...
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 A national Newspoll, conducted February 10–14 from a sample of 1,244, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, unchanged from the previous Newspoll, ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you enjoy whip-smart satire: The White Lotus (Neon, February 17) HBO’s award-winning The White Lotus is back for what critics are calling “an absolutely exquisite third ...
NZPF called for a slowdown of the curriculum change, asking for one subject at a time, so that teachers and principals could be fully trained and feel confident and competent to implement the changes, New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) President ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Indonesia’s TVOne launched an AI news presenter in 2023.T.J. Thomson Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken off at lightning speed in the past couple of years, creating disruption in ...
Many of the young vapers interviewed by a team of public health researchers said they felt unable to resist the pro-vaping environment that surrounded them. New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree ...
Analysis: While most Wellingtonians enjoyed a rare but unbeatable sunny day on Saturday, some New Zealand diplomats will have been briefly shocked by a screenshot making the rounds on social media showing US President Donald Trump calling us a “third world country”.The image, it appears, was a fake – certainly a ...
ActionStation Director, Kassie Hartendorp says that the Treaty Principles Bill has galvanised the biggest movement in support of Te Tiriti in modern history. ...
While it is in the interests of Wellington ratepayers to sell off this subsidy for the rich, it is unfortunate that it has come to this point. The council should have never spent a penny on this programme, and the $3.4 million spent is a flagrant abuse ...
A search for the person behind a social media account ridiculing Māori.Last week, while scrolling Facebook, I came across a post shared to the New Zealand Centre for Political Research group. The post began, “From Matua Kahurangi on X”, before pasting his critique of iwi leadership – particularly Ngāpuhi ...
On the heels of The White Lotus season three, Tara Ward travels to Koh Samui, Thailand, to live her best life as a five-star wannabe. I’ve never been one for luxury travel. Despite religiously watching TV shows like Luxury Escapes: World’s Best Holidays and harbouring grand dreams of one day ...
The Treaty Principles Bill submission hearings continue at Parliament today with a range of submitters expected including councils, iwi, community organisations and individuals. ...
It’s become of one of Christchurch’s most famous landmarks online, but why? Alex Casey steps through the portal of the brutalist Timezone. Ask anyone what Christchurch’s most iconic building is and you might expect to hear some of the dusty old classics like the Cathedral, or the Town Hall, or ...
New Zealand’s alignment with the White House is further underscored by its refusal to oppose Trump’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health, University of Otago Shutterstock/Aliaksandr Barouski New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree generation would have ended sales of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Disney, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne Edwin Tan/Getty Images When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established in 2013, one of its driving aims was to make disability services and support systems fairer. However, our new ...
The resignation of the director general of health is the latest departure in what Labour is calling a ‘purge’ of health leadership. Another day, another health resignation It’s a dangerous time to be a top health executive. On Friday, Dr Diana Sarfati announced her resignation as director general of health ...
Labour and the Greens say the government should focus spending on tourism infrastructure like tracks, toilets and protection of nature instead of more advertising. ...
Tail wags dog, again – Winston First torpedo party pill testing https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12272257
Such a dumb descision…
Letter to RNZ this morning…
Bolton on RNZ morning news cycle?
Why and who the hell would give John Bolton air time to talk about ANY foreign policy issue?, and especially North Korea….this is a man who still defends the invasion of Iraq as a success.
Most Liberal media seem to have adopted the strategy that any enemy of Trump instantly becomes an ally, even to the point now of giving oxygen to psychopathic nutters like Bolton..RNZ listens deserve and expect better balance than that.
"Bolton says US considering Libya model for North Korean denuclearization"
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/30/asia/north-korea-bolton-libya-intl/index.html
"Is John Bolton the most dangerous man in the world?"
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/16/john-bolton-trump-iran-nuclear-deal-danger
"To Avoid an Iraq-Style Disaster Under Trump, Bolton Must Go'
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/avoid-iraq-style-disaster-under-trump-bolton-must-go-52897
What RNZ didn't bother pointing out in their segment is that Bolton goes on to say in his usual insane style " Bolton resumed his call for the US to consider military action against North Korea.",
Just take a read of this Guardian piece…The heading is of course highlighting the 'attacks Trump' part, and not the lets get into a war with North Korea part..WTF, no mention of Bolton undermining Trumps attempts to negotiate with N Korea with his infamous 'Libya model' statement.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/30/john-bolton-trump-north-korea-kim-jong-un
We all want to see the end of Trump, but the my enemies enemies are my friends strategy is not the way to do this, and undermines all goodwill, moral highground and moral indignation that we have the right to feel and act upon in the efforts to bring people like Trump down…attacking him from the Left is the only winning strategy that will work in the longrun, Bernie Sanders has been showing the way on this since 2016.
Ummm… when you state "We all want to see the end of Trump" be aware that you do not state a fact. There is a significant section of the population who are okay with Trump. You and I might disagree with them but they do exist. Trying to pretend everybody thinks like you do is the height of intellectual arrogance.
Fair point.
The other thing is you seem to think RNZ should be a tool of the left. Why else would you write the following"…attacking him from the Left is the only winning strategy."?
The first part up to the end of the links was all I sent RNZ, what was written after was for the benefit of TS readers.
I don't think RNZ should come down on anyone's side, what I believe they have the obligation to do is provide fair and balanced reporting…nothing more nothing less.
Bernie Sanders has been showing the way on this since 2016.
Uhh, in 2016 Bernie got 13.2 million votes in the Dem primary. That was a mere 43% of the roughly half of the roughly 30% of the electorate that bothered to vote in the primaries and identify as Democrats. Yes, that nets down to just 6% of the electorate. And he only got there by hoovering up the entire share of people that really couldn’t take Hillary or just preferred someone else.
That’s hardly the stuff of a shining political future. This time around, there’s plenty of other options, which is why he’s fading to currently be somewhere around half to a quarter the support he got last time around.
As usual you completely miss the point.
What point is it that I am missing? Please clarify.
That you think points of view you disapprove of shouldn't be aired?
That there is some massive leftie majority out there just waiting to be awakened by the right messiah, that you just know is there despite there being precisely zero evidence for its existence?
That a media organisation having someone on to have their say automatically means they are endorsing and allying themselves with the view being expressed?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/08/how-bernie-sanders-changed-the-democratic-party/
I'm pretty sure this point, that Bernie has changed the political landscape, has been made on numerous occasions, by a number of folk on this site..however maybe you would feel a bit more comfortable to hear this point made by Bernstein who as the Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joseph Biden in the Obama Administration, can hardly be accused of being a self deluded 'Leftie'.
And I'm pretty sure the corporate Democrats wouldn't inch towards a more progressive standpoint, or atleast make vaguely progressive noises, unless they felt there was a wide demand for such a thing.
Overton window blah blah whatever.
There is no certainty that either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren will get the nomination for Democratic US Presidential candidate. Currently it 's not even a likelihood.
The Subpoena hearings may well push both Democrats and the wider electorate the other way, favoring simply the person most likely to simply get Trump out: Joe Biden.
Dunno that Biden is that person.
Either way, there has been a large policy shift in the dems. Not all of it Bernie, by any means – resistance to the orange one has also mobilised a lot of people.
Let alone the possibility of leftie over-reach and a repeat of 1972.
Unlike the centrist over reach that gave the world Trump…sorry, not the Russians.
Wow, the democratic establishment candidate has not even lost yet and your already out with the blame and excuses for the loss.
Like Hillary was? And really Joe has less to recommend him. His mum might vote for him, youth not so much.
the overton window on action on climate-change –
– has been upgraded from a window – to a set of french doors…
"favoring simply the person most likely to simply get Trump out: Joe Biden" are you mad? Biden is fucked, the guy is suffering from some sort of dementia. he will never make it all the way to the election, let alone the end of the primaries,
Warren has obviously now been anointed the new DNC saviour.
Well one of us is dead wrong because i had figured using an episode involving obvious Biden foreign political interference (possibly corruption), to attack Trump was a sure end to his campaign. The negative effects on Trumps campaign seem less than certain.
Before Sanders , there was Obama who seen as a'left wing' candidate in 2008
he got even closer to Clinton 48% with 47% of those voting
However he had the Super delegates ( 68%) and the Caucuses
Arguably Hillary was the leftie and Obama the centrist.
https://www.vox.com/2015/6/15/8779449/hillary-clinton-populist-record
not so much 'arguing' – as dancing on the head of a pin..?
obama the war-criminal vs clinton the wannabe war criminal..who is more left..?
right ho..!
also worth remembering that on any international ideological-spectrum..
the american democrat party is to the right of our tories…
so..y'know..there is 'left' and 'left'…
"Arguably Hillary was the leftie and Obama the centrist"
Holy hell you really are one deluded melonfarmer, both of them are liberal capitalists and have nothing (or very little) to do with the Left..that is just a plain fact..no argument or debate need be entered into.
Uhh, do you understand that if left" and "right" are to have meaning, it has to be with reference to where the political centre is? That you are not the centre of the political universe, rather you are so far out there that the centre is a tiny speck barely brighter than a star? And the fact that Obama won the office (twice) and Hillary failed makes a pretty clear marker for how far left a candidate can be and still be electable.
Gotta disagree with that last line – there are many more determinants of election victory than simply how "left" or "right" one is compared to the electorate.
Although yeah, most of any given population would stand well to the right of the promontory from where Adrian makes his proclamations of political validity. So far to the right that he finds it difficult to judge the distance between the people he his observing.
Just tryin' to keep it simple …
No, what you guys seem to have missed or just ignore (for whatever reason) is that the (Liberal) Left have dragged us all so far to the right over the past 25 or so years, that a so called centre leftist like Clinton or Obama or NZ Labour today for that matter would have been considered centre right then, infact all I am advocating for is a much needed realignment…
"President Obama said his economic policies are "so mainstream" he'd be considered a moderate Republican in the 1980s."
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/272957-obama-says-his-economic-policies-so-mainstream-hed-be-seen-as-moderate-republican-in-1980s
And compared with politicians 200 years ago both Clinton and Obama were centre left to extreme left.
But if we're talking about the US in 2008 and comparing Obama and Clinton's relative positions, then both my 200y.o. benchmark and your 30 y.o. benchmark are completely irrelevant.
@McFlock, I hardly think comparing political positions from within the life times of the people involved to that of political positions 200 years ago makes any sense or has any relevance to this conversation whatsoever.
Not sure the USA in 1995 was all that left wing. 3 strikes laws, Iraq, and all that.
And for NZ, 14% of current voters in NZ weren't even born 25 years ago, so not sure about "us all", either. And it was the height of the Bolger/Shipley governments.
I don't mind utopians – it's good to have goals.l But I think even your recollections are decidedly red-tinted.
But compared to, say, NZ politicians 45 years ago, yeah HC and Obama would probably be right wing. But that would be a pointless comparison, like comparing them to the US "founding fathers".
"some massive leftie majority out there just waiting to be awakened by the right messiah"
"Messiah" is a mischaracterisation of Sanders. At some rally when the crowd chanted "Bernie", he looked irritated and wagged his finger – "no no, it's not Bernie it's you". Near the end of Karl Stead's fabulous novel 'My Name was Judas' the narrator says, "Our friend was not the Messiah / Nor will there be one". Sanders, it seems to me, knows this instinctively, which is part of what makes him qualitatively different from all others in the race, and important historically, win or lose.
But it's absolutely clear to me that everyone on here reads into the situation in the US exactly what they want to. And that there is no point in commenting on it any more.
Indeed. But messiahs are much more about how their followers view them and how the followers react to criticism of their chosen one.
They do have their moments.
https://twitter.com/truthtotweet/status/1176169547872854016
News just in :
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2019/sep/30/donald-trump-news-today-live-impeachment-ukraine-whistleblower-latest-updates
Trump reportedly pushed Australian PM to investigate Mueller inquiry.
Not much detail yet.
As if the spineless Aussie PM would need much pushing.
"I didn't realise when I set up Matrix Homes that vested interests would not want it to succeed," he says. "We were selling a two-bed house for $99k, and that doesn't help us when the industry is trying to explain why houses are 700-800k."
The building industry was resistant; so too was bureaucracy."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/115369645/wellington-report-2019-why-the-matrix-is-not-always-about-the-future
housing (affordability) crisis?…..whose crisis?
Sounds enough to make you cry, sis!
I wish they'd done something indepth on that rather than just interviewing the business owner. Looks interesting, but too short on detail to see what is going on. We've been so focused on the cost of purchasing, I'd really like to see more on the costs from council's post leaky building, and from the housing industry raking in profits. Also the banks and the conditions they put on mortgages. That thing about having to build larger houses is one I hear too often.
Exactly – why not write into The Detail or whoever is doing the in-depth stuff at Radionz and ask them to look into what you have outlined? They are trying hard and turning out some good background stuff I think. What do you think?
The problem with his business model – at a guess- is that the house is a prefab so he doesnt get paid anything till it goes on site. Thats a huge cashflow issue.
Dont see how the banks have an issue with small houses per se. they happily lend on small apartments.
The real problem is small sections, where the building- land ratio makes more sense with high land costs.
And my impression was that people think of these small houses as a sort minor dwelling at the back of an existing house. That can be a minefield as far as consents go. My guess is he didnt have a very good planners working with him to navigate these issues FIRST before starting construction.
Twyford can tell him all about wanting big numbers but only getting a trickle
"Dont see how the banks have an issue with small houses per se. they happily lend on small apartments."
Banks routinely refuse to lend on small builds, or make the conditions unattractive, afaik because they see small houses, especially if owner built or not a cookie cutter house, as a liability if it comes to a mortgagee sale. At least this is what I hear from people trying to get mortgages.
Banks (and everyone else with a finger in the pie, and that includes local and central gov) are seeking to protect their interest…consider if he had succeeded what would the effect have been.
It's depressing to consider. You'd think Housing NZ could have followed through.
There could be issues we don't know about too.
Actually HNZ would have been the perfect client….but there was still risk. If they had supplied HNZ what was to stop them (or someone else) taking the model to the wider market?
They could have contracted a time period where that wouldn't be allowed?
only for the signee…the whole model is potentially too disruptive.A pity because there is so much potential to reduce housing costs but thats never really been the main concern
They've dispatched specialised protest-suppression personnel and kit with a command structure separate from the PLA, too.
Here's hoping cool heads prevail.
China has quietly more than doubled its deployment of mainland security forces in Hong Kong, according to foreign envoys and security analysts, in the most dramatic move yet by Beijing to prepare for a potential worsening of unrest in the global financial center.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/09/30/asia-pacific/china-doubled-troop-levels-hong-kong-envoys-estimate/#.XZJ2V2bRWUl
There is a dreadful inevitability about the final outcome for Hong Kong and China Administration must not only win, but be seen to win. Otherwise what effect on the billion or so Chinese on the mainland. And the protestors? Top marks for persistence and courage but they cannot be allowed by the Chinese Mainland Admin, to succeed.
What are they still protesting ? They forced the puppet Hong Kong leader to kill the extradition bill . Continuing to poke the dragon seems stupid.
Search on Hong Kong and "five demands". Four to go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Hong_Kong_protests#Objectives
This could be a BFD.
The monarch reportedly asked aides for first time in her reign just how and when should could dismiss a PM.
The Queen sought advice on the circumstances in which she could sack a prime minister ahead of Tuesday’s incendiary Supreme Court ruling, i has been told.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/queen-sought-advice-on-sacking-prime-minister-source-claims-1-5013774
Boris Johnson will be dismissed by Queen if he tries to ignore court order to implement Benn Act, says Grieve
Dominic Grieve, one of the 21 Tories who had the whip removed after rebelling over Brexit and one of the MPs involved in drafting the Benn Act to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, has said he thinks the legislation is robust, and that ministers will not find loopholes in it.
In an interview with Sky News, Grieve said that if Boris Johnson tried to ignore the law, the courts could force him to comply.
Grieve also said that, if Johnson tried to ignore the courts, ultimately he could be dismissed as prime minister by the Queen.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/sep/30/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-conservative-conference-boris-johnson-groping-allegation-deeply-concerning-says-former-cabinet-minister-live-news?
That would be a facer for Boorish. Good one.
Cant be 'dismissed' by the queen. This is not Australia where the written constitution gives the GG such powers.
The last time a PM was sacked like that was the 1700's ( george Grenville)LOL
If the parliament has no confidence in the PM, they should vote so and give Boris an election. …which they dont want.
The Queen is between a rock and a hard place while the Commons wont vote no confidence in her PM
Surely you can see the obvious.
As I said, this could be a bfd.
But unlike others, I ain't no scholar of UK political convention so wtf would I know.
Eh, sport.
/
A source …in Scotland…. asking about sacking a PM ?
Thats absurd , the only person she can ask for 'advice' is Johnson himself. The story says so at the end. Clearly just scuttlebutt which is typical of UK papers..the rest of the world calls it fake news
Fascinating insights in this interview with a former CIA whistleblower
On the subject of a CIA whistleblower citing Trump abused his power by asking a favour of the Ukrainian president to dig dirt on Biden, Biden himself on camera told the story of how he insisted the Ukrainian government fire its attorney general before he/the US government would give it a billion dollar loan which seems like a pretty obvious abuse of power too. Biden visited the Ukraine 13 times over 25 months. George Galloway suggests Biden's son Hunter was acting as a proxy for Joe Biden. In other words, the Biden versus Trump feud seems to be more about a battle between equally corrupt adversaries.
The relevant issue is that tRump solicited Ukranian officials to interfere in a US election. That's it.
Ever occur to you to look for perspectives beyond the recycled Repug talking points tailored to appeal to convergence moonbats peddled for clickbait by the likes of Jimmy Dore and Galloway?
Here's just one of many:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/23/20879611/joe-biden-hunter-biden-ukraine-corruption-prosecutor-burisma-donald-trump-whistleblower-complaint
And the prosecutor who was appointed to replace Shokin (he who was sacked because Biden said he was not pursuing corruption) actually finally closed down the Burisma investigation ….there were no calls for his sacking from Biden, in fact he (Lutsenko ) was in that position until last month.
Burisma was also under investigation in the UK for fraud and money laundering.The UK says the Ukrainians were dragging the chain . The Ukrainians say the UK prosecutors were.
Ukraine is an oligarchy, public officials are in the pocket of who has the ascendancy at the time
At the moment Kolomoisky (Zelensky has described him as his business partner) is back in the driving seat after having been demoted by Poroshenko.
The hellish nature of the Ukrainian oligarchy is covered in this Kyiv Post link
https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ihor-kolomoisky-still-throwing-his-weight-around.html
The overthrow of Yanukovich did not eliminate corruption in Ukraine, the looting spree goes on .
There is always an oligarchy.
But given the choice between a domestic oligarchy and a Kremlin controlled one, it's not a difficult choice for the Ukraine to prefer their own. Nor would admitting a Putin appointee likely decrease corruption.
The Whole US government has been working with Ukraine to stamp out corruption
https://nabu.gov.ua/en/tags/fbi
Its not an abuse of power to follow formal government policy over many US presidents regarding Ukraines corruption
NZ would do the same regarding our Aid to various places , especially some in pacific which are as broken as Ukraine is
Yep ,Kolomoisky is a prince
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-summit-kolomoisky/with-zelenskiy-in-charge-ukraine-tycoon-kolomoisky-sees-amicable-solution-on-privatbank-idUSKCN1VY1P8
And the US is the absolute showpiece of corruption free democracy?
Nah, like Jimmy Carter says "Its just an oligarchy now "
Except we call them tycoons
With money and corporations running the show
Getting rid of Shokin did nothing to defeat corruption
And the Ukrainians, as is so startlingly clear, are not one people as much as the nationalists of Western Ukraine would like them to be .The people of the east twice voted Yanukovich in
And if the US is so keen to stamp out corruption (I mean really?)they would have made damned sure to avoid the bad optics of Biden and Archer being on the Burisma board being paid eye watering amounts ,shortly after Biden senior gets put in charge of Ukraine.You really think th e US gives a flying fuck about corruption??When they've backed the most corrupt, undemocratic countries on the planet?
Check out Latin America through the decades.
And if they were so keen on democracy , Pyatt and Nuland wouldn't been heard plotting over the phone on who should be PM
"Yats is the man "
The US has poured billions in to Ukraine with no reduction in corruption, but plenty of their own corporations like Monsanto reaping the benefits.Their money isn't conditional on anti corruption drives , rather on further deprivatisations so US companies can get in and make a profit.
And geopolitically the ruling elites stay aligned to US elite interests
Another perspective on the UK and Europe.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/30/beach-towels-and-brexit-how-germans-really-see-the-brits
The latest Conservative rabbits from the hat (The Sorting Hat – hopefully it contains enough magic to sort this lot out.)
Brexit: Government to reveal detailed plan for EU negotiations
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49881345
.
Aljazeera in Manchester gathering people vox pop.
Swweet promises (? – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption)
Sajid Javid says Tories aim to raise national living wage to £10.50 an hour – as it happened https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/sep/30/brexit-latest-news-boris-johnson-conservative-conference-boris-johnson-groping-allegation-deeply-concerning-says-former-cabinet-minister-live-news
"Hollow Men" and its worthy successor "Utopia" are really good at mocking the language of senior bureaucrats and operatives. While it's Australian, it's a small shift to here, scaled down.
This one I particularly enjoyed for its grandiloquence brought down to the smell of the printed paper:
Hilarious
A bit like 100,000 houses…
It is like we are living in a tin-pot African nation when Shane Jones opens his mouth
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/116215895/shane-jones-issues-warning-to-forestry-companies–political-utu-is-a-dish-best-served-cold?fbclid=IwAR0u7eyGf61fyIC-6yvsu7f6d9yfZd1AaXwH8DdJMB7eRT0lrzJt4n-Upio
Ngaro- he was more explicit …diss us and you will get your (NGO) funding cut.
Actually Jones said bluntly just what other MPs slyly hint at. Why else would Bridges for instance offer bridges for some and not for others? Pretty blatant but not really up front. "Vote for our lot if you want bridges built," is the message though. All the time.
Why would Farrar spend so much time on focus groups if it wasn't to find out who to whom and to what to set the promise (bribe).
Well, bluntly expressing corrupt practise is generally considered to be worse than merely implying it.
BTW, "bridges" is just some of it. David Skeggs' recollections about the defunding of the Public Health Commission are pretty damning.
Shane Jones is a stupid, corrupt oaf. I really hope for a labgrn government next year.
It's more concerning that net policy outcomes aren't much better than a tin-pot African nation, even though they represent a vast improvement over those of the previous government. Shane Jones is what he is, but given you were happy with Brownlee the Beast, your complaint is partisanship, not objectivity.
A sad and timely reminder to vaccinate.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12272604
Kia Ora The Am Show.
I agree that that someone needs to be held accountable for the CTV building that collapsed during the Christchurch Ruamoko. We lost A lot of good people in that desaster there whanau will be happy.
I say that the media needs to be held up to have honest content as they have a major influence on the way people behave I have seen some behaving badly.
All the best to Bernie
Ka kite Ano
The Christchurch City Council are the body responsible for the loss of those lives.
They cleared the building for re-entry after the 4 Sept 2010 earthquake.
It withstood that earthquake but was mortally weakened with many reports from occupiers that it felt unstable between the two quakes.
I continue to be amazed at how the CCC is getting away with this!
These sandflys are sending PEE addicts after Eco Maori
Kia Ora Newshub.
Sea level rising
I think our power bills are quite expensive.
Justice for you is a great way to put that Wahine case.
Its time for a change in our society way of treating Papatuanuku.
A American Warbird crashed in America
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News
Yes some tamariki and Mokopuna have bad teeth I made sure to my Tamariki looked after their nihor. One can jump up and down all they want but the horse won't drink Te Wai.
Its great that more putea is going into Maori health.
I think it is needed to have 18 years olds being kept in the youth justice. I say some don't grow up till quite long in the nihor.
Indigenous 100 interviewing 100 indigenous tangata Wehie isn't it reka that tangata whenua o Aotearoa are receiving more respect.
Moden Maori art is great there are some good artists rising from Maoridom some beautiful art to Kia Kaha.
Ka kite Ano
Yes Te pro action against Papatuanuku Warming has started rolling against Te neanderthal who are to short sighted to see that there greed of money and power will cause A Papatuanuku wide tragedy now I can see that we the leftist of Te Papatuanuku are going to stop the BULLSHIT of the neanderthal lies and make the Papatuanuku a CARBON NEUTRAL PAPATUANUKU.
An unstoppable climate change movement takes hold
Climate chaos is playing out in real time from California to the Caribbean, and from Africa to the Arctic and beyond. Those who contributed least to the problem are suffering the most.
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I have seen it with my own eyes from cyclone-battered Mozambique to the hurricane-devastated Bahamas to the rising seas of the South Pacific.
I called the Climate Action Summit to serve as a springboard to set us on the right path ahead of crucial 2020 deadlines established by the Paris Agreement on climate change. And many leaders – from many countries and sectors – stepped up.
A broad coalition – not just governments and youth, but businesses, cities, investors and civil society – came together to move in the direction our world so desperately needs to avert climate catastrophe.
The Summit also showcased ways in which cities and global industries like shipping can achieve major reductions in emissions. Initiatives to protect forests and safeguard water supplies were also highlighted.
More than 100 leaders in the private sector committed to accelerating their move into the green economy.
A group of the world's largest asset-owners – responsible for directing more than $2 trillion – pledged to move to carbon-neutral investment portfolios by 2050
This is in addition to a recent call by asset managers representing nearly half the world's invested capital – some $34 trillion – for global leaders to put a meaningful price on carbon and phase out fossil fuel subsidies and thermal coal power worldwide
The International Development Finance Club pledged to mobilise $1 trillion in clean energy funding by 2025 in 20 least developed countries
Too many countries still seem to be addicted to coal – even though cheaper, greener options are available already. We need much more progress on carbon pricing, ensuring no new coal plants by 2020, and ending trillions of dollars in giveaways of hard-earned taxpayers' money to a dying fossil fuel industry to boost hurricanes, spread tropical diseases, and heighten conflict
And I will make sure that the commitments that countries, the private sector and local authorities have made are accounted for – starting in December at the UN Climate conference in Santiago, Chile. The UN is united in support of realising these initiatives.
Climate change is the defining issue of our time
Science tells us that on our current path, we face at least 3C of global heating by the end of the century. I will not be there, but my granddaughters will
I refuse to be an accomplice in the destruction of their one and only home.
Young people, the UN – and a growing number of leaders from business, finance, government, and civil society – in short, many of us – are mobilising and acting. But we need many others to take climate action if we are to succeed
We have a long way to go. But the movement has begun.
António Guterres is Secretary-General of the United Nations
Kia Kaha Antonio keep up the excitement mahi.
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/116296704/an-unstoppable-climate-change-movement-takes-hold
https://youtu.be/QAB6aXOfUmU
We need to stop all the plastic waste from entering our natural environment.
Stop producing the stuff stop using it all together we did not need plastic in the days of old. We used natural materials paper made from plant products
Glass bottles for our fluids don't let the pro carbon people's lies Te Tairawhitimate is going to fall on our heads if we choose to change the way we live to a non carbon closed loop system we're everything we use gets recycled.
That's the only way we are going to SURVIVE in my eyes care for our ENVIRONMENT care for others culture care and respect for everyone.
How worried should we be about microplastics?
Plastic is everywhere – in our food, air, water and oceans. But do we know enough to determine how harmful it is to our health?
If you enjoy a spot of food, like to breathe air and partake in the occasional drink of water (tap or bottled), then you’re almost certainly an unwitting consumer of microplastics.
People who use triangular nylon tea bags are the latest group to be shocked at their exposure to plastics. According to one study, they could be getting about 11bn or so particles of plastic with their Earl Grey or breakfast tea.
Microplastics have turned up pretty much everywhere that scientists have looked for them – from the bottom of the deepest parts of our oceans to the stomachs of whales, seabirds and in our own poo.
Those fancy tea bags? Microplastics in them are macro offenders
But should we be worried about our plastic diet – either for the sake of our own health or for the health of the environment?
What is microplastic?
There’s no agreed definition, but researchers have generally referred to pieces of plastic smaller than about 5mm as microplastic. However, the University of New South Wales’s Mark Browne, who has been researching plastics since 2004, says it’s better to think about plastics relative to the units they’re measured in. So microplastics are between one micrometre and 1,000 micrometres wide (there are 1,000 micrometres in one millimetre
What is it doing to our health?
“There’s an absence of science here,” says Browne. “We know that across particle sizes, plastics can cause issues. The critical issue now is what are the concentrations that people and wildlife are being exposed to. We don’t need more studies on which products emit plastics. We need studies that expose organisms or models to these doses to see if they cause problems
Lauren Roman, at CSIRO oceans and atmosphere, says that for all animals “the size of the plastic matters”.
“If the piece is too big, the animal won’t eat it or, in the case of seabirds, they will regurgitate it. If it’s very small then it can just pass straight through them.”
For larger pieces, Roman says there is some evidence that plastic accumulating in the stomachs of animals can suppress their appetite – known as the “dietary dilution effect” that could have knock-on effects Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/02/how-worried-should-we-be-about-microplastics
A study that tells us that it's just common sense that everyone everywhere needs to plant trees to sequence carbon emissions from the Tawhirimate. Planting trees does not need huge investment just the will of the tangata and government. The can be grown from seed or to jump ahead a year take cutting off Mama trees cloning them planting them and caring for them. I don't think many place are like Aotearoa we're we can just plant tree keeping the weeds in check for 2 years and walar you have a forests growing
Massive Forest Restoration Could Greatly Slow Global Warming
The right trees, planted in the right locations, could store 205 gigatons of carbon dioxide.
The team has also created a planning toollinked to the map that will be open to the public starting July 5. Individuals and organizations can zoom in to any location to see where new forests could be started.
Crowther has not studied other carbon sequestration techniques that have been discussed a lot lately, such as ocean fertilization (growing algae to soak up carbon) or direct air capture (machines that pull CO2 from the atmosphere), but he thinks they would be much more expensive than growing trees. He estimates it might cost the world $300 billion to plant the 0.9 billion hectares. And new forests provide another strong benefit: they restore biodiversity, which is crucial because so many plant and animal species are disappearing. Crowther says he began to study reforestation because he was really looking for ways to stop species loss. Tremendous benefits beyond carbon sequestration "come from biodiversity—providing food, medicines, clean water and all sorts of things for humans," he says.
Chazdon cautions that replanting may not be as simple as it sounds, and she wonders if 0.9 billion new hectares will ever be possible, given competing priorities. More trees consume more water, and this could threaten agriculture or other human activities in dry areas. And local people may not want forests if they need to generate income from the land, say from farming or herding. Some prominent reforestation programs, such as ones in the Philippines, have failed "because there was no local involvement," she says.
The best places to start reforestation are where multiple benefits can readily be gained. In a July 3 Science Advances paper, Chazdon and colleagues identify a series of locations in the tropics that have higher-than-average potential for benefits as well as ease of getting started.
All the new tree work, Chazdon says, signals that "we're entering into the practicality stage" of smart reforestation. "We can bring a lot of interdisciplinary science to bear. I hope there will be more interaction between scientists and politicians, realizing that the tools we now have can guide reforestation that is the most cost-effective, and has multiple benefits and fewer tradeoffs."
Ka kite Ano link below below
Eco Maori was trying to organise the planting of 50.000 trees this year but there are too many hurdles to jump through Ma Te Wa the trees will be planted in 2020
Kia Ora Newshub.
I tau toko the protests against the action Zealanders signs being plasted around the Auckland university the person in charge of the university needs to pulled up about this
Yes people have to learn to be careful around Awa and Tangaroa as Wai is a powerful force that can take lives quickly.
Another problem with the Westcoast access rail last time it was a road problem it caused by Global warming some of the people still want to mine coal.
That's good that our government has stopped the banning of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
250 years since Cook landed in Turangi A Kiwa I'm not sure about the weaveing together.
Let's hope not to much damage is caused by the big Bush fire in Australia the bushfire season started early there this year.
If he didn't want heaps of tamariki he should not have donated his dna.
The Glacier in France and most of the other Glacier around Papatuanuku are dissolving because of Human Caused Global Warming I see some storys about Climate Change are being muted.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
I tau toko the tangata striking of a living wage I like to see management live on their workers low wage.
Huge slip on another road the one by Ohakune Global Warming has given Tawhirimate heaps of Mana.
Te Waiariki Wai safety is well needed organisation especially with our long Tangaroa lines and all our Awa and lakes in Aotearoa.
Ka kite Ano