I certainly hope not, but s/he is right in the sense that the 23 elections could be a turning point for this country.
On the one hand (the left one) you have a government, however imperfect, that plans for the future and has the interests of all the people as its focus.
Labour has almost got on top of the housing crisis which the Natz exacerbated in their 9 years,
an infra-structure rebuild after nine years of neglect,
a 3 Waters reform which will be essential to secure drinkable water for all in the future,
remodelling of the RMA,
reform of the post-code lottery health system, as well as seeing us through a massive pandemic
and many other ‘future-proofing’ changes.
On the other hand (the right one) we have a ‘government-in-waiting which caused most of the above problems!
underfunding of the police force and closing police stations,
underfunding of health (not even keeping up with inflation for two years),
underfunding of infra-structure with an emphasis on expensive RONs,
education reforms (National Standards) which actually retarded learning,
a social welfare system which punished the already punished and deprived,
frivolous spending on sheep farms in Arabia and a flag referendum.
But, and it’s an important but – managed to give tax cuts to the rich and sell off our assets to their wealthy mates.
Of course I don’t know what ’23 will be like except to say with certainty, climate-wise it will be worse than last year, and ’24 will be exponentially worse again.
The last thing this country needs is a non-interventionist, ‘the market will provide’ sort of government, the sort of government we’d get with a Natz government with the Act tail wagging the dog.
The election this year is crucial for the future of this country. I hope it does not become nasty, but there are a fair number of polarised people out there who will try to make the headlines, and a media who will welcome them.
In more lucid posts, Bomber at TDB puts a list together. Here's one, fairly recent:
Māori going to the Waitangi Tribunal over cancellation of 3 waters: The moment the National/ACT Government scrap 3 Waters, Māoridom will go straight back to the Waitangi Tribunal, win the Court Case and force Luxon into his own Helen Clark moment and be forced to pass law to simply confiscate the water. This will cause an enormous eruption of violent protest.
Mass immigration: National will simply implement John Key’s pump and dump policy of open door immigration to inflate growth rates while causing enormous stress on the groaning underfunded infrastructure and send rents soaring. This will cause enormous social dislocation and a rise in race relation tensions.
Expansion of Oranga Tamariki Big Data Experiment: National created the Oranga Tamariki Frankenstein and wants more welfare decided by algorithm as a means to de-invest welfare. Luxon has already championed this model.
Mass Dairy intensification: It’s all National have as an economic policy.
Mass Property Speculation: They will remove any of the bare tinkering Labour did and help the speculators spin prices higher.
Mutilation of the State: ACT are serious about wanting to amputate the Ministry for Women, Youth, Māori, Pacific People and Ethnic Communities while slashing the Human Rights Commission. The resulting Public Service strikes will gridlock Wellington. If there’s one thing the Public Service can do well, it is protesting for their own interests.
War on Crime: Expect the paramilitary police expansion to occur quickly with a whole dump of new civil liberty breaching powers to supposedly keep us safe but will almost immediately be abused as they increasingly get used on the protesting Left.
Prison riot and explosion in numbers: The war on crime will see far more in prison and National prefers puritan counter productive prisons so expect them to be crammed full and explode in a seething chain reaction of prison riots once National grant Corrections new powers to beat prisoners with. Corrections are very corrupt and once they gain new powers to bash prisoners with, they’ll be some prisoner who gets beaten within an inch of his life which that will trigger prison riots.
Rise of more Mass Surveillance & Political violence: The protests such a radical agenda creates will demand the State turn its attention back on the Left while National supporters clutch their pearls appalled at the aggression the Left are protesting with and rally around Luxon rather than criticise the policy. They will call on Luxon to spy on the radical lefties.
Higher Government Debt: Luxon is no free marketeer, he believes he has 7 properties because Jesus loves him, if debt goes up to pay for the extra prisons, extra Police, extra dairy intensification, extra welfare experiments, extra fake growth, then so be it, he doesn’t care. Oh David Seymour will hate it, but he’ll be so fat and full on his amputation of 6 State agencies that he’ll only be able to mount a burp as a protest.
Agree, they need to be kept in the forefront of our consciousnesses.
As a thought experiment, what would happen if they did get in and Liz-Trussed the whole country? Put up policies so terrible that they lost chunks of support forever? Would that be worse than the left trying to 'bring everyone along together', taking ages and staying cautious?
(Obviously, yes, in the short-term, but long term? Thoughts?)
Nicely put Tony V. As I sip my beer tonight in Extramadura the election seems a long way away but soon it will be all pervasive. I think we will be ok if Winston gets 4.9 per cent. Jacinda is so much more in tune with current thinking than the dinosaur Luxon.
But I will contemplate this more over the bottle of rioja I have in my hostal.
Feliz nuevo año people.
An excellent twitter thread from Michael Wood (yes, I know it was posted on The Standard only a few days ago) which details Natz underinvestment. It bears reposting!
Labour strategists should be preparing a whole series of similar social media posts!
Labour strategists should be preparing a whole series of similar social media posts!
Absolutely and aye Michael Wood …..he sure seems to be "one" of Labours standouts . They sure need to highlight these.
I'd add though….why dont they get Rail more activated? Just seems to be idling…along.
For example, he questions why there’s no rail link between Christchurch and Dunedin.
“The two main centres of the South Island do not have a train despite the fact that even using decrepit rundown rolling stock, in 2002, the timetable between Christchurch and Oamaru was the same speed as driving non-stop, despite the fact the train had to stop.”
It's a sad commentary on the capitalist 'free' world that most action (if this thread is to be believed) comes from an authoritarian, intrusive, genocidal dictatorship!
The 'market' is obsessed with self-interest and will only respond if there's a profit!
Say goodbye to any sort of scientific accuracy and any real information on the basis of sexual reality.
"A recent study purporting to examine the transmission and clinical features of monkeypox in women conducted its research on a sample where nearly half of the participants were male.
This from Professor Garth Cooper, one of the Listener 7 who is Maori, whose has made an outstanding contribution is biochemistry, medicine and educating health professionals and students
”Much of my career has been focussed on kaupapa (Māori agenda) research and teaching aimed at improving Māori health care delivery and Māori science education, on marae and in hospital and medical school/university settings.
That focus has been literal — personally designing, writing, teaching, and executing novel and successful programmes in both Māori health and education. As part of my commitment to these objectives, I served on the national Health Research Council, including six years’ service on Te Komiti Māori with further years advising on Māori health development.
While treating many Māori in diabetes clinics, I turned my focus to kaupapa diabetes research, since this disease is a leading cause of disability and death amongst Māori. Inter alia, this work entailed visiting marae throughout the country to inform and seek endorsement of iwi.
With much dismay, I have been witnessing a recent profound undermining of the meaning of science in New Zealand, now under way with the introduction of mātauranga Māori education as having parity with sciences including mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.”
That thing that gave birth to all the humans in the world is nothing.
Nothing that needs a clearly defined word to describe it.
Its nothing more then a feel in mans underpants.
Nothing more then a castration, a drilled hole in the nether regions of some bloke.
It does not need special medical care, it does not need its own studies. It does not need its own spaces.
It is just a thought an ejaculation a thrill in the heart of a man. Funny, that …. cause that is what it always was.
Lucky us that the left and the right agrees on that, otherwise issues could arise. But rejoice, the all the parties agree that men are women, and people who are not men need to suck it up and shut up. Grin it and bear it. Put up with is. Get used to it. Get on with the program.
IN medicine, sometimes the physical body trumps belief.
Medics are there to diagnose and treat pathology. That is the main purpose they serve for us. Yes bedside manner and considering social factors can be important, but not necessarily where the Dr will focus or have time to focus.
When you define believing that gender is not the same as sex as 'trolling' there is nowhere to go really. It's shame that a labour movement blog has come to this, but here we are.
[“Says a man, to women” <– political point by a feminist
“Whatever makes you feel better.” <– wind up comment from someone who should know better
It’s your behaviour that’s the problem, not your arguments elsewhere in the thread.
As a mod, I don’t care what you think about TS, or gender/sex. I care about the nature of the debate. You’ve said plenty of other things in this conversation that aren’t trolling, but you also drop in these troll comments amongst that. I’m telling you to stop.
I'm increasingly responding to whatever is driving these beliefs rather than the surface content and I apologise that it reads as trolling.
When I said that (biological) sex is relevant in medicine but not as much in other policy areas, you turned that into 'man' vs 'women'. To me those are not the same as male and female, so there is really nowhere productive to go.
I really do wish you and others find more peace this year.
I have no problem you bringing your politics here Sacha, even where I disagree with them. But the windup comments have to stop. If you had a problem with my pointed sound bite comment about men telling women how to do their politics, then say that and address it. The pattern of digs is the trolling.
When I said that (biological) sex is relevant in medicine but not as much in other policy areas, you turned that into ‘man’ vs ‘women’. To me those are not the same as male and female
I think you misunderstood my comment. I didn’t turn your comment into man vs women. I was pointing to you as a man thinking you get to redefine women’s reality.
You know that I use the terms woman and female interchangeably to mean biologically female women (whether talking about biology or social aspects). Most people still use the term woman to refer to female people. That’s how English works.
I know what the differences are between gender and sex. If what you mean is that you can’t tolerate people talking about gender and sex that way, I am simply not willing to give up women’s language because of gender identity ideology.
But this is the problem with sound bite comments, and I will try and not match yours with mine, because it inhibits conversation.
To be very clear, when I said “Says a man, to women” what I meant is that it’s hugely problematic that left wing men now think they get to tell women how to do our own politics. It’s not new, but the number of men doing it is, men who used to be allies. And I’m talking about both sex and gender.
Obviously sex is important in medicine. It’s important in many other areas as well. I pushed back against your comment that it’s not. Men don’t get to tell women what is important to us.
I am sorry I am not sure what you mean by referring to hardware and software in terms of the science Matauranga Maori debate.
Of course the Listener 7 were not trying to have Mataraunga Maori cancelled. They said it was vital for local and cultural practices and had a role in policy (sorry not a direct quote, but its in the article).
One of the Professors , Robert Nola who is now deceased spent 45 years of his career studying, researching and writing about the Philosophy of Science. I take this to mean he focussed on what makes science science (but will stand corrected on this).
Here is a quote from him published in the NZ Herald. I think it relates to the science/Matauranga Maori debate, but also gender ideology and the article you posted earlier Visu (sorry if I have slightly derailed your comment, but I think the issues are related)
In late 2016, soon after Donald Trump won the US Presidency, Dr Nola wrote in the NZ Herald to warn about “post-truth”. As he put it:
“This new, fancy word tells us: ‘Objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ No need for truth, it is yesteryear’s notion…
“Insofar as studies in humanities have not resisted the views of post-truthers, too bad for humanities. But what of science? It would be quite alien for science to reject the search for truth and evidence, the core of its critical methods.
“In science we have models of what the rational approach to believingought to be. If followed, they are an important way to keep the post-truth era from engulfing us.”
Less than five years later, it has become clear that Dr Nola’s warning has fallen on deaf ears. As the firestorm over the professors’ letter shows, New Zealand science is indeed being engulfed by the post-modern mantra that there is no such thing as objective truth.’
Less than five years later, it has become clear that Dr Nola’s warning has fallen on deaf ears. As the firestorm over the professors’ letter shows, New Zealand science is indeed being engulfed by the post-modern mantra that there is no such thing as objective truth.’
It is also clear that anyone who dissents must be silenced.
Aren’t these also part of the section you have quoted?
I don't know what you mean by the truth is polticial. Whose truth? Donald Trumps? Christopher Luxon over boot camps?
My interest in this area is science. I am an aethiest and good science is what I trust (afterall we were all told to follow the science during the pandemic). I am not following anyone elses interests.
Politics is just about negotiating power. Always has been. Some people prefer to individualise the collectives involved. I guess it makes the world seem simpler.
You psychic!… in my head I did say that in regarding your effort.
"half-interested" still stands as regarding my response.
(Due to past interactions, there seems little gained to participate in good faith exchanges with you. So "half-interested" is an accurate description of occasionally testing the waters to see if there is improvement.)
Postmodernism developed this idea that the truth is political as a branch of literary criticism, particularly from the concept that the authors intention could be safely ignored and instead the readers interpretation could be taken as the meaning of a text. But there are plenty of areas where such an approach to meaning simply falls apart (basically anything which isn't fiction).
Lets for a moment assume the truth is political has some meaning. Why then do we have a court of appeal? Surely the courts heard the case and made a decision (a political one) on the truth already. What grounds could there possibly be for an appeal?
Well I don't agree with the post modern view that truth is political. It can be I guess, but that is very black and white thinking.
I think Trump is a good example of "truth" being political.
But science provides protection from this. Sceince is about evidence and gathering and researching evidence requires the scientific metholody.
One of the reasons I often quote the Dunedin Longitutidinal study is that there evidence gathering and research approach means their findings are sound.
If you can answer the software hardware question, that would be great, but no problem if you are busy.
Ok well I couldn't get the Herald because its behind the paywall. Just to be clear, I quoted from the blog. Highly likely the Herald edited the article.
The Msm have been remiss in their coverage of this issue (my opinion).
“The decision by the Royal Society not to proceed with its ‘investigation’ is a welcome development. The scientific and philosophical questions remain unresolved – in fact, still largely unaddressed at this point – but at least a measure of political space in which to discuss and debate them has been forced open.” This from James Robb, who happens to be one of the founders of the new Workers now party
“Mauri is a Maori term. The website contains a Glossary which defines mauri as “The vital essence, life force of everything: be it a physical object, living thing or ecosystem. In Chemistry and Biology, mauri refers to the health and life-sustaining capacity of the taiao, on biological, physical, and chemical levels.”
Now, it is fundamentally unscientific to attribute ‘vital essence’ or ‘life force’ to all matter. Life is a particular form of motion of matter which is only present in living things. While life may ultimately be explainable in terms of complex chemical processes, life cannot be reduced to those chemical processes; nor do all chemical processes constitute life. Life has its own laws of motion. This is why biology, the study of living things, is not simply a branch of chemistry. To blur the distinction between chemical and biological forms of motion in nature can only obstruct the study of both disciplines, and of the points of connection between them.”
From James Robb when talking about science and the NCEA syllabus
the concept of mauri applied to western science here might be better understood as the philosophy of science. Unfortunately his link doesn’t go to where what he is quoting, so it’s hard to put his post in context.
the western mind doesn’t easily understand the concept of mauri. I’m doubtful that Robb understands it. You can’t grasp if from a dictionary definition or glossary, although that helps. I can’t see how “it is fundamentally unscientific to attribute ‘vital essence’ or ‘life force’ to all matter” but not also say it is “fundamentally unscientific to say ‘vital essence’ or ‘life force’ isn’t in all matte”. How would we know?
his ideas about what life is come from a specific cultural context and belief system (i.e. western science). I can’t see how he can legitimately claim to be omniscient about what life is, but it’s clear he is using a different definition of life from Māori but he doesn’t realise that he is. Which leaves us with whether it’s ok to introduce different culture’s philosophy of science, or whether we should restrict education to only one, the dominant one.
There’s no reason why his statement about how WS understands life can’t be taught alongside other beliefs. Personally, I think they should be differentiated, but again, I haven’t seen the document he is referring to so it’s hard to say what is going on.
Not sure if you will get this Weka as no reply button under your comment.
I couldn't agree more that MM and science should be differentiated (by this I mean taught separately). This was also what the Listener 7 thought too. There main beef with the NCEA syllabus was that students where being told science colonises so is therefore bad.
Professor Garth Cooper who is Maori, particularly objected to it as he thought it would put Maori students off studying science.
This from Professor Garth Cooper, one of the Listener 7 who is Maori, whose has made an outstanding contribution is biochemistry, medicine and educating health professionals and students
”Much of my career has been focussed on kaupapa (Māori agenda) research and teaching aimed at improving Māori health care delivery and Māori science education, on marae and in hospital and medical school/university settings.
That focus has been literal — personally designing, writing, teaching, and executing novel and successful programmes in both Māori health and education. As part of my commitment to these objectives, I served on the national Health Research Council, including six years’ service on Te Komiti Māori with further years advising on Māori health development.
While treating many Māori in diabetes clinics, I turned my focus to kaupapa diabetes research, since this disease is a leading cause of disability and death amongst Māori. Inter alia, this work entailed visiting marae throughout the country to inform and seek endorsement of iwi.
With much dismay, I have been witnessing a recent profound undermining of the meaning of science in New Zealand, now under way with the introduction of mātauranga Māori education as having parity with sciences including mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.”
I couldn’t agree more that MM and science should be differentiated (by this I mean taught separately).
That’s the opposite of what I said. I said that there’s no reason they can’t be taught alongside each other, but recognising both. But it means differentiating WS philosophy from other culture’s philosophy, and for that to happen western scientists would have to recognise that WS science is a specific thing.
Btw, Mātauranga Māori doesn’t mean Māori science. It means Māori knowledge, wisdom, understanding, skill.
MM can be applied across many disciplines. Like WS, it is also its own thing and I would guess that many people in this debate arguing for siloing it don’t in fact understand what that thing is (some apparently also don’t understand what WS is, instead thinking of WS as all science as if sciences don’t have a cultural and historical context).
Your Garth Cooper quote is basically an assertion “western science is being undermined”. In the quote he doesn’t support that assertion with an explanation nor evidence. It’s his belief.
I think there are problems in the changes, but not because Māori knowledge shouldn’t be taught alongside Western ideas. As I’ve said, re the philosophy of science, we could all be learning what mauri is as well as reductionist science methods, tools and frameworks. That would enhance us all.
It appears to me that Mauri is more akin to religion than science.
How so? Isn’t religion about worshipping god? Understanding concepts of mauri doesn’t require one to do that.
As I argued above, one can see it as a philosophy of science sitting alongside other beliefs eg that so called inert things like rocks don’t have a life force.
Not at all …religion is about conforming to social norms and/or the projection of control (power)….gods are incidental.
Religion is a social construct for a purpose (the purpose may be altruistic but not necessarily so)….science (as understood by western concept) is about challenge , the antithesis of doctrine/dogma.
Mauri is the basis of a belief system….a notion undisputed by adherents.
There is no challenge, it is overseen/interpreted by a priesthood.
That is not to say the objectives are not altruistic but it is not subject to dispute by the masses….or subject to proof/replication.
This is a dispute that occured in europe hundreds of years ago during the reformation… the church ultimately lost.
Some, I stress some. Maori are strict adherents of the concept of Mauri, but as with most religions the majority pay lip service….and fair enough too.
As said earlier. I have no problem with individuals choosing their belief system, I do however take issue with a requirement to prescription…as should you…the abortion debate in the US is a prime example of the downside.
I would say that mauri is a concept that describes something about life on earth. Some people make that a religious thing, but it’s not inherently. Some people also make aspects of Western science into a quasi religious thing (eg science is the one true way of knowing), but it’s not inherently.
I think you are describing some of the ways that people interact with the concept, which I think is useful to further understanding. However my interaction with people talking about mauri hasn’t demonstrated dogma, and I’ve never come across the priests who supposedly enforce it and through who it must be interpreted. Who are you referring to exactly?
"I would say that mauri is a concept that describes something about life on earth"
And that description can be applied to any and all religions
"and I’ve never come across the priests who supposedly enforce it and through who it must be interpreted."
As with western society the 'priests' who determine that which is acceptable are the elites…at least in the western concept those 'elites' can be voted out.
And that description can be applied to any and all religions
Can also be applied to philosophy and science /shrug
As with western society the ‘priests’ who determine that which is acceptable are the elites…at least in the western concept those ‘elites’ can be voted out.
Who are you talking about? Without that being specified, it’s just random vague assertions.
Maori society is hierarchical and lineage is paramount….that cannot be in dispute…there is nothing vague about that, If we are to organise our society on the basis of the 'religion' of an unelected elite then we have regressed to aristocratic feudalism.
Whereas we cannot apply the same criticism to 'philosophy' or 'science'…there is no requirement for lineage in those fields in (current) western ideology….only proof.
This highlights why the separation of religion from the state is so important…by all means provide space and freedom of belief, but it must be removed from governance as otherwise we cannot avoid the intrusion of religious belief into others lives…and that is a recipe for conflict….and we already have more than enough provocations for conflict without needlessly adding to them.
I’ve not seen anyone suggest that mauri is about an unelected elite imposing relgion, apart from you. And you’ve yet to bring any evidence to the table.
The basis of philosophy is making a coherent argument that stands up to scrutiny.
We’re not talking governance in this subthread, we’re talking about whether and how Māori knowledge can be taught alongside western science in school curriculums. The argument I’ve seen against this is that Māori knowledge cannot be science, but no ‘proof’ has been provided. Your argument is a tangent.
"I’ve not seen anyone suggest that mauri is about an unelected elite imposing relgion, apart from you. "
Then you obviously havnt been looking…I would be surprised if no one else had equated the concept of Mauri with religion and indeed a 2 minute search found examples.
"But wondering how the effects of wastewater discharges on “mauri” is measured and who does the measuring lands us smack bang in the middle of the science versus mātauranga Māori debate."
And tangental?…hardly, education is highly political and that which is taught (and how) is designed to shape society….I am surprised that you should seek to silo your thinking when we are discussing systems…or perhaps I am not.
There is no issue with examining Ta Ao Maori in our education system just as there is no problem with examining any culture/ belief system but to attempt to make it the foundation of our political process is both foolish and dangerous.
Thanks Molly. Yep all good now (in time for xmas). Was put on anti biotics in the end but I have no idea if they worked. Dr also prescribed vitamin D.
It was rubbish at the time, but when you are well again, being sick fades into the past. Don't want to get covid again. I think the pandemic is far from over.
Hope all is well with you and yours!
Happy New Year to you Molly and all on the Standard
As we start 2023, remember that the best things in life are free – a rosy sunset, the sound of wind in the trees, an unexpected act of kindness from a stranger, a visit from a friend.
Hi, for sure ! If I may….I would add riding a Bike. (many are free as give aways) Can be a Time machine..to transport back to those childhood days….of heading off somewhere, on your Bike : )
Couldn't agree more HT ll, but we have a generation or two of young people who are growing up with their eyes permanently glued to bits of plastic held in their hands and who never see the sunset, the trees and society passing by. I fear they will become morose, socially inept adults unable to contemplate anything of real worth.
It does not auger well for a fully rounded and informed future society.
Hi Anne. Happy New year : ) I could add….that for at "least" a decade kids havent really biked to school. (when my boys went..the Bike stands were full ! Seem to be dropped off in cars..or Remue…."tractors". Whether its a safety thing? Convenience? (I dont want to say ..laziness : (
Absolutely – I was involved for a while in efforts to cut down the "chaos at the school gate" as many parents disregarded all safety rules in a desperate attempt to stop "Little Lord Fauntleroy" from having to walk more than 10m from the school gate to the waiting car. They double parked, they waited on the yellow lines beside the pedestrian crossings, and bitterly resented any attempt to move them a little bit up the street. In some cases, the school staff were issued with evidential quality, time and date stamped cameras to record culprits and send the videos off to the local Police.
Many of the children said that they would happily walk, but there were things that worried them. Most of these were easy fixes like cutting back vegetation over footpaths or walkways, or a couple of visits from Animal Control for unfenced dogs. Some required better pedestrian crossings – and also traffic calming on the surrounding residential streets. It required a lot of talking to children, and in some cases actually walking with them.
In the end – we found that walking school buses were one of the best fixes. It worked really well in places where there was a larger immigrant population and there were grandparents or "aunties" who were able to volunteer as drivers and conductors. This was a win/win/win as it integrated them into the local community and with the help of the school, into the school community as well. I visited one school in order to walk back with one of the 3 afternoon "bus" routes. The volunteers gathered in the staffroom before departure and there seemed to be an awful lot going on, in at least 5 languages, as opportunities were taken for distribution of sundry civic and health information to this "captive" audience. The bell rang and everybody filed out to their respective "departure points, the children lined up, and off they went.
The problem we have more is the Year 7&8s. Too “grown up “ for the Walking School Bus, can be too immature for main roads. Secondary school kids, fine.
Breaking shit and disrupting people's lives won't win hearts and minds. Who knew?
/
Extinction Rebellion (XR) says it has taken a decision to "temporarily shift away from public disruption" as a tactic to highlight its cause.
The climate protest group said in a statement entitled "We Quit" that it wanted to become more inclusive by broadening its appeal to focus on the issues affecting the planet rather than alienating people through stunts and direct action.
they weren't trying to win hearts and minds. They were trying to shift the public consciousness on climate. They succeeded. XR have been massively influential in changing awareness of the climate crisis.
Haven't read the full statement yet, but looks like they're shifting focus to those in power (in the gif). Good move.
don't have a citation handy, but I was already writing about climate at TS when XR broke onto the scene and it was easy to track the change. In MSM, on SM, on TS, in my own life, and talking to Brits online.
Not the only influence of course, some MSM (eg the Guardian) were already centering climate in their reporting. SS4C and Thunberg were also very influential. XR in the UK brought a whole new strategy and energy to the public debate, and made people recognise the urgency of the situation.
I think the shift in strategy is well timed (overdue tbh, covid changed people's tolerances). Am guessing that also a factor is the Tory government's law restricting protest.
there's a difference between changes in public consciousness/awareness, and action on emissions and ecology.
Their first sentence is,
When XR burst onto the scene four years ago, few could have imagined the seismic shift it would bring about in the climate movement, the climate conversation, and the world at large.
That's the shift I am talking about. It was necessary and was/is insufficient. That's what they are pointing to.
Now that we have the awareness, the strategy needs to change because it hasn't led to a change in action by those in power (or not enough action).
Reports of a new Covid variant – XBB15 – surging throughout the US and UK (probably elsewhere – but the reports are coming from those countries).
Biggest concern isn't the high infection rate (we've got use to that with Omicron) – but the surge in hospitalization rates.
While XBB15 doesn’t appear to cause different symptoms to other strains, and while there is limited evidence regarding whether it is more severe, it is believed it comes with mutations that may help it evade vaccines and boosters, in turn causing more breakthrough cases.
New York has been suffering the largest Covid-19 hospitalisation in almost a year. And it’s not coming down quickly like in recent Omicron waves.
I was referring to the possibility of further restrictions if the situation deteriorates too much. The need for further mandates or something akin to them.
I note that masks are increasingly being worn again in my local supermarket which is a good thing. I never stopped.
So correct. And PM Jacinda Ardern, Minsters Hipkins and Verral plus numerous health experts spent 2 years constantly trying to get that message through with only middling success.
But when, in statistical terms, nearly half the population have an IQ level of less than the average (which I believe is around 100) then it isn't surprising.
by which I mean meaningful discussion and analysis with respect to the ongoing nature of the pandemic.
There are some bits in this, I hadn't realised our rate of past infection was so high.
We estimate that 81% of people in New Zealand have been infected at least once as of December 12 (Figure 6.1). Effective R, computed using cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, is greater than 1 in 11
countries and five subnational locations. Effective R in New Zealand was 1.2 on December 1 (Figure 7.1)
Struggling to find actual R number data — the reports are simply saying significantly more infectious than Omicron.
However, all of the reports appear to be quoting Eric Feigl Ding – as the expert concerned – based off a tweet of what he claims is unreleased CDC data. [Edit to confirm that CDC have now released the data and it supports his claims]
He doesn't give the actual R figures – but quotes infection rates
in fact, when @JPWeilandfirst modeled #XBB15 before Xmas, the data shows XBB15 was 108% faster than the previously king #BQ1 variant. But with more data, XBB15 has further accelerated to now being 120% faster!
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 ...
Stuff’s Political Editor Luke Malpass - A Fellow at New Zealand IniativeLast week I half-joked that Stuff / The Post’s Luke Malpass1 always sounded like he was auditioning for a job at the New Zealand Initiative.Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. For a limited time, subscriptions are 20% off. Thanks ...
At a funeral on Friday, there were A4-sized photos covering every wall of the Dil’s reception lounge. There must have been 200 of them, telling the story in the usual way of the video reel but also, by enlargement, making it more possible to linger and step in.Our friend Nicky ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is methane the ...
The Government’s idea is that the private sector and Community Housing Providers will fund, build and operate new affordable housing to address our housing crisis. Meanwhile, the Government does not know where almost half of the 1,700 children who left emergency housing actually went. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong ...
Oh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youOh, home, let me come homeHome is wherever I'm with youSongwriters: Alexander Ebert / Jade Allyson CastrinosMorena,I’m on a tight time frame this morning. In about an hour and a half, I’ll need to pack up and hit the road ...
This is a post about the Mountain Tui substack, and small tweaks - further to the poll and request post the other day. Please don’t read if you aren’t interested in my personal matters. Thank you all.After oohing-and-aahing about how to structure the Substack model since November, including obtaining ...
This transcript of a recent conversation between the Prime Minister and his chief economic adviser has not been verified.We’ve announced we are the ‘Yes Government’. Do you like it?Yes, Prime Minister.Dreamed up by the PR team. It’s about being committed to growth. Not that the PR team know anything about ...
The other day, Australian Senator Nick McKim issued a warning in the Australian Parliement about the US’s descent into fascim.And of course it’s true, but I lament - that was true as soon as Trump won.What we see is now simply the reification of the intention, planning, and forces behind ...
Among the many other problems associated with Musk/DOGE sending a fleet of teenage and twenty-something cultists to remove, copy and appropriate federal records like social security, medicaid and other supposedly protected data is the fact that the youngsters doing the data-removal, copying and security protocol and filter code over-writing have ...
Jokerman dance to the nightingale tuneBird fly high by the light of the moonOh, oh, oh, JokermanSong by Bob Dylan.Morena folks, I hope this fine morning of the 7th of February finds you well. We're still close to Paihia, just a short drive out of town. Below is the view ...
It’s been an eventful week as always, so here’s a few things that we have found interesting. We also hope everyone had a happy and relaxing Waitangi Day! This week in Greater Auckland We’re still running on summer time, but provided two chewy posts: On Tuesday, a guest ...
Queuing on Queen St: the Government is set to announce another apparently splashy growth policy on Sunday of offering residence visas to wealthy migrants. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, February 7:PM Christopher ...
The fact that Waitangi ended up being such a low-key affair may mark it out as one of the most significant Waitangi Days in recent years. A group of women draped in “Toitu Te Tiriti” banners who turned their backs on the politicians’ powhiri was about as rough as it ...
Hi,This week’s Flightless Bird episode was about “fake seizure guy” — a Melbourne man who fakes seizures in order to get members of the public to sit on him.The audio documentary (which I have included in this newsletter in case you don’t listen to Flightless Bird) built on reporting first ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk The 119th Congress comes with a price tag. The oil and gas industry gave about $24 million in campaign contributions to the members of the U.S. House and Senate expected to be sworn in January 3, 2025, according to a ...
Early morning, the shadows still long, but you can already feel the warmth building. Our motel was across the road from the historic homestead where Henry Williams' family lived. The evening before, we wandered around the gardens, reading the plaques and enjoying the close proximity to the history of the ...
Thanks folks for your feedback, votes and comments this week. I’ll be making the changes soon. Appreciate all your emails, comments and subscriptions too. I know your time is valuable - muchas gracias.A lot is happening both here and around the world - so I want to provide a snippets ...
Data released today by Statistics NZ shows that unemployment rose to 5.1%, with 33,000 more people out of work than last year said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “The latest data shows that employment fell in Aotearoa at its fastest rate since the GFC. Unemployment rose in 8 ...
The December labour market statistics have been released, showing yet another increase in unemployment. There are now 156,000 unemployed - 34,000 more than when National took office. And having thrown all these people out of work, National is doubling down on cruelty. Because being vicious will somehow magically create the ...
Boarded up homes in Kilbirnie, where work on a planned development was halted. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 5 are;Housing Minister Chris Bishop yesterday announcedKāinga Ora would be stripped of ...
This week Kiwirail and Auckland Transport were celebrating the completion of the summer rail works that had the network shut or for over a month and the start of electric trains to Pukekohe. First up, here’s parts of the press release about the shutdown works. Passengers boarding trains in Auckland ...
Through its austerity measures, the coalition government has engineered a rise in unemployment in order to reduce inflation while – simultaneously – cracking down harder and harder on the people thrown out of work by its own policies. To that end, Social Development Minister Louise Upston this week added two ...
This year, we've seen a radical, white supremacist government ignoring its Tiriti obligations, refusing to consult with Māori, and even trying to legislatively abrogate te Tiriti o Waitangi. When it was criticised by the Waitangi Tribunal, the government sabotaged that body, replacing its legal and historical experts with corporate shills, ...
Poor old democracy, it really is in a sorry state. It would be easy to put all the blame on the vandals and tyrants presently trashing the White House, but this has been years in the making. It begins with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and the spirit of Gordon ...
The new school lunches came in this week, and they were absolutely scrumptious.I had some, and even though Connor said his tasted like “stodge” and gave him a sore tummy, I myself loved it!Look at the photos - I knew Mr Seymour wouldn’t lie when he told us last year:"It ...
The tighter sanctions are modelled on ones used in Britain, which did push people off ‘the dole’, but didn’t increase the number of workers, and which evidence has repeatedly shown don’t work. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, ...
Catching you up on the morning’s global news and a quick look at the parallels -GLOBALTariffs are backSharemarkets in the US, UK and Europe have “plunged” in response to Trump’s tariffs. And while Mexico has won a one month reprieve, Canada and China will see their respective 25% and 10% ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. Gondolas are often in the news, with manufacturers of ropeway systems proposing them as a modern option for mass transit systems in New Zealand. However, like every next big thing in transport, it’s hard ...
This is a re-post from The Climate BrinkBoth 2023 and 2024 were exceptionally warm years, at just below and above 1.5C relative to preindustrial in the WMO composite of surface temperature records, respectively. While we are still working to assess the full set of drivers of this warmth, it is clear that ...
Hi,I woke up feeling nervous this morning, realising that this weekend Flightless Bird is going to do it’s first ever live show. We’re heading to a sold out (!) show in Seattle to test the format out in front of an audience. If it works, we’ll do more. I want ...
From the United-For-Now States of America comes the thrilling news that a New Zealander may be at the very heart of the current coup. Punching above our weight on the world stage once more! Wait, you may be asking, what New Zealander? I speak of Peter Thiel, made street legal ...
Even Stevens: Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023 (and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result) the average level of support enjoyed by the Left and Right blocs, at roughly 44.5 percent each, turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical.WORLDWIDE, THE PARTIES of the Left are presented ...
Back in 2023, a "prominent political figure" went on trial for historic sex offences. But we weren't allowed to know who they were or what political party they were "prominent" in, because it might affect the way we voted. At the time, I said that this was untenable; it was ...
I'm going, I'm goingWhere the water tastes like wineI'm going where the water tastes like wineWe can jump in the waterStay drunk all the timeI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayI'm gonna leave this city, got to get awayAll this fussing and fighting, man, you know I sure ...
Waitangi Day is a time to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and stand together for a just and fair Aotearoa. Across the motu, communities are gathering to reflect, kōrero, and take action for a future built on equity and tino rangatiratanga. From dawn ceremonies to whānau-friendly events, there are ...
Subscribe to Mountain Tūī ! Where you too can learn about exciting things from a flying bird! Tweet.Yes - I absolutely suck at marketing. It’s a fact.But first -My question to all readers is:How should I set up the Substack model?It’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask since November ...
Here’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s political economy on politics and in the week to Feb 3:PM Christopher Luxon began 2025’s first day of Parliament last Tuesday by carrying on where left off in 2024, letting National’s junior coalition partner set the political agenda and dragging ...
The PSA have released a survey of 4000 public service workers showing that budget cuts are taking a toll on the wellbeing of public servants and risking the delivery of essential services to New Zealanders. Economists predict that figures released this week will show continued increases in unemployment, potentially reaching ...
The Prime Minister’s speech 10 days or so ago kicked off a flurry of commentary. No one much anywhere near the mainstream (ie excluding Greens supporters) questioned the rhetoric. New Zealand has done woefully poorly on productivity for a long time and we really need better outcomes, and the sorts ...
President Trump on the day he announced tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China, unleashing a shock to supply chains globally that is expected to slow economic growth and increase inflation for most large economies. Photo: Getty ImagesLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 9 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 3Politics: New Zealand Government cabinet meeting usually held early afternoon with post-cabinet news conference possible at 4 pm, although they have not been ...
Trump being Trump, it won’t come as a shock to find that he regards a strong US currency (bolstered by high tariffs on everything made by foreigners) as a sign of America’s virility, and its ability to kick sand in the face of the world. Reality is a tad more ...
A listing of 24 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 26, 2025 thru Sat, February 1, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
What seems to be the common theme in the US, NZ, Argentina and places like Italy under their respective rightwing governments is what I think of as “the politics of cruelty.” Hate-mongering, callous indifference in social policy-making, corporate toadying, political bullying, intimidation and punching down on the most vulnerable with ...
If you are confused, check with the sunCarry a compass to help you alongYour feet are going to be on the groundYour head is there to move you aroundSo, stand in the place where you liveSongwriters: Bill Berry / Michael Mills / Michael Stipe / Peter Buck.Hot in the CityYesterday, ...
Shane Jones announced today he would be contracting out his thinking to a smarter younger person.Reclining on his chaise longue with a mouth full of oysters and Kina he told reporters:Clearly I have become a has-been, a palimpsest, an epigone, a bloviating fossil. I find myself saying such things as: ...
Warning: This post contains references to sexual assaultOn Saturday, I spent far too long editing a video on Tim Jago, the ACT Party President and criminal, who has given up his fight for name suppression after 2 years. He voluntarily gave up just in time for what will be a ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is global warming ...
Our low-investment, low-wage, migration-led and housing-market-driven political economy has delivered poorer productivity growth than the rest of the OECD, and our performance since Covid has been particularly poor. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and poverty this ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As far as major government announcements go, a Three Ministers Event is Big. It can signify a major policy development or something has gone Very Well, or an absolute Clusterf**k. When Three Ministers assemble ...
One of those blasts from the past. Peter Dunne – originally neoliberal Labour, then leader of various parties that sought to work with both big parties (generally National) – has taken to calling ...
Completed reads for January: I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson The Black Spider, by Jeremias Gotthelf The Spider and the Fly (poem), by Mary Howitt A Noiseless Patient Spider (poem), by Walt Whitman August Heat, by W.F. Harvey Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White The Shrinking Man, by Richard Matheson ...
Do its Property Right Provisions Make Sense?Last week I pointed out that it is uninformed to argue that the New Zealand’s apparently poor economic performance can be traced only to poor regulations. Even were there evidence they had some impact, there are other factors. Of course, we should seek to ...
Richard Wagstaff It was incredibly jarring to hear the hubris from the Prime Minister during his recent state of the nation address. I had just spent close to a week working though the stories and thoughts shared with us by nearly 2000 working people as part of our annual Mood ...
Odd fact about the Broadcasting Standards Authority: for the last few years, they’ve only been upholding about 5% of complaints. Why? I think there’s a range of reasons. Generally responsible broadcasters. Dumb complaints. Complaints brought under the wrong standard. Greater adherence to broadcasters’ rights to freedom of expression in the ...
And I said, "Mama, mama, mama, why am I so alone"'Cause I can't go outside, I'm scared I might not make it homeWell I'm alive, I'm alive, but I'm sinking inIf there's anyone at home at your place, darlingWhy don't you invite me in?Don't try to feed me'Cause I've been ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ star is on the rise, having just added the Energy, Local Government and Revenue portfolios to his responsibilities - but there is nothing ambitious about the Government’s new climate targets. Photo: SuppliedLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate ...
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. ...
Labour is relieved to see Children’s Minister Karen Chhour has woken up to reality and reversed her government’s terrible decisions to cut funding from frontline service providers – temporarily. ...
It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging. ...
The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress. ...
The Government’s move to increase speed limits substantially on dozens of stretches of rural and often undivided highways will result in more serious harm. ...
In her first announcement as Economic Growth Minister, Nicola Willis chose to loosen restrictions for digital nomads from other countries, rather than focus on everyday Kiwis. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
For the Government, 2025 will bring a relentless focus on unleashing the growth we need to lift incomes, strengthen local businesses and create opportunity. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today laid out the Government’s growth agenda in his Statement to Parliament. “Just over a year ago this Government was elected by ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour welcomes students back to school with a call to raise attendance from last year. “The Government encourages all students to attend school every day because there is a clear connection between being present at school and setting yourself up for a bright future,” says Mr ...
The Government is relaxing visitor visa requirements to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting New Zealand, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and Tourism Minister Louise Upston say. “The change is part of the Government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto ...
The opening of Kāinga Ora’s development of 134 homes in Epuni, Lower Hutt will provide much-needed social housing for Hutt families, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I’ve been a strong advocate for social housing on Kāinga Ora’s Epuni site ever since the old earthquake-prone housing was demolished in 2015. I ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay will travel to Australia today for meetings with Australian Trade Minister, Senator Don Farrell, and the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF). Mr McClay recently hosted Minister Farrell in Rotorua for the annual Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers’ meeting, where ANZLF presented on ...
A new monthly podiatry clinic has been launched today in Wairoa and will bring a much-needed service closer to home for the Wairoa community, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.“Health New Zealand has been successful in securing a podiatrist until the end of June this year to meet the needs of ...
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner has recommended a Judicial Conduct Panel be established to inquire into and report on the alleged conduct of acting District Court Judge Ema Aitken in an incident last November, Attorney-General Judith Collins said today. “I referred the matter of Judge Aitken’s alleged conduct during an incident ...
Students who need extra help with maths are set to benefit from a targeted acceleration programme that will give them more confidence in the classroom, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Last year, significant numbers of students did not meet the foundational literacy and numeracy level required to gain NCEA. To ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
The opening of Palmerston North’s biggest social housing development will have a significant impact for whānau in need of safe, warm, dry housing, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The minister visited the development today at North Street where a total of 50 two, three, and four-bedroom homes plus a ...
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X Socialist is generally a bag of wind and quite misguided politically (S/he intended to vote Act after all) but they did make a prediction yesterday:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01-01-2023/#comment-1928942
I certainly hope not, but s/he is right in the sense that the 23 elections could be a turning point for this country.
On the one hand (the left one) you have a government, however imperfect, that plans for the future and has the interests of all the people as its focus.
On the other hand (the right one) we have a ‘government-in-waiting which caused most of the above problems!
Of course I don’t know what ’23 will be like except to say with certainty, climate-wise it will be worse than last year, and ’24 will be exponentially worse again.
The last thing this country needs is a non-interventionist, ‘the market will provide’ sort of government, the sort of government we’d get with a Natz government with the Act tail wagging the dog.
The election this year is crucial for the future of this country. I hope it does not become nasty, but there are a fair number of polarised people out there who will try to make the headlines, and a media who will welcome them.
Someone produced a list of about 20ish ACT policies that would destroy the country about 2 – 3 weeks ago on the standard.
I can't find them, they need to be shown every day.
Can somebody find them?
In more lucid posts, Bomber at TDB puts a list together. Here's one, fairly recent:
Thanks
Agree, they need to be kept in the forefront of our consciousnesses.
As a thought experiment, what would happen if they did get in and Liz-Trussed the whole country? Put up policies so terrible that they lost chunks of support forever? Would that be worse than the left trying to 'bring everyone along together', taking ages and staying cautious?
(Obviously, yes, in the short-term, but long term? Thoughts?)
That’s just the start…
Oh and ankle bracelets on children, don’t forget that!
From daily blog
Nicely put Tony V. As I sip my beer tonight in Extramadura the election seems a long way away but soon it will be all pervasive. I think we will be ok if Winston gets 4.9 per cent. Jacinda is so much more in tune with current thinking than the dinosaur Luxon.
But I will contemplate this more over the bottle of rioja I have in my hostal.
Feliz nuevo año people.
An excellent twitter thread from Michael Wood (yes, I know it was posted on The Standard only a few days ago) which details Natz underinvestment. It bears reposting!
Labour strategists should be preparing a whole series of similar social media posts!
https://twitter.com/michaelwoodnz/status/1607955859493228545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1607955859493228545%7Ctwgr%5Ebe62cf598bffb5078563ede1468abcbc75c263bc%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthestandard.org.nz%2Fthe-standards-political-awards-for-2022%2F
Absolutely and aye Michael Wood …..he sure seems to be "one" of Labours standouts . They sure need to highlight these.
I'd add though….why dont they get Rail more activated? Just seems to be idling…along.
2012 !! (incl a PDF )
If not now…When? Along with that and others Labour needs to get motivated….and Motivating. No missteps. FOCUS.!
It's a sad commentary on the capitalist 'free' world that most action (if this thread is to be believed) comes from an authoritarian, intrusive, genocidal dictatorship!
The 'market' is obsessed with self-interest and will only respond if there's a profit!
https://twitter.com/KyleTrainEmoji/status/1604510937557635072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1604510937557635072%7Ctwgr%5E2b5ec67e187c4190147f11cb62ec881ff7f18fcf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthestandard.org.nz%2Fopen-mike-30-12-2022%2F
Yep, ACT and National being in government will lead to the greatest ratcheting down of NZ living standards since the 1991 ECA/benefit cut combo.
We have seen huge growth in jobs and wages, and NACT will pull out all stops to keep that from happening.
ACT want to flood the country with cheap labour to keep wages down and lock NZers out of job oppurtunities.
Yes, this needs to be published everywhere. Thanks Tony.
Say goodbye to any sort of scientific accuracy and any real information on the basis of sexual reality.
"A recent study purporting to examine the transmission and clinical features of monkeypox in women conducted its research on a sample where nearly half of the participants were male.
https://reduxx.info/study-exploring-monkeypox-in-women-used-sample-of-males/?fbclid=IwAR0nbAnfQiPGJkrkRCQQ72uLrdk6iz5IRgwNhw6rLjRBLEnxNSVLUTtnmNU
Thanks for posting Visu.
In medicine biological realty does trump personal belief (i.e. gender identity).
It concerns me deelply how science is being penetrated by that which is not science.
Here's an article on a different subject Matauranga Maori
https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2022/03/graham-adams-biggest-losers-in.html
This from Professor Garth Cooper, one of the Listener 7 who is Maori, whose has made an outstanding contribution is biochemistry, medicine and educating health professionals and students
”Much of my career has been focussed on kaupapa (Māori agenda) research and teaching aimed at improving Māori health care delivery and Māori science education, on marae and in hospital and medical school/university settings.
That focus has been literal — personally designing, writing, teaching, and executing novel and successful programmes in both Māori health and education. As part of my commitment to these objectives, I served on the national Health Research Council, including six years’ service on Te Komiti Māori with further years advising on Māori health development.
While treating many Māori in diabetes clinics, I turned my focus to kaupapa diabetes research, since this disease is a leading cause of disability and death amongst Māori. Inter alia, this work entailed visiting marae throughout the country to inform and seek endorsement of iwi.
With much dismay, I have been witnessing a recent profound undermining of the meaning of science in New Zealand, now under way with the introduction of mātauranga Māori education as having parity with sciences including mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.”
I think it is also about knowing what is a hardware problem and what is a software problem. And having appropriate treatments for each,
And not mistaking software interfaces as a hardware problem.
For the determinedly unaware:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/13/the-female-problem-male-bias-in-medical-trials
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8812498/
Sex is highly relevant in medicine. Less so in other areas, for the wilfully unaware.
Medical context being the initial comment that Anker responded to – albeit – not numbered as a Reply:
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02-01-2023/#comment-1928965
Hence,
"Thanks for posting Visu.
In medicine biological realty does trump personal belief (i.e. gender identity).
It concerns me deelply how science is being penetrated by that which is not science."
Treating the whole person means taking into account the social relationships they are part of, as well as their physical body.
Let's not miscast the social as some sort of individual 'belief'.
Focus…
Sure. The problem is why this is no longer allowed for female people.
That thing that gave birth to all the humans in the world is nothing.
Nothing that needs a clearly defined word to describe it.
Its nothing more then a feel in mans underpants.
Nothing more then a castration, a drilled hole in the nether regions of some bloke.
It does not need special medical care, it does not need its own studies. It does not need its own spaces.
It is just a thought an ejaculation a thrill in the heart of a man. Funny, that …. cause that is what it always was.
Lucky us that the left and the right agrees on that, otherwise issues could arise. But rejoice, the all the parties agree that men are women, and people who are not men need to suck it up and shut up. Grin it and bear it. Put up with is. Get used to it. Get on with the program.
Cause men are women and sometimes both.
IN medicine, sometimes the physical body trumps belief.
Medics are there to diagnose and treat pathology. That is the main purpose they serve for us. Yes bedside manner and considering social factors can be important, but not necessarily where the Dr will focus or have time to focus.
Says a man, to women
🙄
Whatever makes you feel better.
stop trolling.
When you define believing that gender is not the same as sex as 'trolling' there is nowhere to go really. It's shame that a labour movement blog has come to this, but here we are.
[“Says a man, to women” <– political point by a feminist
“Whatever makes you feel better.” <– wind up comment from someone who should know better
It’s your behaviour that’s the problem, not your arguments elsewhere in the thread.
As a mod, I don’t care what you think about TS, or gender/sex. I care about the nature of the debate. You’ve said plenty of other things in this conversation that aren’t trolling, but you also drop in these troll comments amongst that. I’m telling you to stop.
I’ve moderated you for similar in the past, and that was after noticing a pattern of behaviour over time. You know how this goes. https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-19-11-2022/#comment-1921949 – weka]
mod note.
I'm increasingly responding to whatever is driving these beliefs rather than the surface content and I apologise that it reads as trolling.
When I said that (biological) sex is relevant in medicine but not as much in other policy areas, you turned that into 'man' vs 'women'. To me those are not the same as male and female, so there is really nowhere productive to go.
I really do wish you and others find more peace this year.
I have no problem you bringing your politics here Sacha, even where I disagree with them. But the windup comments have to stop. If you had a problem with my pointed sound bite comment about men telling women how to do their politics, then say that and address it. The pattern of digs is the trolling.
I think you misunderstood my comment. I didn’t turn your comment into man vs women. I was pointing to you as a man thinking you get to redefine women’s reality.
You know that I use the terms woman and female interchangeably to mean biologically female women (whether talking about biology or social aspects). Most people still use the term woman to refer to female people. That’s how English works.
I know what the differences are between gender and sex. If what you mean is that you can’t tolerate people talking about gender and sex that way, I am simply not willing to give up women’s language because of gender identity ideology.
But this is the problem with sound bite comments, and I will try and not match yours with mine, because it inhibits conversation.
To be very clear, when I said “Says a man, to women” what I meant is that it’s hugely problematic that left wing men now think they get to tell women how to do our own politics. It’s not new, but the number of men doing it is, men who used to be allies. And I’m talking about both sex and gender.
Obviously sex is important in medicine. It’s important in many other areas as well. I pushed back against your comment that it’s not. Men don’t get to tell women what is important to us.
I am sorry I am not sure what you mean by referring to hardware and software in terms of the science Matauranga Maori debate.
Of course the Listener 7 were not trying to have Mataraunga Maori cancelled. They said it was vital for local and cultural practices and had a role in policy (sorry not a direct quote, but its in the article).
One of the Professors , Robert Nola who is now deceased spent 45 years of his career studying, researching and writing about the Philosophy of Science. I take this to mean he focussed on what makes science science (but will stand corrected on this).
Here is a quote from him published in the NZ Herald. I think it relates to the science/Matauranga Maori debate, but also gender ideology and the article you posted earlier Visu (sorry if I have slightly derailed your comment, but I think the issues are related)
In late 2016, soon after Donald Trump won the US Presidency, Dr Nola wrote in the NZ Herald to warn about “post-truth”. As he put it:
“This new, fancy word tells us: ‘Objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ No need for truth, it is yesteryear’s notion…
“Insofar as studies in humanities have not resisted the views of post-truthers, too bad for humanities. But what of science? It would be quite alien for science to reject the search for truth and evidence, the core of its critical methods.
“In science we have models of what the rational approach to believing ought to be. If followed, they are an important way to keep the post-truth era from engulfing us.”
Less than five years later, it has become clear that Dr Nola’s warning has fallen on deaf ears. As the firestorm over the professors’ letter shows, New Zealand science is indeed being engulfed by the post-modern mantra that there is no such thing as objective truth.’
It is also clear that anyone who dissents must be silenced.
https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2021/08/03/the-attacks-on-seven-eminent-professors-over-a-listener-letter-in-which-they-championed-science-have-missed-their-target/
Thank you for adding the link.
Aren’t these also part of the section you have quoted?
Modernism said there is only one truth. That suited the old white men in power.
Postmodernism basically says the truth is political. People threatened by that have tried to paint it as meaning anything goes. Don't be a tool.
What do YOU say?
(Apart from this: "Don't be a tool."?)
The truth is political. And don't be a tool for other people's interests.
I am afraid this makes no sense to me Sacha.
I don't know what you mean by the truth is polticial. Whose truth? Donald Trumps? Christopher Luxon over boot camps?
My interest in this area is science. I am an aethiest and good science is what I trust (afterall we were all told to follow the science during the pandemic). I am not following anyone elses interests.
I can see you believe that. Go well this year.
That pespective explains a lot.
The determination to ascertain a "political truth" to suit personal politics negates any impediments, and creates political heretics.
Politics is just about negotiating power. Always has been. Some people prefer to individualise the collectives involved. I guess it makes the world seem simpler.
This is pretty vague and generalised.
The burble did not obscure the barely disguised insult though.
You could work harder on either clarity or obfuscation, depending on what your intent is.
eg. Mine was to respond with half-interested dismissal of your effort, and then probably to leave to do other more interesting activities.
How did I do?
half-arsed, you say
You psychic!… in my head I did say that in regarding your effort.
"half-interested" still stands as regarding my response.
(Due to past interactions, there seems little gained to participate in good faith exchanges with you. So "half-interested" is an accurate description of occasionally testing the waters to see if there is improvement.)
Such a selfless sacrifice
Postmodernism developed this idea that the truth is political as a branch of literary criticism, particularly from the concept that the authors intention could be safely ignored and instead the readers interpretation could be taken as the meaning of a text. But there are plenty of areas where such an approach to meaning simply falls apart (basically anything which isn't fiction).
Lets for a moment assume the truth is political has some meaning. Why then do we have a court of appeal? Surely the courts heard the case and made a decision (a political one) on the truth already. What grounds could there possibly be for an appeal?
Well I don't agree with the post modern view that truth is political. It can be I guess, but that is very black and white thinking.
I think Trump is a good example of "truth" being political.
But science provides protection from this. Sceince is about evidence and gathering and researching evidence requires the scientific metholody.
One of the reasons I often quote the Dunedin Longitutidinal study is that there evidence gathering and research approach means their findings are sound.
If you can answer the software hardware question, that would be great, but no problem if you are busy.
Sorry I am not as sophisticated as others on this site in terms of using links.
I generally post the quote first, post my comment and then copy and past the link (even though it has already been published)
I am a bit lost by your question "aren;t. these part of the section you have quoted?"
Yes I quoted Professor Nola from his article after Trump was elected. The whole article is worth reading.
Thanks for explaining.
You have marked the other sentences differently, but not those last two. They are also quoted from the blog, but not the Herald article.
There is a useful quote button on the toolbar in this editor that makes it extra clear the words are quoted, not written by ourselves.
Ok well I couldn't get the Herald because its behind the paywall. Just to be clear, I quoted from the blog. Highly likely the Herald edited the article.
The Msm have been remiss in their coverage of this issue (my opinion).
This is unfortunate
The blog is from August 2021. What makes this topic so relevant to you today?
The issue remains unressolved. Professor Cooper and Robert Nola both resigned from the Royal Society (Professor Nola has since died).
Their free speech and academic freedom was shut down.
I feel very strongly about these issues.
Also my understanding is that Richard Dawkins is coming to NZ this year.
He was highly critical of the Royal Society.
https://convincingreasons.wordpress.com/2022/04/19/how-not-to-conduct-a-scientific-debate-royal-society-university-split-over-matauranga-maori-and-science/
“The decision by the Royal Society not to proceed with its ‘investigation’ is a welcome development. The scientific and philosophical questions remain unresolved – in fact, still largely unaddressed at this point – but at least a measure of political space in which to discuss and debate them has been forced open.” This from James Robb, who happens to be one of the founders of the new Workers now party
“Mauri is a Maori term. The website contains a Glossary which defines mauri as “The vital essence, life force of everything: be it a physical object, living thing or ecosystem. In Chemistry and Biology, mauri refers to the health and life-sustaining capacity of the taiao, on biological, physical, and chemical levels.”
Now, it is fundamentally unscientific to attribute ‘vital essence’ or ‘life force’ to all matter. Life is a particular form of motion of matter which is only present in living things. While life may ultimately be explainable in terms of complex chemical processes, life cannot be reduced to those chemical processes; nor do all chemical processes constitute life. Life has its own laws of motion. This is why biology, the study of living things, is not simply a branch of chemistry. To blur the distinction between chemical and biological forms of motion in nature can only obstruct the study of both disciplines, and of the points of connection between them.”
From James Robb when talking about science and the NCEA syllabus
All matter is energy (e=mc2). He's not being very scientific.
But not all energy is life force.
I see three main things about this.
There’s no reason why his statement about how WS understands life can’t be taught alongside other beliefs. Personally, I think they should be differentiated, but again, I haven’t seen the document he is referring to so it’s hard to say what is going on.
Not sure if you will get this Weka as no reply button under your comment.
I couldn't agree more that MM and science should be differentiated (by this I mean taught separately). This was also what the Listener 7 thought too. There main beef with the NCEA syllabus was that students where being told science colonises so is therefore bad.
Professor Garth Cooper who is Maori, particularly objected to it as he thought it would put Maori students off studying science.
This from Professor Garth Cooper, one of the Listener 7 who is Maori, whose has made an outstanding contribution is biochemistry, medicine and educating health professionals and students
”Much of my career has been focussed on kaupapa (Māori agenda) research and teaching aimed at improving Māori health care delivery and Māori science education, on marae and in hospital and medical school/university settings.
That focus has been literal — personally designing, writing, teaching, and executing novel and successful programmes in both Māori health and education. As part of my commitment to these objectives, I served on the national Health Research Council, including six years’ service on Te Komiti Māori with further years advising on Māori health development.
While treating many Māori in diabetes clinics, I turned my focus to kaupapa diabetes research, since this disease is a leading cause of disability and death amongst Māori. Inter alia, this work entailed visiting marae throughout the country to inform and seek endorsement of iwi.
With much dismay, I have been witnessing a recent profound undermining of the meaning of science in New Zealand, now under way with the introduction of mātauranga Māori education as having parity with sciences including mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics.”
That’s the opposite of what I said. I said that there’s no reason they can’t be taught alongside each other, but recognising both. But it means differentiating WS philosophy from other culture’s philosophy, and for that to happen western scientists would have to recognise that WS science is a specific thing.
Btw, Mātauranga Māori doesn’t mean Māori science. It means Māori knowledge, wisdom, understanding, skill.
https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&histLoanWords=&keywords=matauranga
MM can be applied across many disciplines. Like WS, it is also its own thing and I would guess that many people in this debate arguing for siloing it don’t in fact understand what that thing is (some apparently also don’t understand what WS is, instead thinking of WS as all science as if sciences don’t have a cultural and historical context).
Your Garth Cooper quote is basically an assertion “western science is being undermined”. In the quote he doesn’t support that assertion with an explanation nor evidence. It’s his belief.
I think there are problems in the changes, but not because Māori knowledge shouldn’t be taught alongside Western ideas. As I’ve said, re the philosophy of science, we could all be learning what mauri is as well as reductionist science methods, tools and frameworks. That would enhance us all.
It appears to me that Mauri is more akin to religion than science.
We have religious freedom so if anyone desires to adhere to a dogma that is fine, so long as it dosnt become a requirement.
How so? Isn’t religion about worshipping god? Understanding concepts of mauri doesn’t require one to do that.
As I argued above, one can see it as a philosophy of science sitting alongside other beliefs eg that so called inert things like rocks don’t have a life force.
"It appears…"
It does.
"How so? Isn’t religion about worshipping god? "
Not at all …religion is about conforming to social norms and/or the projection of control (power)….gods are incidental.
Religion is a social construct for a purpose (the purpose may be altruistic but not necessarily so)….science (as understood by western concept) is about challenge , the antithesis of doctrine/dogma.
And ne'er the twain shall meet
how does the concept of mauri fit into your definition of religion?
Mauri is the basis of a belief system….a notion undisputed by adherents.
There is no challenge, it is overseen/interpreted by a priesthood.
That is not to say the objectives are not altruistic but it is not subject to dispute by the masses….or subject to proof/replication.
This is a dispute that occured in europe hundreds of years ago during the reformation… the church ultimately lost.
Some, I stress some. Maori are strict adherents of the concept of Mauri, but as with most religions the majority pay lip service….and fair enough too.
As said earlier. I have no problem with individuals choosing their belief system, I do however take issue with a requirement to prescription…as should you…the abortion debate in the US is a prime example of the downside.
where’s the prescription happening?
I would say that mauri is a concept that describes something about life on earth. Some people make that a religious thing, but it’s not inherently. Some people also make aspects of Western science into a quasi religious thing (eg science is the one true way of knowing), but it’s not inherently.
I think you are describing some of the ways that people interact with the concept, which I think is useful to further understanding. However my interaction with people talking about mauri hasn’t demonstrated dogma, and I’ve never come across the priests who supposedly enforce it and through who it must be interpreted. Who are you referring to exactly?
"I would say that mauri is a concept that describes something about life on earth"
And that description can be applied to any and all religions
"and I’ve never come across the priests who supposedly enforce it and through who it must be interpreted."
As with western society the 'priests' who determine that which is acceptable are the elites…at least in the western concept those 'elites' can be voted out.
Can also be applied to philosophy and science /shrug
Who are you talking about? Without that being specified, it’s just random vague assertions.
Maori society is hierarchical and lineage is paramount….that cannot be in dispute…there is nothing vague about that, If we are to organise our society on the basis of the 'religion' of an unelected elite then we have regressed to aristocratic feudalism.
Whereas we cannot apply the same criticism to 'philosophy' or 'science'…there is no requirement for lineage in those fields in (current) western ideology….only proof.
This highlights why the separation of religion from the state is so important…by all means provide space and freedom of belief, but it must be removed from governance as otherwise we cannot avoid the intrusion of religious belief into others lives…and that is a recipe for conflict….and we already have more than enough provocations for conflict without needlessly adding to them.
it’s completely vague. That or you are in the 1800s. Iwi have elections and everything now. Here’s Kāi Tahu’s governance structure https://ngaitahu.iwi.nz/te-runanga-o-ngai-tahu/ngai-tahu-governance/
I’ve not seen anyone suggest that mauri is about an unelected elite imposing relgion, apart from you. And you’ve yet to bring any evidence to the table.
The basis of philosophy is making a coherent argument that stands up to scrutiny.
We’re not talking governance in this subthread, we’re talking about whether and how Māori knowledge can be taught alongside western science in school curriculums. The argument I’ve seen against this is that Māori knowledge cannot be science, but no ‘proof’ has been provided. Your argument is a tangent.
"I’ve not seen anyone suggest that mauri is about an unelected elite imposing relgion, apart from you. "
Then you obviously havnt been looking…I would be surprised if no one else had equated the concept of Mauri with religion and indeed a 2 minute search found examples.
"But wondering how the effects of wastewater discharges on “mauri” is measured and who does the measuring lands us smack bang in the middle of the science versus mātauranga Māori debate."
https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2022/01/11/we-can-gauge-volumes-of-water-and-count-contaminants-but-measuring-the-mauri-may-be-challenging-for-modern-scientists/
and
https://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/125940471/science-cant-be-pkeh-or-mori-its-just-science
And tangental?…hardly, education is highly political and that which is taught (and how) is designed to shape society….I am surprised that you should seek to silo your thinking when we are discussing systems…or perhaps I am not.
There is no issue with examining Ta Ao Maori in our education system just as there is no problem with examining any culture/ belief system but to attempt to make it the foundation of our political process is both foolish and dangerous.
Hey, Anker.
Hope you have recovered from Covid, and managed to have a good celebratory Christmas and New Year.
Thanks Molly. Yep all good now (in time for xmas). Was put on anti biotics in the end but I have no idea if they worked. Dr also prescribed vitamin D.
It was rubbish at the time, but when you are well again, being sick fades into the past. Don't want to get covid again. I think the pandemic is far from over.
Hope all is well with you and yours!
Happy New Year to you Molly and all on the Standard
Glad to hear. All the best for 2023!
And for you too Molly!
Greetings to all TS contributors.
As we start 2023, remember that the best things in life are free – a rosy sunset, the sound of wind in the trees, an unexpected act of kindness from a stranger, a visit from a friend.
Let's keep hold of the things that matter.
Hi, for sure ! If I may….I would add riding a Bike. (many are free as give aways) Can be a Time machine..to transport back to those childhood days….of heading off somewhere, on your Bike : )
Couldn't agree more HT ll, but we have a generation or two of young people who are growing up with their eyes permanently glued to bits of plastic held in their hands and who never see the sunset, the trees and society passing by. I fear they will become morose, socially inept adults unable to contemplate anything of real worth.
It does not auger well for a fully rounded and informed future society.
Hi Anne. Happy New year : ) I could add….that for at "least" a decade kids havent really biked to school. (when my boys went..the Bike stands were full ! Seem to be dropped off in cars..or Remue…."tractors". Whether its a safety thing? Convenience? (I dont want to say ..laziness : (
Anyway…some of us are trying
The kids I teach would be more likely to ride to school if it was safer.
My wish is for separate cycle lanes on major roads within 2 km of every sch.
Absolutely – I was involved for a while in efforts to cut down the "chaos at the school gate" as many parents disregarded all safety rules in a desperate attempt to stop "Little Lord Fauntleroy" from having to walk more than 10m from the school gate to the waiting car. They double parked, they waited on the yellow lines beside the pedestrian crossings, and bitterly resented any attempt to move them a little bit up the street. In some cases, the school staff were issued with evidential quality, time and date stamped cameras to record culprits and send the videos off to the local Police.
Many of the children said that they would happily walk, but there were things that worried them. Most of these were easy fixes like cutting back vegetation over footpaths or walkways, or a couple of visits from Animal Control for unfenced dogs. Some required better pedestrian crossings – and also traffic calming on the surrounding residential streets. It required a lot of talking to children, and in some cases actually walking with them.
In the end – we found that walking school buses were one of the best fixes. It worked really well in places where there was a larger immigrant population and there were grandparents or "aunties" who were able to volunteer as drivers and conductors. This was a win/win/win as it integrated them into the local community and with the help of the school, into the school community as well. I visited one school in order to walk back with one of the 3 afternoon "bus" routes. The volunteers gathered in the staffroom before departure and there seemed to be an awful lot going on, in at least 5 languages, as opportunities were taken for distribution of sundry civic and health information to this "captive" audience. The bell rang and everybody filed out to their respective "departure points, the children lined up, and off they went.
Walking School Buses are brilliant.
The problem we have more is the Year 7&8s. Too “grown up “ for the Walking School Bus, can be too immature for main roads. Secondary school kids, fine.
Yes please.
Having healthy happy people round a table with enough to share, and good music.
Have a great 2023.
Good riddance.
https://twitter.com/shailjapatel/status/1609282521845608448
https://web.archive.org/web/20090309192701/https://time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1883598,00.html
Breaking shit and disrupting people's lives won't win hearts and minds. Who knew?
/
Extinction Rebellion (XR) says it has taken a decision to "temporarily shift away from public disruption" as a tactic to highlight its cause.
The climate protest group said in a statement entitled "We Quit" that it wanted to become more inclusive by broadening its appeal to focus on the issues affecting the planet rather than alienating people through stunts and direct action.
https://news.sky.com/story/extinction-rebellion-to-temporarily-shift-away-from-public-disruption-12777788
they weren't trying to win hearts and minds. They were trying to shift the public consciousness on climate. They succeeded. XR have been massively influential in changing awareness of the climate crisis.
Haven't read the full statement yet, but looks like they're shifting focus to those in power (in the gif). Good move.
https://twitter.com/XRebellionUK/status/1609349854391635968
Cite?
don't have a citation handy, but I was already writing about climate at TS when XR broke onto the scene and it was easy to track the change. In MSM, on SM, on TS, in my own life, and talking to Brits online.
Not the only influence of course, some MSM (eg the Guardian) were already centering climate in their reporting. SS4C and Thunberg were also very influential. XR in the UK brought a whole new strategy and energy to the public debate, and made people recognise the urgency of the situation.
I think the shift in strategy is well timed (overdue tbh, covid changed people's tolerances). Am guessing that also a factor is the Tory government's law restricting protest.
Or after four years, and by their own admission, very little has changed. Emissions continue to rise and our planet is dying at an accelerated rate.
there's a difference between changes in public consciousness/awareness, and action on emissions and ecology.
Their first sentence is,
That's the shift I am talking about. It was necessary and was/is insufficient. That's what they are pointing to.
Now that we have the awareness, the strategy needs to change because it hasn't led to a change in action by those in power (or not enough action).
Reports of a new Covid variant – XBB15 – surging throughout the US and UK (probably elsewhere – but the reports are coming from those countries).
Biggest concern isn't the high infection rate (we've got use to that with Omicron) – but the surge in hospitalization rates.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/experts-raise-concerns-as-new-xbb15-covid-strain-rips-through-us-and-uk/53LISVYUYJGF7EUP572K5XYA3I/
Shit! So it's about to start all over again.
never stopped, most places are just in denial.
I was referring to the possibility of further restrictions if the situation deteriorates too much. The need for further mandates or something akin to them.
I note that masks are increasingly being worn again in my local supermarket which is a good thing. I never stopped.
good to hear. Hardly anyone wears a mask here.
Not sure about further mandates/restrictions. Nor what's happening with filtering air inside. Many places globally seem to be in heavy denial.
Helps to think of them as protections rather than restrictions.
So correct. And PM Jacinda Ardern, Minsters Hipkins and Verral plus numerous health experts spent 2 years constantly trying to get that message through with only middling success.
But when, in statistical terms, nearly half the population have an IQ level of less than the average (which I believe is around 100) then it isn't surprising.
Media quickly adopted the right-wing framing of 'restrictions', with no visible pushback.
have you seen anything about the R number?
by which I mean meaningful discussion and analysis with respect to the ongoing nature of the pandemic.
There are some bits in this, I hadn't realised our rate of past infection was so high.
https://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/covid_briefs/72_briefing_New_Zealand.pdf
Struggling to find actual R number data — the reports are simply saying significantly more infectious than Omicron.
However, all of the reports appear to be quoting Eric Feigl Ding – as the expert concerned – based off a tweet of what he claims is unreleased CDC data. [Edit to confirm that CDC have now released the data and it supports his claims]
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1608704548536975360
He doesn't give the actual R figures – but quotes infection rates
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1608706233460228101