An excellent article in the Herald about the loss of wetlands in our country.
Every time I read passages like these and then hear all the spin and lies about New Zealand being his wonderfully beautiful country, it makes me sad.
New Zealanders are rapidly becoming like American people – ignorant and deluded about the real state of their own country.
Once this place was a beautiful land, covered in forest and wetland and full of the sound of native birds.
Now it is a polluted industrial farm.
“…about the state of their own country”. Partial quotes, James, selected to say something different from the writer’s intention – a Tory-troll-trick if ever I saw one.
Most Americans wouldn’t know what and where New Zealand is. A few years ago research showed that a majority of US college graduates were incapable of placing the location of Miami on a map correctly.
I didn’t really believe that people from the US were as ignorant of the world as they are until I was in New York at a conference.
The people there were all well educated, at least to the extent that they were all University graduates.
I was asked where I came from. I replied New Zealand and got a blank stare.
I explained that it was near Australia. I thought they might have heard of that place.
Another blank stare and then I was asked “Is that in Scandinavia?”
I kid you not. It was terrifying to find how insular they were.
Don’t say that in Lynn’s hearing. He might think you were insulting his profession.
It was actually a SHARE conference attended by about 8,000 IT specialists.
Only time in my life I have knowingly talked to people who worked for the CIA. And no, they weren’t spies but MVS specialists.
A long time ago though. Back in the days when mainframes ruled.
The Herald calls it weird weather.
Rachel Stewart asks ” are we worried yet?”
Floods.
Heatwaves.
Storms.
High sea temperatures.
Tidal surges.
We have entered the age of consequences.
The severity of the impacts of climate change depends on the reaction of us and our governments.
Email your MP.
Organise local meetings.
Reduce your carbon footprint- ear less meat.
Reduce your carbon footprint- catch public transport
Speak to your Local councillors.
Inform all your friends.
Change the way you live.
And when you feel your skin burning after a minute or two in the sun that isnt age making your skin sensitive. Its the loss of ozone allowing more UV rays down.
Measurements show that the decline in chlorine, resulting from an international ban on chlorine-containing manmade chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), has resulted in about 20 percent less ozone depletion during the Antarctic winter than there was in 2005 — the first year that measurements of chlorine and ozone during the Antarctic winter were made by NASA’s Aura satellite.
“We see very clearly that chlorine from CFCs is going down in the ozone hole, and that less ozone depletion is occurring because of it,” said lead author Susan Strahan, an atmospheric scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Consider how much wealth is concentrated at coastal locations as they become rather more uncomfortable to live in due to sea levels, weather, erosion etc
Interesting when that population migrates to the hills they already own permanently.
I may have missed it, but I don’t think I heard the phrase ‘climate change’ mentioned on either Prime or TV1 at all last night.
No explanation was offered for the ‘unusual’ weather, and certainly no suggestion that this will become the new ‘normal’ next year and the year after . . .
By inference, the king tides were caused by the closeness of the moon etc, with the suggestion that we can relax folks, such a combination won’t happen again until 2037!
You seem to be suggesting that to say that tides are caused by the moon means someone denies climate change??
Do you not understand that king tides (as with all tides) are caused by the moon? We have spring and king tides every year and have had them since well before humans walked the earth. These tides are nothing to do with anthropogenic global warming.
Climate change denial? I don’t think there’s a person on earth who denies climate change.
This is twice you have made the statement Rachael Stewart ask “are we worried yet?”
And of course yet again there is nothing of the sort in the link you provided.
Your stuff was wrong the first time. It’s not worth repeating and being wrong again.
Please stop telling lies and making up quotes.
[Okay James. I just backtracked through all this smash. Rachel Stewart has in deed asked “Are we worried yet” in relation to AGW. Ed’s attribution was correct and he provided a link to a weather related article and suggested action people might want to take if they are (to recycle the quote from Rachel Stewart) “worried yet”. How’s about you take the day off and consider whether you want to be coming here side-swiping reasonable commentary?] – Bill
Why – didn’t make the quote you made up true – you are still a liar.
So since you are throwing up links – got anything where she says what you attribute to her?
As opposed to trying to bluster your way out of your lies.
From memory weka pulled you up on this same lie last time.
[just as well Bill has already moderated this, because I’m getting sick of the bickering. I don’t like the way that Ed is framing that, but he’s not lying. If you want to call someone a liar, you need a much better argument than you’re presenting.
I also don’t like people trying to bring me into their arguments like that. Do the actual work and go look up what I said and link to it, and then no-one has to rely on your memory.
Ed has made considerable effort in the past year to change how he comments. Given how much aggro you seem to generate onsite, how about you do the same? – weka]
However to help stop things like this if ed is going to quote someone and then provide a link they should be the same source. That’s just good nettiqute.
Most of what Ed wrote wasn’t contained in the associated link, but you thought you would try and catch him out anyway.
And he was talking about the Herald when mentioning Stewart – that was obvious too. Why would you then think you would find the quote in a stuff article.
Ed we had snow in Gore in Christmas period 1965. Mataura Ensign/ Southland Times, had a picture of an ice cream truck in 6 inches of powder snow. I know that is 4/5 weeks earlier in the summer. Key in “when it snowed in Gore at Christmas” to google.
However, when insurance companies are adjusting their own secondary insurance against weather events, you know the events are increasing in intensity and happening at shorter intervals. Cheers.
“There is a cooling and there is a heating. I mean, look, it used to not be climate change, it used to be global warming, right? That wasn’t working too well because it was getting cold all over the place. The ice caps were going to melt, they were going to be gone by now but now they’re setting records,” Trump started.
Good morning Breakfast people I’m changing my bank the sandflys infected all the staff there with there virus and hypnotized them with that shiny object .The Lady bank teller was the star off the sandflys main play yesterday. The sandflys also interfered with my plans to improve my whano future if something happens to me by convincing the bank staff that I’m not worthy of a $100.000 life insurance policy . P.S they are scared and desperate did you see my reply to graywarsharks attack on eco maori mana yesterday
Ana to kai
Yes that was my thought on the mokos lungs function Hayley .
I cast my thoughts to when I was 9 living with my MAMA I was always last in a race I just made our bed went to school peeled the spuds for tea weeded the garden .
When she died I move up Te Tairawhiti rideing horses eeling hunting diving swimming in the Waiapu river I soon started getting into the top 3 of races at school I ran over the top the other players at rugby to . P.S At least I have free speech and can express my views to the rest of the world. Ka kite ano
Many thanks for Interviewing Meng Foon .
I never liked the name of my birth place as that sends out a subliminal message that damages the Mana of Gisborne and also damages the Mana of the people
Turanganui-a-kiwa is the correct Name The only poverty in Turanganui-a-kiwa is imposed by Gisborne man and ECO MAORI has him on the back foot.
The flat land grows the best food for the world the Maunga mountains has some of the best hunting for Boar and Deer in the world Tangaroa/sea has the best Tarakihi fish in Aotearoa Paua Koura blind eels pipi mussles flounder .Te awa/rivers has heaps of Tuna Koura . OUR Manga Hikurangi is the FIRST place in the Papatuanuku /Earth to see the SUN one of the most sun shine hours in Aotearoa . There is something positive in everything I say . Because Cook caste that name on Turanganui-a-kiwi the European population has not exploded and that would have made Maori a minority in Turanganui-a-kiwa I have plans for my Home Land I know that Meng Foon has read East coast myths and ledgions by WIllam Porter .Ka pai. P.S I prefer internet Banking because a lot of my clients use checks I have to go into the bank to deposit there checks . Ka kite ano
Back in the day I would get home from Tangaroa the cupboards were empty as my mom relationship with the stepfather had ended I would walk down to the local supermarket and full a shopping trolley up with groceries full the cupboards pay the shop bill which i had restricted to bread and milk pay mom board than I would walk to the local video shop hire videos Bud Spencer and Terence Hill E.C.T .
There were no cash flow cards in those days .I banked with Trust Bank I change Banks and they gave me a checkbook lol .It was other people that would get me to go out to the pub as I was a boy from Te tairawhiti I never really like the after effects the next morning of killing ones brain cells . I had plenty of money in those days it was others who advised me to buy a car my first 2 lasted 3 months my EH 1969 Holden has a good story to got with its demise I will tell you about that later LOL Ka kite ano
with respect Eco I like your posts when I can br bothered to read them…..could I suggest you do much shorter posts with the occasioal long one when you are really wound up…this would work better for everyone
I will keep that in mind Im just comunacations to the people in our Media that Tau toko me do the people wonder why these people support me. It because these people are in the know. They know what I say about OUR system is true who else to have a ear to the ground than OUR MSM. The neoliberals MSM are supporting the sandflys to damage my Mana. There are some people I Tau toko who support the sandflys and they are getting persecuted by the people on social media Ana to kai PS they will learn to be loyal to ECO MAORI. Ka pai + one can just jump ahead of my post and carry on your debate
Ka kite ano
Quote: The question is: Will there be a possibility to bring environmental justice into a sort of maybe even eco-socialist approach to addressing this?
We’ve seen just one indication in Cape Town that’s been quite explosive, and that’s the use of shit. I know shitstorms and shit houses and shitholes are regularly discussed in the United States, but in Cape Town, shit has been used by people in the townships, Khayelitsha specifically, as a weapon of the weak, because there aren’t flush toilets in these sites. There are chemical toilets and various kinds of pit latrines, and that gives the poor people the ability to take their buckets, their large plastic containers, and use those as weapons. We’ve begun to see a class struggle take place over water, or specifically the lack of water.Quote End.
with respect Eco I like your posts when I can br bothered to read them…..could I suggest you do much shorter posts with the occasioal long one when you are really wound up…this would work better for everyone
Cue industry outrage. Now is that because tourism has fallen off it’s perch as #1 foreign exchange earner or because someone’s been telling porkies.
The first explanation is happening, tourism is a cyclic industry and it’s slowing down. The last year has been slowing and the last couple of months have been very quiet. Also we’ve noticed visitors spending with cash, rather than on card. Happens when people are on strict budgets, when set amount of cash runs out they stop spending. Two sides to this, visitors are coming from economies that are doing less well than New Zealand and from further down the value scale than previously. Could be some interesting times ahead for the industry.
Second explanation is quite possible. Most tourism “reporting” in media is just reprints of corporate press releases, usually saying how great X company’s prospects are, we’re such a safe bet for that loan Mr Banker. TIA, and others, are also very adept at using spurious figures to push the barrow, ie the line that freedom campers spending $5000 over 50 days are better for the economy than middle aged visitor spending $4000 over 10 days.
Add in a National government that saw tourism as a cash cow to be flogged to death with as many visitors as can be brought in as possible and no thought about yield and sustainability and we have the making of a huge crash as soon as there’s the slightest chilling of the global economy. From where we sit as small independent retailers in the industry 8% is a little light, but we only see people who see value in handmade items made in New Zealand. Lower value markets may be holding up a bit. 8% is also a fairly small drop, at our end -50% or +100% has happened in the 30+ years we’ve been in the game.
While the argument for banks may hold some water, policyholders of an insurance company haven’t invested in the company, thus see no annual return, hence shouldn’t be expected to carry an insurers risk.
I think he’d say something like formenting happy mischief but if I was advising National (we still haven’t come to terms on the contract) I’d be suggesting they prepare a few questions for next question time around this
“Fine day to protest a spy base in Waihopai! Seriously, it’s time to stop helping Donald Trump (or anyone else) unlawfully spy on our Asia Pacific neighbours ”
– Where’s the insult?:
The insult is that shes saying the government (Labour & NZFirst) is helping Donald Trump unlawfully spy
– For that matter, where does she say that the Labour government is illegally spying?
Well she says unlawfully spy so, not being a lawyer, I take that to mean illegally spying
As for Labour government well I had assumed Labour & NZFirst were in power so probably not something that can be blamed on John Key this time 🙂
“probably not something that can be blamed on John Key this time”
You really aren’t trying hard enough.
Everything is John Key’s fault. EVERYTHING.
Write that out 1,000 times to help you remember.
[That’s right “Puckish”. It didn’t go through. Word of warning. Throw huge, pointless comments like that again and the only thing that will go through is your name onto the blacklist (regardless of context)] – Bill
alwyn’s correct. Pucky; your inability to see that is also Key’s fault – he mesmerized you with his cold-fish snake-eyes and crocodile-grin and oily-tongue. Plus, if you were a journalist, wine and promises of seats in the jet.
“The insult is that shes saying the government (Labour & NZFirst) is helping Donald Trump unlawfully spy”
I don’t see how that’s an insult if it’s true. It’s just her telling the truth. Or are you saying that she shouldn’t tell the truth? Is there a way she could have told the truth that wasn’t insulting in your eyes?
“– For that matter, where does she say that the Labour government is illegally spying?
Well she says unlawfully spy so, not being a lawyer, I take that to mean illegally spying”
Technically she said that a NZ spy base helps another State illegally spy on a third party. She didn’t say that NZ was doing the spying. But it could be that we provide generic support that enables the US in less direct ways. I don’t know much about it, but if you do, by all means tell us.
“As for Labour government well I had assumed Labour & NZFirst were in power so probably not something that can be blamed on John Key this time 🙂”
Oh I’m pretty sure that Key had his sticky little fingers all over that shit and thus is a contributor.
Well Metiria Turei called him a racist last year and not a lot happened. I suspect he has better things to do with his time than worry about what a political party disagreeing with some of his party’s policies. He’ll be used to it by now.
Those are convincing arguments and I’m quite sure that if Golriz Ghahraam was to put them to Winston The Peters then I’m sure he’ll understand and won’t take offence at all 🙂
If fact checking, perhaps it would be a good idea to ask real experts rather than just do a bit of a google-check – the second comment neatly summarises the bias in the information provided by National :
“Why is the ‘average’ income generally used when this is distorted by those on extremely high incomes. Surely it is the median income that should be used to provide a much clearer idea what most people have to survive on. The median income from wages and salaries is about $48,000 and 50% of workers will earn that or less. The living wage is currently calculated at $20.20 for a full time worker which = around $42,000 a year (the income necessary to meet normal living expenses). 50% of workers struggle to receive a living wage. The median income is only around $80 a week (after tax) above the living wage, which is about the cost of a full tank of petrol. ” Thanks to Dave Kennedy and others making comments.
We need to pay much more attention to median earnings. Disrtibution of earnings matters!. If all real income gains go to the top 1%, then average incomes will rise in both dollar terms and in real value – but median earnings would stay the same in dollar terms (no pay rise), and drop in real terms (lower spending power). , but median earnings in in real terms
They’ve done some good, and a fair chunk of what they’re up to may develop positively in the near future – the building and Pike River programs for example.
But it takes a mighty generous interpretation to call signing a TPP with ISDS a success. The claim that foreign speculators have been closed out is very slender, with large farm and factory sales in the news every day. And there is little or no substantive action on the use of cheap migrants in agriculture, horticulture and construction.
Had Labour succeeded a competent responsible government their actions could have been described as ‘knocking it out of the park’. But they succeeded a hot mess riddled with corruption, and they will need to do quite a bit more to begin to turn it around.
We have Waitangi day coming up and some people are talking court /War over water in my view against a Labour lead government which is the government that cares for Maori and the common people I.E Maori will be shooting its own foot like what happened with the foreshore and seabed issue it is not a wise move this move will put wind in the sails of national and could limit the time labour have in government to 1 term .Water is a big issue but it is not a issue that needs urgent attention leave it alone till after the next elections. Get the treaty settlements sorted first and use the money to lift OUR Maori cultural people MANA with all of the people of Aotearoa and Papatunuku
I have read some articles on Maori and OUR water issues and there was a lot of negative feed back against Maori in the comments section you see I always read what the people are saying in the comments section of a article . The big picture is we want the people of Aotearoa to all back Maori when we find a solution to this issue going to court will turn them against US.OUR Tepuna said He aha te mea nui o te ao He tangata he tangata he tangata this ring true now as we are a minority .People that are to Radical will turn the majority of the people against US Don’t let Titewhai Harawira or the likes of her stuff up this good thing we have with a Jacinda lead labour government Like Titewhai did with Helen Clark labour government any idiot can be radical not many can find a wise solution that please all the people in Aotearoa and this should be the goal of all our wise MAORI Leaders as this will lift Maoris Mana like ECO MAORI is doing right now neolibrels national people don’t want Maori to have MANA they want us to provide all the services for them and there wealth foreign m8 so they can enjoy all the beautiful wonders of Aotearoa while we have to work OUR asses off just to servive. That’s is what has happened in the last 9 years thanks to Titewhai Harawira why is she wearing sun glasses what is she hiding I will put up two links in a post below this one as this device can not bring them up Ana to kai Ka kite ano
There you go bill English stirring up his neolibrels racist idiots by stating that IWI have cash coming out there ears Graeme Hart has more cash than all the iwi put together what the fuck national are at it again. He also states that Jacinda doesn’t know a thing about Waitangi she has more advisors on the subject than anyone. I Say shut up if he wants to make a statement about Waitangi and Maori issues than he should grow some balls and make them at Waitangi Ana to Ka I here’s the link
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TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
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An excellent article in the Herald about the loss of wetlands in our country.
Every time I read passages like these and then hear all the spin and lies about New Zealand being his wonderfully beautiful country, it makes me sad.
New Zealanders are rapidly becoming like American people – ignorant and deluded about the real state of their own country.
Once this place was a beautiful land, covered in forest and wetland and full of the sound of native birds.
Now it is a polluted industrial farm.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11986182
“New Zealanders are rapidly becoming like American people – ignorant and deluded”
A seeepingn statement like that regarding – is ignorant and deluded.
“…about the state of their own country”. Partial quotes, James, selected to say something different from the writer’s intention – a Tory-troll-trick if ever I saw one.
Even adding that bit – my comment and your ignorance of Americans continues
So why not just use the quote rather than selectively changing the context?
lol, you’re objecting to Americans being called ignorant and deluded but not Kiwis.
Got to watch those pesky seeping statements!
Most Americans wouldn’t know what and where New Zealand is. A few years ago research showed that a majority of US college graduates were incapable of placing the location of Miami on a map correctly.
tbf I probably couldn’t place some NI towns on a map.
I didn’t really believe that people from the US were as ignorant of the world as they are until I was in New York at a conference.
The people there were all well educated, at least to the extent that they were all University graduates.
I was asked where I came from. I replied New Zealand and got a blank stare.
I explained that it was near Australia. I thought they might have heard of that place.
Another blank stare and then I was asked “Is that in Scandinavia?”
I kid you not. It was terrifying to find how insular they were.
Maybe it’s just the kind of people that go to the conferences you go to 😈
Don’t say that in Lynn’s hearing. He might think you were insulting his profession.
It was actually a SHARE conference attended by about 8,000 IT specialists.
Only time in my life I have knowingly talked to people who worked for the CIA. And no, they weren’t spies but MVS specialists.
A long time ago though. Back in the days when mainframes ruled.
Draft dodgers.
“War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography” Ambrose Bierce
The Herald calls it weird weather.
Rachel Stewart asks ” are we worried yet?”
Floods.
Heatwaves.
Storms.
High sea temperatures.
Tidal surges.
We have entered the age of consequences.
The severity of the impacts of climate change depends on the reaction of us and our governments.
Email your MP.
Organise local meetings.
Reduce your carbon footprint- ear less meat.
Reduce your carbon footprint- catch public transport
Speak to your Local councillors.
Inform all your friends.
Change the way you live.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101093755/when-the-storm-hit-granity-the-west-coast-town-being-eaten-alive
Couldn’t pay me enough to live on the coast at sea level.
One min in
https://youtu.be/SipxiZabLxA
And when you feel your skin burning after a minute or two in the sun that isnt age making your skin sensitive. Its the loss of ozone allowing more UV rays down.
Particularly bad for NZ with the hole hovering over us early summer.
Catches a lot of tourists / stupid kiwis out and surprises the ockers who think it’s like theirs.
While true their is some good news:
Thanks DTB for some good news as to improvement.
Consider how much wealth is concentrated at coastal locations as they become rather more uncomfortable to live in due to sea levels, weather, erosion etc
Interesting when that population migrates to the hills they already own permanently.
Yeah, I stopped watching that when they mentioned the US military spraying heavy metals throughout the atmosphere.
Quite true, Ed.
I may have missed it, but I don’t think I heard the phrase ‘climate change’ mentioned on either Prime or TV1 at all last night.
No explanation was offered for the ‘unusual’ weather, and certainly no suggestion that this will become the new ‘normal’ next year and the year after . . .
By inference, the king tides were caused by the closeness of the moon etc, with the suggestion that we can relax folks, such a combination won’t happen again until 2037!
Climate change denial by omission?
Simply following the practice of other msm outlets…..I hear it’s a sackable offence in Murdoch’s empire to publish/broadcast the term.
You want credible scientific fact based reporting then you’ll need to gut Tvnz and turn it into a proper public broadcaster.
The Salinger effect…
No in New Zealand people don’t call it climate change.
It’s weird weather.
If our media and business and political leaders called it climate change, that would mean they would have to do something radical.
Like abandon neoliberal capitalism.
And that would hurt their profits.
And affect their indulgent lifestyle.
So they call it weird weather.
+1
The environment has a low profile with the new government…RMA reforms appear on the back burner
You seem to be suggesting that to say that tides are caused by the moon means someone denies climate change??
Do you not understand that king tides (as with all tides) are caused by the moon? We have spring and king tides every year and have had them since well before humans walked the earth. These tides are nothing to do with anthropogenic global warming.
Climate change denial? I don’t think there’s a person on earth who denies climate change.
Do you cut and paste your own bullshit?
This is twice you have made the statement Rachael Stewart ask “are we worried yet?”
And of course yet again there is nothing of the sort in the link you provided.
Your stuff was wrong the first time. It’s not worth repeating and being wrong again.
Please stop telling lies and making up quotes.
[Okay James. I just backtracked through all this smash. Rachel Stewart has in deed asked “Are we worried yet” in relation to AGW. Ed’s attribution was correct and he provided a link to a weather related article and suggested action people might want to take if they are (to recycle the quote from Rachel Stewart) “worried yet”. How’s about you take the day off and consider whether you want to be coming here side-swiping reasonable commentary?] – Bill
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11756771
Did you read this, James?
Yep. But two points.
1 that’s not the link you quoted. And Rachael Stewart still didn’t say what you are quoting her as saying.
Please stop making up quotes for people in things they never said.
Sorry just saw that was Robert not ed. Point remains – it’s still a false quote.
https://twitter.com/RFStew/status/917823231293190144
Or this?
Why – didn’t make the quote you made up true – you are still a liar.
So since you are throwing up links – got anything where she says what you attribute to her?
As opposed to trying to bluster your way out of your lies.
From memory weka pulled you up on this same lie last time.
[just as well Bill has already moderated this, because I’m getting sick of the bickering. I don’t like the way that Ed is framing that, but he’s not lying. If you want to call someone a liar, you need a much better argument than you’re presenting.
I also don’t like people trying to bring me into their arguments like that. Do the actual work and go look up what I said and link to it, and then no-one has to rely on your memory.
Ed has made considerable effort in the past year to change how he comments. Given how much aggro you seem to generate onsite, how about you do the same? – weka]
Is this the one you are looking for?
https://twitter.com/RFStew/status/952826052824285184
Ahh there you go.
I stand corrected and apologise to ed.
However to help stop things like this if ed is going to quote someone and then provide a link they should be the same source. That’s just good nettiqute.
Most of what Ed wrote wasn’t contained in the associated link, but you thought you would try and catch him out anyway.
And he was talking about the Herald when mentioning Stewart – that was obvious too. Why would you then think you would find the quote in a stuff article.
You owe Robert an apology too.
Happy with James’ day-off in lieu 🙂
Good Luck with that!
mod notes for you to read and respond to when you get back.
Thank you Bill.
@ Ed (2) … and in Cromwell here, we woke up to a fresh dumping of snow on the mountain tops this morning, in February!
To deny the existence of climate change is foolish. I think we should be concerned.
Snow in Cromwell in February.
Oh my gosh. We are in deep trouble.
I’m beginning to agree with those that we may have left it too late.
Please Jacinda – urgent action.
NZ had snow around this time last year as well.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11785674
Ed we had snow in Gore in Christmas period 1965. Mataura Ensign/ Southland Times, had a picture of an ice cream truck in 6 inches of powder snow. I know that is 4/5 weeks earlier in the summer. Key in “when it snowed in Gore at Christmas” to google.
However, when insurance companies are adjusting their own secondary insurance against weather events, you know the events are increasing in intensity and happening at shorter intervals. Cheers.
Well as the Chump said on a recent interview:
http://www.iflscience.com/environment/trump-was-just-asked-point-blank-whether-he-believed-in-climate-change-his-answer-was-truly-bizarre/
So with snow in Feb! after a record heat wave… He must be right!
/sarc
Good morning Breakfast people I’m changing my bank the sandflys infected all the staff there with there virus and hypnotized them with that shiny object .The Lady bank teller was the star off the sandflys main play yesterday. The sandflys also interfered with my plans to improve my whano future if something happens to me by convincing the bank staff that I’m not worthy of a $100.000 life insurance policy . P.S they are scared and desperate did you see my reply to graywarsharks attack on eco maori mana yesterday
Ana to kai
Yes that was my thought on the mokos lungs function Hayley .
I cast my thoughts to when I was 9 living with my MAMA I was always last in a race I just made our bed went to school peeled the spuds for tea weeded the garden .
When she died I move up Te Tairawhiti rideing horses eeling hunting diving swimming in the Waiapu river I soon started getting into the top 3 of races at school I ran over the top the other players at rugby to . P.S At least I have free speech and can express my views to the rest of the world. Ka kite ano
Many thanks for Interviewing Meng Foon .
I never liked the name of my birth place as that sends out a subliminal message that damages the Mana of Gisborne and also damages the Mana of the people
Turanganui-a-kiwa is the correct Name The only poverty in Turanganui-a-kiwa is imposed by Gisborne man and ECO MAORI has him on the back foot.
The flat land grows the best food for the world the Maunga mountains has some of the best hunting for Boar and Deer in the world Tangaroa/sea has the best Tarakihi fish in Aotearoa Paua Koura blind eels pipi mussles flounder .Te awa/rivers has heaps of Tuna Koura . OUR Manga Hikurangi is the FIRST place in the Papatuanuku /Earth to see the SUN one of the most sun shine hours in Aotearoa . There is something positive in everything I say . Because Cook caste that name on Turanganui-a-kiwi the European population has not exploded and that would have made Maori a minority in Turanganui-a-kiwa I have plans for my Home Land I know that Meng Foon has read East coast myths and ledgions by WIllam Porter .Ka pai. P.S I prefer internet Banking because a lot of my clients use checks I have to go into the bank to deposit there checks . Ka kite ano
Back in the day I would get home from Tangaroa the cupboards were empty as my mom relationship with the stepfather had ended I would walk down to the local supermarket and full a shopping trolley up with groceries full the cupboards pay the shop bill which i had restricted to bread and milk pay mom board than I would walk to the local video shop hire videos Bud Spencer and Terence Hill E.C.T .
There were no cash flow cards in those days .I banked with Trust Bank I change Banks and they gave me a checkbook lol .It was other people that would get me to go out to the pub as I was a boy from Te tairawhiti I never really like the after effects the next morning of killing ones brain cells . I had plenty of money in those days it was others who advised me to buy a car my first 2 lasted 3 months my EH 1969 Holden has a good story to got with its demise I will tell you about that later LOL Ka kite ano
with respect Eco I like your posts when I can br bothered to read them…..could I suggest you do much shorter posts with the occasioal long one when you are really wound up…this would work better for everyone
I will keep that in mind Im just comunacations to the people in our Media that Tau toko me do the people wonder why these people support me. It because these people are in the know. They know what I say about OUR system is true who else to have a ear to the ground than OUR MSM. The neoliberals MSM are supporting the sandflys to damage my Mana. There are some people I Tau toko who support the sandflys and they are getting persecuted by the people on social media Ana to kai PS they will learn to be loyal to ECO MAORI. Ka pai + one can just jump ahead of my post and carry on your debate
Ka kite ano
Cape Town running out of water, soon coming to a place near us – or as described here , a shit storm to come?
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=20921
Quote: The question is: Will there be a possibility to bring environmental justice into a sort of maybe even eco-socialist approach to addressing this?
We’ve seen just one indication in Cape Town that’s been quite explosive, and that’s the use of shit. I know shitstorms and shit houses and shitholes are regularly discussed in the United States, but in Cape Town, shit has been used by people in the townships, Khayelitsha specifically, as a weapon of the weak, because there aren’t flush toilets in these sites. There are chemical toilets and various kinds of pit latrines, and that gives the poor people the ability to take their buckets, their large plastic containers, and use those as weapons. We’ve begun to see a class struggle take place over water, or specifically the lack of water.Quote End.
Thanks Sabine. That link clearly lays out some socio/political context that’s only been hinted at in other Cape Town pieces I’ve read.
with respect Eco I like your posts when I can br bothered to read them…..could I suggest you do much shorter posts with the occasioal long one when you are really wound up…this would work better for everyone
MBIE revises Tourism figures down 8%
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/revision-tourism-data-criticised
Cue industry outrage. Now is that because tourism has fallen off it’s perch as #1 foreign exchange earner or because someone’s been telling porkies.
The first explanation is happening, tourism is a cyclic industry and it’s slowing down. The last year has been slowing and the last couple of months have been very quiet. Also we’ve noticed visitors spending with cash, rather than on card. Happens when people are on strict budgets, when set amount of cash runs out they stop spending. Two sides to this, visitors are coming from economies that are doing less well than New Zealand and from further down the value scale than previously. Could be some interesting times ahead for the industry.
Second explanation is quite possible. Most tourism “reporting” in media is just reprints of corporate press releases, usually saying how great X company’s prospects are, we’re such a safe bet for that loan Mr Banker. TIA, and others, are also very adept at using spurious figures to push the barrow, ie the line that freedom campers spending $5000 over 50 days are better for the economy than middle aged visitor spending $4000 over 10 days.
Add in a National government that saw tourism as a cash cow to be flogged to death with as many visitors as can be brought in as possible and no thought about yield and sustainability and we have the making of a huge crash as soon as there’s the slightest chilling of the global economy. From where we sit as small independent retailers in the industry 8% is a little light, but we only see people who see value in handmade items made in New Zealand. Lower value markets may be holding up a bit. 8% is also a fairly small drop, at our end -50% or +100% has happened in the 30+ years we’ve been in the game.
I wish I could just post the photo…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/101095847/stormy-night-for-stranded-tourists-as-storm-wreaks-havoc-across-south-island
“West Coast storm ‘like a fire hose’ tore down coastline, tossing rubbish buried 20 years ago…”
Storm surges exposes 20 year old rubbish dump, and that plastic looks just like new….
thanks. I’m going to do a post, so the photo and tip is great.
The New Zealand Initiative thinks we should consider an OBR for insurers.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/100937565/bank-haircuts-and-insurance-holes
While the argument for banks may hold some water, policyholders of an insurance company haven’t invested in the company, thus see no annual return, hence shouldn’t be expected to carry an insurers risk.
The NZI is a privately funded lobby group for the super wealthy. Pays to keep it in mind.
Yes, I’m well aware of that, thanks.
This comes across as an attempt to test the waters.
The metvuw forecast shows we have tropical incursions for the first two weeks of February:
http://metvuw.com/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain®ion=swp&noofdays=10
Hot and sticky for a while folks.
https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/02/green_mp_accuses_her_own_government_of_illegal_spying.html
Someone should tell her its probably not a good idea to insult Labour and NZFirst, if she wants any Green bills to be supported that is
Someone should tell Farrar she became an MP, not an employee..
I think he’d say something like formenting happy mischief but if I was advising National (we still haven’t come to terms on the contract) I’d be suggesting they prepare a few questions for next question time around this
Not technically something she’s a Minister of, so technically fine commenting.
Preaching to her converted i’m sure she is, but worth her having a chat with Shaw I would’ve thought.
“Someone should tell her its probably not a good idea to insult Labour and NZFirst, if she wants any Green bills to be supported that is”
Where’s the insult? Or are you suggesting that MPs should be a hive mind?
For that matter, where does she say that the Labour government is illegally spying?
Or are just fomenting mischief?
“Fine day to protest a spy base in Waihopai! Seriously, it’s time to stop helping Donald Trump (or anyone else) unlawfully spy on our Asia Pacific neighbours ”
– Where’s the insult?:
The insult is that shes saying the government (Labour & NZFirst) is helping Donald Trump unlawfully spy
– For that matter, where does she say that the Labour government is illegally spying?
Well she says unlawfully spy so, not being a lawyer, I take that to mean illegally spying
As for Labour government well I had assumed Labour & NZFirst were in power so probably not something that can be blamed on John Key this time 🙂
“probably not something that can be blamed on John Key this time”
You really aren’t trying hard enough.
Everything is John Key’s fault. EVERYTHING.
Write that out 1,000 times to help you remember.
I actually tried to but it won’t go through 🙂
[That’s right “Puckish”. It didn’t go through. Word of warning. Throw huge, pointless comments like that again and the only thing that will go through is your name onto the blacklist (regardless of context)] – Bill
Warning heeded
alwyn’s correct. Pucky; your inability to see that is also Key’s fault – he mesmerized you with his cold-fish snake-eyes and crocodile-grin and oily-tongue. Plus, if you were a journalist, wine and promises of seats in the jet.
I think I’m starting to break free of the spell, I googled “john key is head of the illuminati”
and I came across this website: http://taurangamusicsux.com/index.php/news/45-john-key-denied-entry-into-illuminati
The scales are falling from my eyes
😁
“The insult is that shes saying the government (Labour & NZFirst) is helping Donald Trump unlawfully spy”
I don’t see how that’s an insult if it’s true. It’s just her telling the truth. Or are you saying that she shouldn’t tell the truth? Is there a way she could have told the truth that wasn’t insulting in your eyes?
“– For that matter, where does she say that the Labour government is illegally spying?
Well she says unlawfully spy so, not being a lawyer, I take that to mean illegally spying”
Technically she said that a NZ spy base helps another State illegally spy on a third party. She didn’t say that NZ was doing the spying. But it could be that we provide generic support that enables the US in less direct ways. I don’t know much about it, but if you do, by all means tell us.
“As for Labour government well I had assumed Labour & NZFirst were in power so probably not something that can be blamed on John Key this time 🙂”
Oh I’m pretty sure that Key had his sticky little fingers all over that shit and thus is a contributor.
“I don’t see how that’s an insult if it’s true.”
Indeed.
Moreover, if true, that should be the concern – not her highlighting of it.
If being the key word, Winston Peters isn’t one to take any sort of slight lightly
Well Metiria Turei called him a racist last year and not a lot happened. I suspect he has better things to do with his time than worry about what a political party disagreeing with some of his party’s policies. He’ll be used to it by now.
If being the (John) key word, I get the feeling that Winston Peters doesn’t take any perceived slights lightly
The truth being something that should have been ascertained before accusations of insults were made.
Those are convincing arguments and I’m quite sure that if Golriz Ghahraam was to put them to Winston The Peters then I’m sure he’ll understand and won’t take offence at all 🙂
At some point the Greens will have to decide if they’re in government.
Clearly it’s too early.
Hi PR,
I will bite, it is not unlawful to ride a motorbike without a WOF, it is illegal though.
It seems that the media are still prepared to meekly accept spin without real thinking –
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/101053555/truth-or-fable-factchecking-bill-englishs-big-speech
If fact checking, perhaps it would be a good idea to ask real experts rather than just do a bit of a google-check – the second comment neatly summarises the bias in the information provided by National :
“Why is the ‘average’ income generally used when this is distorted by those on extremely high incomes. Surely it is the median income that should be used to provide a much clearer idea what most people have to survive on. The median income from wages and salaries is about $48,000 and 50% of workers will earn that or less. The living wage is currently calculated at $20.20 for a full time worker which = around $42,000 a year (the income necessary to meet normal living expenses). 50% of workers struggle to receive a living wage. The median income is only around $80 a week (after tax) above the living wage, which is about the cost of a full tank of petrol. ” Thanks to Dave Kennedy and others making comments.
We need to pay much more attention to median earnings. Disrtibution of earnings matters!. If all real income gains go to the top 1%, then average incomes will rise in both dollar terms and in real value – but median earnings would stay the same in dollar terms (no pay rise), and drop in real terms (lower spending power). , but median earnings in in real terms
Yes, this is a fairer measure.
Who is up for Greens female leader?
Marama Davidson has some big announcement on the Sunday.
Anyone else notice that the Labour-led government just did exactly what it said it would do, over 100 days, and knocked it out of the park?
They’ve done some good, and a fair chunk of what they’re up to may develop positively in the near future – the building and Pike River programs for example.
But it takes a mighty generous interpretation to call signing a TPP with ISDS a success. The claim that foreign speculators have been closed out is very slender, with large farm and factory sales in the news every day. And there is little or no substantive action on the use of cheap migrants in agriculture, horticulture and construction.
Had Labour succeeded a competent responsible government their actions could have been described as ‘knocking it out of the park’. But they succeeded a hot mess riddled with corruption, and they will need to do quite a bit more to begin to turn it around.
Okay, so they’ve got really shit weather down on the West Coast with the road blocked by at least one slip and hundreds of travelers stranded.
Why, oh why is there still no cell phone coverage???
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11957404
Would have thought the previous Minster for Tourism, what’s his face, would have got this sorted.
Perhaps this could be tacked onto the “To Do” list?
Nah.
West Coasts only attraction is it’s in the 1950s.
Jacinda has started well in her 5 day visit to the North. A real Leader. So proud of her.
We have Waitangi day coming up and some people are talking court /War over water in my view against a Labour lead government which is the government that cares for Maori and the common people I.E Maori will be shooting its own foot like what happened with the foreshore and seabed issue it is not a wise move this move will put wind in the sails of national and could limit the time labour have in government to 1 term .Water is a big issue but it is not a issue that needs urgent attention leave it alone till after the next elections. Get the treaty settlements sorted first and use the money to lift OUR Maori cultural people MANA with all of the people of Aotearoa and Papatunuku
I have read some articles on Maori and OUR water issues and there was a lot of negative feed back against Maori in the comments section you see I always read what the people are saying in the comments section of a article . The big picture is we want the people of Aotearoa to all back Maori when we find a solution to this issue going to court will turn them against US.OUR Tepuna said He aha te mea nui o te ao He tangata he tangata he tangata this ring true now as we are a minority .People that are to Radical will turn the majority of the people against US Don’t let Titewhai Harawira or the likes of her stuff up this good thing we have with a Jacinda lead labour government Like Titewhai did with Helen Clark labour government any idiot can be radical not many can find a wise solution that please all the people in Aotearoa and this should be the goal of all our wise MAORI Leaders as this will lift Maoris Mana like ECO MAORI is doing right now neolibrels national people don’t want Maori to have MANA they want us to provide all the services for them and there wealth foreign m8 so they can enjoy all the beautiful wonders of Aotearoa while we have to work OUR asses off just to servive. That’s is what has happened in the last 9 years thanks to Titewhai Harawira why is she wearing sun glasses what is she hiding I will put up two links in a post below this one as this device can not bring them up Ana to kai Ka kite ano
Heres the link
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/99362109/mori-freshwater-rights-set-to-be-a-stumbling-block-for-coalition-government and 2
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/101112369/national-government-only-ever-wanted-a-treaty-settlement-on-their-terms–ngpuhi-leader I will not be very polite and will discredited anyone who FUCKS this up Ka pai
There you go bill English stirring up his neolibrels racist idiots by stating that IWI have cash coming out there ears Graeme Hart has more cash than all the iwi put together what the fuck national are at it again. He also states that Jacinda doesn’t know a thing about Waitangi she has more advisors on the subject than anyone. I Say shut up if he wants to make a statement about Waitangi and Maori issues than he should grow some balls and make them at Waitangi Ana to Ka I here’s the link
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/101041017/government-not-expecting-all-smooth-sailing-as-it-heads-north-to-waitangi Ka kite ano