I have one I go to once every three years, held on my Dad's side old family farm way up north inland from Whangaroa Harbour. Mostly consists of swimming in the big stream, a large bonfire that lasts for three days and we roll logs onto every night to keep it going, a deer on a spit, and looking after my brother who is usually gone on Cody's.
But I have this one coming up today, down in the Waikato. Most of them have done pretty well. It's a once-in-a-century thing and involves tours of multiple farm visits, obligatory photographs, church services, and a whole gallon more people. It's going to have pikelets and cakes with volumes of cream. They've all done pretty well.
Maybe it's a latent class thing, maybe I'm anxious I just won't measure up, but I'm a whole bunch more nervous going to this single event than the regular one on the other side of the family.
I'm comfortable enough not caring about my tribe in the ethnographic sense, but a large part of me wants to just stay home and do jobs around the house.
My advice would be to treat it as a character test. I agree with JanM though – being relaxed, going with the flow & enjoying the situation usually works best. I always find these kinds of situations test my mettle though, so I enjoy them most when rising to the challenge.
So if the discussion turns to politics, don't shirk it. If someone gets stroppy, deflect the passive aggressive stance by being reasonable. Zen works. They get off on confrontation, so reframing them has that disconcerting effect. You can usually see them lose it & flounder. Then reassure them by acknowledging common ground – where it can be clearly seen.
Of course we're all different and what works for me doesn't necessarily work for others. But extended family vibes are often a mix of suppressed resentments and uncertainty, overlaid with a forced bonhomie, and I discovered that steam-rolling is quite effective at transforming the communal ambience. As long as one is good at weathering whatever reactions one gets!! 😎
Oh, the politics – he he – forgot about that! My father's family are Waikato farmers and belong to the 'would vote for a dead horse as long as it was a Nat' school of thought. I have definitely had my moments as a result. Stay off the subject – there is absolutely no point in doing otherwise. Talk tractors and the drought and what it was like 'back in the day'.
A family member turned up unannounced just yesterday. She was racist several times and also made derogatory comments upon seeing my severely disabled neighbor. In a group context I could just ignore her and go talk to a cousin I like. In a one on one context it was very hard to bite the bullet. I don't mind people who are ill informed nearly so much as those who are hateful.
I recommend alcohol, but not too much you get loose lipped. Families are challenging for a lot of us.
Yeah, sounds tricky. I'm oldest of four sons and the second one does bigotry quite readily, given half a chance. I've evolved a way of managing it but it's improvisational rather than standard. Depends how the situation feels, eh?
Funny thing is he was quite alternative & relatively easy-going in the early '70s – before he became good at business. Human nature is endlessly diverse the way it evolves. People who turn into bigots often feed off whatever energy you give them, whether positive or negative. You get adept at disengaging, but that's a learning curve that takes a while.
Just roll with it! Eat the pikelets, talk to the rellies – especially the older ones – listen to the stories, and remember that once they've gone there's no-one left to ask. Take a deep breath and enjoy your day 🙂
JanM, such wisdom.
I'm now one of the older rellies. Last night I attended a family 21st and told a story or two.
I was hugely impressed with the speech-making and with the quality of the people there, especially the young.
I told the young man turning 21 that as a seventy year old, and going on the evidence of the party, that the world is turning over into the good hands of another generation or two.
I was minded of the mystic Kahlil Gibran where he raised the issue of the parent generation being archers and the younger being living arrows- launched forward but with little control by the archer as to where the arrow might land.
It's the fate of us older ones…… to tell the stories, and hope.
Cool! I'm a few years older than you but there are still a few around who are in their 90s. It is our fate and also our privilege. I had a precious moment yesterday teaching my grand daughter (8) to mend her own stuffed toys using sewing things going back, in some cases, to my own grandmother. She loved it – so did I
To be fair, in much of Taranaki this issue is a festering sore; descendants of the dispossessed dwell on the vestiges of their ancestor's whenua alongside the farms of the descendants of the professional troops and militiamen who were awarded the confiscated whenua,
amazing reasoning I am almost persuaded to me taken along with your position😉
perhaps some should take a little time an invest in some background to the issue, and note the cause The Govt. current land owners are not the problem. https://teara.govt.nz/en/land-ownership/page-1
Right or wrong as to how these grievances were resolved. They have been resolved by agreement between all parties So these iwi's that have settled with the govt have had their wrongs addressed.
And your solution is to displace and wrong another (innocent) group. That will go along way to harmony 😇, bu tit does make one think.
So children should suffer for the sins of their fathers ?
I've heard several little bits of white saviour stuff since I began living in Taranaki and countless bits of straight out racism. All within the context of land confiscations. For example a thread runs something like 'Those immigrants (neighbours from India) are fine. They work to get ahead and send their children to university, not like those Māori who just want to get what they can for nothing'.
I live in an area that is very Pākehā retiree, so this is somewhat expected (apologies to older people who don't have these views). The first one that shocked me though, was when I overheard young landscape workers next-door discussing things:
A young Māori was politely informing a Pākehā work colleague that his views on early Taranaki history were not quite right the response:
"oh you're THAT sort of Māori are you? – well, it's our land – what about all the dairy and stuff we gave you?"
"Well you couldn't do it without us, you're farming on stolen land," was the frustrated retort.
Eventually the Māori worker had to calm things down with a "nah, it's all good mate" i.e. he didn't want to cause a fuss.
It was 2019 and that's the sort of conversation is going on with young people – the sins of the fathers are being perpetuated, albeit with ignorance and economic violence rather than actual violence. Imagine how stressful it is to get along at work – to even get jobs – when you're perceived as not being grateful enough for being given dairy, or whatever, by the white saviour after your land stolen?
Let's not pretend descendants of the first generations of Pākehā are innocents (unaware, maybe) in the continuing disadvantage that Māori endure through the loss of their societal & economic base all those years ago.
The sooner early Aotearoa/New Zealand history is learned by all, and political solutions are found to the shameful land confiscations, the better. Then we all might be able to move on with dignity, rather than with the suppression of dissent about the dominant historical narrative.
Here you have unwittingly highlighted the conflict between traditional Pākehā and Māori concepts of Time. Within Te Ao Māori the idea of linear time makes no sense; all actions affect each other, regardless of "when" they occur. The past is literally present in the present.
It was land taken in contravention of a treaty by the Crown which is a perpetual entity, so the Crown can and should make reparations. Whether that's as land or cash is a matter for agreement, but if the Crown can obtain desired land by buying it, that's a valid option.
So you and most of the other respondents to my post will back the Maori party to put private land up as an option for treaty settlements and open all prior settlements to re litigation
Provided it's under the standard Public Works arrangement, sure. Not sure how compulsorily acquiring land at no loss to the current owners is out of keeping with any other compulsory state acquisition.
Can we please stop abbreviating the Māori Party to 'MP'. That has a firmly-established meaning already in our political discourse. Needlessly confusing.
There are many different ways that iwi are being denied their justice and that is one glaring example. Here the Thames School of Mines sits on a site given initially to the Methodist Church for the building of a Sunday School. The old school still stands and is a Category 1 Historic place – but the original lease still stands, and the yearly fee is just $2 (One Pound) per year on a site of high value. and where the local iwi have lost all control over almost all the land – which actually was not part of the original agreement with the then Govt of the day in 1867.
So awesome to hear this fool talk about “it isn’t just undemocratic, it’s anti-democratic” and of "power without accountability" when he's standing there as an elected MP in the European Union Parliament.
Thankfully the British people gave him the result he deserved at the last election.
NZF will get more support. Swing voters will see a vote for the nats as a waste and go for NZF as an attempt to keep Labour in line. That's not counting the 'Bridges is an idiot' factor which was always going to be pretty helpful to Ardern and co but this latest news seals it. So yes, great news.
It appears National is going for broke and there’s a good chance that they pull it off too. They’ve got ACT in the bag and if they can drive NZF under 5% – they have now given themselves a licence to kill NZF – their chances go up considerably IMO.
That only works if they can get at least 45% on their own. Anything under that isn’t going to be enough. And what’s to stop Labour gifting NZFirst a seat this time? National can hardly kick up a fuss about that given they’ve signalled their intention to do the same for ACT in Epsom. It’s all a very risky strategy. It’s possible, of course, that the Nats are looking past this election to the next one??
I believe that 45% is imminently doable for National. I can’t see either NZF or Labour going for an Epsom-style deal and it could only work if both agree to it, or not? I also believe that National aims to win in 2020; all signs are pointing to this. Don’t forget that they do internal polling and the likes (call it ‘market research’). Lately, National’s attack campaigns have focussed heavily on Labour but we might now see an attack on two or more fronts. Steven Joyce’s piece in Stuff today was clearly aiming at the Greens.
The Nats seem to be taking a very long time to learn the mechanics of MMP government. If the planets don’t line up perfectly for Bridges in the upcoming election campaign he’s toast. The margins are tight and one bad week on the campaign trail could derail National’s winner-takes-all approach.
I see that Morrison has done an enormous backflip and now says that Australians in Wuhan won’t have to pay the $1000 to get on the rescue flight back to Australia. Just hours after that creep Dutton was out justifying it again. They’re claiming it was all a terrible mixup due to bad advice from DFAT in Canberra.
We should really rule out the phrase "rule out". It means absolutely nothing.
Imagine this scenario: election night Nats/ACT 59, Lab/Grn/NZF 61. Then we wait 2 weeks for special votes.
During those 2 weeks would National MPs shrug, say "never mind" and wait in silence, hoping they get lucky on specials? Of course not.
We can write the quotes now … "no U-turn, just having a conversation … need to think of good of the country … coalition has failed … National the biggest party … must respect voters … don't want another election … duty to consider all options … "
[Please stick to your original user handle, thanks]
Cool, I just changed it because a couple of people had mixed me up with another "Observer" (Tokoroa?) before. A different person. Anyway, happy to stick with it now.
[Thanks! You are correct about another commenter using the handle “Observer Tokoroa”, but I think the distinction is clear enough. However, we can revisit this if it becomes a problem]
Says it all about Mike Moore, 50 something comments. One News described him as known for his intellect and big heart. Laughed heartily and then wondered how these fuckwits will describe Roger Douglas. Weekend crew always a bit patchy.
Nowhere in the big media to talk intelligently anymore. That was always the way for TV since long time. And since Richard whathisname in charge of RNZ there's been a level that you can't go beyond. Or, all those who profited from the coup in 84 are in charge of the major media. And yes, you're going to social-democratic Hell. It's not how you feel, it's how the lowest feel, and being children of the Welfare State you know that in your bones so don't plead ignorance in front of the Gate.
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Tuesday, March 19:Kāinga Ora’s dry rot The Spinoff DailyBill McKibben on ‘Climate Superfunds’ making Big Oil pay for climate damage The Crucial YearsPreston Mui on returning to 1980s-style productivity growth NoahpinionAndy Boenau on NIMBYs needing unusual bedfellows Urbanism SpeakeasyNed Resnikoff's case ...
Negative yesterday, negative today. Negative all year, according to one departing reader telling me I’ve grown strident and predictable. Fair enough. If it’s any help, every time I go to write about a certain topic that begins with C and ends with arrrrs, I do brace myself and ask: Again? Are ...
Bryce Edwards writes – It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support ...
Inspirational: The Family of Man is a glorious hymn to human equality, but, more than that, it is a clarion call to human freedom. Because equality, unleavened by liberty, is a broken piano, an unstrung harp; upon which the songs of fraternity will never be played.“Somebody must have been telling lies about ...
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
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Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
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What seemed a booming success a couple of years ago has collapsed into fraud convictions.I looked at the crash of FTX (short for ‘Futures Exchange’) in November 2022 to see whether it would impact on the financial system as a whole. Fortunately there was barely a ripple, probably because it ...
Anybody following the situation in Ukraine and Russia would probably have been amused by a recent Tweet on X NATO seems to be putting in an awful lot of effort to influence what is, at least according to them, a sham election in an autocracy.When do the Ukrainians go to ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Finance Minister Nicola Willis had plenty to say when addressing the Auckland Business Chamber on the economic growth that (she tells us) is flagging more than we thought. But the government intends to put new life into it: We want our country to be a ...
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Peter Dunne writes – This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the $7 million funding was that it ...
See if you can spot the difference. An Iranian born female MP from a progressive party is accused of serial shoplifting. Her name is leaked to the media, which goes into a pack frenzy even before the Police launch an … Continue reading → ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The government is omitting general Treaty references from legislation : The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last Government in a bid to get greater coherence in the public service on Treaty ...
What was that judge thinking?Peter Williams writes – That Golriz Ghahraman and District Court Judge Maria Pecotic were once lawyer colleagues is incontrovertible. There is published evidence that they took at least one case to the Court of Appeal together. There was a report on ...
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Something you might not know about me is that I’m quite a stubborn person. No, really. I don’t much care for criticism I think’s unfair or that I disagree with. Few of us do I suppose.Back when I was a drinker I’d sometimes respond defensively, even angrily. There are things ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:PM Christopher Luxon said the reversal of interest deductibility for landlords was done to help renters, who ...
It was not so much the Labour Party but really the Chris Hipkins party yesterday at Labour’s caucus retreat in Martinborough. The former Prime Minister was more or less consistent on wealth tax, which he was at best equivocal about, and social insurance, which he was not willing to revisit. ...
Buzz from the BeehiveThe text reproduced above appears on a page which records all the media statements and speeches posted on the government’s official website by Melissa Lee as Minister of Media and Communications and/or by Jenny Marcroft, her Parliamentary Under-secretary. It can be quickly analysed ...
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Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
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Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
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TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
"The Government is moving quickly to realise an additional $46 million in tariff savings in the EU market this season for Kiwi exporters,” Minister for Trade and Agriculture, Todd McClay says. Parliament is set, this week, to complete the final legislative processes required to bring the New Zealand – European ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
Chumbawamba have reportedly issued the deputy PM a cease-and-desist notice after he used their song 'Tubthumping' before his state of the nation speech. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lupton, SHARP Professor, Vitalities Lab, Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Centre, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, UNSW Sydney kitzcorner/Shutterstock The assertion from Queensland’s chief health officer John Gerrard that ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Shutterstock Why are musicians so keen to get played on the radio? It can’t be because of the money. In Australia they are paid at rates so low they ...
"Farmers make a point not to tell our urban cousins how to live, yet Chlöe from central Auckland is hell-bent on having her say about farmers," says ACT Rural Communities spokesman Mark Cameron. “On her first day in the House as Green ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
What is one supposed to do with family reunions?
I have one I go to once every three years, held on my Dad's side old family farm way up north inland from Whangaroa Harbour. Mostly consists of swimming in the big stream, a large bonfire that lasts for three days and we roll logs onto every night to keep it going, a deer on a spit, and looking after my brother who is usually gone on Cody's.
But I have this one coming up today, down in the Waikato. Most of them have done pretty well. It's a once-in-a-century thing and involves tours of multiple farm visits, obligatory photographs, church services, and a whole gallon more people. It's going to have pikelets and cakes with volumes of cream. They've all done pretty well.
Maybe it's a latent class thing, maybe I'm anxious I just won't measure up, but I'm a whole bunch more nervous going to this single event than the regular one on the other side of the family.
I'm comfortable enough not caring about my tribe in the ethnographic sense, but a large part of me wants to just stay home and do jobs around the house.
My advice would be to treat it as a character test. I agree with JanM though – being relaxed, going with the flow & enjoying the situation usually works best. I always find these kinds of situations test my mettle though, so I enjoy them most when rising to the challenge.
So if the discussion turns to politics, don't shirk it. If someone gets stroppy, deflect the passive aggressive stance by being reasonable. Zen works. They get off on confrontation, so reframing them has that disconcerting effect. You can usually see them lose it & flounder. Then reassure them by acknowledging common ground – where it can be clearly seen.
Of course we're all different and what works for me doesn't necessarily work for others. But extended family vibes are often a mix of suppressed resentments and uncertainty, overlaid with a forced bonhomie, and I discovered that steam-rolling is quite effective at transforming the communal ambience. As long as one is good at weathering whatever reactions one gets!! 😎
Oh, the politics – he he – forgot about that! My father's family are Waikato farmers and belong to the 'would vote for a dead horse as long as it was a Nat' school of thought. I have definitely had my moments as a result. Stay off the subject – there is absolutely no point in doing otherwise. Talk tractors and the drought and what it was like 'back in the day'.
Exactly. My sis is married to a farming family in the Wairarapa. Xmas there is a time to smile and nod and talk about the lambing, and wool prices.
A family member turned up unannounced just yesterday. She was racist several times and also made derogatory comments upon seeing my severely disabled neighbor. In a group context I could just ignore her and go talk to a cousin I like. In a one on one context it was very hard to bite the bullet. I don't mind people who are ill informed nearly so much as those who are hateful.
I recommend alcohol, but not too much you get loose lipped. Families are challenging for a lot of us.
Yeah, sounds tricky. I'm oldest of four sons and the second one does bigotry quite readily, given half a chance. I've evolved a way of managing it but it's improvisational rather than standard. Depends how the situation feels, eh?
Funny thing is he was quite alternative & relatively easy-going in the early '70s – before he became good at business. Human nature is endlessly diverse the way it evolves. People who turn into bigots often feed off whatever energy you give them, whether positive or negative. You get adept at disengaging, but that's a learning curve that takes a while.
You could ask them when they become communists?
The national party is in the back pocket of the CCP these days. So they must now all be communists like their lord and masters.
Just roll with it! Eat the pikelets, talk to the rellies – especially the older ones – listen to the stories, and remember that once they've gone there's no-one left to ask. Take a deep breath and enjoy your day 🙂
JanM, such wisdom.
I'm now one of the older rellies. Last night I attended a family 21st and told a story or two.
I was hugely impressed with the speech-making and with the quality of the people there, especially the young.
I told the young man turning 21 that as a seventy year old, and going on the evidence of the party, that the world is turning over into the good hands of another generation or two.
I was minded of the mystic Kahlil Gibran where he raised the issue of the parent generation being archers and the younger being living arrows- launched forward but with little control by the archer as to where the arrow might land.
It's the fate of us older ones…… to tell the stories, and hope.
Arrows who want to be their own archers when they see some of the faltering aim..
There's also the problem of seeing the target, shortening range and windage..
Plenty of windage on offer from our armchair generals..
Will people see that in our badinage there is no bad in age?
Cool! I'm a few years older than you but there are still a few around who are in their 90s. It is our fate and also our privilege. I had a precious moment yesterday teaching my grand daughter (8) to mend her own stuffed toys using sewing things going back, in some cases, to my own grandmother. She loved it – so did I
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/119139908/renewed-and-radical-could-the-mori-party-make-it-back-to-parliament-in-2020
MP are back and they are after private land in treaty settlements!!
They say only if there is a willing seller ,but how long before the protestors pitch the tents. ?
To be fair, in much of Taranaki this issue is a festering sore; descendants of the dispossessed dwell on the vestiges of their ancestor's whenua alongside the farms of the descendants of the professional troops and militiamen who were awarded the confiscated whenua,
But only Pakeha – Maori were excluded from the land ballot
The troops and militiamen who fought in the Taranaki wars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Taranaki_War#McDonnell's_campaign
So children should suffer for the sins of their fathers ?
At some point the past has to be let go . It's not good for the soul to let shit fester.
I agree.
Tangata whenua are suffering for the sins of the squatters fathers.
So best the children of the thieves let go of their ill-gotten gains and get the fuck off stolen land.
amazing reasoning I am almost persuaded to me taken along with your position😉
perhaps some should take a little time an invest in some background to the issue, and note the cause The Govt. current land owners are not the problem.
https://teara.govt.nz/en/land-ownership/page-1
[Fixed typo in user handle]
So by your reckons collective, inter-generational punishment should remain unredressed?
http://newzealandwars.co.nz/land-wars/consequences/land-loss/
https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/33583/confiscation-map-1869
Right or wrong as to how these grievances were resolved. They have been resolved by agreement between all parties So these iwi's that have settled with the govt have had their wrongs addressed.
And your solution is to displace and wrong another (innocent) group. That will go along way to harmony 😇, bu tit does make one think.
https://www.govt.nz/browse/history-culture-and-heritage/treaty-of-waitangi-claims/settling-historical-treaty-of-waitangi-claims/
https://www.parliament.nz/en/pb/research-papers/document/00PlibC5191/historical-treaty-settlements
I've heard several little bits of white saviour stuff since I began living in Taranaki and countless bits of straight out racism. All within the context of land confiscations. For example a thread runs something like 'Those immigrants (neighbours from India) are fine. They work to get ahead and send their children to university, not like those Māori who just want to get what they can for nothing'.
I live in an area that is very Pākehā retiree, so this is somewhat expected (apologies to older people who don't have these views). The first one that shocked me though, was when I overheard young landscape workers next-door discussing things:
A young Māori was politely informing a Pākehā work colleague that his views on early Taranaki history were not quite right the response:
"oh you're THAT sort of Māori are you? – well, it's our land – what about all the dairy and stuff we gave you?"
"Well you couldn't do it without us, you're farming on stolen land," was the frustrated retort.
Eventually the Māori worker had to calm things down with a "nah, it's all good mate" i.e. he didn't want to cause a fuss.
It was 2019 and that's the sort of conversation is going on with young people – the sins of the fathers are being perpetuated, albeit with ignorance and economic violence rather than actual violence. Imagine how stressful it is to get along at work – to even get jobs – when you're perceived as not being grateful enough for being given dairy, or whatever, by the white saviour after your land stolen?
Let's not pretend descendants of the first generations of Pākehā are innocents (unaware, maybe) in the continuing disadvantage that Māori endure through the loss of their societal & economic base all those years ago.
The sooner early Aotearoa/New Zealand history is learned by all, and political solutions are found to the shameful land confiscations, the better. Then we all might be able to move on with dignity, rather than with the suppression of dissent about the dominant historical narrative.
"At some point the past has to be let go."
Here you have unwittingly highlighted the conflict between traditional Pākehā and Māori concepts of Time. Within Te Ao Māori the idea of linear time makes no sense; all actions affect each other, regardless of "when" they occur. The past is literally present in the present.
It was land taken in contravention of a treaty by the Crown which is a perpetual entity, so the Crown can and should make reparations. Whether that's as land or cash is a matter for agreement, but if the Crown can obtain desired land by buying it, that's a valid option.
So you and most of the other respondents to my post will back the Maori party to put private land up as an option for treaty settlements and open all prior settlements to re litigation
Provided it's under the standard Public Works arrangement, sure. Not sure how compulsorily acquiring land at no loss to the current owners is out of keeping with any other compulsory state acquisition.
Can we please stop abbreviating the Māori Party to 'MP'. That has a firmly-established meaning already in our political discourse. Needlessly confusing.
The great white fear – that some of their ill gotten gains might be taken from them.
When do the farmers do the right thing…. and start back dated dividend payments to local iwi?
Exactly.
There are many different ways that iwi are being denied their justice and that is one glaring example. Here the Thames School of Mines sits on a site given initially to the Methodist Church for the building of a Sunday School. The old school still stands and is a Category 1 Historic place – but the original lease still stands, and the yearly fee is just $2 (One Pound) per year on a site of high value. and where the local iwi have lost all control over almost all the land – which actually was not part of the original agreement with the then Govt of the day in 1867.
Eat the rich.
https://twitter.com/robdelaney/status/1223577742618300417
Eat the Rich – Good Movie!
Show us the money, Simon!
Not after where he has been stashing it.
She thought she was among friends and the vile, racist shit came pouring out.
https://twitter.com/AbdiTV/status/1223009401956708352
So, vale to Mike Moore. Thank you for your tireless service to our nation.
The wonderful Farage speech to the EU:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt2tpCtR1fU
But of course you're a fan of the economic elites' pound shop Enoch Powell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80JAz1PTa7Q
Oh no, no, no.. Joe… It is you shilling for the elites yet again.
inorite? Farage just oozes "working class", don't he. Private schooling paid for by a stockbroker dad will do that for you.
So awesome to hear this fool talk about “it isn’t just undemocratic, it’s anti-democratic” and of "power without accountability" when he's standing there as an elected MP in the European Union Parliament.
Thankfully the British people gave him the result he deserved at the last election.
Man claims to be the child of Camilla and Charles. Would be great if it were true It's time for a shake up in the palace.
Simon Bridges rules out working with Winston Peters and NZF.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/02/election-2020-simon-bridges-rules-out-working-with-winston-peters.html
Great news. The left are welcome to him.
Although this time I see him at sub 5% and Nz first not winning a seat.
NZF will get more support. Swing voters will see a vote for the nats as a waste and go for NZF as an attempt to keep Labour in line. That's not counting the 'Bridges is an idiot' factor which was always going to be pretty helpful to Ardern and co but this latest news seals it. So yes, great news.
And living standards plunge when National cut and privatise everything.
All Blacks 3 – 0 Lions
I think it’s a really stupid idea and shows that National still doesn’t get how MMP works.
Labour should be really pleased. They now pretty much have guaranteed coalition partners on their left and right flanks.
Can't see any damage at all.
If anything it is a help.
Could you honestly see this happening after the election?
Winston Peters – "Well I have decided to go with the Nats this time, after sueing them, and you know, given how badly the CoL has done"
Winston will go into full attack mode to expose the corruption within the National Party. He'll want Simon's head on a stick.
It appears National is going for broke and there’s a good chance that they pull it off too. They’ve got ACT in the bag and if they can drive NZF under 5% – they have now given themselves a licence to kill NZF – their chances go up considerably IMO.
That only works if they can get at least 45% on their own. Anything under that isn’t going to be enough. And what’s to stop Labour gifting NZFirst a seat this time? National can hardly kick up a fuss about that given they’ve signalled their intention to do the same for ACT in Epsom. It’s all a very risky strategy. It’s possible, of course, that the Nats are looking past this election to the next one??
I believe that 45% is imminently doable for National. I can’t see either NZF or Labour going for an Epsom-style deal and it could only work if both agree to it, or not? I also believe that National aims to win in 2020; all signs are pointing to this. Don’t forget that they do internal polling and the likes (call it ‘market research’). Lately, National’s attack campaigns have focussed heavily on Labour but we might now see an attack on two or more fronts. Steven Joyce’s piece in Stuff today was clearly aiming at the Greens.
Fairly bold of Bridges to rule out New Zealand First as a coalition partner.
This version of the National Party would be a good fit.
I'm sure his caucus has too much history of damage over four decades of fighting and betrayal.
But surely they need the partnership to form Government?
The Nats seem to be taking a very long time to learn the mechanics of MMP government. If the planets don’t line up perfectly for Bridges in the upcoming election campaign he’s toast. The margins are tight and one bad week on the campaign trail could derail National’s winner-takes-all approach.
I see that Morrison has done an enormous backflip and now says that Australians in Wuhan won’t have to pay the $1000 to get on the rescue flight back to Australia. Just hours after that creep Dutton was out justifying it again. They’re claiming it was all a terrible mixup due to bad advice from DFAT in Canberra.
We should really rule out the phrase "rule out". It means absolutely nothing.
Imagine this scenario: election night Nats/ACT 59, Lab/Grn/NZF 61. Then we wait 2 weeks for special votes.
During those 2 weeks would National MPs shrug, say "never mind" and wait in silence, hoping they get lucky on specials? Of course not.
We can write the quotes now … "no U-turn, just having a conversation … need to think of good of the country … coalition has failed … National the biggest party … must respect voters … don't want another election … duty to consider all options … "
[Please stick to your original user handle, thanks]
Cool, I just changed it because a couple of people had mixed me up with another "Observer" (Tokoroa?) before. A different person. Anyway, happy to stick with it now.
[Thanks! You are correct about another commenter using the handle “Observer Tokoroa”, but I think the distinction is clear enough. However, we can revisit this if it becomes a problem]
Bridget McKenzie the embattled Federal Sports Minister in Australia has finally gone.
Farrar Watch:
On Friday David Farrar had his third crack recently at intimating the government are anti-semitic.
I'm certain he and the opposition will try to manufacture this framing between now and the election.
Keep an eye out for it.
Says it all about Mike Moore, 50 something comments. One News described him as known for his intellect and big heart. Laughed heartily and then wondered how these fuckwits will describe Roger Douglas. Weekend crew always a bit patchy.
Nowhere in the big media to talk intelligently anymore. That was always the way for TV since long time. And since Richard whathisname in charge of RNZ there's been a level that you can't go beyond. Or, all those who profited from the coup in 84 are in charge of the major media. And yes, you're going to social-democratic Hell. It's not how you feel, it's how the lowest feel, and being children of the Welfare State you know that in your bones so don't plead ignorance in front of the Gate.
One comment about Mike Moore! He always lived in a bubble of his own imagining.
If you'd been dead true to the people, Mike, we'd acclaim you rightly as a first among we equals.
Bernie 408, Pete 380, Jo 310, Liz 277, Amy 176, rest 0
3.39 NZ time
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/03/us/elections/results-iowa-caucus-democrats.html
Pete 689 now ahead of Bernie 613 and Joe 310
no more updates from me