We just got our household census form… It is online again. FFS. It was a disaster last time. Why did they think it would be any better this time, especially with a world full of post-pandemic cookers who will think it is all part of a deep state conspiracy? And they’ve been well funded this time so there is no excuses for an incompetently run census.
Huge sections of the most vulnerable parts of our population have no regular internet access. The government bureaucracy has made no provision for these people.
There will be a disastrous response on census night – which has been barely advertised despite a 126 million dollar budget – because a lot of people will either forget about it, lose the code, ignore it, be butt hurt over some question that doesn't affect them but they've been told on SM is a new front in the culture wars, or have no idea it is even happening. Then they’ll call a helpline which will of course have only three people and only be available 9-5 and the media will report on horrendous wait times and Luxon will excoriate the government on yet another failure to deliver.
What will happen is after a welter of scandal over the incompetent waste of 126 million dollars on effectively nothing tens of millions of more money will be required to pay to hire people to follow up all the people didn't fill out their forms, and the data will dribble in over six months, be incomplete and undercount crucial sections of society. WTF is wrong with just hiring an army of student census takers in the first place and sending them out to collect the forms like they did twenty years and that actually worked?
If we are going to have so much virtual government then the corporeal government needs to do something like set up it's own ISP & require all ISPs to zero rate traffic to any .govt.nz domain. At least give people access – and for God's sake, tell when it is happening and why and do SOMETHING to counteract the absolute torrent of conspiracy theory nonsense flying around about the census.
We had our pac hand delivered by a young person who explained every thing and was given the option of doing it online or filling out the form and posting it back in the enclosed addressed envelop. We live in the suburbs.
Being a literate (in English) and technologically literate and wealthy enough to afford telecoms infrastructure household – we filled it out (mostly in advance) with no problems.
[In advance because my teen was super-interested in the process and wanted to do it a.s.a.p – I'll do mine on census night]
I don't think that will be the case for many of our neighbours. Range of issues from: English as a second-language, and limited literacy in English; floating population of students in short-term rent-a-room (or garage) accommodation; elderly and decidedly non-tech savvy people; people in transition between houses (couch or spare-room surfing) following the Auckland flooding; hyper-busy people who've just shoved the info packet on a shelf to 'do later' (and will probably forget).
That seemed to have enough ''reckons'' to qualify as a Hoskins rant, and enough dog-whistles for a Farrar-go Kiwiblog post. No I am not interested in learning more about uninformed opinions. I have received my papers, and I see they give me the option of on line or paper. I haven't looked through them yet as I intend to complete them on the 7th or 8th March – probably on-line. Yes some will have difficulties, but I see nothing wrong at this stage. I suspect I will as usual wish that they had asked questions about some issues that did not make the cut, but that is normal as well. I do encourage all readers of The Standard to honestly and promptly complete their return, in whichever way they prefer, and get it in without needing assistance, but I am sure there will be good plans in place for providing assistance where needed.
Or, you can access a free Internet hub (local library is the most common one). They'll be spending a lot of time working with non-tech-savy individuals in completing it online.
Of course, this does nothing for those sections of the population which are still cut off (or substantially cut off) from the rest of the country, following Cyclone Gabrielle. I would hope that StatsNZ has an active plan to follow up in these communities.
Same, 2 letters, 2 "private access codes" – presumably both unique to our household.
1st letter – "Please follow the instructions below to complete your census forms"
2nd letter – "Census Day is Tuesday, 7 March" [this must be the "reminder letter"]
Phoned the census help line number [ 0800 236 787 ], and, after selecting a language [option 2], a recorded message said that I could use either online access code:
If your question is about a reminder letter you received from us, you can use the access code on this letter, or a previous letter you have received.
Also, on the back of the (1-page) reminder letter, there’s an answer to the question "Why does my household have multiple online access codes?" It's for privacy reasons.
If we are going to have so much virtual government then the corporeal government needs to do something like set up it's own ISP & require all ISPs to zero rate traffic to any .govt.nz domain.
what does "require all ISPs to zero rate traffic to any .govt.nz domain" mean?
So there would be an ISP called, I don't know, Kiwinet or something. It would be free to join. Once you have kiwinet as a provider you can navigate to any .govt.nz domain with zero data charges, because all the ISP or mobile providers have been instructed to zero rate data usage for those sites.
kiwinet would also potentially be able run a white list of approved websites, such as RNZ news, which the network providers would also be required to zero rate. That woyuld mean you might be able to read an RNZ story or listen to their live radio feed but an embedded youtube video wouldn't work – for that you would need to buy data from your commercial ISP and/or mobile service provider.
My ex so, is doing cencus work, she's going to ever house, and was telling me that because of one place being a Maori house/area(not sure of exact detail) is getting a Maori census worker to ream up and go there, doesn't sound half arsed to me.
They didn't leave their bubble but they did leave their house, trailing the hearse as a final farewell because lockdown rules meant they weren't allowed into the crematorium.
Parsons learnt on Tuesday that on that same weekend, the Health Minister flouted the rules.
"There's no way you can now tell people what to do when literally that weekend that I had to follow a hearse and couldn't get out of the car… he was driving to the beach with his family," she told Newshub.
Eh? Kim said, and I quote "Meeting organiser, and founding member of the Sensible Sentencing Trust Louise Parsons" when introducing her. I suggest you go listen to the audio. 22 seconds in.
Maybe the use of a bunch of students to take census forms around in person (seems sensible) was seen as too risky, given the likelihood of a violent reaction from those in the anti-vax mob or others with a grudge against the authorities.
And any incident could have led to a lawsuit by the students against Statistics NZ for sending them into a dangerous situation.
Separate comment: Rob Campbell might lose 2 government posts but probably has nothing to worry about for lolly. He seems well connected with Maori groups so it's my guess he will pick up a lucrative post on one of their health organisations.
At $30 an hour it is more than students who will be delivering the Census. We got a bunch of forms in the mail, and 3 days later an envelope with a code for doing it online, so we have options. I will do it in the paper form so I can best register my objection to being assigned an identity in which I do not believe.
I delivered the Census for the one before the last one. We got good H&S briefings about standing well back from front doors and not going into a dwelling. I understand that this time they are issuing personal alarms for deliverers.
Sanctuary, with all that has happened over the last three years, feeling pressured is almost a normal condition. Melting moments are becoming common. Incognito's suggestion sounds good.
The self appointed grand poobah of socialist thought Chris Trotter didn't leave the left, it left him. It is a boomer thing to be utterly convinced it is the children who are wrong.
"We believe there has been too little scrutiny of the affordability of the perceived NZ$120 billion to $180 billion investment in the Three Waters reforms," the reports conclude."
"No matter who delivers the required infrastructure, the cost of such investment is astronomical. If councils fund the investment, general property and targeted rates will likely soar to record levels. If water services entities fund the investment, water charges will likely soar instead."
From day one the claim has been the reforms will spare the user from unaffordable water services of the necessary quality that were undeliverable under the status quo when the reality is and always was that we got what we were prepared (able) to pay for.
"But Mahuta says the reforms will save Auckland ratepayers from higher water costs in the coming years.
"Within the next two years Auckland's water bills will at least double and under the reform proposals that we are making Auckland ratepayers will benefit significantly in terms of reduced costs."
If we take these projections too seriously the country could easily be talked out of maintaining acceptable water infrastructure.
Thing is a lot of those figures are talking about cost projections which should be in proportion to the entire NZ economy. After all the water infrastructure needs to be maintained and suitable for the whole economy and country. To place a reasonable scale on those things we might compare them to NZs projected GDP at the same time. This would indicate (maybe) how much of the nations income (a close proxy for effort) goes towards maintaining the countries essential water infrastructure. My suggestion would be its bugger all on that scale, even if looking at the most lavish water infrastructure available.
If you look at the figures without that context they are going to get quite intimidating quite quickly however. With that context in mind however we might move on to how much of that is user pays, how much is on council balance sheets and how much should be central government. Also the council choice comes with the disadvantage that individual councils might get into competitive cost avoidance and maintenance deferral strategies (as we have seen). Mr Milne kind of skirted over that bit inferring instead that there was gold plating going on.
Over all I don't think overseas credit rating agencies have much productive to say about the kind of water infrastructure NZ should be developing, investing in and providing.
"Over all I don't think overseas credit rating agencies have much productive to say about the kind of water infrastructure NZ should be developing, investing in and providing."
Unfortunately the Government forming the policy to safeguard that future appear to be of the opposite persuasion
Really? I had taken Mahuta's statements to mean central government would take on some of the costs to relieve rate payers while still maintaining a good water infrastructure.
You appear to be taking this as, 3 waters means the country will have to make do with inferior infrastructure because credit ratings.
Then your interpretation would be incorrect….we can have the desired (possibly) water infrastructure at a price…and that price has little to do with ratings agencies (or money)….the truths that politicians dare not speak (if they even understand it)
If we dedicate 1 in 200 hours to water infrastructure then the budget is half a percent of GDP or about $1.875 billion annually. Is that ball park for the price? Or should it be more like 1% GDP or 3.6 billion?
If the numbers used for the policy formation are anywhere close then we are talking in excess of 5% of current Gov revenues…and as anyone dealing with infrastructure knows those numbers are likely to be underestimated. Crucially much of what is required cannot be sourced domestically.
Problem with amortising the costs that way it that way is it makes the whole question about the accuracy of the inflation forecast used.
The statements about cost have reasonable meaning giving annual spending numbers and then assuming similar real expenditures follow. But I suspect this doesn't generate suitably imposing nominal sums.
The statement that the resources to do this firstly exist overseas seems to suggest they need to be developed domestically.
If your not depressed and want to feel that way, the ICIJ, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, have launched a new way for you to get your daily dose of depression.
Jokes aside, this is some very impressive journalism and well worth your time to read. Like many of their other series this one will expand.
They are literally small babies, the event looks like it is really just a bit of adulting time for their Mums. And anyway, it is a free world and people can decide where they want to take their kids.
People are free to ignore basic safeguarding and expose their children to men balancing on their penises and displaying less gymnastic ability than a seven-year old gymnast, and no redemptive factor of artistic quality, in order to indulge in a performative act of progressive ideology.
That is why I put an adjective at the beginning of my comment.
Twitter apparently now labelling this "potentially sensitive content".
If babies are the target audience, does this mean sensitive for those who as yet unborn? Or is it deemed sensitive because of the visual dissonance of seeing sexual performances in front of young babies?
I am pretty sure you are overthinking this. What do you expect for the price? Cirque du Soleil?
It looks like a potentially fundraising event for Mums with small kids where they can natter at some local amateur stuff. It is unlikely any babies were harmed.
I mean, it isn't Iris Stoddard of the CWI doing a talk on her recent trip to the flower gardens of Bulgaria, but it least it has got Mum out of the house.
the debate that's been happening particularly in the UK (where it's left and right engaged, rather than conservative as in the US), there have been many analyses of safeguarding, what it is, how it gets breached or eroded.
A feature of that is lefties/progressives saying there's no big deal with mixing adult sexuality with children. But generally the people saying that don't understand what safeguarding is, how it works, and why it matters even in liberal spaces.
They are literally small babies, the event looks like it is really just a bit of adulting time for their Mums.
Looking at what they are wearing and the location/props, my guess is that it's a uterus-haver-gestators and babies class that does various forms of movement practices.
I'm curious at what age babies and young kids should start to be protected from expressions of adult sexuality. Would it be ok for strippers to demonstrate a workout in work gear and using work actions? How about pup fetishists? Or adults involved in dressing up as babies as part of their sexuality? (the last two examples are from Pride parades, and the baby/fetish involved engaging with kids in the baby fetish tent)
And anyway, it is a free world and people can decide where they want to take their kids.
WTF are you on about? Honestly all this reductio ad absurdum hysterical nonsense on behalf of other people who don't appear to be traumatised in any way whatsoever. Pornhub? Get.A.Fucking.Grip.
Honestly no one is covering themselves in glory in that particular debate, I just ignore them all. I just haven't got the time or energy for a debate characterised by zero common sense, zero good faith and an unreasoned screaming at and past each other.
Good point, it is like wrestling with pigs – you just get covered in mud and pig gets nothing out of it except the chance to squeal a lot. No more from me!
Neither of us appear to be screaming, so I have some faith.
WTF are you on about?
I'm glad you asked, because lefties and liberals seem largely unaware of what is going on.
Pornhub exists because it's a free world and people can decide where they want to spend their time. Pornhub traffics in the worst sexual violence humans do, including rape, snuff, and child rape and sexual abuse. There's been some societal push back against this where major payment businesses (credit card companies, paypal) have withdrawn their services. But before that there were activists with less power and reach trying to get society to do something about it.
Few people listened, and part of that is because liberal culture and parts of the left won't do a critical analysis of porn that shows how much of the industry includes abuse of women and children.
Feminists are well familiar with this, we're just prudes or whatever. Unsurprisingly, this is the same argument run when feminists start objecting to adult entertainment involving children. It's just some mums and bubs having some time out.
Hence we have a major liberal political commentator in NZ posting this on twitter, than then stopping people from reply and telling them to "Why don't you go and fuck your own face"
This on the same twitter day that the video Molly posted appeared. The progressive position on the event Cormack is referring to is that all performers, including queer/rainbow/drag, should have child safeguarding ahead of all other concerns. Instead we have a dominant narrative driven on the left that all drag done in kids' spaces is safe and appropriate for kids. It's not, it's not hard to find the evidence that it's not, and yet liberals appear to be saying protecting drag queens from some societal restrictions is more important than child safeguarding.
People like David have had the issues pointed out to them before, but remain wedded to an ideology that both suppresses any critique and continues to hide the erosion of safeguarding. Most of that comes from ignorance but some of it is intentional. It's pretty much the same dynamic as to why rapists are now self-IDing into women's prisons, a thing that liberals either say doesn't happen, or women already get raped so why does it matter. Trans rights are more important than women's or children's.
I've been watching the erosion of safeguarding in the UK for probably five years. The whole pup fetish and child sex play fetish thing at Pride should have been sending out alarm bells. Rainbow butt dildo monkey is a bit harder for progressives to get their head around (if you make something a rainbow, surely it is good), but it's still an erosion of boundaries that we should be debating.
The incursion of MAP (minor attracted persons aka usually men who want to have sex with children) into queer and then rainbow culture likewise should be a concern, as should the tolerance by twitter of MAP content. React against this all you like as if I'm making shit up or being hysterical and need to get a grip, but the same forces in society that drive pornhub are going to be supporting the erosion of boundaries around children and women's safety, for obvious reasons. And liberals are holding the door open for them.
I asked you the question of where the boundaries are. If the drag performance is ok, is stripping? How about simulating sexual acts between adults? Is it ok for children to take part in the drag act?
I had unexpected visitors arrive who've just left, and returned to find several comments from you that outline salient discussion points on this topic.
"Rachael Wong, CEO of Women’s Forum Australia, believes this case is an opportunity to resolve the conflict between sex and gender protections in law, and will be the test to determine whether sex is still a "protected attribute" in Australia.
"If the laws that undermine sex-based rights are found to be unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful it could invalidate laws across the country providing protection for gender identity," Wong told the Daily Mail.
"As a result the sex-based protections for women and girls would be reinstated when it comes to their rights to female-only spaces, services, sports and so on. Any other case of a man trying to force himself into a female-only space would be seen as wildly inappropriate," she added."
They are both defending the same set of 'universals' (something about the immutability of biological sex) against what they see as relativist (or post modernist) erosions. But for quite different reasons of course – even though the rhetoric about protecting children can sometimes sound oddly similar.
feminists are well used to this. Activism against porn meant feminists were often on the same side as conservative/religious women. It's a tired old argument from trad lefties, that seeks to obscure feminist concerns by painting them as regressive.
The new version is that the only people objecting to drag are right wing US allied conservatives. Which neatly removes the obligation to address feminist concerns about the inherent sexism in drag, as well as the safeguarding concerns.
Needless to say, much of that argument has come from men, who have an obvious conflict of interest when it comes to porn.
These 'new' response/critiques are depressingly familiar to someone involved with Women's issues since the 1970s.
Couple that with the 'transwomen are real women' or 'let's fool our faces and let anyone who fancies it free access to womens safe spaces'
and letting genuine safe guarding issues be dismissed (from Weka)
React against this all you like as if I'm making shit up or being hysterical and need to get a grip, but the same forces in society that drive pornhub are going to be supporting the erosion of boundaries around children and women's safety, for obvious reasons. And liberals are holding the door open for them.
'evangelical Taliban intersect with feminism'.
Reduction ad absurdum is a form of argument powerfully used against all sorts of rubbish. Just because someone does not share the view that the action being directed against is rubbish or harmful etc does not mean that the form of logical argument should not be used.
The Taliban snipe is particularly telling, given what's happening to women in Afghanistan. Sanctuary often brings intelligent political critique to TS, even stuff I disagree with. But the response here is reactionary and not well thought through. Always interesting to see the blind spots of smart people.
far more men than women use porn. There is an obvious sex class difference in power and abuse within porn, in who makes porn and how, as well as how women are portrayed and how this feeds back into society (eg compare the impact of porn on the understanding and experience of teen girls vs teen boys, it's the girls feeling pressured to give blow jobs or to let their boyfriend choke them or degrade them).
Women are more likely to act on safeguarding concerns of women and children politically. Men are more likely to resist or actively block safeguarding concerns.
Many men will act when it's women and children they know or know about. The politics is a different matter, I've had too many arguments with men who think porn is benign and won't address the issues of the industry having major problems. Left wing men too, who wouldn't argue such if it were about their areas of interest. Hence my point about conflict of interest.
I choose not to watch pornography or buy sex because it would break me if my children were to choose those occupations
Exactly (or god forbid be coerced into those occupations, which is a lot of women). I don't understand why this isn't the position of more men.
It would be interesting to compare responses if there was a "Minstrel Show" going around libraries etc doing performances by people dressed as a parody of African Americans. I have never yet seen a convincing arguement that says that "Womanface" is different from "Blackface" and should be acceptable.
There would be zero issue with the performers 'dressing up' as fairies, mermaids, princesses, etc – in fact, the library staff (including male and gay staff) have been doing so for years, at story times and at events like Santa Parades.
The issue is with hyper-sexualized dressing and (potentially) performance – to a child audience.
Yep. All that has to happen in NZ is for drag queens and allies to front up and take the issues seriously. There's still going to be some push back from feminists about the stereotyping and ridiculing of women that happens in drag, but it's pretty easy to ensure that the sexualised stuff just never happens (and I don't mean drag performers issuing press statements that they are safe, I mean society looking at the issue and talking about what needs to be done in an open and adult way).
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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 ...
TL;DR: The six newsey things that stood out to me as of 6:46am on Saturday, March 16.Andy Foster has accidentally allowed a Labour/Green amendment to cut road user chargers for plug-in hybrid vehicles, which the Government might accept; NZ HeraldThomas CoughlanSimeon Brown has rejected a plea from Westport ...
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 ...
TL;DR:Shaun Baker on Wynyard Quarter's transformation. Magdalene Taylor on the problem with smart phones. How private equity are now all over reinsurance. Dylan Cleaver on rugby and CTE. Emily Atkin on ‘Big Meat’ looking like ‘Big Oil’.Bernard’s six-stack of substacks at 6pm on March 15Photo by Jeppe Hove Jensen ...
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 ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has reported back on the Road User Charges (Light Electric RUC Vehicles) Amendment Bill, basicly rubberstamping it. While there was widespread support among submitters for the principle that EV and PHEV drivers should pay their fair share for the roads, they also overwhelmingly disagreed with ...
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 ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Climate Scorpion – the sting is in the tail. Introducing planetary solvency. A paper via the University of Exeter’s Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.Local scoop:Kāinga Ora starts pulling out of its Auckland projects and selling land RNZ ...
Wellington’s massively upzoned District Plan adds the opportunity for tens of thousands of new homes not just in the central city (such as these Webb St new builds) but also close to the CBD and public transport links. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Wellington gave itself the chance of ...
It’s Friday and we’re halfway through March Madness. Here’s some of the things that caught our attention this week. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday Matt asked how we can get better event trains and an option for grade separating Morningside Dr. On Tuesday Matt looked into ...
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 ...
For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
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 ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
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 ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
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 ...
Pacific Media Watch Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was held for 12 hours at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, says Israeli forces rounded up Palestinian journalists at the facility and made them kneel on the ground for hours, while naked and blindfolded. “The occupation forces handcuffed and blindfolded us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute chinasong, Shutterstock Electricity customers in four Australian states can breathe a sigh of relief. After two years in a row of 20% price increases, power prices have finally stabilised. In many places they’re ...
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 ...
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We just got our household census form… It is online again. FFS. It was a disaster last time. Why did they think it would be any better this time, especially with a world full of post-pandemic cookers who will think it is all part of a deep state conspiracy? And they’ve been well funded this time so there is no excuses for an incompetently run census.
Huge sections of the most vulnerable parts of our population have no regular internet access. The government bureaucracy has made no provision for these people.
There will be a disastrous response on census night – which has been barely advertised despite a 126 million dollar budget – because a lot of people will either forget about it, lose the code, ignore it, be butt hurt over some question that doesn't affect them but they've been told on SM is a new front in the culture wars, or have no idea it is even happening. Then they’ll call a helpline which will of course have only three people and only be available 9-5 and the media will report on horrendous wait times and Luxon will excoriate the government on yet another failure to deliver.
What will happen is after a welter of scandal over the incompetent waste of 126 million dollars on effectively nothing tens of millions of more money will be required to pay to hire people to follow up all the people didn't fill out their forms, and the data will dribble in over six months, be incomplete and undercount crucial sections of society. WTF is wrong with just hiring an army of student census takers in the first place and sending them out to collect the forms like they did twenty years and that actually worked?
If we are going to have so much virtual government then the corporeal government needs to do something like set up it's own ISP & require all ISPs to zero rate traffic to any .govt.nz domain. At least give people access – and for God's sake, tell when it is happening and why and do SOMETHING to counteract the absolute torrent of conspiracy theory nonsense flying around about the census.
We had our pac hand delivered by a young person who explained every thing and was given the option of doing it online or filling out the form and posting it back in the enclosed addressed envelop. We live in the suburbs.
Ours arrived in the mail.
Being a literate (in English) and technologically literate and wealthy enough to afford telecoms infrastructure household – we filled it out (mostly in advance) with no problems.
[In advance because my teen was super-interested in the process and wanted to do it a.s.a.p – I'll do mine on census night]
I don't think that will be the case for many of our neighbours. Range of issues from: English as a second-language, and limited literacy in English; floating population of students in short-term rent-a-room (or garage) accommodation; elderly and decidedly non-tech savvy people; people in transition between houses (couch or spare-room surfing) following the Auckland flooding; hyper-busy people who've just shoved the info packet on a shelf to 'do later' (and will probably forget).
That seemed to have enough ''reckons'' to qualify as a Hoskins rant, and enough dog-whistles for a Farrar-go Kiwiblog post. No I am not interested in learning more about uninformed opinions. I have received my papers, and I see they give me the option of on line or paper. I haven't looked through them yet as I intend to complete them on the 7th or 8th March – probably on-line. Yes some will have difficulties, but I see nothing wrong at this stage. I suspect I will as usual wish that they had asked questions about some issues that did not make the cut, but that is normal as well. I do encourage all readers of The Standard to honestly and promptly complete their return, in whichever way they prefer, and get it in without needing assistance, but I am sure there will be good plans in place for providing assistance where needed.
It doesn't addressed the hairbrained insistence on doing it online since 2013 despite knowing that it suppresses the response.
Land mail delivery is not what it used to be
that's definitely a problem which also need to be sorted out by requiring NZPost to function as an essential public service again.
I have had two packs delivered with links
I am looking on line on what to do.
would you be able to complete the census if you didn't have internet access?
Technically, yes:
You can opt in for a print version (I can't find out exactly how – it's probably an 0800 number)
https://www.census.govt.nz/how-to-do-the-census/how-to-do-the-census-on-paper/
Or, you can access a free Internet hub (local library is the most common one). They'll be spending a lot of time working with non-tech-savy individuals in completing it online.
Of course, this does nothing for those sections of the population which are still cut off (or substantially cut off) from the rest of the country, following Cyclone Gabrielle. I would hope that StatsNZ has an active plan to follow up in these communities.
+1 Weka
My (2) papers delivered to me both give me the option of requesting a paper form to fill in if I do not want to/can't do the online version.
We have received two forms, each with a different private access code, delivered to the same household, but on different dates.
Sorry didn't see this before bursting into print above. same for us.
Same, 2 letters, 2 "private access codes" – presumably both unique to our household.
1st letter – "Please follow the instructions below to complete your census forms"
2nd letter – "Census Day is Tuesday, 7 March" [this must be the "reminder letter"]
Phoned the census help line number [ 0800 236 787 ], and, after selecting a language [option 2], a recorded message said that I could use either online access code:
Also, on the back of the (1-page) reminder letter, there’s an answer to the question "Why does my household have multiple online access codes?" It's for privacy reasons.
what does "require all ISPs to zero rate traffic to any .govt.nz domain" mean?
So there would be an ISP called, I don't know, Kiwinet or something. It would be free to join. Once you have kiwinet as a provider you can navigate to any .govt.nz domain with zero data charges, because all the ISP or mobile providers have been instructed to zero rate data usage for those sites.
kiwinet would also potentially be able run a white list of approved websites, such as RNZ news, which the network providers would also be required to zero rate. That woyuld mean you might be able to read an RNZ story or listen to their live radio feed but an embedded youtube video wouldn't work – for that you would need to buy data from your commercial ISP and/or mobile service provider.
There is already a NZ Gov/Realme login that is super safe and relatively easy to join. I wonder why they don't try to link in with this?
My ex so, is doing cencus work, she's going to ever house, and was telling me that because of one place being a Maori house/area(not sure of exact detail) is getting a Maori census worker to ream up and go there, doesn't sound half arsed to me.
If would have been nice if Radio NZ had mentioned just now that Louise Parsons is the national secretary of the sensible sentencing trust.
I suspect Lulu has an axe to grind.
They didn't leave their bubble but they did leave their house, trailing the hearse as a final farewell because lockdown rules meant they weren't allowed into the crematorium.
Parsons learnt on Tuesday that on that same weekend, the Health Minister flouted the rules.
"There's no way you can now tell people what to do when literally that weekend that I had to follow a hearse and couldn't get out of the car… he was driving to the beach with his family," she told Newshub.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/04/health-minister-david-clark-s-covid-19-rule-flouting-a-slap-in-the-face-mourner.html
Eh? Kim said, and I quote "Meeting organiser, and founding member of the Sensible Sentencing Trust Louise Parsons" when introducing her. I suggest you go listen to the audio. 22 seconds in.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018880100
Perhaps Kim should have appraised Louise of Section 18 (1) of the Bill of Rights Act 1990.
Maybe the use of a bunch of students to take census forms around in person (seems sensible) was seen as too risky, given the likelihood of a violent reaction from those in the anti-vax mob or others with a grudge against the authorities.
And any incident could have led to a lawsuit by the students against Statistics NZ for sending them into a dangerous situation.
Separate comment: Rob Campbell might lose 2 government posts but probably has nothing to worry about for lolly. He seems well connected with Maori groups so it's my guess he will pick up a lucrative post on one of their health organisations.
At $30 an hour it is more than students who will be delivering the Census. We got a bunch of forms in the mail, and 3 days later an envelope with a code for doing it online, so we have options. I will do it in the paper form so I can best register my objection to being assigned an identity in which I do not believe.
I delivered the Census for the one before the last one. We got good H&S briefings about standing well back from front doors and not going into a dwelling. I understand that this time they are issuing personal alarms for deliverers.
Well I have had a great start to my day. Wrong twice. Still, thats my quota so the rest of the day perfection will be resumed.
fresh coffee?
Sanctuary, with all that has happened over the last three years, feeling pressured is almost a normal condition. Melting moments are becoming common. Incognito's suggestion sounds good.
No worries – most things are excusable if the prose is good.
Nice to see Chris Trotter has finally completed his journey to National voting racist boomer. Good for him.
Although I respect Chris Trotter's work as a historian, I have to agree that he has moved considerably towards the right over the last decade.
The self appointed grand poobah of socialist thought Chris Trotter didn't leave the left, it left him. It is a boomer thing to be utterly convinced it is the children who are wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMqZ2PPOLik
"We believe there has been too little scrutiny of the affordability of the perceived NZ$120 billion to $180 billion investment in the Three Waters reforms," the reports conclude."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/credit-agency-warns-nzers-are-blind-to-astronomical-costs-of-fixing-three-waters
"No matter who delivers the required infrastructure, the cost of such investment is astronomical. If councils fund the investment, general property and targeted rates will likely soar to record levels. If water services entities fund the investment, water charges will likely soar instead."
Jacinda kept saying that the costs would be huge. Rates would rise about 8%. But National is saying that some rates might rise a little bit.
I read Mr Milne's Newsroon piece this morning and it was terrifying!
From day one the claim has been the reforms will spare the user from unaffordable water services of the necessary quality that were undeliverable under the status quo when the reality is and always was that we got what we were prepared (able) to pay for.
"But Mahuta says the reforms will save Auckland ratepayers from higher water costs in the coming years.
"Within the next two years Auckland's water bills will at least double and under the reform proposals that we are making Auckland ratepayers will benefit significantly in terms of reduced costs."
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/10/the-reason-jacinda-ardern-nanaia-mahuta-think-three-waters-will-be-a-success.html
If we take these projections too seriously the country could easily be talked out of maintaining acceptable water infrastructure.
Thing is a lot of those figures are talking about cost projections which should be in proportion to the entire NZ economy. After all the water infrastructure needs to be maintained and suitable for the whole economy and country. To place a reasonable scale on those things we might compare them to NZs projected GDP at the same time. This would indicate (maybe) how much of the nations income (a close proxy for effort) goes towards maintaining the countries essential water infrastructure. My suggestion would be its bugger all on that scale, even if looking at the most lavish water infrastructure available.
If you look at the figures without that context they are going to get quite intimidating quite quickly however. With that context in mind however we might move on to how much of that is user pays, how much is on council balance sheets and how much should be central government. Also the council choice comes with the disadvantage that individual councils might get into competitive cost avoidance and maintenance deferral strategies (as we have seen). Mr Milne kind of skirted over that bit inferring instead that there was gold plating going on.
Over all I don't think overseas credit rating agencies have much productive to say about the kind of water infrastructure NZ should be developing, investing in and providing.
"Over all I don't think overseas credit rating agencies have much productive to say about the kind of water infrastructure NZ should be developing, investing in and providing."
Unfortunately the Government forming the policy to safeguard that future appear to be of the opposite persuasion
Really? I had taken Mahuta's statements to mean central government would take on some of the costs to relieve rate payers while still maintaining a good water infrastructure.
You appear to be taking this as, 3 waters means the country will have to make do with inferior infrastructure because credit ratings.
Then your interpretation would be incorrect….we can have the desired (possibly) water infrastructure at a price…and that price has little to do with ratings agencies (or money)….the truths that politicians dare not speak (if they even understand it)
Maybe some budget estimates?
If we dedicate 1 in 200 hours to water infrastructure then the budget is half a percent of GDP or about $1.875 billion annually. Is that ball park for the price? Or should it be more like 1% GDP or 3.6 billion?
If the numbers used for the policy formation are anywhere close then we are talking in excess of 5% of current Gov revenues…and as anyone dealing with infrastructure knows those numbers are likely to be underestimated. Crucially much of what is required cannot be sourced domestically.
Problem with amortising the costs that way it that way is it makes the whole question about the accuracy of the inflation forecast used.
The statements about cost have reasonable meaning giving annual spending numbers and then assuming similar real expenditures follow. But I suspect this doesn't generate suitably imposing nominal sums.
The statement that the resources to do this firstly exist overseas seems to suggest they need to be developed domestically.
If your not depressed and want to feel that way, the ICIJ, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, have launched a new way for you to get your daily dose of depression.
Jokes aside, this is some very impressive journalism and well worth your time to read. Like many of their other series this one will expand.
https://www.icij.org/investigations/deforestation-inc/
(Idiotic) Parents in the UK paying £22.50 for their babies to attend Caba Baba Rave.
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1631004465129029642?s=20
They are literally small babies, the event looks like it is really just a bit of adulting time for their Mums. And anyway, it is a free world and people can decide where they want to take their kids.
Yes.
People are free to ignore basic safeguarding and expose their children to men balancing on their penises and displaying less gymnastic ability than a seven-year old gymnast, and no redemptive factor of artistic quality, in order to indulge in a performative act of progressive ideology.
That is why I put an adjective at the beginning of my comment.
Twitter apparently now labelling this "potentially sensitive content".
If babies are the target audience, does this mean sensitive for those who as yet unborn? Or is it deemed sensitive because of the visual dissonance of seeing sexual performances in front of young babies?
I am pretty sure you are overthinking this. What do you expect for the price? Cirque du Soleil?
It looks like a potentially fundraising event for Mums with small kids where they can natter at some local amateur stuff. It is unlikely any babies were harmed.
I mean, it isn't Iris Stoddard of the CWI doing a talk on her recent trip to the flower gardens of Bulgaria, but it least it has got Mum out of the house.
the debate that's been happening particularly in the UK (where it's left and right engaged, rather than conservative as in the US), there have been many analyses of safeguarding, what it is, how it gets breached or eroded.
A feature of that is lefties/progressives saying there's no big deal with mixing adult sexuality with children. But generally the people saying that don't understand what safeguarding is, how it works, and why it matters even in liberal spaces.
Looking at what they are wearing and the location/props, my guess is that it's a uterus-haver-gestators and babies class that does various forms of movement practices.
I'm curious at what age babies and young kids should start to be protected from expressions of adult sexuality. Would it be ok for strippers to demonstrate a workout in work gear and using work actions? How about pup fetishists? Or adults involved in dressing up as babies as part of their sexuality? (the last two examples are from Pride parades, and the baby/fetish involved engaging with kids in the baby fetish tent)
The owners of Pornhub salute you.
"…The owners of Pornhub salute you…"
WTF are you on about? Honestly all this reductio ad absurdum hysterical nonsense on behalf of other people who don't appear to be traumatised in any way whatsoever. Pornhub? Get.A.Fucking.Grip.
Honestly no one is covering themselves in glory in that particular debate, I just ignore them all. I just haven't got the time or energy for a debate characterised by zero common sense, zero good faith and an unreasoned screaming at and past each other.
"I just ignore them all."
Without attributing intention to the web-site, but "the standard" says you don't at 10.1.
Good point, it is like wrestling with pigs – you just get covered in mud and pig gets nothing out of it except the chance to squeal a lot. No more from me!
Neither of us appear to be screaming, so I have some faith.
I'm glad you asked, because lefties and liberals seem largely unaware of what is going on.
Pornhub exists because it's a free world and people can decide where they want to spend their time. Pornhub traffics in the worst sexual violence humans do, including rape, snuff, and child rape and sexual abuse. There's been some societal push back against this where major payment businesses (credit card companies, paypal) have withdrawn their services. But before that there were activists with less power and reach trying to get society to do something about it.
Few people listened, and part of that is because liberal culture and parts of the left won't do a critical analysis of porn that shows how much of the industry includes abuse of women and children.
Feminists are well familiar with this, we're just prudes or whatever. Unsurprisingly, this is the same argument run when feminists start objecting to adult entertainment involving children. It's just some mums and bubs having some time out.
Hence we have a major liberal political commentator in NZ posting this on twitter, than then stopping people from reply and telling them to "Why don't you go and fuck your own face"
https://twitter.com/David_Cormack/status/1630776467847266304
This on the same twitter day that the video Molly posted appeared. The progressive position on the event Cormack is referring to is that all performers, including queer/rainbow/drag, should have child safeguarding ahead of all other concerns. Instead we have a dominant narrative driven on the left that all drag done in kids' spaces is safe and appropriate for kids. It's not, it's not hard to find the evidence that it's not, and yet liberals appear to be saying protecting drag queens from some societal restrictions is more important than child safeguarding.
People like David have had the issues pointed out to them before, but remain wedded to an ideology that both suppresses any critique and continues to hide the erosion of safeguarding. Most of that comes from ignorance but some of it is intentional. It's pretty much the same dynamic as to why rapists are now self-IDing into women's prisons, a thing that liberals either say doesn't happen, or women already get raped so why does it matter. Trans rights are more important than women's or children's.
I've been watching the erosion of safeguarding in the UK for probably five years. The whole pup fetish and child sex play fetish thing at Pride should have been sending out alarm bells. Rainbow butt dildo monkey is a bit harder for progressives to get their head around (if you make something a rainbow, surely it is good), but it's still an erosion of boundaries that we should be debating.
The incursion of MAP (minor attracted persons aka usually men who want to have sex with children) into queer and then rainbow culture likewise should be a concern, as should the tolerance by twitter of MAP content. React against this all you like as if I'm making shit up or being hysterical and need to get a grip, but the same forces in society that drive pornhub are going to be supporting the erosion of boundaries around children and women's safety, for obvious reasons. And liberals are holding the door open for them.
I asked you the question of where the boundaries are. If the drag performance is ok, is stripping? How about simulating sexual acts between adults? Is it ok for children to take part in the drag act?
for those that don't understand the rainbow butt dildo monkey reference, here's Cormack's response when presented with this link about it,
https://thepostmillennial.com/watch-man-buttless-rainbow-monkey-costume-literacy
https://twitter.com/David_Cormack/status/1415064584663101441
Gormless.
twitter algorithm making my job easier.
https://twitter.com/fem_mb/status/1631074151413735428
Thanks, weka.
I had unexpected visitors arrive who've just left, and returned to find several comments from you that outline salient discussion points on this topic.
It will be interesting to see the outcome of this case. May give some clarity on what few sex based rights and protections (if any) women still have.
https://thepostmillennial.com/tickle-v-giggle-trans-identified-roxanne-tickle-sues-founder-of-female-only-social-media-app-after-being-barred-from-platform-in-australia?utm_campaign=64470&fbclid=IwAR0ngWu3azHLE6pwGzUEw8IBtYEZnCELYhM0zzWwxR0SktuHkCTd-NW7B-4
"Rachael Wong, CEO of Women’s Forum Australia, believes this case is an opportunity to resolve the conflict between sex and gender protections in law, and will be the test to determine whether sex is still a "protected attribute" in Australia.
"If the laws that undermine sex-based rights are found to be unconstitutional or otherwise unlawful it could invalidate laws across the country providing protection for gender identity," Wong told the Daily Mail.
"As a result the sex-based protections for women and girls would be reinstated when it comes to their rights to female-only spaces, services, sports and so on. Any other case of a man trying to force himself into a female-only space would be seen as wildly inappropriate," she added."
I hope Rachael Wong is right, and it determines that sex is still a protected characteristic.
Yes so do I.
That's a demonstration of multiple poor decision making (organisers, drag performers, parents).
Ah, that glorious Venn diagram where the evangelical Taliban intersect with feminism.
They are both defending the same set of 'universals' (something about the immutability of biological sex) against what they see as relativist (or post modernist) erosions. But for quite different reasons of course – even though the rhetoric about protecting children can sometimes sound oddly similar.
feminists are well used to this. Activism against porn meant feminists were often on the same side as conservative/religious women. It's a tired old argument from trad lefties, that seeks to obscure feminist concerns by painting them as regressive.
The new version is that the only people objecting to drag are right wing US allied conservatives. Which neatly removes the obligation to address feminist concerns about the inherent sexism in drag, as well as the safeguarding concerns.
Needless to say, much of that argument has come from men, who have an obvious conflict of interest when it comes to porn.
Good points Weka.
These 'new' response/critiques are depressingly familiar to someone involved with Women's issues since the 1970s.
Couple that with the 'transwomen are real women' or 'let's fool our faces and let anyone who fancies it free access to womens safe spaces'
and letting genuine safe guarding issues be dismissed (from Weka)
'evangelical Taliban intersect with feminism'.
Reduction ad absurdum is a form of argument powerfully used against all sorts of rubbish. Just because someone does not share the view that the action being directed against is rubbish or harmful etc does not mean that the form of logical argument should not be used.
The Taliban snipe is particularly telling, given what's happening to women in Afghanistan. Sanctuary often brings intelligent political critique to TS, even stuff I disagree with. But the response here is reactionary and not well thought through. Always interesting to see the blind spots of smart people.
I don’t understand why men would have any more conflict of interest than women when it comes to porn
far more men than women use porn. There is an obvious sex class difference in power and abuse within porn, in who makes porn and how, as well as how women are portrayed and how this feeds back into society (eg compare the impact of porn on the understanding and experience of teen girls vs teen boys, it's the girls feeling pressured to give blow jobs or to let their boyfriend choke them or degrade them).
Women are more likely to act on safeguarding concerns of women and children politically. Men are more likely to resist or actively block safeguarding concerns.
#notallmen obviously.
Thanks for the explanation Weka
l really hope that you are wrong about men being less likely to act on safeguarding the concerns of women and children
I choose not to watch pornography or buy sex because it would break me if my children were to choose those occupations
Many men will act when it's women and children they know or know about. The politics is a different matter, I've had too many arguments with men who think porn is benign and won't address the issues of the industry having major problems. Left wing men too, who wouldn't argue such if it were about their areas of interest. Hence my point about conflict of interest.
Exactly (or god forbid be coerced into those occupations, which is a lot of women). I don't understand why this isn't the position of more men.
It would be interesting to compare responses if there was a "Minstrel Show" going around libraries etc doing performances by people dressed as a parody of African Americans. I have never yet seen a convincing arguement that says that "Womanface" is different from "Blackface" and should be acceptable.
you still haven't answered the question of whether it would be ok for strippers to run events for mums and babies and perform sexually.
And, it's all so unnecessary.
There would be zero issue with the performers 'dressing up' as fairies, mermaids, princesses, etc – in fact, the library staff (including male and gay staff) have been doing so for years, at story times and at events like Santa Parades.
The issue is with hyper-sexualized dressing and (potentially) performance – to a child audience.
Yep. All that has to happen in NZ is for drag queens and allies to front up and take the issues seriously. There's still going to be some push back from feminists about the stereotyping and ridiculing of women that happens in drag, but it's pretty easy to ensure that the sexualised stuff just never happens (and I don't mean drag performers issuing press statements that they are safe, I mean society looking at the issue and talking about what needs to be done in an open and adult way).
RNZ online doco of removal of anti-vax, anti-government protesters from Parliament Grounds a year ago.
YouTube RNZ doco Boiling Point
A much needed dose of logic and reality
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/120142/murray-grimwood-argues-its-time-some-serious-systems-thinking-making-sense
Unfortunately (as I am sure Mr Grimwood all too well recognises) it will be Cassandra revisited
One of the only reasons I bother coming back to the Standard, some great links.
thanks pat.
You're welcome…its good to know that someone views the links I post