Open mike 02/07/2023

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 2nd, 2023 - 87 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

87 comments on “Open mike 02/07/2023 ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Ad 1
    2 July 2023 at 9:05 am

    110,000 households or about the population of Wellington and Hutt valley dont have enough money to heat their homes,

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132437115/chilling-energy-hardship-data-puts-the-heat-back-on-power-companies

    and this is with the winter heating allowance.

    • weka 1.1
      2 July 2023 at 10:47 am

      yep. And in the colder parts of NZ, we have higher heating needs outside of winter and the winter energy payment only runs May – Sept. People with wood burners need to buy firewood in summer for it to be dry for winter. People with electric heating often have cold, snow and frosts outside of the WEP time.

      Labour have done well with things like WEP which are tax free and don't afaik affect the abatement via wages. But we actually need welfare reform alongside universal services. Time to nationalise power.

      • Shanreagh 1.1.1
        2 July 2023 at 11:54 am

        People with wood burners need to buy firewood in summer for it to be dry for winter.

        I am ringing WINZ on another matter this week and that was one of the points I was going to dicuss.

        I was going to suggest that it people be given the option of having it granted as a total in Feb say so we could buy firewood. In the olden days, I never got it, you could capitalise the Family Benefit to make up a lump sum to add to a home purchase.

        At the mmoment i am able to be one of the best wood scroungers around and am able to use a circular saw to cut and prepare it but sooner or later these options are not going to be available.

        I use the wood burner in preference to electricity as I am able to clearly identify the inputs/outputs plus it keeps the house warmer.

        I also have a view that keeping just one room warm while the rest of the house is an ice box is not good for health.

  2. weston 2
    2 July 2023 at 9:11 am

    This guys been around for a while normally talking about tools and their use this time its about windmills in his area and their demolition .When you look at the landscape its just corn and windmills an more of the same .



  3. Ed 3
    2 July 2023 at 9:40 am

    Jan Tinetti has just been absolutely embarassed by Jack Tame on Q and A.

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a

    Our education is in crisis and Labour have no answers.

    I am not saying National or Act are the solution – quite the opposite.

    The solution is to turn back to socialism and genuine state education, as opposed to the neoliberal tomorrow's education model.

    Sadly, I cannot see any party prepared to take New Zealand back from the plutocrats.

    • psych nurse 3.1
      2 July 2023 at 10:30 am

      It's only old farts who think Education is in crisis, just because you once went to school does not make you an expert. It's like saying that because you once did a valve grind on a Morris Oxford Series E your now an expert on modern Hybrid cars.

      • bwaghorn 3.1.1
        2 July 2023 at 11:10 am

        Mines doing really well at yr9, passing everything, free lunchs at our local college, bloody handy for a busy solo dad I tell ya.

        They appear to be taught in a far more ingaging manner to how I was back in the dark ages.

      • Corey 3.1.2
        2 July 2023 at 1:04 pm

        My little brother is 16 and going to a pretty good school.

        While he passed, More than half his class failed NCEA level one last year.

        The amount of illiteracy in his high school is staggering.

        Education is actually in grave trouble.

        A lot of this is due to the months/years a lot of young people missed in education due to the pandemic, though we still need to find a way to get the education they missed into them.

        There's also a massive problem with polytechnics, the merger failed, if something doesn't work we fix it, we don't block our ears and pretend it does.

        Eventually we're also going to have to something sort our universities, they continue to tumble down the international rankings.

        I actually think, all of parliament needs to come up with an education plan that works and stick to it long term.

        Right now everytime the govt changes our education sector sees massive reforms almost always based on the ideology of the govt of the day rather than results and it causes massive disruption to the system and costs tax payers loads of money.

        • Ed 3.1.2.1
          2 July 2023 at 2:00 pm

          Totally agree Corey.

        • ianmac 3.1.2.2
          2 July 2023 at 3:17 pm

          Corey: "something sort our universities, they continue to tumble down the international rankings."

          Not so. All 8 of our Universities had their grading upgraded.

        • Vivie 3.1.2.3
          2 July 2023 at 9:18 pm

          Corey: As your brother is aged 16, presumably he and his classmates started school 11 years ago i.e. in 2012. Their formative education years (the critical time to learn fluent reading and maths) were during the last National government.

          NZ's low literacy and numeracy levels, which are showing up in secondary school tests, are the result of problems building up over time. The problems would have been evident at primary school.

          It seems some teachers were/are unable to effectively teach children to gain reading skills, as described in the following linked article. The balanced literacy teaching method appears to be the major cause of NZ's literacy crisis. If children are unable to read properly, this will affect all areas of their learning.

          https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/463704/now-i-don-t-know-my-abc-report-exposes-crisis-in-literacy

        • Sabine 3.1.2.4
          3 July 2023 at 8:41 am

          While he passed, More than half his class failed NCEA level one last year.

          Well that almost 50% who passed, let's celebrate. The future don't need educated people.

    • miravox 3.2
      2 July 2023 at 2:09 pm

      Really? I thought she stated the changes to improve literacy and the education system very clearly. She didn't shy away from discussing the problems in the system either.

      i was impressed by the way she managed the interview.

      • Ed 3.2.1
        2 July 2023 at 2:52 pm

        Interesting how two people come away from watching an interview with such different points of view.

    • Sabine 3.3
      3 July 2023 at 8:48 am

      Jan Tinetti is an unlucky person. Education was / is fucked for a while now. I would like to point out that Jan inherited Education from the current PM when the previous PM resigned.

      Chris Hipkins is their name and they were Education Minister from 2017 – 2023.

      It was the PM in their role as Education Minister who has been fucking it up. The kids just pay the price, after all both Jan Tinetti – place holder and Chippy – ex minister for education got theirs when the going was good and they also got decent jobs.

      So i can totally understand why Jan Tinetty is clearly out of the know as they have no idea what they do, they are just a place holder.

      List of Education Ministers

      No.
      Name
      Term of Office
      47 Chris Hipkins 25 January 2023
      48 Jan Tinetti present
  4. Bearded Git 4
    2 July 2023 at 9:43 am

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300918717/labour-minister-kiri-allans-future-in-the-balance

    More speculation/making things up here from Vernon Small. He says:

    "What is unusual this time around is the public acknowledgement of problems – some on, some off the record"

    To my knowledge nobody that has revealed their identity to the public has come forward. It is all off the record.

    Small also says:

    "….and more detail to come – Hipkins has little option but to undertake some sort of inquiry."

    If a formal complaint is made, I'm sure there will be an enquiry. Until then Small is making things up and should know better.

    • Sanctuary 4.1
      2 July 2023 at 10:45 am

      Stuff keenly wants a scalp in reward for their investment in "getting" Kiri Allan.

      Speaking of stuff, their defeatist negativity is completely out of control at the moment. Did someone get Tracy Watkins car towed away for parking on some yellow lines or something?

      Two recent sample headlines:

      'The country is stuffed':

      I wish I'd moved to Australia sooner

      • Jilly Bee 4.1.1
        2 July 2023 at 11:42 am

        I read that article 'The Country is Stuffed'. I bet that tosser is also grizzling about the state of roads (potholes etc) or he just doesn't keep up with the news. Surely he must be aware of the immense damage the Cyclone and ongoing rain bearing fronts have been wrecking many parts of the roading network over the past 5 months – what/who does he think pays for remediation and new roads and bridges. Our household subscribes to the Sunday Star Times (after years of putting up with The Herald). These two outlets are madly competing for Nats Arselicker of the Year Award. Thank goodness their cartoonists – Sharon Murdoch and Emmerson do their bit for a bit of balance.

    • Shanreagh 4.2
      2 July 2023 at 11:32 am

      One of the key points from my point of view is that the reports, especially from the senior PS do not end with the comment or similar

      'I put the phone down and then shortly after it rang again and it was the Minister who said she wanted to apologise.'

      In fact the fact that it was not mentioned probably meant there was no apology or that the pattern repeated despite an apology.

      I am sure that if this had been part of the story it would have been stated and we would have a very different picture. From what I am reading apologies did not happen. I think this is part of the problem.

      While my stint with Ministers was trouble free I did have a very high, in the pecking order high Minister tear a strip off me once at a briefing. I reported it to my minister who said 'the only person who entitled to tear a strip off you is me and I am not about to start doing this'

      He tried to ring but could not and the reason was that the Minister was on their way down to apologise to me in person and to work with me to get the papers sorted, working against the clock. My minister was very surprised when he opened my office door a little while later (our doors were routinely left open) to find us both esconced in there.

      So when the niceties are observed there is a very different story to tell.

      I think whoever is going to investigate this, if it gets to this level, should see if an apology was made. If one was made then that is usually the end of the matter, unless berating becomes a pattern.

    • Psycho Milt 4.3
      2 July 2023 at 6:40 pm

      These wankers. "…undertake some sort of inquiry."

      An inquiry into what, exactly? There are no complaints to investigate. What specific events or claims would be the focus of this inquiry? These wazzocks seem to imagine govts should pay people to go on fishing expeditions for bad behaviour based on nothing more than gossip.

  5. tWiggle 5
    2 July 2023 at 10:07 am

    Musk gate-keeping at twitter, apparently to stop AI scraping for language model learning. But also, to use looks like you will have to join.

    • Sanctuary 5.1
      2 July 2023 at 10:24 am

      Elon Musk is a real idiot – his platform sells eyes, so he limits the eyes? It is just an excuse. But anyway, the site is increasingly moribund. It is like a party at 4am – the only people left are the drunk ranters in the kitchen and a few of the desperate chain smoking while they rack up the last of the cocaine in one of the bedrooms.

      The party people have long decamped to the clubs and the rest went home at midnight. The fun has left the house.

      Twitter haven't paid their AWS bill – Amazon said they'd start throttling their pipe back after June 30th if there was no payment. Musk's rump staff have been transferring away from AWS to where ever they can find, but he doesn't have the people.

      Twitter is going bankrupt fast.

  6. tWiggle 6
    2 July 2023 at 10:13 am

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/27/corporate-profits-driving-up-prices-ecb-president-christine-lagarde

    '…the IMF said: “Rising corporate profits account for almost half the increase in Europe’s inflation over the past two years as companies increased prices by more than spiking costs of imported energy.

    “Now that workers are pushing for pay rises to recoup lost purchasing power, companies may have to accept a smaller profit share if inflation is to remain on track to reach the European Central Bank’s 2% target in 2025.'

  7. Anne 7
    2 July 2023 at 11:02 am

    Sheesh!

    So the lunatic right are now trying to rewrite NZ history by creating history books full of mis and dis-information and sending them to unsuspecting schools.

    The usual story… the writers are not historians in any sense of the word but are claiming to be the experts.

    During the heyday of the CC deniers, we had the same problem. The so called denier experts had little to no professional qualifications on meteorology and/or climatology but still claimed to be the experts.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/300899633/racist-propaganda-the-undercover-campaign-to-infiltrate-school-libraries

    • Belladonna 7.1
      2 July 2023 at 11:33 am

      This is not new (I work in this industry, so get an insider's perspective).

      Since the advent of self-publishing – anyone can easily write and publish a book on any topic. Many are badly written with spelling and grammar errors. Some are blatant copyright infringements (illegally copying a work which is still under copyright – and changing the author and title; or simply copy the Wikipedia article on the topic). Some are slanted to support a 'niche' view of the topic (although these existed pre-self-publishing, too – didn't you know that NZ was discovered by the Spanish frown).

      Once a book is 'published' it's available in all of the online platforms from which public and school libraries source their material.

      Really, the main difference with this one – is that they are actually approaching schools directly – which probably means that their book 'looks' legit (reasonable publishing quality, historical photos, etc.). So, it would require someone to review it in depth to evaluate the quality. Which clearly this school librarian has, and the teachers did not.

      • Anne 7.1.1
        2 July 2023 at 12:13 pm

        That is interesting information.

        It looks like the review standards need to be changed in order to ensure these 'fake' books (because in a sense that is what they are) do not make it to the school shelves or any other sensitive public shelf.

        We have seen from the Covid years, the extraordinary amount of damage online false information can have on a society and there seems to be no pathway out of this conundrum. To be fair it is the extremities at both ends of the spectrum who are at fault here.

        Educating a whole generation to be able to differentiate between truth and falsehood is the only answer but that is going to take a few decades to achieve. What do we do in the meantime?

        • Belladonna 7.1.1.1
          2 July 2023 at 12:32 pm

          The burden of evaluation for quality, content and age-appropriateness – falls on the school librarians.

          Which means that the review process has to be repeated multiple times for each individual school – and requires a reasonable degree of knowledge, skill and experience in this evaluation. This is specifically covered in librarianship qualifications – but many schools are not willing to pay for this expertise (teachers have a completely different set of qualifications and expertise).

          Practically, doing anything about it at a school level would require significant infrastructural change. Something like the National Library Schools Service selecting on behalf of schools across the whole country. There are pros and cons to this level of centralization (that's a whole different debate). Or specific levels of minimum funding and professional staffing for school libraries.

          I honestly don't see any significant support for either option, in any political party – or as a ground swell across NZ.

          There is nothing in the way of a national review service which would filter this kind of material out of public or school libraries. The closest would be the Censor – and they only act to review titles, when specifically requested to (usually on the grounds of age-appropriateness). I'm sure many will remember the furore when the teen novel "Into the river" by Ted Dawe was age-restricted by the Censor (before the rating was reviewed, and removed, 2 years later)

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_River

          Quite frankly, I find the ability of many people to differentiate between truth and falsehood (at any age) is fairly limited. And the plethora of on-line sites supporting any possible interpretation of 'the facts' is well beyond controlling. I don't think that any amount of education is going to change people's desire to believe what fits comfortably with their world-view.

          The most effective strategy is for this kind of media coverage; complemented by the distribution network being alerted to supply online content warning labels. (something like: "Controversial content")

          Which is why it's particularly important that school library collections (both print and e-resources) are well-curated to ensure that they effectively support the curriculum. Schools, unfortunately, are much less enthusiastic about spending the money that this requires.

          • bwaghorn 7.1.1.1.1
            2 July 2023 at 12:49 pm

            "Which means that the review process has to be repeated multiple times for each individual school –

            Might be a good idea if all school books are vetted by ministry of education, a 1 stop shop .(that'll get the loons agitated)

            • Belladonna 7.1.1.1.1.1
              2 July 2023 at 12:56 pm

              TBH the MoE wouldn't have the expertise — if you want a centralized agency to do this, then the National Library Schools Service is a much better option. This is basically their bread and butter (i.e. they already have professional librarians selecting and purchasing books for bulk loans to schools).

  8. Phillip ure 8
    2 July 2023 at 12:26 pm

    The greens have released a decent housing policy package..

    Rental warrents..and so much more..

    I hafta say the greens haven't put a foot wrong in their policy releases to date..

    Especially when compared/contrasted with the incoherent drivel the tories have disrespected us with..

    Much of it reading like it was written on a napkin..at the tail end of a tory pissup..

    • bwaghorn 8.1
      2 July 2023 at 12:52 pm

      I think an Rental warrant is a no brainer, (rural workers houses to please) any other business that provides a structure or vehicle for financial gain has codes, (thinking restaurants,work sites , bus ,shipping)

      • tWiggle 8.1.1
        2 July 2023 at 6:08 pm

        Too much of this stuff is left for self-reporting, or to property managers, ie, often lies. Give healthy home registration to local bodies to administer, as well as doing airbnb licencing. Let councils clip the inspection fee ticket, like food service places. Currently there's really no easy way for councils to know how many short and longterm rentals on their patch.

  9. RP Mcmurphy 9
    2 July 2023 at 1:05 pm

    who saw the two ugly sisters mulch and lynch harassing Chippy on the teev in China about a nationals put up job that supposedly happened two years ago. This country is really on the wonk if this sort of stuff is allowed to go unchecked. Everybody write to TV1 and TV3 ad tell the what you think about this sort of egregious beahviour from two overfed nationals party operatives spreading their ordure all over the media

    • bwaghorn 9.1
      2 July 2023 at 1:19 pm

      Jenna Lynchs coverage from China was the most pathetic cringe inducing garbage I've witnessed in a while, just a grandstanding idiot,

    • adam 9.2
      2 July 2023 at 9:48 pm

      So TV 3 is in pure ratfucking mode.

      What a sad sorry state NZ journalism is in when the partner of political party operative, can produce low down cringe worthy propaganda on a national broadcaster.

      Time to strip tv3 of it’s license with this level of shitfuckery.

  10. Shanreagh 10
    2 July 2023 at 2:36 pm

    Transgender men are capable of bearing children because they are females.

    Just shows how far the wool has been pulled over unsuspecting or well intentioned eyes.

    Trans men are women ie they are women ie they carry the baby

    Trans women are men ie they impregnate the women who carry the baby

    For short and clarity I just call them men and women, dropping the trans.

    Of course if I was in the company of a person who identified as other than their sex I would be polite and use the names they wish me to use.

    But I am not particpating in the general snow job that is around at the moment.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  11. Darien Fenton 11
    2 July 2023 at 2:59 pm

    I thought about commenting, but decided I won't. It's not safe.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    • Anker 11.1
      2 July 2023 at 5:07 pm

      I am surprized you feel this way Darien "It's not safe". You who have been a firece advocate for lower wage earners, mostly women (and for that I admire and respect you). You must of had to confront the most disgusting psychopathic boses in you time and speak up for the workers you represent. Same for you time in parliament which is often described as a robust place.

      The Standard is a robust place too, but we do have moderators to step in when people are out of line. I cop a fair bit of flack on this site for my views. Well that's how it rolls. and I believe the old saying sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

      Of cause this "safe" issue is often pulled out by the trans rights activists i.e that things that people like KJK say make some people feel unsafe. But of course we all got to see who is really unsafe in Albert Park in March of this year. Turns out it wasn't the Rainbow crowd and their allies. It was a bunch of women, many older, lesbians who were kicked, pushed to the ground, punched in the face, hit with placcards, spat at and had tomato soup thrown over them. Many of them including a pregnant woman had to be rescued from the braying mob (an impartitial photographer who took pics at black lives matter and many other protests said it was the first time he had to put his camera away and assit people to safety during a protest. Oh and his camera was broken)

      • weka 11.1.1
        2 July 2023 at 6:39 pm

        The Standard hasn't been a good place for women ever as far as I'm concerned. Which is why we have had so many women authors and commenters leave. Safety has become even more of an issue with the gender/sex wars, which is why many of us use a pseudonym. Women have lost jobs, careers, social networks over this. Safety isn't just about freedom from immediate physical violence.

        • Sabine 11.1.1.1
          3 July 2023 at 3:07 pm

          And yet, there is no safety in not speaking ones mind.

          • weka 11.1.1.1.1
            3 July 2023 at 3:20 pm

            true. Different kinds of safety I think. It's easier for some people to use their RL names to speak than others. Some people's jobs and careers are at risk.

            • Sabine 11.1.1.1.1.1
              10 July 2023 at 10:23 am

              Even that is just pretend safety, everyone can be found out quite quickly online. In fact i would almost state now that using ones own name is safer as you can better defend yourself if someone makes silly threats. And i have gotten my fair share of silly 'we know where you live' threats. Usually the answer is 'come git me' 🙂 cause in the end if someone want to hurt you they will. And if they do come, i will eat their faces. Unseasoned.

    • Molly 11.2
      2 July 2023 at 5:40 pm

      Yet here you are.

      What is it you wanted to say? The only possibility to fear is disagreement.

    • Psycho Milt 11.3
      2 July 2023 at 6:29 pm

      The word "safe" is another one that seems to have lost all meaning.

      • Sabine 11.3.1
        3 July 2023 at 11:35 am

        Being challenged or being told NO is inherently unsafe for those who expect people to march in unison.

  12. Cinder 12
    2 July 2023 at 3:04 pm

    It flies in the face of observable scientific fact.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19155947/

    "Background: There are 11 reported cases of pregnancy in true hermaphrodites, but none with advanced genetic testing. All known fetuses have been male."

    Note that this is NOT a world wide study and is, as usual with medicine, focused on the Global north.

    These people exist, are defined as intersex by medical professionals, themselves and, perhaps most importantly, the GC crowd who would not view them as women.

    I posted this on The Standard last year and got a lot of absurd responses including being accused of trying to erase the word mother. So I won't be taking this any further other than to say "Facts don't care about your feelings".

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

    • weka 12.1
      2 July 2023 at 3:25 pm

      I can't find the full paper so it's hard to discuss what is happening there and how science meets politics. But, people with differences of sexual development are people with biological issues. That's completely different from gender identity.

      But let's say that the people in the paper are maybe ten times the number cited, so 110 people. Are you suggesting that the word mother should be used to include males, because of 110 people with a DSD condition? And if that is what you are suggesting, what is the word for female people that bear and raise children?

    • Sabine 12.2
      3 July 2023 at 8:56 am

      Background: There are 11 reported cases of pregnancy in true hermaphrodites, but none with advanced genetic testing. All known fetuses have been male.

      Case: A true hermaphrodite with a spontaneous pregnancy prenatally known to have a remaining portion of a right ovotestis, delivered a male neonate. The mother has a 46, XX karyotype with polymerase chain reaction demonstrating low levels of the Yq12 sequence. Postpartum androgen levels were normal.

      Conclusion: Partial removal of testicular tissue may enhance fertility in hermaphrodites, and there may be a genetic basis for the progeny to be male.

      from your link.

      46,XX DSD.

      A 46,XX karyotype in a newborn with ambiguous genitalia indicates that the child is a genetic female who was exposed to excessive amounts of androgens during fetal life.

      https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/karyotype-46-xx#:~:text=Steroid%20Disorders%2C%202014-,46%2CXX%20DSD,of%20androgens%20during%20fetal%20life.

      Women, females, have been birthing every human being since ever, and most certainly all the 8 billion + of people currently alive.

  13. Joe90 13
    2 July 2023 at 4:13 pm

    Charming. Russian state media celebrates a missile strike on a Ukrainian community that killed 12 civilians, including 14-year-old twin sisters.

    /

    Giorgi Revishvili

    @revishvilig

    "Listen, this strike on Kramatorsk is just chic! I take my hat off to whoever planned it and who carried it out. The song is simple! Just a song! My old military heart rejoices,” Russian General Andrei Kartapolov rejoices on Solovyov’s air.

    https://twitter.com/revishvilig/status/1674828349150052355

  14. weka 14
    2 July 2023 at 4:24 pm

    Can anyone give a two paragraph summary of what is happening in France right now? Did protestors really set a major library on fire?

    • joe90 14.1
      2 July 2023 at 5:30 pm

      The haves are labeling the have nots vermin and savage hordes, rioting and looting has spread as far as Brussels, rail curfews are in place, rail links to Geneva have been cut, 45k head-crackers have been deployed, >1500 arrests have been made and Macron's trip to Germany has been postponed.

      But the Tour de France will go ahead so I guess all's well.

      /

    • Belladonna 14.2
      2 July 2023 at 6:02 pm

      Reportedly, yes (and the videos seem to show the building on fire)

      Largest public library in Marseille – even though the youth killed was from Paris.

      https://organiser.org/2023/06/30/181438/world/riots-erupted-in-france-amidst-chants-of-allah-hu-akbar-after-police-shot-a-teen-with-a-criminal-record/

      • Policeman shot a teen, driving a high-end car, who failed to stop at a police check, in Nanterre (northwest suburb of Paris, poor area, with a high Muslim population)
      • Policeman has been charged with 'voluntary homicide' (and stood down)
      • Teen had a fairly extensive criminal record (though this is unlikely to have been apparent to the policeman at the time of the incident) – not only police obstruction, but drug offences (so not just being a teen idiot, but actual criminal offences).
      • Family of the teen have not claimed the attack was racially motivated (as far as I know)
      • There has been ongoing simmering tension between French police (who are not at all touchy-feely) and disaffected youths in the housing projects. Long history of youth unemployment, poor quality education, etc. in poor areas in France.
      • Anti-racisim, leftist and radical Muslim groups have claimed it's a racial crime, and encouraged protests and rioting in Paris, which has now spread to towns across France. This is a well-honed tactic in France – so doesn't have the same impact that it would have in NZ, for example.
      • adam 14.2.1
        2 July 2023 at 10:17 pm

        Reading your post was usual anti left bullshit I've come to expect from you, the artcle you posted was even worse.

        Have you seen the video? Your facts are off right from the start, he drove off after being stopped, it was then that they shot him in the back. In the BACK, how fucking brave of the cops. Then they lied about it, if not for the video, this would have been swept under the carpet.

        Killing a kid, a teenager, a fucking child.

        As for the so called crimes, drugs are a health issue and he was never involved in any violent crime. Being charged with ignoring police is like obstruction here, common as fuck and hardly ever held up in court.

        Your and Psycho Milt's casual racism is so common of many on this site now, it's fucking sickening.

    • Psycho Milt 14.3
      2 July 2023 at 6:50 pm

      Apparently they smashed the library's windows and shot fireworks inside, but the fire didn't take hold and the library still stands: https://newsinfrance.com/the-alcazar-library-in-marseille-victim-of-an-attempted-fire/.

      That said, we're talking here about adherents of a totalitarian religious ideology who'll cheerfully shout "God is great!" while burning down a library or chopping your head off with a machete, so the fact the library didn't burn down is nothing to thank them for.

  15. Shanreagh 15
    2 July 2023 at 4:42 pm

    "Background: There are 11 reported cases of pregnancy in true hermaphrodites, but none with advanced genetic testing. All known fetuses have been male."

    I guess the point is for me that we are not talking here about true hermaphrodites but members of the trans community. It is known that there are hermaphrodite and intersex but I am not sure about the linking of these people to the trans debate.

    Seems a little like trying to say that giraffes are linked to zebras because they live on southern African grasslands. Well they do but………?

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  16. Visubversa 16
    2 July 2023 at 5:33 pm

    I am more than happy to accept an arguement that all trans identified people require a diagnosis of a Difference of Sex Development. Easy to do with a chromosome test. Otherwise, you have to accept that these extremely rare medical conditions have nothing to do with gender identity at all.

    [TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]

  17. Hunter Thompson II 17
    2 July 2023 at 6:08 pm

    "He [Simon Power] is effusive about the high-quality journalism being produced by TVNZ, and the Herald." (NZ Herald, 1 July 2023, p C3)

    Not everyone would agree with Simon Power's view.

  18. tWiggle 18
    2 July 2023 at 6:13 pm

    'Power held the roles of Minister of Justice, Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Deputy Leader of the House. He was appointed CEO of TVNZ in 2021 [from Wiki] (and just left a few days ago).

    Bet Labour regret his appointment. And it explains why One news has become useless, as viewed at their website recently. Posting Aussie crime news is 20% of the content there now.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 27

    Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    48 mins ago
  • Ticket To Anywhere

    You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 hour ago
  • Stories of varying weight

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 hours ago
  • Balancing External Security and the Economy

    New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    19 hours ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: The unravelling of the offsets

    The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    23 hours ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    21 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    23 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-07-27T01:14:38+00:00