(Note: a women's safe space excludes men, but you have made no comment on that so I assume that exclusion is OK to you.)
One of the difficulties that has occurred recently on many forums, including TS is a shouting down of concerns being raised around legislation changes.
Instead of being able to identify and address these concerns and resolve them to the benefit of all, women are being told to be quiet and stop being bigots. The discussions are not taking place.
Within a space where a good proportion are women, and thankfully some who have a considerable amount of knowledge and experience with historical and current women's rights issues, conversations can get into detail and possible resolutions faster.
Globally, there has been considerable bombardment against feminists lately (which isn't new) but the level of threats and the violence of them from what I believe to be a very small number ofver active Transactivists has made public discussion really difficult, if not impossible.
Like you I would like a society where this space is not needed. But I don't think we are there yet.
Yes to the increase of aggro/violence against feminists, and yes to women being able to get more done when we have our own space.
I see women's space as something incredibly positive and it will always be needed, even after the end of patriarchy. Women can do things when they get together on their own that they can't do with men in the room. That's not even about men, it's about the fact that women's culture is a positive force in human society (men's culture is too, and I hope that trans culture gets the chance to be once the war is over).
I can also see a huge potential for collaboration between women and trans women once women are allowed their own politics again. It goes without saying that trans women should have their own politics too.
Your post completely deliberately excluded others.
Are you arguing that some exclusion is ok and some isn't? Or do you think that women shouldn't have any space free of men? Should trans people be allowed to have their own spaces separate from cis people? Should TS exclude trolls? Should or shouldn't we have any boundaries on what gets said here? Who gets to decide?
There's nothing wrong with exclusion or boundaries. They're necessary for civil society. The bit you quoted in the Policy is about how people engage with other commenters here eg creating a hostile environment for specific groups of people. The personal attacks bit would be ad hominems or direct abuse. Both will get called out here. We've been doing this a long time and there is a reason why TS balances robust debate with not being a complete shit show that most people can't stand.
I think I probably would argue that some exclusion is ok and some isn't, but in this case I wasn't. I was arguing that calling it a "Women's Space" and then excluding some women is wrong. If you had called a a "Cis-Woman's Space" or a "Genetically Female Space" or something similar I would have less (but maybe not no) problem with it.
To your question, though, I am troubled by some men's only spaces – like the traditional men's clubs – as I think they reinforce existing power structures but I am comfortable with, and have argued for, women's spaces. Similar but not the same while I'd be comfortable with a Māori or Pasifika space I would look askance a White New Zealander's one.
I have also been uncomfortable with women's spaces when they are intended as a space for mothers with small children for activities other than breastfeeding, and no space is provided for men with small children. It bothers me in the same way that finding the changing table in a women's toilet rather than a unisex one bothers me; it reinforces an unhealthy gender norm.
Perhaps part of my view is that, except for specific purposes, it's disadvantaged or less powerful or safe groups that are the ones that need the safe spaces created for them. Maybe that's why the creation of a Cis-women's Space would bother me a little, I totally get that we need that space away from male gaze, but I'd wonder who was advocating or creating a space for our non-cis friends.
I think I probably would argue that some exclusion is ok and some isn't, but in this case I wasn't. I was arguing that calling it a "Women's Space" and then excluding some women is wrong. If you had called a a "Cis-Woman's Space" or a "Genetically Female Space" or something similar I would have less (but maybe not no) problem with it.
I could call it the bio-female space, but the problem there is that a) it would still piss of a bunch of gender activist people and b) I value language and I'm not going to bend it to that degree.
Many people still consider 'woman' to mean female. So what you are asking is that feminists stop using the word in the way that many people use it for the sake of trans women. Given we can instead use words with more than one meaning, I'm not sure how it's a problem to use 'woman' other than for the people who insist that everyone believe TWAL(literal)W.
One of the reasons why TWALW is a problem is that trans now has such a broad definition that we are including cross dressing men, including part timers, in the definition. I also see people saying NB males should be allowed into women's space. We're at the point when any man can say they are a woman, and that the definition of woman is anyone who says they are.
To your question, though, I am troubled by some men's only spaces – like the traditional men's clubs – as I think they reinforce existing power structures but I am comfortable with, and have argued for, women's spaces. Similar but not the same while I'd be comfortable with a Māori or Pasifika space I would look askance a White New Zealander's one.
I've been thinking about this too and agree with the general idea here that power is a factor. The push to get men to open up men's spaces wasn't because men's space is wrong, it was because men were using those spaces to organise patriarchy and that needed to stop. I'm ok with men's sheds, or even men's clubs theoretically if the old boys network thing could be resolved. As I said in the original post, I support groups of people to have their own spaces as they need to.
Agree also about White NZer, but that's because of the association with racism. Would it be ok to have clubs based on ethnicity though?
I have also been uncomfortable with women's spaces when they are intended as a space for mothers with small children for activities other than breastfeeding, and no space is provided for men with small children. It bothers me in the same way that finding the changing table in a women's toilet rather than a unisex one bothers me; it reinforces an unhealthy gender norm.
True, but I see the solution to that is to put the changing table in men's and women's rest rooms, rather than creating gender neutral ones and not having the changing table in women's space. Women still do most of the care giving of young children, for a range of complex reasons not solely related to regressive gender roles.
Perhaps part of my view is that, except for specific purposes, it's disadvantaged or less powerful or safe groups that are the ones that need the safe spaces created for them. Maybe that's why the creation of a Cis-women's Space would bother me a little, I totally get that we need that space away from male gaze, but I'd wonder who was advocating or creating a space for our non-cis friends.
It's not only about safe space though. I consider women's culture to be a thing in and of itself, a positive phenomena irrespective of men. This is one of the core reasons for me for supporting female only space. Trans women change that, as do men.
I don't believe it's wrong to acknowledge the differences between trans women and women.
I will completely support trans women having their own spaces. What bothers me is that the men arguing that women should let trans women and other GNC males into our spaces aren't actually supporting trans women to have their own space. Just like they didn't with women, we had to make our spaces, grass roots up. This makes me mistrust left wing men on this at this time. I don't see a great solidarity with women or trans women, although I do see an empathy with trans women.
I also see a great potential for women and trans women to work together and share spaces in many situations. I guess the main difference between you and I is that I see TW as an allied group that faces discrimination and oppression alongside women, rather than seeing women as higher up on a hierarchy and being oppressors of trans women.
So for example I can see Rape Crisis being an organisation for women that collaborates with organisations set up for TW (or trans people generally, because where are TM going for support?). So much potential there including setting up rape survivor support that is culturally appropriate for trans people. This is what should have happened in the Vancouver Rape Relief case originally. So much wasted time, energy, resource and potential.
Men will be men, and men will be women, and women are to shut up and put up.
This is not the first time in the life and existance of women where women are explicitly are not asked for consent but simply be ordered to submit, silently, as complaining may very well become a 'criminal act'.
We have always only ever been a 'subset' in the category of humans.
As someone else said, Women have NEVER been given rights by men, they had to fight for them every single time. Men have however taken rights from women, if they have not totally denied them. As for the NOT all men, have a look at the many countries on this planet, and yes all men. There is no difference between 'begnign misogyny and outright misogyny. Sugar coating it is not changing it.
there's a lot of hypocrisy in that social dynamic. Trans people are allowed to self ID into sovereignty, women aren't. What's wrong with having a female only space? It doesn't in and of itself harm trans women. And where there is a conflict of rights or needs, women will generally meet other people half way when there is a fair deal on the table.
"Deal"? "Table"? Has there been a hypothetical armistice in the metaphorical war, that has not been announced to the general public; Weka?
What then would be in; such a deal, on such a table, at such a place. and time, that people might be discussing specific issues rather than generalities?
There was some upthread discussion about the cis prefix between Molly and Sabine, is that problematic now? Do you use NonTrans Women (you had a Stock interview in a while back – though don't know if she used her catchphrase in that), or what? Trans and Cis seem as natural antonyms to me as; Super and Sub, or; antonym and synonym.
Also unsure whether you GCFs (if that's still the TLA? Have to distinguish you from GC Fascists like the Proud Boys, and GC Fundamentalists too) are representative of even those women in Aotearoa you would call women (let alone those I would). Surely Collins' press secretary (or whatever O'Brien is) could get her to put a bill in the biscuit barrel? Though she didn't much for women when she was Justice minister – if GCF's had a golden chance to exclude trans people from public spaces (after the retraction of Beyer's 2004 private member bill in light of supreme court ruling of 2006), that was it.
Women have been given a category to rename themselves 'ciswomen' in order to then accommodate the 'Transwomen are Women' movement. Conflating the most widely understood meaning of women as a biological sex class, with gender identity.
The phrase "Transwomen are Transwomen", can also be validated as social class without misunderstandings arising from previous and current etymology of the words woman and/or women.
What the discussion is about is how changes are imposed without reflection or regard to the already existing members of the biological sex group of women. Unless there was a consultative process with half the people on the planet and I just missed it?
It would be really good if you could instead address some of the concerns, instead of cherry picking parts of comments, and not following through.
In my admittedly succinct posting on two sentences that reflect current gender ideology, I did forget to include Lesbians are Women and some bisexuals and polyamorists are Women. I don't know whether the current gender orthodoxy has renamed them, or they have been given a rebrand of their own. Perhaps not.
I do know that lesbians who affirm their attraction simply to those of the same biological sex are being held up for public outrage as being transphobic. Given that the same criteria could be used for opposite sex attraction, and same sex attraction for gay men that's a pretty broad criteria. It makes all those with a sexual attraction to a specific biological sex – transphobes. And yet, the criticism is once again more often attached to lesbians. Why? (Could it be that they are regarded as women denying biological men the sexual rights to their body as if they possess autonomy? Surely not.)
This blatant disregard for other classes or categories of people, attached to a legitimate request for dignity and human rights is what is at the core of the disquiet.
Note: Once again attributing different meanings to words might lie at the problem of understanding that the Gender Critical Feminists movement, probably holds vastly different views to the Proud Boys. I don’t even know what their gender ideology is, (you might wish to expand) but misogyny seems to lie at the heart of their movement. Don’t conflate two separate groups without identifying how they are similar, its lazy rhetoric.
Apologies for the error in conflating sex with gender as Anita pointed out on another thread. in the leadup to the persecution of some lesbians who reierate their same sex attraction, I did not take care.
That implies cis women are only heteronormative, rather than biological sex and gender identity matched. I apologise for the error, and will take greater care. Thanks, Anita for pointing it out.
Is there an actual question or even point in that comment or is it rhetoric?
I'm still on the fence as to whether I'm a GCF, because I disagree with the fundamental premise that gender should be abolished.
You can think I am a fascist, but if you start calling me one on TS you'd better have a bloody good argument to make or I'll be getting into moderation mode. Throwing out a bunch of questions ain't it.
The reason that GC discourse in NZ is represented by SUFW and Ani is because No Debate has shut down the full range of women's voices on the issues. If we end up with a reactionary, right wing backlash on trans people and other GNC people, that's on liberals not feminists. This is exactly what happens when you ostracise, ridicule and marginalise people who would otherwise be allies. We already knew this before, so it's beyond me to understand the GA tactics here.
Collins has nothing to do with other than she will use whatever she can for her own ends. Again, this isn't on GCFs.
Gender Critical Feminism remains largely left wing and progressive. People trying to tie it to the right either don't know what GCF is, or they're being disingenous.
The takeaway from the Stock post was to know your enemy's position so you can argue against it meaningfully instead of going round in circles taking cheap pot shots.
My point was more that the GCF initialisation is being creatively misinterpreted in a variety of (offsite) memes, with the Proud Boys being pretty unequivocally; a fascist gender critical group (rather than anyone on this site). But if it is not currently regarded as an insult on TS, I will continue to use it. The degree of opposition to "Cis" just seemed to have got more intense of late, and I wondered if there was preferred jargon now.
Could you please, simply, define what you believe Gender Critical Feminism means to you; Weka? Because I haven't been reading the posts from which I am excluded from commenting, and so might have missed it if you have done so in your Women's Spaces.
I would use the phrase wilfully misinterpreted rather than creatively.
And once again, you fail to outline what the Proud Boys stance is, so I don't know if you are accurate or not in your accusations. As you seem to be au fait with their beliefs enough to label them fascists – not that I disagree on that point- you should be able to give a brief synopsis so that we can assess your comparison.
My point was more that the GCF initialisation is being creatively misinterpreted in a variety of (offsite) memes, with the Proud Boys being pretty unequivocally; a fascist gender critical group (rather than anyone on this site).
I don't know what you are saying there. Are you saying that the PBs are using the term GCF negatively? Or are you saying that the PBs are GC? Do you understand that GC covers the whole political spectrum and is different from GCF?
Could you please, simply, define what you believe Gender Critical Feminism means to you; Weka?
Here's how I understand it, bearing in mind I'm not an academic or widely read in terms of academic texts. What I know comes mostly from following GCFs online and from my own long feminism and understanding of second wave feminism.
GCF is a branch of feminism, closely tied to radical feminism. It is distinct from liberal or choice feminism, which tends to fight for rights within neoliberalism. GCF wants to end the whole patriarchal system and has a particular focus on the ways in which the patriarchal system uses gender roles and stereotyping to control women.
There's an aspect to that the ties in with standard leftist thinking about class analysis. In this case, women are a class based on biological sex, not gender identity or gender roles, and as such are oppressed by the dominating system that uses women's reproductive and other labour for the benefit of the system without due regard for women themselves.
GCFs are usually left wing/progressive, although some have abandoned traditional politics and will form alliances with whoever they can to meet their own political ends.
Seems to me that there are a lot of GC women who are probably not GCF philosophically but support GCF's fight on these particular issues (women's space, right to language, concern about over-medicalisation of children and teens, concern about pressures on lesbians to transition or not be homosexual etc).
Most of the GCFs I know are in the UK, Australia or NZ. The US is a different kete of ika, really fundamentally a different scene and set of politics.
In addition to that there are many GC people who cover a wide range of views nothing to do with feminism. eg there's a bloke in the UK taking a university to court for dumping him for GC views on biological sex (biological sex is immutable) and the need to safeguard child services when dealing with gender dysphoric kids.
Edited to add: GCF doesn’t have a problem with trans people. It’s rejection of gender stereotyping says people should be free to express themselves how they want. As with any movement, there’s degrees of prejudice of all kinds including transphobia, but the principles are not in and of themselves anti-trans. The problem is where there is a conflict of rights. Many GCFs want trans people to live good lives and would happily support that were it not for the push to remove women’s rights. The issue is with gender activists.
Not "Feminists", another "F". Hence the apparently somewhat flippant remark about TLAs that was probably borne from frustration.
But apparently it was so much more than that? Damned if I can see it, but then I still can't figure out how "conflict" and "opposition" aren't basically synonymous when talking about the rights and interests of different groups.
Don't know what you are talking about here. Gender critical is a term applied to a wide range of beliefs around gender.
GCF is branch of feminism that includes specific gender critical beliefs. Nothing to do with the PBs other than both movements have ideas about gender.
I also wish someone would say plainly what they think the connection is.
Damned if I can see it, but then I still can't figure out how "conflict" and "opposition" aren't basically synonymous when talking about the rights and interests of different groups.
I lost track of that convo the other day. It's pretty simple. GCF takes issue with aspects of gender activism where it impacts on women's rights. It doesn't take a fundamental opposition to the politics of trans people or trans people themselves.
GCFs, being left wing, are otherwise on the side of progressive politics for trans people. Compared to say religious fundamentalists who believe that being trans is wrong and are opposed to them and their politics generally.
GCF takes issue with aspects of gender activism where it impacts on women's rights. It doesn't take a fundamental opposition to the politics of trans people or trans people themselves.
If there's no conflict where those aspects impact on women's rights, there is nothing to take issue with. An impact might be "oh look, someone is in our space who wasn't before".
If the following sentence is "I'm cool with that", there is no conflict and nothing to take issue with.
If the following sentence is "this makes me uncomfortable and is should not be allowed", then there is a conflict, no?
As for GCF vs PB, from the outside one lot excluding trans people because they don't count as "biological men" seems to be the opposite side of the same coin as the another lot excluding trans people because they're not "biological women".
I'm sure you can go into a massive discussion about one versus the other. All I'm saying is that from the outside, it looks like the same thing, and I suspect that was FN's point, too. Not that it appeared to be the substantial part of their comment, but that seems to be how these things go on this issue.
The All Blacks only admit biological men. Do you equate them with the Proud Boys for that?
Don't be so lazy and reactionary.
Forget Now wrote of the alignment with Gender Critical Beliefs. I would like them to pay the same courtesy that weka has given to them, and articulate what they consider those alignments to be.
Forget Now using TLA because they are frustrated to be asked to clarify, when they have asked for clarity and been provided with it many times without reciprocation. How ironic that they are credited with the excuse of frustration.
This bullshit is why there's no "deal" ever going to be on a metaphorical table.
So the All Blacks exclude trans men. Meh. I'll take your word for it. If it's because NZR are philosophically opposed to including transmen in the group "men", then yeah, it's just as fucked up in that aspect as other examples of arbitrary exclusion.
If it's just because NZR have some genuine safety or accessibility concerns, then that deserves discussion and attempts at inclusion by people who know shit about rugby.
If you can't see the similarity between groups excluding transpeople on the basis of "biological sex" at birth as the sole delineator, I think Forget Now has had just as productive an approach as anyone else could manage.
Thing is McFlock, there still has been no details from Forget Now apart from lazy equivalence. That you admire their approach is obvious, you have the same bad faith discussion going on yourself.
"If its just because NZR have some genuine safety, or accessibility concerns, then that deserves discussion…"
Discussion being the telling word.
People = not only women – are being shut down from discussion regarding any concerns they may have. Your comment regarding discussion around the All Blacks discussion strikes me as somewhat hypocritical as you continue to deny any physiological differences between biological men and women, and how this confers benefit in sports competition. You keep shutting that discussion down, without even looking at links or data patiently and repeatedly supplied to you.
As for specific groups. Negative impacts on biological women might occur because of badly written legislation that quite rightly seeks to provide dignity and protection for the trans community. Any attempt to discuss this or other matters in an open forum is bayed down, usually by men who have both no understanding or skin in the game.
I would have no concern with a transwoman only forum regarding their concerns, because I have nothing to bring to that table, other than allowing them that space to share their lived experiences and views.
If we end up with a reactionary, right wing backlash on trans people and other GNC people, that's on liberals not feminists.
Liberals and their cheap shots eh. Will be interesting to see just how many "reactionary, right wing" NZers there are, act least regarding the 'issue' of trans women. Trans men seem relatively safe, for now.
Is there more that unites 'us' than divides us? I hope so.
“Ties that bind”
The continued conflation of sex, sexuality and gender Few in the humanities and social sciences will doubt the long-standing historical conflation of sex, sexuality and gender both within and without academia. Despite research and socio-political movements aiming for the contrary, it continues even now. This paper discusses the ongoing conflation between these interrelated but independent social categories in current linguistic research, including how it can serve to reflect and reinforce socio-political antagonism outside of academia. I propose two potential directions of travel: (1) welcoming ideological pluralism between scholars on the primacy of either sex, gender or sexuality; and (2) horizontally disaggregating the three categories. I argue that engaging with both strategies in tandem serves to benefit researchers, participants and the public. The former encourages trust in academic research during a time wherein that trust is waning. The latter enables an analytical distinction between sex, gender, and sexuality in linguistic research, whilst continuing to acknowledge their interrelatedness. Implemented together, they will allow researchers to embed research in the 21st century, which entails pluralistic and competing socio-political activism between equally deserving groups.
From what I understand of the third link, Simone de Beauvoir actually recommends that best practice to protect all groups would be to record all three datum points:
Biological sex, gender identity and sexuality.
In which case, I agree. All research and data for medical purposes and otherwise would have a clarity and depth to their data that would allow the most appropriate conclusions and recommendations to be drawn.
Simone de Beauvoir is talking about multiple disciplines of linguistics. Essentially just knowing which field an academic is starting from so the words they use can be interpreted in context.
However I don't think GA academics will be going along with disaggregation because they see their purpose as 'challenging' to begin with.
I don't think three categories does much good, 2 of the 3 are usually irrelevant depending on the context. Other than biological sex two are often just ill-defined. If gender means anything its an interpretation of how society interacts with somebodies projection of their biological sex. Usually we collect personal information rather than information about how somebody wants society to see them. Also most individuals are not that fussed about how they are perceived. Also that categorisation by gender may be simplistically based on two biological sex categories, but those fundamental categories still inform that societal categorisation. Discarding that foundation of gender just makes nonsense of gender as a more sophisticated concept.
They relate to public perceptions of transgender NZers, political (mainly Labour/Green) party policies on rainbow community issues prior to the 2020 general election, and the increasingly acrimonious discussion/debate/divide/war between mainstream feminism and transactivism in the UK/Aussie (that's the last 4 of 7 links).
The title of Lexi Webster's paper, "Ties that bind", particularly thought-provoking, given some of the meanings of 'bind', e.g. to unify (bind together), and to restrain ("To exert a binding or restraining influence.")
I'd hoped that there is more that unites 'us' than divides us. That's a theme running through the last 3 links (trying to chart a path to 'win-win' from a no-win situation), but maybe my hopes were misplaced and we’re in a bit of a bind. If only there was a progressive way out.
There was some upthread discussion about the cis prefix between Molly and Sabine, is that problematic now? Do you use NonTrans Women (you had a Stock interview in a while back – though don't know if she used her catchphrase in that), or what? Trans and Cis seem as natural antonyms to me as; Super and Sub, or; antonym and synonym.
So I take it there is no objection to the phrase cis men who are men born men biologically, live as men and whose birth certificate records them as male?
Cis women is the most meaningless ugly word to describe a bio woman that I have read to date. It was foisted on us as part of the trans debate. The sound is like a snake and I have no desire to sound like a snake.
There was some upthread discussion about the cis prefix between Molly and Sabine, is that problematic now? Do you use NonTrans Women
…
or what? Trans and Cis seem as natural antonyms to me as; Super and Sub, or; antonym and synonym.
Good for you. What I don't get is how you can support trans sovereignty around language but deny it to women. If a woman doesn't want to be referred to as cis, how is that different from a trans woman not wanting to be referred to as he?
I use woman and trans woman, man and trans man. Most people know exactly what I mean when I say that.
I use woman and trans woman, man and trans man. Most people know exactly what I mean when I say that.
Perhaps in defence of cis I could see it in a highly specialised and technical piece of research work teasing out say health differences across women…..eg such as we do with longevity across races, where we drill down to longevity in Maori etc.
We are whom we are. Men, Women, children, Transwomen Transmen, Gender queer, Non binary etc. This labeling of people and putting them into neat boxes is going to be the dumbest thing someone ever thought up.
Good on ASB for developing this, since obviously the govt isn't going to. Still, the mind boggles…30K? That's a shitload of people from one bank – 1.8% of total customer base.
The bank’s research showed 39 per cent of customers were living from one pay day to the next, and another 18 per cent of customers were spending more than 80 per cent of their income every month.
Support Finder is available to all customers in the ASB Mobile app.
“While customers experiencing personal or financial setbacks right now may benefit the most, it is still valuable for any Kiwi to know what financial support may be available to them.”
Support Finder currently includes 12 government financial assistance options from the Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue, with plans to add more in the coming months. ASB will also be training its staff to help identify customers that may be eligible for these benefits.
Well I am glad they are doing this, for they need the training, after staff and management failed to act on a power of attorney until the ombudsman ruled.
The identities of the senior Comanchero and Waikato Mongrel Mob gang members alleged to be running the New Zealand branch of an international drug smuggling syndicate can now be revealed.
Junior Heart and Josef Armani Heart, both 32, were arrested in June as part of the so-called "sting of the century". Operation Trojan Shield, a global investigation led by the FBI and the Australian Federal Police, led to hundreds of arrests around the world.
Name suppression lapsed yesterday for the two men, who each face more than 100 charges including importing and distributing methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA.
well its all good a little drug cooking and distributing, so as long as the gang members don't get themselves addicted and then need government paid for rehab. Lol.
Renters in the Bay of Plenty are ''too scared to move'' and staying put with others still holed up in motels or sleeping on couches – as the rental crisis deepens.
New figures show median rents have gone up $2860 in two years to $29,900 a year in Tauranga while in Rotorua it has jumped by $4680 to $25,480 a year over the same timeframes.
the rest of this rental article is a bit of a whinge fest for the poor put upon landlords, but it nevertheless shows the madness that has become our rental market.
NZ Politics. some making out like the bandits they are, while many others are warehoused out of sight out of mind.
This Labour govt has consistently imposed increased costs on rental businesses and then – despite being told that the profit margins are much lower than you think – you wonder why the price goes up.
The reality is that modern housing in NZ is not cheap and there are a lot of reasons feeding into this. But for ages the bottom end of the rental market, those older houses in the last 20% or so of their economic life, were always a kind of safety valve. If you had no other choices there was always a cheap and not necessarily very cheerful rental that would put a roof over your head. Well that option has pretty much gone now – and no-one has thought what to replace it with.
The reality is that anything built more than 40 – 50 yrs ago (and a fair whack of newer houses) probably falls short of current standards and expectations – from the day they were built. They lacked intelligent sun orientation, thermal mass, ventilation, moisture control and insulation. Double glazing was rare and little consideration given the the climate zone. And I could add to this list of deficiencies in many directions. Heterodox voices have been speaking to them for decades but were largely ignored.
Now we have a country with a large fraction of it's housing stock not really fit for the purpose we want it to serve now. And most of our cities are either land-locked or if they expand it would be onto otherwise valuable agricultural space.
Plus fundamentally NZ is one of those relatively successful nations that people want to live in if they get the chance. Also household size keeps dropping for a variety of often unhappy reasons – resulting in a persistent demand constantly puts pressure on our housing stock.
Honestly I think we need to stop thinking there is a single magic solution that everyone will agree on. The problem is complex and has taken generations to get to this stage – and the solutions aren't going to emerge from people yelling at each other.
Personally I'd suggest three broad principles :
The state needs to put considerably more energy into building and supporting the standards and skill base in the industry. (BRANZ for instance is absurdly under-powered for the task it faces).
The cost of both land development and building in NZ are absurdly high. This entire sector needs a re-think. And the way we fund housing (and yes the way we've come to over-rely on it as an investment vehicle) all need reshaping over time.
We lack the variety of home occupancy models that are common overseas. At present we only have three options, and one of them – social housing – is limited in supply. These haven't changed in generations, yet the society we live in and our housing needs have changed dramatically.
Most other aspects of the our housing crisis derive from these three broad starting points. Everyone knows the problem – time to start advocating for actual solutions.
Nearly 30,000 New Zealanders are caught in delays for hospital treatment and Covid-19 recovery plans to get services back on track are lagging in some regions.
The recovery plans were sent to the Ministry of Health last summer and estimated how quickly delays for planned care, including elective procedures, could be reduced.
Progress has been slower than anticipated for some services, the ministry confirmed to the Herald, but it wouldn't provide details about which services, in what areas.
Nearly 30,000 New Zealanders are caught in delays for hospital treatment…
I'm one of them. Been waiting nearly 18 months. Due to have the operation on the day the nurses are currently planning to go on strike. If it happens you will forgive me for not seeing them in a very good light.
RobbieWgtn @ 4.1
It has always been standard practice that NZ will assist the UN when a serious problem occurs in the Pacific region. The same practice applies to many other first world countries when UN problems arise in their region of responsibility. Helen Clark was merely the messenger.
Your snarky response suggest stupid and ignorance.
Like a lot of industries, the response to Covid has put a spanner in the works. This is exacerbated by a full ED, looking to transfer patients to the wards in a full hospital. This leads to surgical appointments being delayed, further pushing times out.
I have empathy for your plight, not knowing when a needed procedure will occur.
It is pretty short sighted to blame nurses for your 18 month wait and possible postponement of your procedure. Rather, they are your allies with their industrial action. Wanting safe staffing levels is something we can all support regardless of our political hue.
From where I sit, any opprobrium should be aimed at local Hospital Governance and Board level or at the Ministry itself for their penny-pinching, neo-liberal ways.
Sorry gsays, I have much respect for your contributions here but I don't agree with you on this one.
I see the DHB's are going to take the nurses to court. That might be a good thing. If, as I suspect, a relatively small group of politically motivated firebrands are placing pressure on the nurses then maybe such a case will expose who they are.
And let me say again, thanks a million nurses. How many thousands of people like me who have been living in discomfort (in my case daily anti inflammatory and pain killing tablets to allow me to move about) have had their ops and recuperation plans left in disarray?
It is hard to watch someone in discomfort. I have just spent a week with a buddy who had a hip replacement 2 yrs ago and is now overdue the other to be operated on. Hobbling and groaning…
I can assure you, to the best of my knowledge, the firebrands putting pressure on the majority is not the case. I was quite surprised and impressed when the offer was not ratified.
There are, as you probably know, a lot of migrant workers in the workforce. One of the comments during the last strike was about how scary it was to be going on strike. If that were to happen in India, they would be black-listed and not be able to work for the state again. For the nurses to not ratify and go ahead with with-drawing their labour speaks to how much of a gutsful they have had.
Also, this proposed court action is hardly in keeping with good faith bargaining. I can't help but feel if Coleman or Ryall tried this sort of dirt we would be hearing about it.
I value your knowledge on the subject gsays and don't doubt anything you say.
My take is: that all sectors of society are under enormous strain due to Covid… teachers, nurses, farmers, retail companies, orchardists, council workers, shop assistants, cleaners, drivers, public servants (bless their cotton socks 😈 – yeah I was one once) tinkers, tailors and candlestick makers etc.
The nurses are already among the better paid and over and above they have been offered a salary rise of $13.000 per annum. That is big time in the scheme of things. Sure, I think I understand their concerns re-the DHBs. They have become self-serving fiefdoms (and a few have shown they are not up to the job) whose promises are to be viewed with apprehension. But given the government's intention to do away with the 'fiefdoms' and replace them with a handful of more centrally operated health entities who will be under much stricter guidance, that should help to eliminate the fears of the health sector hierarchy reneging on those promises.
Nah… there's actual anger around staffing and promises havent been kept re staffing levels.
Freind of mine has been assaulted in ED twice this year. Big issue is that nearly every damn shift she does isnt adequatly staffed and she finds herself alone dealing with intoxicated and uncooperative indvidiuals.
Sorry mate if you miss out, but then i missed out on three appointments last year, leading to my 'medical need' scheduled in August to finally happen in June. Each time was 'time off' for me and the partner to drive me about all drugged up, and all cancelled at the beep of the telephone. And all that to some 'lockdowns' in Auckland. And that has happened for so many people that literally who cares. I mean the Ministry does not even care to elaborate and who, why, when, where.
But really who do these Nurses think they are? Don't they know that they are to be at service at demand at the price offered. Who do they think they are.
Your last paragraph touches on something that has been at the back of my mind. Pay parity is part of these negotiations.
I realise the gender self ID/what is a woman issue is occupying time and energies currently. Getting behind the nurses and their pay parity would be a great unifying prize to achieve for women.
Now that the occupying ("caretaker") HRPP government has finally conceded, FAST are living up to their name in their speed of getting stuff done – or undone in this case:
Samoa's new prime minister has opted not to proceed with a China-backed port development project championed by her predecessor.
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said the $US100 million ($NZ139m) project would have significantly added to the country's exposure to China which already accounts for 40 percent of its external debt…
The Vaiusu Bay port project was one of the early items on the FAST government's agenda. According to Fiame, the project would increase debt exposure to China by 70 percent.
She said government officials confirmed last week the project had not gone beyond feasability testing and that it exceeded Samoa's requirement.
It's been a year for Fiame! On top of the Pandemic (that everyone has had to deal with), she has gone from – in August last year; " Samoa's first woman minister and deputy prime minister", to abandoning the party of her father (Samoa's first PM) over the then-PM's power-grab attempt to change the constitution to; "alter the power of the land and titles court", in the context of an influx of China cash. Joining (and eventually leading) in September 2020 {parentheses mine}:
Several MPs {who} had already quit the party over the bills, including the former speaker of Parliament La'auli Leauatea Polataivao, who has since formed his own political party.
That party, the Fa'atuatua i Le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST), has since consolidated with two other opposition parties to form one of the most significant {and ultimately successful} challenges to the HRPP in decades.
This Labour government should listen to advice especially when it comes from one of their own who is probably more experienced than the whole front bench.
Totals for week ending last night: a quarter million jabs, averaging 36k a day (based on it being a full week rather than partial as flagged in the data).
And as yet no update on the backup plan should the vaccines fail for any reason (ADE, side effect as yet unknown but too risky, found to facilitate mutation due to the absense of sterilized immunity..), Too many eggs in the vaccine basket.
We need to be focusing on getting out population as healthy as possible. Since obeasity the worst risk factor, followed closely by fear disorders NZ should be encouraging people in those catagories to lose weight and seek treatment asap to reduce the risk of hospitilastion and death. It would have the wonderful side effect of lowering the cost of weight related disorders in our health system. Now is the time!
Re getting our population as healthy as possible, the health reforms announced recently included a stronger focus on Public Health. I hope that tackling NZs obesity problem will be a major focus.
Vaccine failure should be anticipated. Right now the public has an expectation that this is the right solution and the only concern is getting the vaccine hesitant over the line. smh.
Mate, I don't know of any immunologists or public health professionals who believe that the vaccines are guaranteed to be a magic 100% accurate bullet against all current and future variants of covid. It would be great, but if that doesn't happen it's not "vaccine failure".
Worst realistic case scenario, it ends up like influenza with a new jab every year, and even the occasional lockdown. Because having a needle doesn't mean throwing out the rest of the epidemic response playbook.
Shake your head all you want, but even vaccines needing booster shots or new batches will still be more efficacious than getting everyone to a healthy BMI.
But keep hawking your vaccine-futilism (and whatever other quackery is common amongst the chicken-littles this month).
Demand for the third booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was high across the country, Israel’s health maintenance organizations reported on Sunday, the first official day of the rollout for people over 60.
Still, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged healthcare providers to administer the shot — available to all those over 60 who received their second dose more than five months ago — even faster.
“The situation is good, but we have to pick up the pace,” Bennett told the heads of Maccabi, Meuhedet, Leumit, and Clalit on Sunday evening. “Our daily rate needs to be five times what it is now…. Our goal is to vaccinate everyone by the end of the month. It’s ambitious, but it’s possible.”
Have to wonder when we reach the point where the world decides to 'globalize' the covid vaccines for public good. Price gouging and profiteering during a crisis effecting humanity…
Pfizer raised the price of its Covid-19 vaccine by more than a quarter and Moderna by more than a tenth in the latest EU supply contracts
Pfizer last week raised its guidance for annual vaccine revenue by nearly a third to $33.5bn, after sales of the shot helped almost double sales in the second quarter.
I have just heard on the 2pm news that DHB's plan to take the NZNO to court because they will not guarantee appropriate staffing levels during the planned strike.
What chutzpah!
What incredible gall. Safe staffing levels is at the heart of negotiations now.
Not what I would call bargaining with integrity and this sort of tactic is beneath Minister Little. No link as yet, will put it up when I see it.
Triple the irony, as the management at our local hospital have proposed a unit to handle any overflow when things get busy. When asked, 'By whom would this unit be staffed?', the sound of crickets after a long awkward silence…
Time to break out the unicorn fart powered rainbow generator.
Initially there were 21 DHBs, and this was reduced to the current 20 organisations in 2010. DHBs receive public funding from the Ministry of Health on behalf of the Crown, based on a formula which takes into account the total number, age, socio-economic status and ethnic mix of their population.
Do you think Little's behind or supportive of the DHBs' claim? Would it be more likely the DHBs are off on one and that he'll tell them to pull their heads in?
If it is seen as an operational decision on the part of the DHBs then the minister cannot get involved. The Urewera police raid was an operational decision which meant the police minister of the day, Annette King could not get involved.
I originally thought a court case might be a good idea – get the truth out into the open – but that is way too simplistic.
Ministers are often involved in major Public Service pay negotiations and related settlements. They are the ones who control the purse strings. But if a public entity or group of entities choose to take a specific course of action outside of formal negotiation procedures, then I don't think the minister can interfere.
I don't know whether this court action by the DHBs falls into that category or not.
The Minister may not be able to 'interfere' but as said I dont see the DHBs taking this to court without the Ministers approval ….he will have been appraised before the event and I'd suggest if he was strongly opposed it wouldnt be happening.
If you turn out to be right then I imagine his attitude is:
Let the employment court decide. I've got too many other things to do. Personally I think Little is overloaded. He's very intelligent, reliable and efficient but there are only so many hours in the day.
Tax Lawyer Barbara Edmonds vs Emperor Justinian I- Nolo Contendere: False historical explanations of pivotal events are very far from being inconsequential.WHEN BARBARA EDMONDS made reference to the Roman Empire, my ears pricked up. It is, lamentably, very rare to hear a politician admit to any kind of familiarity ...
It’s been a tumultuous time in politics in recent months, as the new National-led Government has driven through its “First 100 Day programme”. During this period there’s been a handful of opinion polls, which overall just show a minimal amount of flux in public support for the various parties in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Housing Minister Chris Bishop delivered news – packed with the ingredients to enflame political passions – worthy of supplanting Winston Peters in headline writers’ priorities. He popped up at the post-Cabinet press conference to promise a crackdown on unruly and antisocial state housing tenants. His ...
Ele Ludemann writes – The Reserve Bank is advertising for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisor. The Bank has one mandate – to keep inflation between one and three percent. It has failed in that and is only slowly getting inflation back down to the upper limit. Will it ...
Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency Waka KotahiThe fact that a ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Last week former National Party leader Simon Bridges was appointed by the Government as the new chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). You can read about the appointment in Thomas Coughlan’s article, Simon Bridges to become chair of NZ Transport Agency ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: Gavin Jacobson talks to Thomas Piketty 10 years on from Capital in the 21st CenturyThe SalvoLocal scoop: Green MP’s business being investigated over migrant exploitation claims StuffSteve KilgallonLocal deep-dive: The commercial contractors making money from School ...
It’s a home - but Kāinga Ora tenants accused of “abusing the privilege” may lose it. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The Government announced a crackdown on Kāinga Ora tenants who were unruly and/or behind on their rent, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop saying a place in a state ...
This is a guest post by Connor Sharp of Surface Light Rail Light rail in Auckland: A way forward sooner than you think With the coup de grâce of Auckland Light Rail (ALR) earlier this year, and the shift of the government’s priorities to roads, roads, and more roads, it ...
Note: As a paid-up Webworm member, I’ve recorded this Webworm as a mini-podcast for you as well. Some of you said you liked this option - so I aim to provide it when I get a chance to record! Read more ...
TL;DR: In my ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.06pm on Monday, March 18:IKEA is accused of planting big forests in New Zealand to green-wash; REDD-MonitorA City for People takes a well-deserved victory lap over Wellington’s pro-YIMBY District Plan votes; A City for PeopleSteven Anastasiou takes a close look at the sticky ...
Buzz from the Beehive Here’s hoping for a lively post-cabinet press conference when the PM and – perhaps – some of his ministers tell us what was discussed at their meeting today. Until then, Point of Order has precious little Beehive news to report after its latest monitoring of the ...
David Farrar writes – We now have almost all 2023 data in, which has allowed me to update my annual table of how labour went against its promises. This is basically their final report card. The promiseThe result Build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 ...
I’m a bit worried that I’ve started a previous newsletter with the words “just when you think they couldn’t get any worse…” Seems lately that I could begin pretty much every issue with that opening. Such is the nature of our coalition government that they seem to be outdoing each ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. ...
Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture ...
Last week Transport Minster Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre. The new train control centre will see teams from KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail working more closely together to improve train services across the city. The Auckland Rail Operations Centre in ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson said in an exit interview with Q+A yesterday the Government can and should sustain more debt to invest in infrastructure for future generations. Elsewhere in the news in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 6:36am: Read more ...
Timing is everything. And from China’s perspective, this week’s visit by its foreign minister to New Zealand could be coming at just the right moment. The visit by Wang Yi to Wellington will be his first since 2017. Anniversaries are important to Beijing. It is more than just a happy ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to March 18 include:China’s Foreign Minister visiting Wellington today;A post-cabinet news conference this afternoon; the resumption of Parliament on Tuesday for two weeks before Easter;retiring former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson gives his valedictory speech in Parliament; ...
New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters’s state-of-the-nation speech on Sunday was really a state-of-Winston-First speech. He barely mentioned any of the Government’s key policies and could not even wholly endorse its signature income tax cuts. Instead, he rehearsed all of his complaints about the Ardern Government, including an extraordinary claim ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 10, 2024 thru Sat, March 16, 2024. Story of the week This week we'll give you a little glimpse into how we collect links to share and ...
“I’ve been internalising a really complicated situation in my head.”When they kept telling us we should wait until we get to know him, were they taking the piss? Was it a case of, if you think this is bad, wait till you get to know the real Christopher, after the ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
Happy fourth anniversary, Pandemic That Upended Bloody Everything. I have been observing it by enjoying my second bout of COVID. It’s 5.30 on Sunday morning and only now are lights turning back on for me.Allow me to copy and paste what I told reader Sara yesterday:Depleted, fogged and crappy. Resting, ...
.“$10 and a target that bleeds” - Bleeding Targets for Under $10!.Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.This government appears hell-bent on either scrapping life-saving legislation or reintroducing things that - frustrated critics insist - will be dangerous and likely ...
“It hardly strikes me as fair to criticise a government for doing exactly what it said it was going to do. For actually keeping its promises.”THUNDER WAS PLAYING TAG with lightning flashes amongst the distant peaks. Its rolling cadences interrupted by the here-I-come-here-I-go Doppler effect of the occasional passing car. ...
Subversive & Disruptive Technologies: Just as happened with that other great regulator of the masses, the Medieval Church, the advent of a new and hard-to-control technology – the Internet – is weakening the ties that bind. Then, and now, those who enjoy a monopoly on the dissemination of lies, cannot and will ...
Been Here Before: To find the precedents for what this Coalition Government is proposing, it is necessary to return to the “glory days” of Muldoonism.THE COALITION GOVERNMENT has celebrated its first 100 days in office by checking-off the last of its listed commitments. It remains, however, an angry government. It ...
Bob Edlin writes – And what is the world watching today…? The email newsletter from Associated Press which landed in our mailbox early this morning advised: In the news today: The father of a school shooter has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors in Trump’s hush-money case ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is another Green MP on their way out? And are the Greens severely tarnished by another integrity scandal? For the second time in three months, the Green Party has secretly suspended an MP over integrity issues. Mystery is surrounding the party’s decision to ...
For the last few years, the Green Party has been the party that has managed to avoid the plague of multiple scandals that have beleaguered other political parties. It appears that their luck has run out with a second scandal which, unfortunately for them, coincided with Golraz Ghahraman, the focus ...
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, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The thing about life’s little victories is that they can be followed by a defeat.Reader Darryl told me on Monday night:Test again Dave. My “head cold” last week became COVID within 24 hours, and is still with me. I hear the new variants take a bit longer to show up ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Angus Deaton on rethinking his economics IMFLocal scoop: The people behind Tamarind, the firm that left a $500m cleanup bill for taxpayers at Taranaki’s Tui oil well, are back operating in Taranaki under a different company name. Jonathan ...
Normally when we talk about accessing public transport it’s about improving how easy it is to get to, such as how easy is it to cross roads in a station/stop’s walking catchment, is it possible to cycle to safely, do bus connections work, or even if are there new routes/connections ...
Politicians are not renowned for telling the truth. Some tell us things that are verifiably not true. They offer statements that omit critical pieces of information. Gloss over risks, preferring to offer the best case scenario.Some not truths are quite small, others amusing in their transparency. There are those repeated ...
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. ...
Today marks a tragic milestone for New Zealanders as the Coalition Government side with big tobacco to repeal the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins and Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
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 ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
Opinion: In a move that has shocked road safety advocates across the country, the new Minister of Transport, Simeon Brown, is poised to abandon the previous government’s speed limit reduction policy, particularly around schools. Even more alarmingly, he wants school speed limits to be variable rather than full-time, arguing ...
Auckland Council is opposing a fast-track development backed by Sir John Kirwan and Spark NZ, because it doesn’t meet stringent new climate adaptation requirements The post Surf-data centre faces new 3.8C climate warming rules appeared first on Newsroom. ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Tuesday 19 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The letters, which were published last week, were addressed to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri, National Democrat Party (NasDem) Chairperson Surya Paloh, National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) President Ahmad Syaikhu and United Development Party (PPP) Chairperson Muhammad Mardiono. In ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Evicting more people from state housing is ignorant to the consequences of poverty, the Greens say, but the Housing Minister says it's a privilege that can be taken away if abused. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emerald L King, Lecturer in Humanities, University of Tasmania IMDB Between Netflix’s 2023 live-action version of One Piece, and its latest take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans are once again asking: why are live-action anime adaptations so tricky to ...
The government says it still intends to deliver tax cuts by July, but will not lock them in until they have got them past their coalition partners. ...
Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has hosted members of the Green Party Caucus at Tuurangawaewae Marae in Ngaaruawahia. The audience follows the King’s Hui-aa-Motu on 20 January, where more than 10,000 people gathered to discuss national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dr Rachael Potter, Research Associate and Lecturer in Work and Organisational Psychology, University of South Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Pregnant women and workers with children are often unfairly treated by their bosses and colleagues, despite laws to protect against workplace discrimination ...
Reacting to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s refusal to rule out introducing new taxes at the budget, Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns Manager, Connor Molloy, said: “Today’s refusal to rule out new taxes suggests the Government is nothing more ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne Aila Images/Shutterstock Aged-care workers will receive a significant pay increase after the Fair Work Commission ruled they ...
He’s bringing ‘Sophie’ back, yeah. Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’ music video is one of the most instantly recognisable New Zealand music videos of all time. Featuring a woman listening to the song on headphones while her entire house is burgled behind her, the video won the New Zealand music award for Best ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University A year ago, the AUKUS agreement was formally announced between Australian and UK Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden. The agreement mapped out the “optimal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Helwig, Associate Professor, Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern Queensland SmartS/Shutterstock Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carrie Leonetti, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Victims who experience family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand are treated differently, depending on which part of the justice system they turn to for help. But a new member’s bill ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Tesch, Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies, Australian National University In perhaps the least surprising news of the year, Vladimir Putin has triumphed at the Russian ballot box and been enthroned for the fifth time as president. He ...
The Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has stopped a byelection for the Madang Open seat being held until an appeal filed by former MP Bryan Kramer is concluded. Kramer had appealed to the Supreme Court over a National Court decision not to review his application of the Leadership Tribunal decision ...
By Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Despite a “historic” ceasefire agreement in Papua New Guinea between Enga authorities and tribal leaders after months of bitter warfare, a young woman has been found brutally killed near Kaekin village, Wapenamanda. Despite the peace agreement and signing concluded in Port Moresby last Thursday ...
The second season of Ryan Murphy’s Feud is a sadder and slower entry into his canon of true story-telling, leaning heavily on a verdict about the cost of a single work of art. Hollywood heavyweight Ryan Murphy has had a bit of “ick” about him in the last few years. ...
Are you deeply passionate about sharing Māori stories? We’re on the hunt for an experienced writer/editor to lead coverage in our Ātea section.Ātea is a deeply valued section of The Spinoff site, offering Māori perspectives and insights across politics, current affairs and culture. We are thrilled to be looking ...
By Aisha Azeemah in Suva With the lights on one of his sneakers blinking as he ran through the gallery, a little boy looked up at several works of art. One of them was a sculpture of his grandfather: the man who changed how we see the Pacific — Epeli ...
WHAT: Uber drivers are holding a rally outside the Court of Appeal in Wellington tomorrow, as the company begins its appeal against 2022’s Employment Court verdict (in a case taken jointly by FIRST Union and E tū) that four drivers were permanent ...
When did The Standard become a space for bigotry and intolerance?
It's offensive to see one person's attempt to define who is an adequate woman in her view given this kind of prominence and status.
[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.]
Please read the Policy and About so you know how things work here.
It was entirely relevant to the post it was made in.
In a post about a women's space you chose to limit commenters to the subset of women you consider to be adequate. I called you on that.
For what it's worth, the site rules state in the second paragraph
Your post completely deliberately excluded others.
(Note: a women's safe space excludes men, but you have made no comment on that so I assume that exclusion is OK to you.)
One of the difficulties that has occurred recently on many forums, including TS is a shouting down of concerns being raised around legislation changes.
Instead of being able to identify and address these concerns and resolve them to the benefit of all, women are being told to be quiet and stop being bigots. The discussions are not taking place.
Within a space where a good proportion are women, and thankfully some who have a considerable amount of knowledge and experience with historical and current women's rights issues, conversations can get into detail and possible resolutions faster.
Globally, there has been considerable bombardment against feminists lately (which isn't new) but the level of threats and the violence of them from what I believe to be a very small number ofver active Transactivists has made public discussion really difficult, if not impossible.
Like you I would like a society where this space is not needed. But I don't think we are there yet.
Yes to the increase of aggro/violence against feminists, and yes to women being able to get more done when we have our own space.
I see women's space as something incredibly positive and it will always be needed, even after the end of patriarchy. Women can do things when they get together on their own that they can't do with men in the room. That's not even about men, it's about the fact that women's culture is a positive force in human society (men's culture is too, and I hope that trans culture gets the chance to be once the war is over).
I can also see a huge potential for collaboration between women and trans women once women are allowed their own politics again. It goes without saying that trans women should have their own politics too.
as an example, women getting together and supporting each other in giving birth is something women have always done and always will.
"
Like you I would like a society where this space is not needed. But I don't think we are there yet."
Admittedly, in my head I added, "… and I don't think we ever will."
😁💜
♀♀♀
Sorry for the duplicate. Can't delete on phone.
Grateful if the moderator wishes to.
Are you arguing that some exclusion is ok and some isn't? Or do you think that women shouldn't have any space free of men? Should trans people be allowed to have their own spaces separate from cis people? Should TS exclude trolls? Should or shouldn't we have any boundaries on what gets said here? Who gets to decide?
There's nothing wrong with exclusion or boundaries. They're necessary for civil society. The bit you quoted in the Policy is about how people engage with other commenters here eg creating a hostile environment for specific groups of people. The personal attacks bit would be ad hominems or direct abuse. Both will get called out here. We've been doing this a long time and there is a reason why TS balances robust debate with not being a complete shit show that most people can't stand.
I think I probably would argue that some exclusion is ok and some isn't, but in this case I wasn't. I was arguing that calling it a "Women's Space" and then excluding some women is wrong. If you had called a a "Cis-Woman's Space" or a "Genetically Female Space" or something similar I would have less (but maybe not no) problem with it.
To your question, though, I am troubled by some men's only spaces – like the traditional men's clubs – as I think they reinforce existing power structures but I am comfortable with, and have argued for, women's spaces. Similar but not the same while I'd be comfortable with a Māori or Pasifika space I would look askance a White New Zealander's one.
I have also been uncomfortable with women's spaces when they are intended as a space for mothers with small children for activities other than breastfeeding, and no space is provided for men with small children. It bothers me in the same way that finding the changing table in a women's toilet rather than a unisex one bothers me; it reinforces an unhealthy gender norm.
Perhaps part of my view is that, except for specific purposes, it's disadvantaged or less powerful or safe groups that are the ones that need the safe spaces created for them. Maybe that's why the creation of a Cis-women's Space would bother me a little, I totally get that we need that space away from male gaze, but I'd wonder who was advocating or creating a space for our non-cis friends.
I could call it the bio-female space, but the problem there is that a) it would still piss of a bunch of gender activist people and b) I value language and I'm not going to bend it to that degree.
Many people still consider 'woman' to mean female. So what you are asking is that feminists stop using the word in the way that many people use it for the sake of trans women. Given we can instead use words with more than one meaning, I'm not sure how it's a problem to use 'woman' other than for the people who insist that everyone believe TWAL(literal)W.
One of the reasons why TWALW is a problem is that trans now has such a broad definition that we are including cross dressing men, including part timers, in the definition. I also see people saying NB males should be allowed into women's space. We're at the point when any man can say they are a woman, and that the definition of woman is anyone who says they are.
I've been thinking about this too and agree with the general idea here that power is a factor. The push to get men to open up men's spaces wasn't because men's space is wrong, it was because men were using those spaces to organise patriarchy and that needed to stop. I'm ok with men's sheds, or even men's clubs theoretically if the old boys network thing could be resolved. As I said in the original post, I support groups of people to have their own spaces as they need to.
Agree also about White NZer, but that's because of the association with racism. Would it be ok to have clubs based on ethnicity though?
True, but I see the solution to that is to put the changing table in men's and women's rest rooms, rather than creating gender neutral ones and not having the changing table in women's space. Women still do most of the care giving of young children, for a range of complex reasons not solely related to regressive gender roles.
It's not only about safe space though. I consider women's culture to be a thing in and of itself, a positive phenomena irrespective of men. This is one of the core reasons for me for supporting female only space. Trans women change that, as do men.
I don't believe it's wrong to acknowledge the differences between trans women and women.
I will completely support trans women having their own spaces. What bothers me is that the men arguing that women should let trans women and other GNC males into our spaces aren't actually supporting trans women to have their own space. Just like they didn't with women, we had to make our spaces, grass roots up. This makes me mistrust left wing men on this at this time. I don't see a great solidarity with women or trans women, although I do see an empathy with trans women.
I also see a great potential for women and trans women to work together and share spaces in many situations. I guess the main difference between you and I is that I see TW as an allied group that faces discrimination and oppression alongside women, rather than seeing women as higher up on a hierarchy and being oppressors of trans women.
So for example I can see Rape Crisis being an organisation for women that collaborates with organisations set up for TW (or trans people generally, because where are TM going for support?). So much potential there including setting up rape survivor support that is culturally appropriate for trans people. This is what should have happened in the Vancouver Rape Relief case originally. So much wasted time, energy, resource and potential.
…subset of women….
And that just about sums up the whole shebang, doesn't it?
We, biological women, are now a subset of the category "woman".
Men will be men, and men will be women, and women are to shut up and put up.
This is not the first time in the life and existance of women where women are explicitly are not asked for consent but simply be ordered to submit, silently, as complaining may very well become a 'criminal act'.
We have always only ever been a 'subset' in the category of humans.
As someone else said, Women have NEVER been given rights by men, they had to fight for them every single time. Men have however taken rights from women, if they have not totally denied them. As for the NOT all men, have a look at the many countries on this planet, and yes all men. There is no difference between 'begnign misogyny and outright misogyny. Sugar coating it is not changing it.
"…and yes all men. There is no difference between 'begnign misogyny and outright misogyny".
And no difference between benign misandry & outright misandry. But not all women, thankfully my wives still appreciate me…
But are you sure?
Sometimes it seems we are not even that:
"Women are ciswomen. Transwomen are women. "
We've bumped out of our own space to another created not by us, but for us.
I reject that label, and no one better call me that.
If we all can self identify then these people need to accept that. OR else, I am a cis women, and transwomen are men who present as women. Simple as.
I also reject it. I was recording my disbelief rather than validation.
"Women are ciswomen. Transwomen are women. "
That's what I was getting at. Gone beyond 'creep'.
I think I heard the sound of a gauntlet hitting the ground.
there's a lot of hypocrisy in that social dynamic. Trans people are allowed to self ID into sovereignty, women aren't. What's wrong with having a female only space? It doesn't in and of itself harm trans women. And where there is a conflict of rights or needs, women will generally meet other people half way when there is a fair deal on the table.
"Deal"? "Table"? Has there been a hypothetical armistice in the metaphorical war, that has not been announced to the general public; Weka?
What then would be in; such a deal, on such a table, at such a place. and time, that people might be discussing specific issues rather than generalities?
There was some upthread discussion about the cis prefix between Molly and Sabine, is that problematic now? Do you use NonTrans Women (you had a Stock interview in a while back – though don't know if she used her catchphrase in that), or what? Trans and Cis seem as natural antonyms to me as; Super and Sub, or; antonym and synonym.
Also unsure whether you GCFs (if that's still the TLA? Have to distinguish you from GC Fascists like the Proud Boys, and GC Fundamentalists too) are representative of even those women in Aotearoa you would call women (let alone those I would). Surely Collins' press secretary (or whatever O'Brien is) could get her to put a bill in the biscuit barrel? Though she didn't much for women when she was Justice minister – if GCF's had a golden chance to exclude trans people from public spaces (after the retraction of Beyer's 2004 private member bill in light of supreme court ruling of 2006), that was it.
Women have been given a category to rename themselves 'ciswomen' in order to then accommodate the 'Transwomen are Women' movement. Conflating the most widely understood meaning of women as a biological sex class, with gender identity.
The phrase "Transwomen are Transwomen", can also be validated as social class without misunderstandings arising from previous and current etymology of the words woman and/or women.
What the discussion is about is how changes are imposed without reflection or regard to the already existing members of the biological sex group of women. Unless there was a consultative process with half the people on the planet and I just missed it?
It would be really good if you could instead address some of the concerns, instead of cherry picking parts of comments, and not following through.
In my admittedly succinct posting on two sentences that reflect current gender ideology, I did forget to include Lesbians are Women and some bisexuals and polyamorists are Women. I don't know whether the current gender orthodoxy has renamed them, or they have been given a rebrand of their own. Perhaps not.
I do know that lesbians who affirm their attraction simply to those of the same biological sex are being held up for public outrage as being transphobic. Given that the same criteria could be used for opposite sex attraction, and same sex attraction for gay men that's a pretty broad criteria. It makes all those with a sexual attraction to a specific biological sex – transphobes. And yet, the criticism is once again more often attached to lesbians. Why? (Could it be that they are regarded as women denying biological men the sexual rights to their body as if they possess autonomy? Surely not.)
This blatant disregard for other classes or categories of people, attached to a legitimate request for dignity and human rights is what is at the core of the disquiet.
Note: Once again attributing different meanings to words might lie at the problem of understanding that the Gender Critical Feminists movement, probably holds vastly different views to the Proud Boys. I don’t even know what their gender ideology is, (you might wish to expand) but misogyny seems to lie at the heart of their movement. Don’t conflate two separate groups without identifying how they are similar, its lazy rhetoric.
Apologies for the error in conflating sex with gender as Anita pointed out on another thread. in the leadup to the persecution of some lesbians who reierate their same sex attraction, I did not take care.
That implies cis women are only heteronormative, rather than biological sex and gender identity matched. I apologise for the error, and will take greater care. Thanks, Anita for pointing it out.
Is there an actual question or even point in that comment or is it rhetoric?
I'm still on the fence as to whether I'm a GCF, because I disagree with the fundamental premise that gender should be abolished.
You can think I am a fascist, but if you start calling me one on TS you'd better have a bloody good argument to make or I'll be getting into moderation mode. Throwing out a bunch of questions ain't it.
The reason that GC discourse in NZ is represented by SUFW and Ani is because No Debate has shut down the full range of women's voices on the issues. If we end up with a reactionary, right wing backlash on trans people and other GNC people, that's on liberals not feminists. This is exactly what happens when you ostracise, ridicule and marginalise people who would otherwise be allies. We already knew this before, so it's beyond me to understand the GA tactics here.
Collins has nothing to do with other than she will use whatever she can for her own ends. Again, this isn't on GCFs.
Gender Critical Feminism remains largely left wing and progressive. People trying to tie it to the right either don't know what GCF is, or they're being disingenous.
The takeaway from the Stock post was to know your enemy's position so you can argue against it meaningfully instead of going round in circles taking cheap pot shots.
My point was more that the GCF initialisation is being creatively misinterpreted in a variety of (offsite) memes, with the Proud Boys being pretty unequivocally; a fascist gender critical group (rather than anyone on this site). But if it is not currently regarded as an insult on TS, I will continue to use it. The degree of opposition to "Cis" just seemed to have got more intense of late, and I wondered if there was preferred jargon now.
Could you please, simply, define what you believe Gender Critical Feminism means to you; Weka? Because I haven't been reading the posts from which I am excluded from commenting, and so might have missed it if you have done so in your Women's Spaces.
I would use the phrase wilfully misinterpreted rather than creatively.
And once again, you fail to outline what the Proud Boys stance is, so I don't know if you are accurate or not in your accusations. As you seem to be au fait with their beliefs enough to label them fascists – not that I disagree on that point- you should be able to give a brief synopsis so that we can assess your comparison.
Not familiar with the proud boys?
Your day just got worse. They suck.
I don't know what you are saying there. Are you saying that the PBs are using the term GCF negatively? Or are you saying that the PBs are GC? Do you understand that GC covers the whole political spectrum and is different from GCF?
Here's how I understand it, bearing in mind I'm not an academic or widely read in terms of academic texts. What I know comes mostly from following GCFs online and from my own long feminism and understanding of second wave feminism.
GCF is a branch of feminism, closely tied to radical feminism. It is distinct from liberal or choice feminism, which tends to fight for rights within neoliberalism. GCF wants to end the whole patriarchal system and has a particular focus on the ways in which the patriarchal system uses gender roles and stereotyping to control women.
There's an aspect to that the ties in with standard leftist thinking about class analysis. In this case, women are a class based on biological sex, not gender identity or gender roles, and as such are oppressed by the dominating system that uses women's reproductive and other labour for the benefit of the system without due regard for women themselves.
GCFs are usually left wing/progressive, although some have abandoned traditional politics and will form alliances with whoever they can to meet their own political ends.
Seems to me that there are a lot of GC women who are probably not GCF philosophically but support GCF's fight on these particular issues (women's space, right to language, concern about over-medicalisation of children and teens, concern about pressures on lesbians to transition or not be homosexual etc).
Most of the GCFs I know are in the UK, Australia or NZ. The US is a different kete of ika, really fundamentally a different scene and set of politics.
In addition to that there are many GC people who cover a wide range of views nothing to do with feminism. eg there's a bloke in the UK taking a university to court for dumping him for GC views on biological sex (biological sex is immutable) and the need to safeguard child services when dealing with gender dysphoric kids.
Edited to add: GCF doesn’t have a problem with trans people. It’s rejection of gender stereotyping says people should be free to express themselves how they want. As with any movement, there’s degrees of prejudice of all kinds including transphobia, but the principles are not in and of themselves anti-trans. The problem is where there is a conflict of rights. Many GCFs want trans people to live good lives and would happily support that were it not for the push to remove women’s rights. The issue is with gender activists.
@McFlock,
Got absolutely nothing from that into how they align with Gender Critical Feminism.
Forget Now is using the Proud Boys comparison deliberately, I'd like to know their reasons why.
Sounds a bit gender-critical, no?
Not "Feminists", another "F". Hence the apparently somewhat flippant remark about TLAs that was probably borne from frustration.
But apparently it was so much more than that? Damned if I can see it, but then I still can't figure out how "conflict" and "opposition" aren't basically synonymous when talking about the rights and interests of different groups.
Don't know what you are talking about here. Gender critical is a term applied to a wide range of beliefs around gender.
GCF is branch of feminism that includes specific gender critical beliefs. Nothing to do with the PBs other than both movements have ideas about gender.
I also wish someone would say plainly what they think the connection is.
I lost track of that convo the other day. It's pretty simple. GCF takes issue with aspects of gender activism where it impacts on women's rights. It doesn't take a fundamental opposition to the politics of trans people or trans people themselves.
GCFs, being left wing, are otherwise on the side of progressive politics for trans people. Compared to say religious fundamentalists who believe that being trans is wrong and are opposed to them and their politics generally.
If there's no conflict where those aspects impact on women's rights, there is nothing to take issue with. An impact might be "oh look, someone is in our space who wasn't before".
If the following sentence is "I'm cool with that", there is no conflict and nothing to take issue with.
If the following sentence is "this makes me uncomfortable and is should not be allowed", then there is a conflict, no?
As for GCF vs PB, from the outside one lot excluding trans people because they don't count as "biological men" seems to be the opposite side of the same coin as the another lot excluding trans people because they're not "biological women".
I'm sure you can go into a massive discussion about one versus the other. All I'm saying is that from the outside, it looks like the same thing, and I suspect that was FN's point, too. Not that it appeared to be the substantial part of their comment, but that seems to be how these things go on this issue.
@ McFlock.
The All Blacks only admit biological men. Do you equate them with the Proud Boys for that?
Don't be so lazy and reactionary.
Forget Now wrote of the alignment with Gender Critical Beliefs. I would like them to pay the same courtesy that weka has given to them, and articulate what they consider those alignments to be.
Forget Now using TLA because they are frustrated to be asked to clarify, when they have asked for clarity and been provided with it many times without reciprocation. How ironic that they are credited with the excuse of frustration.
Do the All Blacks actually exclude women?
There are a small number of Women playing at club level in mens competitions I believe (with dispensation to do so).
This bullshit is why there's no "deal" ever going to be on a metaphorical table.
So the All Blacks exclude trans men. Meh. I'll take your word for it. If it's because NZR are philosophically opposed to including transmen in the group "men", then yeah, it's just as fucked up in that aspect as other examples of arbitrary exclusion.
If it's just because NZR have some genuine safety or accessibility concerns, then that deserves discussion and attempts at inclusion by people who know shit about rugby.
If you can't see the similarity between groups excluding transpeople on the basis of "biological sex" at birth as the sole delineator, I think Forget Now has had just as productive an approach as anyone else could manage.
@McFlock
Thing is McFlock, there still has been no details from Forget Now apart from lazy equivalence. That you admire their approach is obvious, you have the same bad faith discussion going on yourself.
"If its just because NZR have some genuine safety, or accessibility concerns, then that deserves discussion…"
Discussion being the telling word.
People = not only women – are being shut down from discussion regarding any concerns they may have. Your comment regarding discussion around the All Blacks discussion strikes me as somewhat hypocritical as you continue to deny any physiological differences between biological men and women, and how this confers benefit in sports competition. You keep shutting that discussion down, without even looking at links or data patiently and repeatedly supplied to you.
As for specific groups. Negative impacts on biological women might occur because of badly written legislation that quite rightly seeks to provide dignity and protection for the trans community. Any attempt to discuss this or other matters in an open forum is bayed down, usually by men who have both no understanding or skin in the game.
I would have no concern with a transwoman only forum regarding their concerns, because I have nothing to bring to that table, other than allowing them that space to share their lived experiences and views.
Laurel Hubbard: Who is the transgender weightlifter making history at Tokyo 2020? [2 August 2021]
Liberals and their cheap shots eh. Will be interesting to see just how many "reactionary, right wing" NZers there are, act least regarding the 'issue' of trans women. Trans men seem relatively safe, for now.
Some interesting opinions below – might some apply / fly in NZ?
The Growth of the Anti-Transgender Movement in the United Kingdom. The Silent Radicalization of the British Electorate
Can the Labour/Greens pro-trans ‘agenda’ be leveraged against them? Accusations of anti-semitism certainly did a number on Corbyn.
Sex wars and (trans) gender panics: Identity and body politics in contemporary UK feminism
Remembering Simone de Beauvoir’s ‘ethics of ambiguity’ to challenge contemporary divides: feminism beyond both sex and gender
Is there more that unites 'us' than divides us? I hope so.
mate, I have no idea what you are saying. Why are you @ing me a bunch of random links?
All very interesting…but not really relevant to the issue du jour is it?
What we really need is an academic type to parachute in and explain to us mere mortals what the difference is between "sex" and "gender".
Because there is a difference.
From what I understand of the third link, Simone de Beauvoir actually recommends that best practice to protect all groups would be to record all three datum points:
Biological sex, gender identity and sexuality.
In which case, I agree. All research and data for medical purposes and otherwise would have a clarity and depth to their data that would allow the most appropriate conclusions and recommendations to be drawn.
Is that also your belief?
Simone de Beauvoir is talking about multiple disciplines of linguistics. Essentially just knowing which field an academic is starting from so the words they use can be interpreted in context.
However I don't think GA academics will be going along with disaggregation because they see their purpose as 'challenging' to begin with.
I don't think three categories does much good, 2 of the 3 are usually irrelevant depending on the context. Other than biological sex two are often just ill-defined. If gender means anything its an interpretation of how society interacts with somebodies projection of their biological sex. Usually we collect personal information rather than information about how somebody wants society to see them. Also most individuals are not that fussed about how they are perceived. Also that categorisation by gender may be simplistically based on two biological sex categories, but those fundamental categories still inform that societal categorisation. Discarding that foundation of gender just makes nonsense of gender as a more sophisticated concept.
Weka, apologies if the links appear random.
They relate to public perceptions of transgender NZers, political (mainly Labour/Green) party policies on rainbow community issues prior to the 2020 general election, and the increasingly acrimonious discussion/debate/divide/war between mainstream feminism and transactivism in the UK/Aussie (that's the last 4 of 7 links).
The title of Lexi Webster's paper, "Ties that bind", particularly thought-provoking, given some of the meanings of 'bind', e.g. to unify (bind together), and to restrain ("To exert a binding or restraining influence.")
I'd hoped that there is more that unites 'us' than divides us. That's a theme running through the last 3 links (trying to chart a path to 'win-win' from a no-win situation), but maybe my hopes were misplaced and we’re in a bit of a bind. If only there was a progressive way out.
So I take it there is no objection to the phrase cis men who are men born men biologically, live as men and whose birth certificate records them as male?
Cis women is the most meaningless ugly word to describe a bio woman that I have read to date. It was foisted on us as part of the trans debate. The sound is like a snake and I have no desire to sound like a snake.
Good for you. What I don't get is how you can support trans sovereignty around language but deny it to women. If a woman doesn't want to be referred to as cis, how is that different from a trans woman not wanting to be referred to as he?
I use woman and trans woman, man and trans man. Most people know exactly what I mean when I say that.
Got it Weka.
Perhaps in defence of cis I could see it in a highly specialised and technical piece of research work teasing out say health differences across women…..eg such as we do with longevity across races, where we drill down to longevity in Maori etc.
In day to day convo 'nah'.
No we don't need the bullshit cis label at all.
We are whom we are. Men, Women, children, Transwomen Transmen, Gender queer, Non binary etc. This labeling of people and putting them into neat boxes is going to be the dumbest thing someone ever thought up.
Good on ASB for developing this, since obviously the govt isn't going to. Still, the mind boggles…30K? That's a shitload of people from one bank – 1.8% of total customer base.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/300370946/asb-30000-customers-entitled-to-benefits-but-not-getting-them
Well I am glad they are doing this, for they need the training, after staff and management failed to act on a power of attorney until the ombudsman ruled.
oh this was fun to read ………….
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/identities-revealed-of-two-kiwis-charged-after-global-sting-of-the-century/WUKODSFPUUXZZBGZLTQ7BEMKRE/
well its all good a little drug cooking and distributing, so as long as the gang members don't get themselves addicted and then need government paid for rehab. Lol.
In the meantime elsewhere
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/rent-crisis-people-stuck-in-motels-as-investors-sell-out-of-fear-and-the-rental-pool-shrinks/6ERRK4IDPQ5OJHSILNUX5F3ANU/
the rest of this rental article is a bit of a whinge fest for the poor put upon landlords, but it nevertheless shows the madness that has become our rental market.
NZ Politics. some making out like the bandits they are, while many others are warehoused out of sight out of mind.
This Labour govt has consistently imposed increased costs on rental businesses and then – despite being told that the profit margins are much lower than you think – you wonder why the price goes up.
The reality is that modern housing in NZ is not cheap and there are a lot of reasons feeding into this. But for ages the bottom end of the rental market, those older houses in the last 20% or so of their economic life, were always a kind of safety valve. If you had no other choices there was always a cheap and not necessarily very cheerful rental that would put a roof over your head. Well that option has pretty much gone now – and no-one has thought what to replace it with.
The reality is that anything built more than 40 – 50 yrs ago (and a fair whack of newer houses) probably falls short of current standards and expectations – from the day they were built. They lacked intelligent sun orientation, thermal mass, ventilation, moisture control and insulation. Double glazing was rare and little consideration given the the climate zone. And I could add to this list of deficiencies in many directions. Heterodox voices have been speaking to them for decades but were largely ignored.
Now we have a country with a large fraction of it's housing stock not really fit for the purpose we want it to serve now. And most of our cities are either land-locked or if they expand it would be onto otherwise valuable agricultural space.
Plus fundamentally NZ is one of those relatively successful nations that people want to live in if they get the chance. Also household size keeps dropping for a variety of often unhappy reasons – resulting in a persistent demand constantly puts pressure on our housing stock.
Honestly I think we need to stop thinking there is a single magic solution that everyone will agree on. The problem is complex and has taken generations to get to this stage – and the solutions aren't going to emerge from people yelling at each other.
Personally I'd suggest three broad principles :
Most other aspects of the our housing crisis derive from these three broad starting points. Everyone knows the problem – time to start advocating for actual solutions.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/exclusive-30000-overdue-for-hospital-treatment-covid-19-recovery-work-off-track-in-some-services/GCSOXRYLXXHLE7DAXZDC54ESBM/
No worries, just ring Aunty Helen to get to the top of the queue
Nearly 30,000 New Zealanders are caught in delays for hospital treatment…
I'm one of them. Been waiting nearly 18 months. Due to have the operation on the day the nurses are currently planning to go on strike. If it happens you will forgive me for not seeing them in a very good light.
RobbieWgtn @ 4.1
It has always been standard practice that NZ will assist the UN when a serious problem occurs in the Pacific region. The same practice applies to many other first world countries when UN problems arise in their region of responsibility. Helen Clark was merely the messenger.
Your snarky response suggest stupid and ignorance.
Like a lot of industries, the response to Covid has put a spanner in the works. This is exacerbated by a full ED, looking to transfer patients to the wards in a full hospital. This leads to surgical appointments being delayed, further pushing times out.
I have empathy for your plight, not knowing when a needed procedure will occur.
It is pretty short sighted to blame nurses for your 18 month wait and possible postponement of your procedure. Rather, they are your allies with their industrial action. Wanting safe staffing levels is something we can all support regardless of our political hue.
From where I sit, any opprobrium should be aimed at local Hospital Governance and Board level or at the Ministry itself for their penny-pinching, neo-liberal ways.
Sorry gsays, I have much respect for your contributions here but I don't agree with you on this one.
I see the DHB's are going to take the nurses to court. That might be a good thing. If, as I suspect, a relatively small group of politically motivated firebrands are placing pressure on the nurses then maybe such a case will expose who they are.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/448286/nurses-to-strike-again-on-19-august
And let me say again, thanks a million nurses. How many thousands of people like me who have been living in discomfort (in my case daily anti inflammatory and pain killing tablets to allow me to move about) have had their ops and recuperation plans left in disarray?
It is hard to watch someone in discomfort. I have just spent a week with a buddy who had a hip replacement 2 yrs ago and is now overdue the other to be operated on. Hobbling and groaning…
I can assure you, to the best of my knowledge, the firebrands putting pressure on the majority is not the case. I was quite surprised and impressed when the offer was not ratified.
There are, as you probably know, a lot of migrant workers in the workforce. One of the comments during the last strike was about how scary it was to be going on strike. If that were to happen in India, they would be black-listed and not be able to work for the state again. For the nurses to not ratify and go ahead with with-drawing their labour speaks to how much of a gutsful they have had.
Also, this proposed court action is hardly in keeping with good faith bargaining. I can't help but feel if Coleman or Ryall tried this sort of dirt we would be hearing about it.
I value your knowledge on the subject gsays and don't doubt anything you say.
My take is: that all sectors of society are under enormous strain due to Covid… teachers, nurses, farmers, retail companies, orchardists, council workers, shop assistants, cleaners, drivers, public servants (bless their cotton socks 😈 – yeah I was one once) tinkers, tailors and candlestick makers etc.
The nurses are already among the better paid and over and above they have been offered a salary rise of $13.000 per annum. That is big time in the scheme of things. Sure, I think I understand their concerns re-the DHBs. They have become self-serving fiefdoms (and a few have shown they are not up to the job) whose promises are to be viewed with apprehension. But given the government's intention to do away with the 'fiefdoms' and replace them with a handful of more centrally operated health entities who will be under much stricter guidance, that should help to eliminate the fears of the health sector hierarchy reneging on those promises.
"The nurses are already among the better paid and over and above they have been offered a salary rise of $13.000 per annum."
I have had many jokes over 'nurse's math'.
I am dead keen to see the arithmetic for your assertion.
Nah… there's actual anger around staffing and promises havent been kept re staffing levels.
Freind of mine has been assaulted in ED twice this year. Big issue is that nearly every damn shift she does isnt adequatly staffed and she finds herself alone dealing with intoxicated and uncooperative indvidiuals.
Its a shit situation.
How dare the Nurses strike.
Labour 2023
Sorry mate if you miss out, but then i missed out on three appointments last year, leading to my 'medical need' scheduled in August to finally happen in June. Each time was 'time off' for me and the partner to drive me about all drugged up, and all cancelled at the beep of the telephone. And all that to some 'lockdowns' in Auckland. And that has happened for so many people that literally who cares. I mean the Ministry does not even care to elaborate and who, why, when, where.
But really who do these Nurses think they are? Don't they know that they are to be at service at demand at the price offered. Who do they think they are.
Your last paragraph touches on something that has been at the back of my mind. Pay parity is part of these negotiations.
I realise the gender self ID/what is a woman issue is occupying time and energies currently. Getting behind the nurses and their pay parity would be a great unifying prize to achieve for women.
Without telling women what to do of course…
well then, just get behind the nurses, and don't tell women what to do. 🙂
politicsNow that the occupying ("caretaker") HRPP government has finally conceded, FAST are living up to their name in their speed of getting stuff done – or undone in this case:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/448264/samoa-govt-confirms-china-backed-port-project-shelved
It's been a year for Fiame! On top of the Pandemic (that everyone has had to deal with), she has gone from – in August last year; " Samoa's first woman minister and deputy prime minister", to abandoning the party of her father (Samoa's first PM) over the then-PM's power-grab attempt to change the constitution to; "alter the power of the land and titles court", in the context of an influx of China cash. Joining (and eventually leading) in September 2020 {parentheses mine}:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/425809/samoa-s-deputy-prime-minister-quits-cabinet-over-controversial-bills
This Labour government should listen to advice especially when it comes from one of their own who is probably more experienced than the whole front bench.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/michael-cullen-advises-labour-to-ditch-auckland-light-rail-for-electric-buses/PTCRODXSOHV6HIV35DKA2NJ4FY/
Covid vax updates are now every weekday.
Totals for week ending last night: a quarter million jabs, averaging 36k a day (based on it being a full week rather than partial as flagged in the data).
And as yet no update on the backup plan should the vaccines fail for any reason (ADE, side effect as yet unknown but too risky, found to facilitate mutation due to the absense of sterilized immunity..), Too many eggs in the vaccine basket.
We need to be focusing on getting out population as healthy as possible. Since obeasity the worst risk factor, followed closely by fear disorders NZ should be encouraging people in those catagories to lose weight and seek treatment asap to reduce the risk of hospitilastion and death. It would have the wonderful side effect of lowering the cost of weight related disorders in our health system. Now is the time!
Re getting our population as healthy as possible, the health reforms announced recently included a stronger focus on Public Health. I hope that tackling NZs obesity problem will be a major focus.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/major-reforms-will-make-healthcare-accessible-all-nzers
Vaccine "failure" will still be far more effective than "encouraging" people to lose weight.
Vaccine failure should be anticipated. Right now the public has an expectation that this is the right solution and the only concern is getting the vaccine hesitant over the line. smh.
Mate, I don't know of any immunologists or public health professionals who believe that the vaccines are guaranteed to be a magic 100% accurate bullet against all current and future variants of covid. It would be great, but if that doesn't happen it's not "vaccine failure".
Worst realistic case scenario, it ends up like influenza with a new jab every year, and even the occasional lockdown. Because having a needle doesn't mean throwing out the rest of the epidemic response playbook.
Shake your head all you want, but even vaccines needing booster shots or new batches will still be more efficacious than getting everyone to a healthy BMI.
But keep hawking your vaccine-futilism (and whatever other quackery is common amongst the chicken-littles this month).
Worst realistic case scenario, it ends up like influenza with a new jab every year,
Well, that all depends doesn't it?
How about every six months?
Demand for the third booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was high across the country, Israel’s health maintenance organizations reported on Sunday, the first official day of the rollout for people over 60.
Still, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged healthcare providers to administer the shot — available to all those over 60 who received their second dose more than five months ago — even faster.
“The situation is good, but we have to pick up the pace,” Bennett told the heads of Maccabi, Meuhedet, Leumit, and Clalit on Sunday evening. “Our daily rate needs to be five times what it is now…. Our goal is to vaccinate everyone by the end of the month. It’s ambitious, but it’s possible.”
Running to stand still.
Ass opposed to standing still and waiting to get sick with a higher likelihood of being dead.
As an immune deficient, I'll have a jab every month if I have to, thanks.
A year, six months, big deal, if it's a booster rather than a new vaccine. A new one might start pushing crap uphill, logistics-wise.
Still better than losing weight to beat covid.
Have to wonder when we reach the point where the world decides to 'globalize' the covid vaccines for public good. Price gouging and profiteering during a crisis effecting humanity…
Pfizer raised the price of its Covid-19 vaccine by more than a quarter and Moderna by more than a tenth in the latest EU supply contracts
Pfizer last week raised its guidance for annual vaccine revenue by nearly a third to $33.5bn, after sales of the shot helped almost double sales in the second quarter.
https://www.ft.com/content/d415a01e-d065-44a9-bad4-f9235aa04c1a
I have just heard on the 2pm news that DHB's plan to take the NZNO to court because they will not guarantee appropriate staffing levels during the planned strike.
What chutzpah!
What incredible gall. Safe staffing levels is at the heart of negotiations now.
Not what I would call bargaining with integrity and this sort of tactic is beneath Minister Little. No link as yet, will put it up when I see it.
Triple the irony, as the management at our local hospital have proposed a unit to handle any overflow when things get busy. When asked, 'By whom would this unit be staffed?', the sound of crickets after a long awkward silence…
Time to break out the unicorn fart powered rainbow generator.
yeah, the hypocrisy is pretty impressive.
If the DHBs were like "this is the budget we have from the government", they'd have a bit of sympathy. But this move is tone deaf.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_health_board
Maybe they should actually start pointing the finger at those that control the budget strings. And that would be the Ministry of Health.
But then maybe it is not advised to be unkind and ungentle to the hand that feeds?
The promised link:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/448286/nurses-to-strike-again-on-19-august
Do you think Little's behind or supportive of the DHBs' claim? Would it be more likely the DHBs are off on one and that he'll tell them to pull their heads in?
I think enough of the man to think your second proposal is more likely.
The tactics are not what I would expect from a decent union man.
I dont see DHBs taking legal action without the approval of the Minister somehow.
If it is seen as an operational decision on the part of the DHBs then the minister cannot get involved. The Urewera police raid was an operational decision which meant the police minister of the day, Annette King could not get involved.
I originally thought a court case might be a good idea – get the truth out into the open – but that is way too simplistic.
And yet the Minister appears to have been involved for sometime in these negotiations.
Ministers are often involved in major Public Service pay negotiations and related settlements. They are the ones who control the purse strings. But if a public entity or group of entities choose to take a specific course of action outside of formal negotiation procedures, then I don't think the minister can interfere.
I don't know whether this court action by the DHBs falls into that category or not.
The Minister may not be able to 'interfere' but as said I dont see the DHBs taking this to court without the Ministers approval ….he will have been appraised before the event and I'd suggest if he was strongly opposed it wouldnt be happening.
If you turn out to be right then I imagine his attitude is:
Let the employment court decide. I've got too many other things to do. Personally I think Little is overloaded. He's very intelligent, reliable and efficient but there are only so many hours in the day.
I need to raise a point of order to clarify what I stated earlier.
It is the employment court the DHB's are taking the NZNO to.
this is known
Chur.
I am still here and it's the 4th cider.
Oops.
Someone needs to reign the DHBs in. A pissed off judge can do it.