It is completely distressting how fundamentalist extremists in the USA bark at other fundamentalist extremists in, say, Afghanistan about extremism and fundamentalism …
You sum it up nicely. Flicking past TVNZ to see Seymour and Bennett on a 'game show' shows how low they can go.
I want paid opposition members asked questions not given soapboxes for frivolity on an SOE and Bennetts keeping a talented and funny comedian from a job, because she is neither.
I think TVNZ has been pretty good in it's COVID coverage this lockdown. It's where you get a confluence of journalists writing opinion pieces, "last consumer capture" of places like the Herald and recently the-fat-nerd-trying-to-hang-out-with-the-rugby-jocks syndrome that has overtaken RNZ it really turns to custard.
The snippet that pressreader displayed said 46% back elimination and another 36% back our current course until at least 70% of the population is fully vaccinated.
This is a typical effort by the Herald at opinion-forming. The method is simple enough:
run numerous pieces from your stable of opinion-writers attacking a paticular Labour government policy – usually by misrepresenting that policy in various ways
After a few weeks/months of this effort, run a poll on that policy – in the hope that you have shifted opinion enough to have that shift show up in the poll. If the poll has the desired result, then point at the poll as confirmation that your opinion-writers were correct all along and in fact brilliantly prescient
It appears that it might not have worked quite so well this time – though doubtless the numbers can be spun in some way and efforts can be redoubled.
This morning we discovered that 85% of the population support elimination as a strategy, as opposed to 85% of the MSM who don't.
We also discovered that the NSW Premier has conceded defeat regarding its elimination strategy. She didn't apologise for her naivete but maybe there was an implied apology in her comments.
“No amount of government intervention or lockdown is going to get you to zero cases. … what we do have to accept is when you are in the middle of a pandemic which is impacting our nation as it has been other nations that we need to appreciate that, unfortunately, lives will be lost."
We've done it before and a few other countries and regions have had a fair crack at it. The usual tools include masking, social distancing, tracking and tracing, border restrictions, lockdowns/restrictions on gathering and movement, quarantine and vaccinations (and in my opinion, also leadership, communication and widespread cooperation) . It is harder this time for us this time because of the variant.
EDIT and a well resourced modern health system can be added as an essential tool.
Yes, though we are easily weary of any restrictions. We are actually rather spoiled, and thinking of others has to be the new habit which grates some folk.
Everybody in NZ should listen to this from RNZ this morning. An epidemiologist in Victoria (Professor Blakely) is now resigned to the delta virus about to run out of control-up to 2000 cases a day-in Victoria where up to this point in time he had thought it could be eliminated. Listen to the tone of his voice.
He makes specific references to NZ, and in particular the similarities between South Auckland and the communities in Melbourne where Delta has proven impossible to stop.
BG, if you click on the item title on the RNZ page and then open that and copy and paste the link it will be the one with the interview details and the audio 👍
Indeed. Listening to some very recent announcements from the UK from senior medical people, it's clear they've realised that Delta means there will be no herd immunity, either natural or vaccine induced.
Essentially we should start thinking in terms of everyone getting it sooner or later. That implies doing whatever you can to improve your odds when it happens.
And Delta is not the last variant – already news is filtering out around a dangerous new one in South Africa. We're all about to get an education in biological evolution.
And if as a nation we want to be able to withstand new variants and new pandemics, we would do well to address issues around housing, poverty, access to higher education, whatever brakes on unhealthy food we can apply and access to affordable good quality food .
All of that affects health at the grass roots level and gives us all a fighting chance. We can no longer afford to have large groups of people cut adrift.
Indeed, laissez faire small govt neoliberalism is useless in the face of an existential crisis, and the pandemic has exposed just how irresponsible and sclerotic are those nations subscribing to free market bullshit. they DGAF about the deaths of multitudes
By studying epidemiology and public health for many years in order to put yourself in a position to provide competent, evidence-based, and practical advice to decision makers so they can develop policies likely to achieve that objective (at least at a local level) when implemented by a competent and dedicated public service.
Rather than losing one's shit and assuming all resistance is futile (except snake oil, that'll save us).
That’s quite a claim there about contagiousness of Covid-19 vs. chickenpox, so please provide evidence for it, which you have carefully checked for validity, i.e., ‘fact checked’ yourself.
Did you know that we have successful elimination strategy for measles? Did you know that measles is more contagious than Covid-19 or even chickenpox?
Did you know that smallpox was eradicated without reaching herd immunity?
Did you know what the main tool was to achieve those two awesome feats?
Once NZ 'pivots' away from its COVID-19 elimination strategy there's no going back, so why are some so keen for the team to throw in the towel? Smacks of match-fixing. Heck, QLD, SA, WA, NT and TAS have stamped on and kept COVID out so far.
Sure, NZ can't sustain a Covid elimination strategy forever, but imho it would be prudent to stick with that plan until >85% of Kiwis 12+ are fully vaccinated. That would give our nurses and doctors at least a fighting chance.
Asked during a daily update on coronavirus what she thought of criticism from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg that the Delta variant can’t be “eliminated”, Ardern insisted elimination was the most sensible strategy until New Zealand is fully vaccinated.
“Delta is different; no one is denying that,” Ardern said, referring to the highly transmissible strain of coronavirus that has caused outbreaks both in Australia and New Zealand.
But she said New Zealand will not change its approach until its population is vaccinated.
“Elimination is the best strategy for us while we’re vaccinating people and then we’ll continue to look at all of the evidence going forward,” she said.
Admirable, imho, apart from the ubiquitous and superfluous "going forward".
I'm wary of a target like >85%. We may never get there, and there may even be some amongst us that would avoid getting vaccinated to try to game putting off achieving that threshold.
I'd be thinking more along the lines of: we're giving out over 50,000 first doses a day (7 day average) right now, so when that rate drops to a quarter (12,500 first doses a day 7 day average) and anyone that wants a vax can get an appointment within a week at their nearest provider, then we can reasonably say everyone that wants it has had a reasonable opportunity to get it. So eight weeks from that point (6 week gap plus 2 weeks after second shot) would then be reasonable to move to the next strategy.
With approval for 5 to 11 year olds likely coming in the November-ish timeframe, to me it looks like that reasonable "move on to the next strategy" date will be around March-ish next year.
For the sake of our medical system and especially the frontline people in that system, I hope like hell we're at >85% when we get to that point, but I fear we will be quite short of that.
But I doubt the government will be able to hold out that long against mounting pressure to open up.
Fair enough Andre. >85% is aspirational and arbitrary, but I'm wary of setting a lower target. Imho setting a plausible if high target gives NZ a better chance of achieving what we need, but I could be wrong.
There will no doubt be considerable pressure on the government to set a well defined target, and if they succumb to that pressure then there will be much debate as to whether that target is appropriate and/or achievable.
We're all getting impatient – if setting a target makes a rod for the government's back, then maybe it's best not to set one at all, and just go with 'once everyone who wants to be is fully vaccinated' plus three weeks? Or:
Have a thought to our frontline workers, food banks, etc out there carrying a great load to enable us all to get thru this. But what happens when they are left burnt out and totally exhausted ? How will they beable to regather themselves rest up and for how long without the ability to rest up can they continue ? But in saying that I still give my thanks and when I see those in the park I say thanks and hope that something good happens to them today.
Don't worry, in reality not a lot of people really care about that until they are affected directly, i.e. hospital care. I am an essential worker and I can tell you from getting through this now the second time around the stress shows when the pressure comes off. This time is a bit different from the first one. Insofar as that the first time around I felt an urgency and a need to help everywhere. This time around, I do what I can and have reduced my hours so that I have time to recover. I was surprised how much this has affected my health, my energy levels and compassion. My last holiday was 2 years ago and I am not working from home. I am glad that I get letters about well being. Yep, that will do. But thank you for your kind words, it is appreciated.
I went for a walk yesterday around the perimeter of a supermarket. I was not impressed as I saw approx 50 masks in the car park and on the foot path and several rubber gloves. Supermarket workers are putting up with behaviour which disrespects how difficult their job has become. This can be said for other frontline workers as well. The volumes of people through a supermarket has probably increased due to other outlets being closed or contactless pick up.
And 3 students fly around the country and "did not know or were not told" that they cannot do this. Please unsubscribe these idiots from any Uni and class because they seem to be illiterate, not ready for higher learning and certainly incapable of showing responsible behavior towards a whole nation. I for one have absolutely no patience left for people like that who endanger a whole population and come up with ridiculous excuses. They should be fined and send home.
That was my first reaction as well but then thinking back, I was quite oblivious as a young person (and still am in some situations) and would also probably have felt bad once i had realised my error. They probably expected the airport system to stop them travelling if it was in breach.
Do those idiots actually understand that everybody is being confined and some end up in hospital, with hopefully few in ICU. This is not a prank and it certainly is not "humanitarian". Another article of a guy who escaped quarantine after testing positive. His assertion " I have no symptoms". I think it's too late, the whole rigmarole of isolation etc. is becoming a farce. So much pussyfooting, no consequences. No one will follow rules if it doesn't matter whether you do. Slap on the wrist and lets get spreading.
"Minister Shaw must now be squirming at the way he has lost control of the ETS steering levers. There will be serious discussions in coming weeks between the Minister and his officials as to how the Government can get back control of the levers"
"The key event setting up the opportunity to make some big money occurred on 18 August when James Shaw in his role as Climate Change Minister advised that the minimum auction price for a NZU would rise to $39.32 by 2026, and the maximum price would rise to $115.10. These announcements removed much of the speculative risk and increased the potential for windfall profits. Also, the underlying message was clear that the Government was going to use the ETS to drive behaviours. It was all on!"
Hi Pat. You posted a question to me about housing affordability on another thread. My apologies I can't reply directly to that (no 'reply' link visible?), so i have replied at the end of that thread.
We have Collins and Seymour rabbiting on about why the South Island should be at level 2 .
We have to look across the ditch to see how easy Delta spreads .Truck drivers driving interstate delivering essential goods etc, We have the same possibilities here the whole country needs to be extra vigilant.
Make no mistake our country is at War with Covid Delta to have politicians undermining scientific advice from our health officials for cheap political gain is tantamount to treason.
Agreed – it is very cynical of them to keep taking misinformed pot shots at a government working so hard in a dangerous crisis when they well know there is no chance of them having to put their money where their mouths are. Cowardly and self- interested!
This makes me laugh. The country is not at was with Delta, it seems rules cannot be enforced. People escape quarantine, jump on planes etc. Its like a "lets spread" party. Who cares what the opposition says right now, the issue at hand needs to be dealt with.
"The stronger than expected results came on the back of state government spending on hospitals, railways and roads, federal government vaccine stockpiling and households continuing their COVID-era cash splash on things like renovations."
We'll get to a measure of our own as soon as Treasury does another quarterly update.
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The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
It is completely distressting how fundamentalist extremists in the USA bark at other fundamentalist extremists in, say, Afghanistan about extremism and fundamentalism …
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2021/09/texas-s-near-total-abortion-ban-takes-effect-after-supreme-court-inaction.html
This morning we discovered that 85% of the population support elimination as a strategy, as opposed to 85% of the MSM who don't.
You sum it up nicely. Flicking past TVNZ to see Seymour and Bennett on a 'game show' shows how low they can go.
I want paid opposition members asked questions not given soapboxes for frivolity on an SOE and Bennetts keeping a talented and funny comedian from a job, because she is neither.
TVNZ needs a top down clearout.
I think TVNZ has been pretty good in it's COVID coverage this lockdown. It's where you get a confluence of journalists writing opinion pieces, "last consumer capture" of places like the Herald and recently the-fat-nerd-trying-to-hang-out-with-the-rugby-jocks syndrome that has overtaken RNZ it really turns to custard.
Bennett can go lower, she was a real estate agent.
Linkity-linky? A quick squiz at Stuffed and Harold didn't find anything.
It's paywalled at the Herald, but:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-delta-outbreak-nz-herald-kantar-poll-shows-what-new-zealanders-think-about-elimination-strategy/LVB5RB7NN3AODM5GT4DQRJHL7Q/
The snippet that pressreader displayed said 46% back elimination and another 36% back our current course until at least 70% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Any other significant caveats and nuances?
This is a typical effort by the Herald at opinion-forming. The method is simple enough:
It appears that it might not have worked quite so well this time – though doubtless the numbers can be spun in some way and efforts can be redoubled.
This morning we discovered that 85% of the population support elimination as a strategy, as opposed to 85% of the MSM who don't.
We also discovered that the NSW Premier has conceded defeat regarding its elimination strategy. She didn't apologise for her naivete but maybe there was an implied apology in her comments.
“No amount of government intervention or lockdown is going to get you to zero cases. … what we do have to accept is when you are in the middle of a pandemic which is impacting our nation as it has been other nations that we need to appreciate that, unfortunately, lives will be lost."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-23/zero-covid-just-not-possible-gladys-berejiklian-says/100400692
How do you eliminate a disease as contagious as chickenpox with a vaccine that doesn't stop transmission?
Maui please go away and learn how the word "eliminate" is used in a medical situation. It is not used in the way you obviously think it is.
We've done it before and a few other countries and regions have had a fair crack at it. The usual tools include masking, social distancing, tracking and tracing, border restrictions, lockdowns/restrictions on gathering and movement, quarantine and vaccinations (and in my opinion, also leadership, communication and widespread cooperation) . It is harder this time for us this time because of the variant.
EDIT and a well resourced modern health system can be added as an essential tool.
Yes, though we are easily weary of any restrictions. We are actually rather spoiled, and thinking of others has to be the new habit which grates some folk.
Everybody in NZ should listen to this from RNZ this morning. An epidemiologist in Victoria (Professor Blakely) is now resigned to the delta virus about to run out of control-up to 2000 cases a day-in Victoria where up to this point in time he had thought it could be eliminated. Listen to the tone of his voice.
He makes specific references to NZ, and in particular the similarities between South Auckland and the communities in Melbourne where Delta has proven impossible to stop.
It starts at 8.39am.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/20210902
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018810719
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018810719/covid-19-victoria-ditches-elimination-strategy
[direct permanent link added – weka]
The Delta strain has been the deciding factor in NSW and in Victoria.
Once Covid mutatons become highly infectious, contact tracing has limits and locations of transmission such as essential services cannot be avoided.
Bearded Git, that is quite frightening about Delta.
Agreed Anker.
BG, if you click on the item title on the RNZ page and then open that and copy and paste the link it will be the one with the interview details and the audio 👍
Indeed. Listening to some very recent announcements from the UK from senior medical people, it's clear they've realised that Delta means there will be no herd immunity, either natural or vaccine induced.
Essentially we should start thinking in terms of everyone getting it sooner or later. That implies doing whatever you can to improve your odds when it happens.
And Delta is not the last variant – already news is filtering out around a dangerous new one in South Africa. We're all about to get an education in biological evolution.
Depressing. I for one am a fan of Fortress NZ. But I think you're right.
Vaccines improve your chances a lot, so let’s jab jab jab
In fact we're all going to be biologists before this pandemic leaves us – at least in a pandemic form.
Not a bad outcome actually.
Latest is that this variant has a growth rate disadvantage to D, and therefore may not take over from D
https://twitter.com/TWenseleers/status/1433128109738545153
And if as a nation we want to be able to withstand new variants and new pandemics, we would do well to address issues around housing, poverty, access to higher education, whatever brakes on unhealthy food we can apply and access to affordable good quality food .
All of that affects health at the grass roots level and gives us all a fighting chance. We can no longer afford to have large groups of people cut adrift.
Indeed, laissez faire small govt neoliberalism is useless in the face of an existential crisis, and the pandemic has exposed just how irresponsible and sclerotic are those nations subscribing to free market bullshit. they DGAF about the deaths of multitudes
By studying epidemiology and public health for many years in order to put yourself in a position to provide competent, evidence-based, and practical advice to decision makers so they can develop policies likely to achieve that objective (at least at a local level) when implemented by a competent and dedicated public service.
Rather than losing one's shit and assuming all resistance is futile (except snake oil, that'll save us).
That’s quite a claim there about contagiousness of Covid-19 vs. chickenpox, so please provide evidence for it, which you have carefully checked for validity, i.e., ‘fact checked’ yourself.
Did you know that we have successful elimination strategy for measles? Did you know that measles is more contagious than Covid-19 or even chickenpox?
Did you know that smallpox was eradicated without reaching herd immunity?
Did you know what the main tool was to achieve those two awesome feats?
Once NZ 'pivots' away from its COVID-19 elimination strategy there's no going back, so why are some so keen for the team to throw in the towel? Smacks of match-fixing. Heck, QLD, SA, WA, NT and TAS have stamped on and kept COVID out so far.
Sure, NZ can't sustain a Covid elimination strategy forever, but imho it would be prudent to stick with that plan until >85% of Kiwis 12+ are fully vaccinated. That would give our nurses and doctors at least a fighting chance.
Admirable, imho, apart from the ubiquitous and superfluous "going forward".
I'm wary of a target like >85%. We may never get there, and there may even be some amongst us that would avoid getting vaccinated to try to game putting off achieving that threshold.
I'd be thinking more along the lines of: we're giving out over 50,000 first doses a day (7 day average) right now, so when that rate drops to a quarter (12,500 first doses a day 7 day average) and anyone that wants a vax can get an appointment within a week at their nearest provider, then we can reasonably say everyone that wants it has had a reasonable opportunity to get it. So eight weeks from that point (6 week gap plus 2 weeks after second shot) would then be reasonable to move to the next strategy.
With approval for 5 to 11 year olds likely coming in the November-ish timeframe, to me it looks like that reasonable "move on to the next strategy" date will be around March-ish next year.
For the sake of our medical system and especially the frontline people in that system, I hope like hell we're at >85% when we get to that point, but I fear we will be quite short of that.
But I doubt the government will be able to hold out that long against mounting pressure to open up.
Fair enough Andre. >85% is aspirational and arbitrary, but I'm wary of setting a lower target. Imho setting a plausible if high target gives NZ a better chance of achieving what we need, but I could be wrong.
There will no doubt be considerable pressure on the government to set a well defined target, and if they succumb to that pressure then there will be much debate as to whether that target is appropriate and/or achievable.
We're all getting impatient – if setting a target makes a rod for the government's back, then maybe it's best not to set one at all, and just go with 'once everyone who wants to be is fully vaccinated' plus three weeks? Or:
Have a thought to our frontline workers, food banks, etc out there carrying a great load to enable us all to get thru this. But what happens when they are left burnt out and totally exhausted ? How will they beable to regather themselves rest up and for how long without the ability to rest up can they continue ? But in saying that I still give my thanks and when I see those in the park I say thanks and hope that something good happens to them today.
Don't worry, in reality not a lot of people really care about that until they are affected directly, i.e. hospital care. I am an essential worker and I can tell you from getting through this now the second time around the stress shows when the pressure comes off. This time is a bit different from the first one. Insofar as that the first time around I felt an urgency and a need to help everywhere. This time around, I do what I can and have reduced my hours so that I have time to recover. I was surprised how much this has affected my health, my energy levels and compassion. My last holiday was 2 years ago and I am not working from home. I am glad that I get letters about well being. Yep, that will do. But thank you for your kind words, it is appreciated.
I went for a walk yesterday around the perimeter of a supermarket. I was not impressed as I saw approx 50 masks in the car park and on the foot path and several rubber gloves. Supermarket workers are putting up with behaviour which disrespects how difficult their job has become. This can be said for other frontline workers as well. The volumes of people through a supermarket has probably increased due to other outlets being closed or contactless pick up.
I needed to be more clear about the masks and rubber gloves. They were discarded on the ground and people could walk on them.
And 3 students fly around the country and "did not know or were not told" that they cannot do this. Please unsubscribe these idiots from any Uni and class because they seem to be illiterate, not ready for higher learning and certainly incapable of showing responsible behavior towards a whole nation. I for one have absolutely no patience left for people like that who endanger a whole population and come up with ridiculous excuses. They should be fined and send home.
She said she did not deliberately break the rules and the saga had been "upsetting"
Family and the university are "supporting" her
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/126256173/student-who-breached-covid-lockdown-restrictions-never-told-of-rules-or-checked-before-flying
For Christs sake, when did young people become so oblivious and fragile
That was my first reaction as well but then thinking back, I was quite oblivious as a young person (and still am in some situations) and would also probably have felt bad once i had realised my error. They probably expected the airport system to stop them travelling if it was in breach.
While not directly answering the question of fragility in youth, Class Action Park is a doco I thoroughly recommend.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stuff-to-watch/300396270/class-action-park-jawdropping-neon-doco-exposes-us-most-dangerous-attraction
In the film there are lots of '80s teens congregating, drinking and engaging in high risk activities. Not a single adult in sight let alone concerned.
The article said she was visiting Family in Auckland, so no one in that bubble knew the rules either .. I don't buy it ..
Do those idiots actually understand that everybody is being confined and some end up in hospital, with hopefully few in ICU. This is not a prank and it certainly is not "humanitarian". Another article of a guy who escaped quarantine after testing positive. His assertion " I have no symptoms". I think it's too late, the whole rigmarole of isolation etc. is becoming a farce. So much pussyfooting, no consequences. No one will follow rules if it doesn't matter whether you do. Slap on the wrist and lets get spreading.
Oops
https://www.interest.co.nz/index.php/rural-news/112050/wednesday-government-lost-control-ets-speculators-has-big-implications-and
"Minister Shaw must now be squirming at the way he has lost control of the ETS steering levers. There will be serious discussions in coming weeks between the Minister and his officials as to how the Government can get back control of the levers"
"The key event setting up the opportunity to make some big money occurred on 18 August when James Shaw in his role as Climate Change Minister advised that the minimum auction price for a NZU would rise to $39.32 by 2026, and the maximum price would rise to $115.10. These announcements removed much of the speculative risk and increased the potential for windfall profits. Also, the underlying message was clear that the Government was going to use the ETS to drive behaviours. It was all on!"
"Ooops" is an understatement
Hi Pat. You posted a question to me about housing affordability on another thread. My apologies I can't reply directly to that (no 'reply' link visible?), so i have replied at the end of that thread.
We have Collins and Seymour rabbiting on about why the South Island should be at level 2 .
We have to look across the ditch to see how easy Delta spreads .Truck drivers driving interstate delivering essential goods etc, We have the same possibilities here the whole country needs to be extra vigilant.
Make no mistake our country is at War with Covid Delta to have politicians undermining scientific advice from our health officials for cheap political gain is tantamount to treason.
Agreed – it is very cynical of them to keep taking misinformed pot shots at a government working so hard in a dangerous crisis when they well know there is no chance of them having to put their money where their mouths are. Cowardly and self- interested!
Has National ever performed well during a crisis when in government or when in opposition?
South Island could move to level 2,unfortunately we have direct flights from delta land.
https://www.christchurchairport.co.nz/travellers/flights/arrivals-and-departures/
One way of stopping movement between the islands: drive the Picton train into the sea 🙂
This makes me laugh. The country is not at was with Delta, it seems rules cannot be enforced. People escape quarantine, jump on planes etc. Its like a "lets spread" party. Who cares what the opposition says right now, the issue at hand needs to be dealt with.
Ironic robologic as the shunting train was driver less.i can sea where your coming from robologic
controlled by a remoteControl operator who was on autopilot LOL …he forgot Aratere not berthed due to vivid service withdrawal/reduction.
[Changed your user name to the approved one. Please be more careful next time]
Excellent, that line has no pier.
let's not go down that track!
Lemmings…
'This train got the disappearing railroad blues'……..
My excuse with that line, to post the great song it comes from – City Of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE
Ahhh…
Alice’s Restaurant. One of the greats.
https://youtu.be/m57gzA2JCcM
Ahhh the joys of economic growth in a pandemic.
Gross Domestic Product just loves all that taxpayer money spent shoring up massive disasters like COVID19.
So how did Australia's economy grow in the middle of a pandemic?
https://www.theage.com.au/please-explain/how-did-the-economy-grow-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic-20210902-p58o3g.html
"The stronger than expected results came on the back of state government spending on hospitals, railways and roads, federal government vaccine stockpiling and households continuing their COVID-era cash splash on things like renovations."
We'll get to a measure of our own as soon as Treasury does another quarterly update.
Do we get to call that sick growth?
Minister of Racing Grant Robertson has come out with a warning for the Greyhound Racing industry that they are on notice of closure, and are essentially hiding all their worst practices:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/government-puts-greyhound-racing-on-notice-after-review-into-industry/YPBRFMNUMWNBTX4YE7EVQDRBDQ/
Personally I am with Chloe Swarbrick on this one. Close them all down.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/300284720/chle-swarbrick-greyhound-racing-is-cruel-and-we-must-end-it-now