“Spudmasher said: “State of emergency declared in Auckland after 2.9 earthquake disturbs glasses of pinot and causes machiatos to spill over cup tops.”
And
“TheDimsBand said: “Harden up Auckland. Stop going on about a magnitude 2.9 quake like it’s news.”
We don’t even notice anything under a 4 here in ChCh anymore.
lol @ âSpudmasher said: âState of emergency declared in Auckland after 2.9 earthquake disturbs glasses of pinot and causes machiatos to spill over cup tops.â
This is the saddest one: “Duncan Milne said: “The magnitude 2.9 earthquake was certainly felt out in Saint Heliers tonight. All the neighbours came out onto the street wondering what was going on. It felt like a truck drove into the house!”
Really? Unless this quake lasted like 5+ seconds, which I seriously doubt, wouldn’t anyone with a clue just go “well, that was a little quake” and then forget about it? I know we had a small quake earlier in 2010 or maybe 2009 (all I remember is it was winter), must’ve been around 3.0-3.5, made the lights swing and the other flatmates in the house were like “was that an earthquake?” and I said yes. That was the end of it. Don’t think it was even reported in the news.
Remember the hooha when Auckland lost electricity for a few hours. In Christchurch some lost it for weeks. A matter of degree I suppose. In some countries they loose house, food, water etc for years. Count our blessings.
You mean in 1998? I had just moved into my new apartment, and the frigging power started going on and off like a yoyo. My computer systems kept rebooting with windows blue screens until I did a highly expensive purchase of a couple of ups’es. This went on for weeks. That is when you find out how uninhabitable apartments are without power.
Not as bad as ChCh, not exactly the most fun either.
The one I mentioned in my post, from 2009 or 2010, was only about the 2nd or 3rd quake I’d ever felt (the prior one to that being a 6.3M some distance off when I was 10 or so, nothing at all like what we’ve had recently). I didn’t rush out and find out what the neighbours were up to…
IMO, not having felt the biggish one when I was 10 wouldn’t have made any difference to how I reacted to feeling the 3 to 3.5M that I later felt in my 20’s
You seem to think that completely different experiences can be compared and equated.
What was that big long dumb argument you had here a while back? About how you could relate to rape victims because you lost a sandwich or something?
Well you’re doing it again. You can’t say say you’ve been experiencing earthquakes since you were a child and expect people who haven’t to share your perspective.
Quoting Felix “Youâve felt a few, many in Ak have never felt any”
That’s precisely the point. Quakes are unusual in Auckland, they’re further away from the plate boundary, so a 2.9 is news.
Note also that’ll be the Richter reading, what counts is the Modified Mercalli value, that indicates what people felt. Judging by the numbers quoted at QuakeLive, a 2.9 is equivalent to around 300-500kg of TNT going off a few km below you. Unsettling if you’re not used to it.
Note also that today, Saturday, is the first day since September that ChCh has had NO earthquakes recorded*, with only 6 (all under 3.5) yesterday. Ken Ring really bummed out on this one.
*He said at 10.24pm with fingers firmly crossed. Last time I made that prediction we had a real thumper around 10.45pm…..
The Star editor wasn’t aware that Ring made a prediction. I emailed Ring after I heard his interview on NewsTalk ZB Christchurch. I challenged him over a number of facts he stated in the interview.
The Dusky Sound (Fiordland) quake of 15 July 2009 being an 8 pointer
Banks Island not being a Peninsular
To quote Ring: “As to the Te Anau event, some have said it was 8.4. There are many interpretations of these. On 20 March there was a 7-mag, but this was not reported. I have the screen shot as proof”.
According to Ring, Banks Island became a peninsular because of an earthquake and not because of an error made by Captain James Cook. He provided a map of the ‘Colony of New Zealand’ that was supposed to be drawn by someone other than Cook as proof. The image is too small to be of any use.
He also said he was ‘misquoted’ in the Star article.
Ring is clearly someone who is incapable of accepting responsibility for his own actions.
I am in Auckland, but I grew up in Rotorua and lived in Welly during a swarm, I know earthquakes. Auckland’s 2.9 was nothing! However the Herald story said that the last noticeable Auckland quake was in the 19th century, and so I sort of understand how the Aucklanders feel…
No, I didnt feel it out west either. Nor did anyone I know as far as I’m aware, including people in other parts of the city. It is news worthy because it’s unusual for Auckland, but I really don’t think anyone but a few drama queens & kings got that excited about it: some people who like to get attention on Twitter etc. No-one a work today even mentioned it.
I lived in Christchurch for a couple of years & experienced a few jolts & rumbles, so a 2.9 wouldn’t phase me.
I’m from Christchurch, I find it funny considering what we have been through. The idea is a rip off from the 1989Â Loma Prieta earthquake. There is a tee shirt for sale on EBay.
Even in the lower half of the NI we don’t worry unless it’s better than a 4. What a bunch of girls all running around like headless chooks at a measly 2.9. State of Emergency??? More like a State of Hysteria. Bloody Pussies.
The report will find those paid out were (of course) “mum and dad investors” certainly not rich businessmen who are prepared to be gallant and brave and “take a risk for financial gain”
“why did it get as far as the courts in the first place”
Â
Apparently, the police knew that accuser was not a credible witness from the start (second day) – but pursued the charges anyway. Under US media and political pressure, Strauss-Khan was subsequently forced to resign from the IMF and French political race. Practical politics in action, US-style.
He won’t be found innocent. This man has form in going after women, but he may very well get away with a ‘not guilty’ beyond reasonable doubt because he can slag the witness all he likes, or he has a ‘no case to answer’ for the same reason. A thoughtful commentary on the ramifications of this case by Eve Ensler here
So if you are a rapist you pick victims with little or no credibility. Because these people just can’t be raped in the eyes of people like you. You can rape with impunity – make a lifestyle out of it, and never have to face any consequences.
One might also say Strauss-Kahn – whether or not he is guilty – is a rape suspect without much credibility (eg. his past reputation as reported extensively in the media). Therefore, easy to condemn by American RWNJ and be forced from his job.
Not inspired by anything in particular other than our horrible government but this song by Jarvis never gets any less accurate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGGbyZzuTg
This article is a painfully clear explanation of the disaster of Neo-Liberalism in the U$: Privatizations, skewing the tax system to make the rich richer. America went from being a happy optimistic place where the everyman could realise the “American Dream” to the current feudalistic serfs and Barons system.When I first came to NZ in 1979 everyman could buy a house easily-now young everyman can’t buy diddly squat largely due to the greed of the banks writing out cheques out of thin air, fiat currency, so that already well off people can buy more houses that wage slaves pay the mortgages on and then the landlord (A feudal term!) cashes in on the capital gain fuelled by the ponzi scheme fostered by the banks and the Politicians who won’t charge a capital gain tax ’cause they’re in on the rort as well! GREED! Result a huge housing price bubble.
]
“How Greed Destroys America
If the âfree-marketâ theories of Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman were correct, the United States of the last three decades should have experienced a golden age in which the lavish rewards flowing to the titans of industry would have transformed the society into a vibrant force for beneficial progress.
After all, it has been faith in âfree-market economicsâ as a kind of secular religion that has driven U.S. government policies â from the emergence of Ronald Reagan through the neo-liberalism of Bill Clinton into the brave new world of House Republican budget chairman Paul Ryan.
By slashing income tax rates to historically low levels â and only slightly boosting them under President Clinton before dropping them again under George W. Bush â the U.S. government essentially incentivized greed or what Ayn Rand liked to call âthe virtue of selfishness.”
Refer below this article covers Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand( Yes,that one that Perigo looks up to with ecstatic feelings, his website http://www.solopassion.com(You bet it’s solo!)) One insight: The herd requires medicaid a social service Rand despises in her philosophy-keeps the dead weight of weaklings alive! YET WHEN SHE WAS DYING OF LUNG CANCER SHE GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED MEDICAID!
My point is that ACTnat are continuing to follow this totally trashed eco-social system though the rest of the World knows it’s a selfserving system for the selfish superior rich types in our society.
If John Key sells his house in Hawaii and puts the proceeds into the reconstruct CHCH kitty I’ll vote for him! He will have put the welfare of his fellow NewZealnders above greed, however I think he subscribes to the Yank system “grab as much as you can and it’s yours”!
Transparency????
Found an interesting offering on the GETS website this morning – a role for a “Tertiary Education Specialist”; what interested me was the minutiae of the detail “A Wellington based consultant”
The Tertiary Education Commission Te Amorangi MÄtauranga Matua (âTertiary Education Commissionâ) wishes to engage an individual contractor capable of providing a Wellington based service offering specialised project support and guidance to senior management in relation to the key areas of performance based research funding and industry training organisations.
In addition they ask a curriculum vitae – not a portfolio of work done in this area, not information regarding any business that the ‘expert’ may have or work for.
So, are the various Ministries now being ‘selective‘ in whole they choose to appoint for government contracts (e.g. the decision is already made, but they are covering their backs HR wise)
This is why they can reduce the public service – no need for policy analysts, everything can be done by consultants with a scope based on gut instinct rather than research.
Well, I suspect the consultants get a scope based on what the Government has already decided it wants to do.
This is why they can reduce the public service
They preferentially take out anyone who has had more than 10 years experience, and leave behind complaint, inexperienced, easily led grads with only a few years behind them in the work force.
I see boy racers are making a comeback. why aren’t the National government doing something about the resurgence of this nasty plague of defiant little shits on our roads and in our communities.
Randal It could be that they also have batches on the coro peninsula and need to get to them in great haste , Sod the speed limits thru small villages on the way , sod the blind corners WHERE you cant over take , sod the fact you drive so fast that the boat or trailer is well over the white line , in fact sod the locals cos they dont count because the [older ] boy racers need to get to the batch to go kayaking , biking , swimming , fishing ……… yes why are National not doing anything about this ?
Young people are cut off from house ownership by the lack of a CGT, and well paying jobs, and the brighter ones have already left for overseas. Also NZ is a clingy nation, odd things like beep their horns even though they know their family back inside knows their leaving. And yes, they do this at 2am without any care too. Its simple, its a break down in the fair go attitude, do a good turn and so pay it forward. Doesn’t happen any more, why be quiet at 2 am? What’s the point?
Young people, poor people, the great mass of people are beaten up by MSM to provide for the wealthy few to get richer, when everyone keeps voting for the more ‘help the rich’.. Why exactly would they care about the voters trying to get a good night sleep who work in the morning? Ots all for one and one for one.
Also I believe it has a lot to do with student loans, which effective subsidize the boy racer theme, buy a cheap second hand car (many people are dumping cars on the market to make cuts) but students don’t have kids to feed, and then add sub woofer under the bonnet so that the whole road gets blasted, and everyone can hear the car coming before they see it. Its far too easy to get people into education and then they run up loans, a basic subsidy to create a serf class of indentured employees.
National can’t anything about it, rebuild people’s confidence in society, that would cost too much, think about the losses of profit to the top 2%.
Don’t worry about earthquakes – I am not worrying about it.
I don’t think we need to worry about an earthquake happening in Auckland, and if one did occur it would not affect you or me, our lives are already mapped out and your not going to die in an earthquake, improve yourself, work well, and you ‘will’ be fine AND you ‘will’ live to an old age.
I promise.
It was a little weird that we had one, but I doubt it will come to anything, it is just my Mother having a grumble- at me, I suspect.
hey bob the fact ot the matter is that national have to do something about everything but they are incompetent and scared the boy racers can get out their kayaks and stuff them up the national partys collective dialectical backside. that would really hurt.
andf anyway national are the partyy of business so the party back room boys must be busy scheming up ways to make shitloads of money for everyone and we can go back to having a real good time. peeed out and everyfing.
you betcha.
so where is john keys?
having a few bongs in India?
indeed.
always knew he was a hippy.
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealandâs biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a âmoisture-ladenâ long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own governmentâs fiscal policies raised issues of substance. âToday in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media â sure enough â have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willisâ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra â that the Budget âwill deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing.  Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Itâs becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-MÄori andâŠ. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you donât like and donât ...
Don Brash writes –Â As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that countryâs mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isnât already pretty well-off? Itâs as if protecting landlordsâ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of Nationalâs ...
 Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, itâs that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxonâs ...
Robert MacCulloch writes –Â The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this yearâs Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran OâSullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm â a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon â note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinsonâs analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana â or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. Itâs a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealandâs highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes –Â Â Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Petersâ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
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:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes â If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshubâs closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
Buzz from the Beehive One minister is talking tough while a colleague â whose ministry had acted tough and drawn a barrage of flak â has shown an official softening. Some ministers are doing what Labour was good at, which is distributing public funds to causes regarded as worthy or ...
A ballot for 4 Member's Bills was held today, and the following bills were drawn: Insurance Contracts Bill (Duncan Webb) Income Tax (Clean Transport FBT Exclusion) Amendment Bill (Julie Anne Genter) Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill (Greg Fleming) Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) ...
One of the strongest narratives about "our" spy agencies is that they are basically institutional traitors, working for foreign powers (or just themselves), without any control or oversight by the elected government. And today, we have yet another report from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security which explicitly confirms this. ...
âIt is often said that behind every great man is a great womanâ. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their âLadies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxonâ. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April to meet the Prime Ministerâs ...
The Coalition Governmentâs plan to âget Auckland movingâ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities sheâs meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Governmentâs archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the Americaâs Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it wonât stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Memberâs Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labourâs change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand Firstâs State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared âco-governance ...
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 PÄti MÄori 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. âIâm calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to âtake back our countryâ and stop the disastrous economic ...
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 Jonesâ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Governmentâs 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 public service 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 public service on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Governmentâs 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 doesnât 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. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. âIt was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. âThe Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend.  âThis travel will focus on a range of New Zealandâs traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,â Mr Peters says.  Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. âRoad safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. âOur relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliamentâs order paper. âThe Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,â Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams wonât be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. âThe coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. âDam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. âI have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. âThe Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023â24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the governmentâs finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Governmentâs Budget objectives. âThe coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says.                                        âThe Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says.  âThese changes are long overdue â the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealandâs growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Ministerâs Prizes for Space today. âNew Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealandâs concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. Â Â âThe Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Educationâs School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. âThere is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âToday I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. âThe use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,â Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. âWeâre sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealandâs ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. Â Â âI am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. âI have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commissionâs online consultation portal.â Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. âComprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. âI would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. âThis is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women donât ...
Good morning, itâs great to be here.  First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Governmentâs ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Governmentâs commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools MÄori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. âThe Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, Iâm proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of todayâs address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and Iâm sorry I canât be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the WhangÄrei site where the facility will be constructed. âNorthland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata MÄori 20 years ago, says MÄori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisationâs 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Itâs Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether youâre a boomer, or an â80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fijiâs Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? â Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems thereâs one luxury most Australians wonât sacrifice â their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Educationâs claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxonâs fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
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 A national Essential poll, conducted March 20â24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50â44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayersâ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the Peopleâs Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether youâre facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, itâs always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. Itâs an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting âoff the booksâ illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Governmentâs announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is âshamefulâ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain â a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata MÄori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is âfar-off sightâ. In the contemporary and living language of te reo MÄori, âwhakaataâ as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israelâs war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Governmentâs decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for âDead in Bedâ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research â and large-scale commercialisation. Whatâs beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martinâs favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martinâs fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. Iâm 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queenâs crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday â and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli militaryâs genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldnât give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this yearâs budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoffâs morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayersâ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Departmentâs Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayersâ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the countryâs top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, MÄori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellsford, Onehunga, Westhaven marina â Gavin Strawhan walks the meanish streets of New Zealand in his entertaining debut novel The Call, almost sure to roar into the number 1 position on the Nielsen bestseller chart, its front cover bearing a rave from somebody: “A really good and genuinely ...
On a Thursday in February, at Wellingtonâs Conservation House, the Conservation Authority, a statutory body advising the eponymous department and minister, Tama Potaka, opened its 195th meeting. Under consideration that afternoon was an agenda item written by Tim Bamford, chief advisor in the Department of Conservationâs biodiversity, heritage and visitors ...
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, Thursday 28 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
A lengthy response to the recently released draft Government policy statement on transport will soon be delivered from Auckland Council to Minister of Transport Simeon Brown. A submission raising concerns about funding distribution and the planâs treatment of Auckland passed through the councilâs transport committee on Wednesday, despite some councillors ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealandâs Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was âimproperâ ...
As a young gymnast, Aimee Didierjean was always conscious of making sure her underwear wasnât showing on the competition floor. A peek of a bra strap, or briefs if a leotard rode up, would cost a gymnast points in her routines. âWhen I was growing and going through puberty, it ...
Jubi/West Papua Daily Repeated cases of Indonesian military (TNI) soldiers torturing civilians in Papua have been evident, as seen in the viral video depicting the torture of civilians in the Puncak Regency allegedly done by soldiers of Raider 300/Brajawijaya Infantry Battalion. There is a pressing need for stringent law enforcement ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In 2023, Anthony Albanese was shooting for the moon, his eyes on the Voice referendum. On one view, he looked like the idealist reflecting his left-wing roots. In 2024, weâre seeing a pragmatic, determined, ...
The House - The principle that all MPs are honourable and that they should be taken at their word has been tested multiple times this week in Parliament. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Since the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) released its recommendations in December, there has been a series of Town Hall events to discuss them around the country ...
Asia Pacific Report Two of the global Freedom Flotilla ships are being prepared in Turkey and almost ready for the upcoming humanitarian mission to Gaza. It is expected that the flotilla will include a New Zealand medical team. Kia Ora Gaza is a member of the international Freedom Flotilla Coalition ...
Jafa pussies
From the article:
“Spudmasher said: “State of emergency declared in Auckland after 2.9 earthquake disturbs glasses of pinot and causes machiatos to spill over cup tops.”
And
“TheDimsBand said: “Harden up Auckland. Stop going on about a magnitude 2.9 quake like it’s news.”
We don’t even notice anything under a 4 here in ChCh anymore.
đ
lol @ âSpudmasher said: âState of emergency declared in Auckland after 2.9 earthquake disturbs glasses of pinot and causes machiatos to spill over cup tops.â
thats bout the state of it
“Jane Watson of Pt Chevalier said it was enough to make the remotes move on the coffee table.”
Oooooh, better declare that building a no-go zone unless you’re Key or someone he wants to be filmed with.
It’s hilarious really… I noticed it, and thought I had imagined it and got on with life…. đ
This is the saddest one: “Duncan Milne said: “The magnitude 2.9 earthquake was certainly felt out in Saint Heliers tonight. All the neighbours came out onto the street wondering what was going on. It felt like a truck drove into the house!”
Really? Unless this quake lasted like 5+ seconds, which I seriously doubt, wouldn’t anyone with a clue just go “well, that was a little quake” and then forget about it? I know we had a small quake earlier in 2010 or maybe 2009 (all I remember is it was winter), must’ve been around 3.0-3.5, made the lights swing and the other flatmates in the house were like “was that an earthquake?” and I said yes. That was the end of it. Don’t think it was even reported in the news.
Remember the hooha when Auckland lost electricity for a few hours. In Christchurch some lost it for weeks. A matter of degree I suppose. In some countries they loose house, food, water etc for years. Count our blessings.
You mean in 1998? I had just moved into my new apartment, and the frigging power started going on and off like a yoyo. My computer systems kept rebooting with windows blue screens until I did a highly expensive purchase of a couple of ups’es. This went on for weeks. That is when you find out how uninhabitable apartments are without power.
Not as bad as ChCh, not exactly the most fun either.
wouldnât anyone with a clue just go âwell, that was a little quakeâ and then forget about it?
If they knew what earthquakes felt like, yeah. But a lot of people in Ak have never felt one.
The one I mentioned in my post, from 2009 or 2010, was only about the 2nd or 3rd quake I’d ever felt (the prior one to that being a 6.3M some distance off when I was 10 or so, nothing at all like what we’ve had recently). I didn’t rush out and find out what the neighbours were up to…
Yeah, which is exactly what I was pointing out.
You’ve felt a few, many in Ak have never felt any.
IMO, not having felt the biggish one when I was 10 wouldn’t have made any difference to how I reacted to feeling the 3 to 3.5M that I later felt in my 20’s
I’ve seen this reasoning from you before, Lanth.
You seem to think that completely different experiences can be compared and equated.
What was that big long dumb argument you had here a while back? About how you could relate to rape victims because you lost a sandwich or something?
Well you’re doing it again. You can’t say say you’ve been experiencing earthquakes since you were a child and expect people who haven’t to share your perspective.
This one’s not all about you.
Quoting Felix “Youâve felt a few, many in Ak have never felt any”
That’s precisely the point. Quakes are unusual in Auckland, they’re further away from the plate boundary, so a 2.9 is news.
Note also that’ll be the Richter reading, what counts is the Modified Mercalli value, that indicates what people felt. Judging by the numbers quoted at QuakeLive, a 2.9 is equivalent to around 300-500kg of TNT going off a few km below you. Unsettling if you’re not used to it.
Note also that today, Saturday, is the first day since September that ChCh has had NO earthquakes recorded*, with only 6 (all under 3.5) yesterday. Ken Ring really bummed out on this one.
*He said at 10.24pm with fingers firmly crossed. Last time I made that prediction we had a real thumper around 10.45pm…..
Can you forward Ken Ring’s comments and wherever it is that he’s made them, on to Nick Smith please?
Nick threatened Ken with the riot act if he started talking about quakes again. I’d like to see that threat carried out.
Done. It was in this Wednesday’s Star. Barry Clarke, the editor needs a rark up.
We did make it through to midnight with no quakes, so it’s a new record. YAAAAAAYY!!
The Star editor wasn’t aware that Ring made a prediction. I emailed Ring after I heard his interview on NewsTalk ZB Christchurch. I challenged him over a number of facts he stated in the interview.
The Dusky Sound (Fiordland) quake of 15 July 2009 being an 8 pointer
Banks Island not being a Peninsular
To quote Ring: “As to the Te Anau event, some have said it was 8.4. There are many interpretations of these. On 20 March there was a 7-mag, but this was not reported. I have the screen shot as proof”.
According to Ring, Banks Island became a peninsular because of an earthquake and not because of an error made by Captain James Cook. He provided a map of the ‘Colony of New Zealand’ that was supposed to be drawn by someone other than Cook as proof. The image is too small to be of any use.
He also said he was ‘misquoted’ in the Star article.
Ring is clearly someone who is incapable of accepting responsibility for his own actions.
I am in Auckland, but I grew up in Rotorua and lived in Welly during a swarm, I know earthquakes. Auckland’s 2.9 was nothing! However the Herald story said that the last noticeable Auckland quake was in the 19th century, and so I sort of understand how the Aucklanders feel…
Meh, didn’t notice it until it came up on twitter. Pretty sure you’ll find most of Auckland didn’t.
I did not feel a thing. Â Mind you we are extra tough out west …
No, I didnt feel it out west either. Nor did anyone I know as far as I’m aware, including people in other parts of the city. It is news worthy because it’s unusual for Auckland, but I really don’t think anyone but a few drama queens & kings got that excited about it: some people who like to get attention on Twitter etc. No-one a work today even mentioned it.
I lived in Christchurch for a couple of years & experienced a few jolts & rumbles, so a 2.9 wouldn’t phase me.
This op ed piece just about says it for me.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10735914
T-shirt doing the rounds ” I survived Auckland’s 2.9 earthquake”. Hilarious.
I would not wear it in Christchurch ; )
Agree ms. It’s a Jafa piss-take of course, but not likely to be funny to most Cantabrians and rightly so.
I’m from Christchurch, I find it funny considering what we have been through. The idea is a rip off from the 1989Â Loma Prieta earthquake. There is a tee shirt for sale on EBay.
I would but only if it had:
âŠthe resultant media storm almost got me.
on the back.
“I would not wear it in Christchurch ; )”
True, they’re not too smart down there.
Why not! Some of the best earthquake jokes I have heard have been from Christchurch and Lyttelton residents.
Like. The barbershop is open. But! you have to wear a hard hat.
Even in the lower half of the NI we don’t worry unless it’s better than a 4. What a bunch of girls all running around like headless chooks at a measly 2.9. State of Emergency??? More like a State of Hysteria. Bloody Pussies.
Wouldn’t the girls have all been at home having their periods?
+1
SCF
Was the speed of the bailout par for the course?
Is the SFO prosecution going to enlighten us?
Just who benefitted from the bailout?
The report will find those paid out were (of course) “mum and dad investors” certainly not rich businessmen who are prepared to be gallant and brave and “take a risk for financial gain”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/5223660/Strauss-Kahn-twist-change-stakes-in-France
Released without bail and bond returned…interesting development
Money talks
Of course it must be because of money how silly of me…so why did it get as far as the courts in the first place
“why did it get as far as the courts in the first place”
Â
Apparently, the police knew that accuser was not a credible witness from the start (second day) – but pursued the charges anyway. Under US media and political pressure, Strauss-Khan was subsequently forced to resign from the IMF and French political race. Practical politics in action, US-style.
So IF this guy is found to be innocent will all the rabid left-wingers that declared him guilty preform a mea culpa and say “we were wrong”
I bet not
Yes, there’s multiple ironies going on in this case.
He won’t be found innocent. This man has form in going after women, but he may very well get away with a ‘not guilty’ beyond reasonable doubt because he can slag the witness all he likes, or he has a ‘no case to answer’ for the same reason. A thoughtful commentary on the ramifications of this case by Eve Ensler here
Anyway you’ve got it wrong – French socialists seem keen to have him back.
okay
So if you are a rapist you pick victims with little or no credibility. Because these people just can’t be raped in the eyes of people like you. You can rape with impunity – make a lifestyle out of it, and never have to face any consequences.
Don’t you think many rapists realise this.
One might also say Strauss-Kahn – whether or not he is guilty – is a rape suspect without much credibility (eg. his past reputation as reported extensively in the media). Therefore, easy to condemn by American RWNJ and be forced from his job.
So,
(allegedly) low credibility + high power, money, and influence,
versus,
low credibility + no power, money or influence.
Yeah, that’s the same thing.
Or how about innocent until proven guilty
Little mention of the credibility of the defendant.
Not inspired by anything in particular other than our horrible government but this song by Jarvis never gets any less accurate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGGbyZzuTg
A good read.
http://werewolf.co.nz/2011/06/from-the-hood-the-antipodean-nights-entertainments/
This article is a painfully clear explanation of the disaster of Neo-Liberalism in the U$: Privatizations, skewing the tax system to make the rich richer. America went from being a happy optimistic place where the everyman could realise the “American Dream” to the current feudalistic serfs and Barons system.When I first came to NZ in 1979 everyman could buy a house easily-now young everyman can’t buy diddly squat largely due to the greed of the banks writing out cheques out of thin air, fiat currency, so that already well off people can buy more houses that wage slaves pay the mortgages on and then the landlord (A feudal term!) cashes in on the capital gain fuelled by the ponzi scheme fostered by the banks and the Politicians who won’t charge a capital gain tax ’cause they’re in on the rort as well! GREED! Result a huge housing price bubble.
]
“How Greed Destroys America
If the âfree-marketâ theories of Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman were correct, the United States of the last three decades should have experienced a golden age in which the lavish rewards flowing to the titans of industry would have transformed the society into a vibrant force for beneficial progress.
After all, it has been faith in âfree-market economicsâ as a kind of secular religion that has driven U.S. government policies â from the emergence of Ronald Reagan through the neo-liberalism of Bill Clinton into the brave new world of House Republican budget chairman Paul Ryan.
By slashing income tax rates to historically low levels â and only slightly boosting them under President Clinton before dropping them again under George W. Bush â the U.S. government essentially incentivized greed or what Ayn Rand liked to call âthe virtue of selfishness.”
Refer below this article covers Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand( Yes,that one that Perigo looks up to with ecstatic feelings, his website http://www.solopassion.com(You bet it’s solo!)) One insight: The herd requires medicaid a social service Rand despises in her philosophy-keeps the dead weight of weaklings alive! YET WHEN SHE WAS DYING OF LUNG CANCER SHE GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED MEDICAID!
My point is that ACTnat are continuing to follow this totally trashed eco-social system though the rest of the World knows it’s a selfserving system for the selfish superior rich types in our society.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/06/28-12
If John Key sells his house in Hawaii and puts the proceeds into the reconstruct CHCH kitty I’ll vote for him! He will have put the welfare of his fellow NewZealnders above greed, however I think he subscribes to the Yank system “grab as much as you can and it’s yours”!
Transparency????
Found an interesting offering on the GETS website this morning – a role for a “Tertiary Education Specialist”; what interested me was the minutiae of the detail “A Wellington based consultant”
In addition they ask a curriculum vitae – not a portfolio of work done in this area, not information regarding any business that the ‘expert’ may have or work for.
So, are the various Ministries now being ‘selective‘ in whole they choose to appoint for government contracts (e.g. the decision is already made, but they are covering their backs HR wise)
This is why they can reduce the public service – no need for policy analysts, everything can be done by consultants with a scope based on gut instinct rather than research.
Well, I suspect the consultants get a scope based on what the Government has already decided it wants to do.
They preferentially take out anyone who has had more than 10 years experience, and leave behind complaint, inexperienced, easily led grads with only a few years behind them in the work force.
This is going to be a priceless insight when it comes out; the extract also shows how Prince Charles views farmers and ordinary working people
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jul/01/alastair-campbell-diaries-blair-prince-charles
I see boy racers are making a comeback. why aren’t the National government doing something about the resurgence of this nasty plague of defiant little shits on our roads and in our communities.
Randal It could be that they also have batches on the coro peninsula and need to get to them in great haste , Sod the speed limits thru small villages on the way , sod the blind corners WHERE you cant over take , sod the fact you drive so fast that the boat or trailer is well over the white line , in fact sod the locals cos they dont count because the [older ] boy racers need to get to the batch to go kayaking , biking , swimming , fishing ……… yes why are National not doing anything about this ?
Young people are cut off from house ownership by the lack of a CGT, and well paying jobs, and the brighter ones have already left for overseas. Also NZ is a clingy nation, odd things like beep their horns even though they know their family back inside knows their leaving. And yes, they do this at 2am without any care too. Its simple, its a break down in the fair go attitude, do a good turn and so pay it forward. Doesn’t happen any more, why be quiet at 2 am? What’s the point?
Young people, poor people, the great mass of people are beaten up by MSM to provide for the wealthy few to get richer, when everyone keeps voting for the more ‘help the rich’.. Why exactly would they care about the voters trying to get a good night sleep who work in the morning? Ots all for one and one for one.
Also I believe it has a lot to do with student loans, which effective subsidize the boy racer theme, buy a cheap second hand car (many people are dumping cars on the market to make cuts) but students don’t have kids to feed, and then add sub woofer under the bonnet so that the whole road gets blasted, and everyone can hear the car coming before they see it. Its far too easy to get people into education and then they run up loans, a basic subsidy to create a serf class of indentured employees.
National can’t anything about it, rebuild people’s confidence in society, that would cost too much, think about the losses of profit to the top 2%.
Don’t worry about earthquakes – I am not worrying about it.
I don’t think we need to worry about an earthquake happening in Auckland, and if one did occur it would not affect you or me, our lives are already mapped out and your not going to die in an earthquake, improve yourself, work well, and you ‘will’ be fine AND you ‘will’ live to an old age.
I promise.
It was a little weird that we had one, but I doubt it will come to anything, it is just my Mother having a grumble- at me, I suspect.
hey bob the fact ot the matter is that national have to do something about everything but they are incompetent and scared the boy racers can get out their kayaks and stuff them up the national partys collective dialectical backside. that would really hurt.
andf anyway national are the partyy of business so the party back room boys must be busy scheming up ways to make shitloads of money for everyone and we can go back to having a real good time. peeed out and everyfing.
you betcha.
so where is john keys?
having a few bongs in India?
indeed.
always knew he was a hippy.
Powerful?- You are so powerful that every time you do something you destroy yourself.
How is that powerful?