Open mike 03/03/2025
Written By:
- Date published:
6:00 am, March 3rd, 2025 - 46 comments
Categories: open mike -
Tags:
Open mike is your post.
For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Step up to the mike …
46 comments on “Open mike 03/03/2025 ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- Fact brief – Is Mars warming?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Mars warming? Mars’ climate varies due to completely different reasons than Earth’s, and available data indicates no temperature trends comparable to Earth’s ...4 hours ago - Maxing out – next steps for progressives
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...8 hours ago - Maxing out – next steps for progressives
Max Harris and Max Rashbrooke discuss how we turn around the right wing slogans like nanny state, woke identity politics, and the inefficiency of the public sector – and how we build a progressive agenda. From Donald Trump to David Seymour, from Peter Dutton to Christopher Luxon, we are subject to a ...8 hours ago
- FACT CHECKING DAVID SEYMOUR
I was interested in David Seymour's public presentation of the Justice Select Committee's report after the submissions to the Treaty Principles Bill.I noted the arguments he presented and fact checked him. I welcome corrections and additions to what I have written but want to keep the responses concise.The Treaty of ...11 hours ago - It’s All Over Now
Well, he runs around with every racist in townHe spent all our money playing his pointless gameHe put us out; it was awful how he triedTables turn, and now his turn to cryWith apologies to writers Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack.Eight per cent, asshole, that’s all you got.Smiling?Let me re-phrase…Eight ...13 hours ago - Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix on Saturday, April 5
In short this morning in our political economy:The S&P 500 fell another 5.6% this morning after China retaliated with tariffs of 34% on all US imports, and the Fed warned of stagflation without rate cut relief.Delays for heart surgeries and scans are costing lives, specialists have told Stuff’s Nicholas Jones.Meanwhile, ...14 hours ago - Unlike China’s flotilla, the Great White Fleet came in friendship
When the US Navy’s Great White Fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1908, it was an unmistakeable signal of imperial might, a flexing of America’s newfound naval muscle. More than a century later, the Chinese ...15 hours ago - Resource Management and Property Rights
While there have been decades of complaints – from all sides – about the workings of the Resource Management Act (RMA), replacing is proving difficult. The Coalition Government is making another attempt.To help answer the question, I am going to use the economic lens of the Coase Theorem, set out ...1 day ago - Bookshelf: the evolution and future of amphibious warfare
2027 may still not be the year of war it’s been prophesised as, but we only have two years left to prepare. Regardless, any war this decade in the Indo-Pacific will be fought with the ...1 day ago
- Parliament’s secret “transparency” regime
When the Parliament Bill Committee rejected calls for Parliamentary agencies to be subject to the Official Information Act last month, their excuse was interesting: Parliament didn't need the transparency of the OIA because it already had its own transparency regime! Which came as rather a surprise to everyone working in ...1 day ago - Centring people of colour to close the climate justice gap
Australia must do more to empower communities of colour in its response to climate change. In late February, the Multicultural Leadership Initiative hosted its Our Common Future summits in Sydney and Melbourne. These summits focused ...1 day ago
- Presidency of doom
Questions 1. In his godawful decree, what tariff rate was imposed by Trump upon the EU?a. 10% same as New Zealandb. 20%, along with a sneer about themc. 40%, along with an outright lie about France d. 69% except for the town Melania comes from2. The justice select committee has ...1 day ago - The ideology of grovelling to Trump
Yesterday the Trump regime in America began a global trade war, imposing punitive tariffs in an effort to extort political and economic concessions from other countries and US companies and constituencies. Trump's tariffs will make kiwis nearly a billion dollars poorer every year, but Luxon has decided to do nothing ...1 day ago
- $6m later, 90% against, 8% for, Treaty Principles Bill Committee recommends Bill be shelved
Here’s 7 updates from this morning’s news:90% of submissions opposed the TPBNZ’s EV market tanked by Coalition policies, down ~70% year on yearTrump showFossil fuel money driving conservative policiesSimeon Brown won’t say that abortion is healthcarePhil Goff stands by comments and makes a case for speaking upBrian Tamaki cleared of ...1 day ago - Thanks, Folks: Mountain Tūī Hits A Milesone
1 day ago - The people have spoken
The Justice Committee has reported back on National's racist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, and recommended by majority that it not proceed. So hopefully it will now rapidly go to second reading and be voted down. As for submissions, it turns out that around 380,000 people submitted on ...1 day ago
- To fight disinformation, treat it as an insurgency
We need to treat disinformation as we deal with insurgencies, preventing the spreaders of lies from entrenching themselves in the host population through capture of infrastructure—in this case, the social media outlets. Combining targeted action ...1 day ago
- The surprise of the Independent Intelligence Review: economic security
After copping criticism for not releasing the report for nearly eight months, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released the Independent Intelligence Review on 28 March. It makes for a heck of a read. The review makes ...2 days ago
- The surprise of the Independent Intelligence Review: economic security
After copping criticism for not releasing the report for nearly eight months, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released the Independent Intelligence Review on 28 March. It makes for a heck of a read. The review makes ...2 days ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Friday, April 4
In short this morning in our political economy:Donald Trump has shocked the global economy and markets with the biggest tariffs since the Smoot Hawley Act of 1930, which worsened the Great Depression.Global stocks slumped 4-5% overnight and key US bond yields briefly fell below 4% as investors fear a recession ...2 days ago - I Hope I Never Send This Webworm
Hi,I’ve been imagining a scenario where I am walking along the pavement in the United States. It’s dusk, I am off to get a dirty burrito from my favourite place, and I see three men in hoodies approaching.Anther two men appear from around a corner, and this whole thing feels ...2 days ago - Australia’s plan for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines is on track
Since the announcement in September 2021 that Australia intended to acquire nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with Britain and the United States, the plan has received significant media attention, scepticism and criticism. There are four major ...2 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 04-April-2025
On a very wet Friday, we hope you have somewhere nice and warm and dry to sit and catch up on our roundup of some of this week’s top stories in transport and urbanism. The header image shows Northcote Intermediate Students strolling across the Te Ara Awataha Greenway Bridge in ...2 days ago - Weekly Roundup 04-April-2025
On a very wet Friday, we hope you have somewhere nice and warm and dry to sit and catch up on our roundup of some of this week’s top stories in transport and urbanism. The header image shows Northcote Intermediate Students strolling across the Te Ara Awataha Greenway Bridge in ...2 days ago
- The Hoon around the week to April 4
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and Elaine Monaghan on the week in geopolitics and climate, including Donald Trump’s tariff shock yesterday; and,Labour’s Disarmament and Associate ...2 days ago
- Stranger Days
I'm gonna try real goodSwear that I'm gonna try from now on and for the rest of my lifeI'm gonna power on, I'm gonna enjoy the highsAnd the lows will come and goAnd may your dreamsAnd may your dreamsAnd may your dreams never dieSongwriters: Ben Reed.These are Stranger Days than ...2 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #14 2025
Open access notables A pronounced decline in northern vegetation resistance to flash droughts from 2001 to 2022, Zhang et al., Nature Communications: Here we show that vegetation resistance to flash droughts declines by up to 27% (±5%) over the Northern Hemisphere hotspots during 2001-2022, including eastern Asia, western North America, ...2 days ago
- Trump’s tariffs: Australia’s worry is the effect on its trading partners
With the execution of global reciprocal tariffs, US President Donald Trump has issued his ‘declaration of economic independence for America’. The immediate direct effect on the Australian economy will likely be small, with more risk ...2 days ago
- In national security, governments still struggle to work with startups
AUKUS governments began 25 years ago trying to draw in a greater range of possible defence suppliers beyond the traditional big contractors. It is an important objective, and some progress has been made, but governments ...2 days ago
- What I saw at liberation day
I approach fresh Trump news reluctantly. It never holds the remotest promise of pleasure. I had the very, very least of expectations for his Rumble in the Jungle, his Thriller in Manila, his Liberation Day.God May 1945 is becoming the bitterest of jokes isn’t it?Whatever. Liberation Day he declared it ...2 days ago - Open Australia versus closed United States
Beyond trade and tariff turmoil, Donald Trump pushes at the three core elements of Australia’s international policy: the US alliance, the region and multilateralism. What Kevin Rudd called the ‘three fundamental pillars’ are the heart ...2 days ago
- The fix is in
So, having broken its promise to the nation, and dumped 85% of submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill in the trash, National's stooges on the Justice Committee have decided to end their "consideration" of the bill, and report back a full month early: Labour says the Justice Select Committee ...2 days ago
- Intelligence review is strong on workforce issues. Implementation may be harder
The 2024 Independent Intelligence Review offers a mature and sophisticated understanding of workforce challenges facing Australia’s National Intelligence Community (NIC). It provides a thoughtful roadmap for modernising that workforce and enhancing cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration. ...2 days ago
- Corruption Tsunami
OPINION AND ANALYSIS:Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier’s comments singling out Health NZ for “acting contrary to the law” couldn’t be clearer. If you find my work of value, do consider subscribing and/or supporting me. Thank you.Health NZ has been acting a law unto itself. That includes putting its management under extraordinary ...2 days ago - Sharing security interests, ASEAN’s big three step up cooperation
Southeast Asia’s three most populous countries are tightening their security relationships, evidently in response to China’s aggression in the South China Sea. This is most obvious in increased cooperation between the coast guards of the ...3 days ago
- Technology can make Team Australia fit for strategic competition
In the late 1970s Australian sport underwent institutional innovation propelling it to new heights. Today, Australia must urgently adapt to a contested and confronting strategic environment. Contributing to this, a new ASPI research project will ...3 days ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Thursday, April 3
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital waiting list crisis just gets worse, including compelling interviews with an over-worked surgeon who is leaving, and a patient who discovered after 19 months of waiting for a referral that her bowel and ovaries were fused together with scar tissue ...3 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Clash Between Auckland Airport And Air New Zealand
Plainly, the claims being tossed around in the media last year that the new terminal envisaged by Auckland International Airport was a gold-plated “Taj Mahal” extravagance were false. With one notable exception, the Commerce Commission’s comprehensive investigation has ended up endorsing every other aspect of the airport’s building programme (and ...3 days ago - Just what does drive so much of this global, Right-wing populism we all see at present?
Movements clustered around the Right, and Far Right as well, are rising globally. Despite the recent defeats we’ve seen in the last day or so with the win of a Democrat-backed challenger, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, over her Republican counterpart, Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, in the battle for ...3 days ago - Two-part webinar about the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming
In February 2025, John Cook gave two webinars for republicEN explaining the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. 20 February 2025: republicEN webinar part 1 - BUST or TRUST? The scientific consensus on climate change In the first webinar, Cook explained the history of the 20-year scientific consensus on climate change. How do ...3 days ago
- Bookshelf: ‘Vampire state: The rise and fall of the Chinese economy’
After three decades of record-breaking growth, at about the same time as Xi Jinping rose to power in 2012, China’s economy started the long decline to its current state of stagnation. The Chinese Communist Party ...3 days ago
- Too complacent, too greedy
The Pike River Coal mine was a ticking time bomb.Ventilation systems designed to prevent methane buildup were incomplete or neglected.Gas detectors that might warn of danger were absent or broken.Rock bolting was skipped, old tunnels left unsealed, communication systems failed during emergencies.Employees and engineers kept warning management about the … ...3 days ago - It’s time to imagine how China would act as regional hegemon
Regional hegemons come in different shapes and sizes. Australia needs to think about what kind of hegemon China would be, and become, should it succeed in displacing the United States in Asia. It’s time to ...3 days ago
- We don’t need the fast track to kill fossil fuels
RNZ has a story this morning about the expansion of solar farms in Aotearoa, driven by today's ground-breaking ceremony at the Tauhei solar farm in Te Aroha: From starting out as a tiny player in the electricity system, solar power generated more electricity than coal and gas combined for ...3 days ago
- How world order changes
After the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, and almost a year before the Soviet Union collapsed in late 1991, US President George H W Bush proclaimed a ‘new world order’. Now, just two months ...3 days ago
- Social Contracts Are Breaking
Warning: Some images may be distressing. Thank you for those who support my work. It means a lot.A shopfront in Australia shows Liberal leader Peter Dutton and mining magnate Gina Rinehart depicted with Nazi imageryUS Government Seeks Death Penalty for Luigi MangioneMangione was publicly walked in front of media in ...3 days ago - Wednesday 2 April
Aged care workers rallying against potential roster changes say Bupa, which runs retirement homes across the country, needs to focus on care instead of money. More than half of New Zealand workers wish they had chosen a different career according to a new survey. Consumers are likely to see a ...4 days ago - The Green’s Identity Bubble Problem.
The scurrilous attacks on Benjamin Doyle, a list Green MP, over his supposed inappropriate behaviour towards children has dominated headlines and social media this past week, led by frothing Rightwing agitators clutching their pearls and fanning the flames of moral panic over pedophiles and and perverts. Winston Peter decided that ...4 days ago - Fabian Fundraiser – Twilight Time
Twilight Time Lighthouse Cuba, Wigan Street, Wellington, Sunday 6 April, 5:30pm for 6pm start. Twilight Time looks at the life and work of Desmond Ball, (1947-2016), a barefooted academic from ‘down under’ who was hailed by Jimmy Carter as “the man who saved the world”, as he proved the fallacy ...4 days ago
- That’s Democracy?
The landedAnd the wealthyAnd the piousAnd the healthyAnd the straight onesAnd the pale onesAnd we only mean the male ones!If you're all of the above, then you're ok!As we build a new tomorrow here today!Lyrics Glenn Slater and Allan Menken.Ah, Democracy - can you smell it?It's presently a sulphurous odour, ...4 days ago - Think laterally: government air and shipping services can boost Australian defence
US President Donald Trump’s unconventional methods of conducting international relations will compel the next federal government to reassess whether the United States’ presence in the region and its security assurances provide a reliable basis for ...4 days ago
- Reserve Bank, bank capital etc
Things seem to be at a pretty low ebb in and around the Reserve Bank. There was, in particular, the mysterious, sudden, and as-yet unexplained resignation of the Governor (we’ve had four Governors since the Bank was given its operational autonomy 35 years ago, and only two have completed their ...4 days ago - Luxon’s ‘going for growth’ actually means ‘going for debt reduction’
Long story short: PM Christopher Luxon said in January his Government was ‘going for growth’ and he wanted New Zealanders to develop a ‘culture of yes.’ Yet his own Government is constantly saying no, or not yet, to anchor investments that would unleash real private business investment and GDP growth. ...4 days ago - Luxon’s ‘going for growth’ actually means ‘going for debt reduction’
Long story short: PM Christopher Luxon said in January his Government was ‘going for growth’ and he wanted New Zealanders to develop a ‘culture of yes.’ Yet his own Government is constantly saying no, or not yet, to anchor investments that would unleash real private business investment and GDP growth. ...4 days ago
- Life after D-notices: Australia can learn from Britain’s updated system
For decades, Britain and Australia had much the same process for regulating media handling of defence secrets. It was the D-notice system, under which media would be asked not to publish. The two countries diverged ...4 days ago
- Life after D-notices: Australia can learn from Britain’s updated system
For decades, Britain and Australia had much the same process for regulating media handling of defence secrets. It was the D-notice system, under which media would be asked not to publish. The two countries diverged ...4 days ago
- Should Auckland demolish Spaghetti Junction?
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead. What’s ...4 days ago
- Should Auckland demolish Spaghetti Junction?
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission. In this article, I make a not-entirely-serious case for ripping out Spaghetti Junction in Auckland, replacing it with a motorway tunnel, and redeveloping new city streets and neighbourhoods above it instead. What’s ...4 days ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Wednesday, April 2
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital crisis revealed by 1News’ Jessica Roden dominates the political agenda today. Yet again, population growth wasn’t planned for, or funded.Kāinga Ora is planning up to 900 house sales, including new ones, Jonathan Milne reports for Newsroom.One of New Zealand’s biggest ...4 days ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Wednesday, April 2
In short this morning in our political economy:The Nelson Hospital crisis revealed by 1News’ Jessica Roden dominates the political agenda today. Yet again, population growth wasn’t planned for, or funded.Kāinga Ora is planning up to 900 house sales, including new ones, Jonathan Milne reports for Newsroom.One of New Zealand’s biggest ...4 days ago
- Diplomacy is the newest front in the Russia-Ukraine war
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated. Neither side is in a position to achieve its stated objectives through military force. But now there is significant diplomatic activity as well. Ukraine has agreed to ...4 days ago
- The wettest choppiest part
This was my first thought about yesterday's announcement from Winston Peters, ferry-whisperer. Read more ...4 days ago - How to deal with a kangaroo court
In November last year, Te Pāti Māori's Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke spoke for all of us when she led a haka against National's racist Treaty Principles Bill. National and its parliamentary patsies did not like that, so after kicking her out of the house for a day, they sought to drag her ...4 days ago
- AusAID can take USAID’s place in the Pacific islands
One of the first aims of the United States’ new Department of Government Efficiency was shutting down USAID. By 6 February, the agency was functionally dissolved, its seal missing from its Washington headquarters. Amid the ...4 days ago
- The US alliance is precious, but Australia should plan for more self-reliance
If our strategic position was already challenging, it just got worse. Reliability of the US as an ally is in question, amid such actions by the Trump administration as calling for annexation of Canada, threating ...4 days ago
- Monday 1 April
Small businesses will be exempt from complying with some of the requirements of health and safety legislation under new reforms proposed by the Government. The living wage will be increased to $28.95 per hour from September, a $1.15 increase from the current $27.80. A poll has shown large opposition to ...5 days ago
- Not Aprils’ Fools: Government Prioritises Road Cones Over Health & Safety, 6 Nelson Senior...
Summary A group of senior doctors in Nelson have spoken up, specifically stating that hospitals have never been as bad as in the last year.Patients are waiting up to 50 hours and 1 death is directly attributable to the situation: "I've never seen that number of patients waiting to be ...5 days ago
- The US has many chip vulnerabilities
Although semiconductor chips are ubiquitous nowadays, their production is concentrated in just a few countries, and this has left the US economy and military highly vulnerable at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. While the ...5 days ago
- Health and Safety changes driven by ACT party ideology
Health and Safety changes driven by ACT party ideology, not evidence said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. Changes to health and safety legislation proposed by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden today comply with ACT party ideology, ignores the evidence, and will compound New ...5 days ago
- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Tuesday, April 1
In short in our political economy this morning:Fletcher Building is closing its pre-fabricated house-building factory in Auckland due to a lack of demand, particularly from the Government.Health NZ is sending a crisis management team to Nelson Hospital after a 1News investigation exposed doctors’ fears that nearly 500 patients are overdue ...5 days ago - Looking back to look forward, 10 years after the First Principles Review
Exactly 10 years ago, the then minister for defence, Kevin Andrews, released the First Principles Review: Creating One Defence (FPR). With increasing talk about the rising possibility of major power-conflict, calls for Defence funding to ...5 days ago
- The Government accidentally added us to their group chat
In events eerily similar to what happened in the USA last week, Greater Auckland was recently accidentally added to a group chat between government ministers on the topic of transport. We have no idea how it happened, but luckily we managed to transcribe most of what transpired. We share it ...5 days ago
- Dylan Attempts to Stop a Pig Butchering
Hi,When I look back at my history with Dylan Reeve, it’s pretty unusual. We first met in the pool at Kim Dotcom’s mansion, as helicopters buzzed overhead and secret service agents flung themselves off the side of his house, abseiling to the ground with guns drawn.Kim Dotcom was a German ...5 days ago - Luxon Calls Snap Election!
Come around for teaDance me round and round the kitchenBy the light of my T.VOn the night of the electionAncient stars will fall into the seaAnd the ocean floor sings her sympathySongwriter: Bic Runga.The Prime Minister stared into the camera, hot and flustered despite the predawn chill. He looked sadly ...5 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Latest Ferries Scam
Has Winston Peters got a ferries deal for you! (Buyer caution advised.) Unfortunately, the vision that Peters has been busily peddling for the past 24 hours – of several shipyards bidding down the price of us getting smaller, narrower, rail-enabled ferries – looks more like a science fiction fantasy. One ...5 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori Urges Governor-General to Block Repeal of 7AA
Today, the Oranga Tamariki (Repeal of Section 7AA) Amendment Bill has passed its third and final reading, but there is one more stage before it becomes law. The Governor-General must give their ‘Royal assent’ for any bill to become legally enforceable. This means that, even if a bill gets voted ...2 days ago
- Release: Abortion care quietly shelved amid staff shortage
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...2 days ago - Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...2 days ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 days ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...3 days ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...3 days ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...4 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...4 days ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...5 days ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...5 days ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...5 days ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...6 days ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...6 days ago
- Release: Labour backs farmers’ call for better process on GE
Labour shares farmers’ concerns that the Gene Technology Bill is moving too fast. ...1 week ago
- Release: Bar still too high for small mental health providers
Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold. ...1 week ago
- Greens call for Govt to scrap proposed ECE changes
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...1 week ago - NZ First Introduces Bill That Gives Democracy Back To The People
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...1 week ago - Speech: Navigating the New World (Dis)order in Turbulent Times
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...1 week ago
- Te Pāti Māori Call for Mandatory Police Body Cameras
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...1 week ago
- Release: Kiwis lose faith in job market
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens question Govt commitment to environmental protection with RMA reform
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt must tackle meth use crisis
New data shows methamphetamine use is spiralling out of control while the Government sits on its hands. ...2 weeks ago
- “Make New Zealand First Again”
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt’s continued lack of action on Gaza condemned
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National at sea over Defence jobs
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National standards returning by stealth
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis still struggling as economy stumbles along
Kiwis aren’t feeling any better off despite figures showing a very slight growth in GDP in the December quarter. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...2 weeks ago
- Another failed ETS auction, another indictment on the Govt’s climate credibility
The ETS auction’s failure today is yet another clear sign that the Government is failing us all on climate action. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Luxon quick to give away principled position on nukes
Christopher Luxon seems to have thrown New Zealand’s principled anti-nuclear advocacy under a bus. ...3 weeks ago
- NZ must act on Israel’s slaughter of children
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Still no certainty for disability communities
One year on from the Government’s abrupt and callous changes to disability funding, the community still has no idea what the future holds. ...3 weeks ago
- Green Party backs volunteer firefighters in their call for ACC recognition
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...3 weeks ago
- Stand Up for Palestine: A Call to Action Against Israels Treacherous Attack
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...3 weeks ago
- MP Views: Living Strong, The Economy, Servicing Our Nation, The Golden Egg, and 4 Year Terms
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...3 weeks ago
- New planning laws to end the culture of ‘no’
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...2 weeks ago - New Zealand & India Comprehensive FTA consultation begins
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...2 weeks ago
- Cost of living support coming for 1.5 million New Zealanders
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...2 weeks ago
- Iwi join discussion on geothermal potential
Progressing a holistic strategy to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources, possibly in applications beyond energy generation, is at the centre of discussions with mana whenua at a hui in Rotorua today, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is in the early stages ...2 weeks ago
- Building consent data shows need for bold reforms
New annual data has exposed the staggering cost of delays previously hidden in the building consent system, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I directed Building Consent Authorities to begin providing quarterly data last year to improve transparency, following repeated complaints from tradespeople waiting far longer than the statutory ...2 weeks ago
- Reining in water price increases for Aucklanders
Increases in water charges for Auckland consumers this year will be halved under the Watercare Charter which has now been passed into law, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The charter is part of the financial arrangement for Watercare developed last year by Auckland Council ...2 weeks ago
- Strong interest in modernising biosecurity law
There is wide public support for the Government’s work to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity protections, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The Ministry for Primary Industries recently completed public consultation on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act and the submissions show that people understand the importance of having a strong biosecurity ...2 weeks ago
- New independent review function for civil aviation decisions
A new independent review function will enable individuals and organisations to seek an expert independent review of specified civil aviation regulatory decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Director of Civil Aviation, Acting Transport Minister James Meager has announced today. “Today we are making it easier and more affordable ...2 weeks ago
- Enhanced urgent care service for Napier
The Government will invest in an enhanced overnight urgent care service for the Napier community as part of our focus on ensuring access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown has today confirmed. “I am delighted that a solution has been found to ensure Napier residents will continue to ...2 weeks ago
- Construction begins on new adult mental health building in Christchurch
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey attended a sod turning today to officially mark the start of construction on a new mental health facility at Hillmorton Campus. “This represents a significant step in modernising mental health services in Canterbury,” Mr Brown says. “Improving health infrastructure is ...2 weeks ago
- It’s official: Kiwis can look forward to better days
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed confirmation the economy has turned the corner. Stats NZ reported today that gross domestic product grew 0.7 per cent in the three months to December following falls in the June and September quarters. “We know many families and businesses are still suffering the after-effects ...2 weeks ago
- Sealing improves safety on Forgotten World Highway
The sealing of a 12-kilometre stretch of State Highway 43 (SH43) through the Tangarakau Gorge – one of the last remaining sections of unsealed state highway in the country – has been completed this week as part of a wider programme of work aimed at improving the safety and resilience ...2 weeks ago
- NZ – US relations on strong footing
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says relations between New Zealand and the United States are on a strong footing, as he concludes a week-long visit to New York and Washington DC today. “We came to the United States to ask the new Administration what it wants from ...2 weeks ago
- International Anti-Money Laundering rule changes support government reforms
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has welcomed changes to international anti-money laundering standards which closely align with the Government’s reforms. “The Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) last month adopted revised standards for tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism to allow for simplified regulatory measures for businesses, organisations and sectors ...2 weeks ago
- New electronic system to support pharmacy efficiency
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he welcomes Medsafe’s decision to approve an electronic controlled drug register for use in New Zealand pharmacies, allowing pharmacies to replace their physical paper-based register. “The register, developed by Kiwi brand Toniq Limited, is the first of its kind to be approved in New ...2 weeks ago
- RIF delivering for regional NZ, more to come
The Coalition Government’s drive for regional economic growth through the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund is on track with more than $550 million in funding so far committed to key infrastructure projects, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. “To date, the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) has received more than 250 ...3 weeks ago
- Comments following bilateral with US Secretary of State Rubio
[Comments following the bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; United States State Department, Washington D.C.] * We’re very pleased with our meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon. * We came here to listen to the new Administration and to be clear about what ...3 weeks ago
- New State Highway 2 roundabout to improve road safety in Eastern Bay of Plenty
The intersection of State Highway 2 (SH2) and Wainui Road in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be made safer and more efficient for vehicles and freight with the construction of a new and long-awaited roundabout, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop. “The current intersection of SH2 and Wainui Road is ...3 weeks ago
- Ocean Race returning to Auckland
The Ocean Race will return to the City of Sails in 2027 following the Government’s decision to invest up to $4 million from the Major Events Fund into the international event, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand is a proud sailing nation, and Auckland is well-known internationally as the ...3 weeks ago
- New associate psychology role to grow the mental health workforce
Improving access to mental health and addiction support took a significant step forward today with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announcing that the University of Canterbury have been the first to be selected to develop the Government’s new associate psychologist training programme. “I am thrilled that the University of Canterbury ...3 weeks ago
- First stage of Manukau Health Park expansion open to patients
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened the new East Building expansion at Manukau Health Park. “This is a significant milestone and the first stage of the Grow Manukau programme, which will double the footprint of the Manukau Health Park to around 30,000m2 once complete,” Mr Brown says. “Home ...3 weeks ago
- Proceeds of crime to fund safety measures in central Auckland
The Government will boost anti-crime measures across central Auckland with $1.3 million of funding as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Fund, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “In recent years there has been increased antisocial and criminal behaviour in our CBD. The Government ...3 weeks ago
- Consultation on options to strengthen food waste for pigs regulations
The Government is moving to strengthen rules for feeding food waste to pigs to protect New Zealand from exotic animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. ‘Feeding untreated meat waste, often known as "swill", to pigs could introduce serious animal diseases like FMD and ...3 weeks ago
- PMs Luxon & Modi deepen NZ-India ties
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held productive talks in New Delhi today. Fresh off announcing that New Zealand and India would commence negotiations towards a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the two Prime Ministers released a joint statement detailing plans for further cooperation between the two countries across ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand & India strengthen forestry ties
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the forestry sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...3 weeks ago
- New Zealand & India strengthen horticultural ties
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the horticulture sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...3 weeks ago
- Family Court Judges appointed
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new Family Court Judges. The new Judges will take up their roles in April and May and fill Family Court vacancies at the Auckland and Manukau courts. Annette Gray Ms Gray completed her law degree at Victoria University before joining Phillips ...3 weeks ago
- New High Dependency Unit will expand critical care services in Wellington
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU). “This unit will boost critical care services in the lower North Island, providing extra capacity and relieving pressure on the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and emergency department. “Wellington Regional Hospital has previously relied ...3 weeks ago
- RAISINA DIALOGUE 2025: KĀLACHAKRA – PEOPLE, PEACE AND PLANET
Namaskar, Sat Sri Akal, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. What an honour it is to stand on this stage - to inaugurate this august Dialogue - with none other than the Honourable Narendra Modi. My good friend, thank you for so generously welcoming me to India and for our ...3 weeks ago
- Government to allow bigger granny flats to be built without consents
It's part of changes to be introduced to make it easier for people to build standalone dwellings on their properties. ...7 hours ago - With US bombers at the ready, can Trump cut a deal with Iran and avoid a war?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University; and Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow, Victoria University The United States and Iran are once again on a collision course over the Iranian nuclear program. In a letter ...7 hours ago - Consumers are boycotting US goods around the world. Should Trump be worried?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Bradshaw, Professor of Marketing, Royal Holloway University of London US alcohol has been removed from sale in the Canadian province of British Columbia. lenic/Shutterstock As politicians around the world scramble to respond to US “liberation day” tariffs, consumers have also begun ...11 hours ago
- With Hasbara failing, Israel placed Hossam Shabat on a kill list
While public opinion of Israel plummets, each day the genocide continues without significant repercussions only reinforces that they can ignore this opinion, writes Alex Foley. SPECIAL REPORT: By Alex Foley Israel announced that Hossam Shabat was a “terrorist” alongside six other Palestinian journalists. Hossam predicted they would assassinate him. He ...12 hours ago
- Judge says there’s merit in Crown argument on water declaration
Ngāi Tahu’s senior lawyer was in full flight on the final day of an eight-week High Court hearing when the judge brought him to a screeching halt.Barrister Chris Finlayson KC led the case for Ngāi Tahu, the South Island iwi that said a wai māori (freshwater) crisis prompted it to ...19 hours ago - The Weekend: My free ride was great while it lasted
Madeleine Chapman reflects on a week of bleak reading. Nothing in life is free. Everyone knows that. But for a blissful eight months, my commute was. After closing Mount Eden station nearly a decade ago to redevelop it, Auckland Transport eventually opened a new, frequent bus route (64) to connect ...19 hours ago - The perfect Argentinian empanadas can be found on Petone’s waterfront
Out of the little playground kiosk at Petone beach, Mariana’s Kitchen is serving up perfect, authentic empanadas. It was a perfect Wellington day: the sun was shining and the wind was blowing. In its gust the word “OPEN” flashed on a red and yellow banner on the Petone foreshore. From ...19 hours ago
- The local bug enthusiast who invented Daylight Saving
As Daylight Saving comes to an end, let us remember the local naturalist who came up with the idea so he could spend more time searching for insects in the Karori Bush. Here in the south, the signs are everywhere. Beanies are creeping onto heads and people are starting to ...19 hours ago
- ‘An absolute taniwha’: Marlon Williams on his first te reo Māori album
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith chats to Marlon Williams about the six-year journey to releasing Te Whare Tīwekaweka, his first album entirely in te reo Māori. Singer-songwriter Marlon Williams (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāi Tai) remembers a childhood where speaking “household Māori” was as everyday as the waves which crash into the harbour of Ōhinehou. ...19 hours ago
- What happened to my friend Dr Tariq Habibyar
Murdoch Stephens introduces us to one of the people whose stories feature in his new book, Visas Now! Aotearoa’s response to global refugee emergencies. On Thursday my book on Aotearoa’s response to emergency refugee crises was released. I was lucky enough to have the book recount nine community members’ stories ...19 hours ago
- ‘I should have walked out’: The live Breakfast moment Ali Mau regrets to this day
The journalist and author takes us through her life in television, including her biggest live TV regret and the Succession moment she witnessed first hand. This week, journalist and broadcaster Ali Mau released No Words For This, a “gripping, generous, revelatory and layered” memoir that reveals shocking family secrets, explores ...20 hours ago
- Short story: Claire wasn’t there, by Volha Kastsiuk
After ten rings Tracey hung up. She started the car; an orange petrol light appeared. It appeared yesterday on the way home, but Tracey decided to deal with it today. She opened her phone and first looked for specials on the BP app and then on Caltex, but there was ...20 hours ago
- Kiwi start-up aims to take space transport to new heights
It has all the qualities of an aircraft but with its rocket engine, the Dawn Mk-II Aurora can fly faster and higher than any jet.“We have a real path to this being the first vehicle that flies to 100km altitude – the border of space – twice in a day,” ...20 hours ago
- The Secret Diary of .. the Benjamin Doyle affair
The agitated and perpetually frightened right wingBy spending a lot of time online while eating spaghetti on toast in small rooms and staying up all hours, illuminated by the ghostly white screen of the PC, and worrying about what could go wrong in the world if the left wing got ...20 hours ago
- Albanese and Dutton both say they will return the Port of Darwin to Australian hands
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese has announced that the government will ensure the Port of Darwin, currently leased by the Chinese company Landbridge, is returned to Australian hands. “Australia needs to own the Port of Darwin,” the prime ...24 hours ago
- Albanese and Dutton both say they will return the Port of Darwin to Australian hands
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Anthony Albanese has announced that the government will ensure the Port of Darwin, currently leased by the Chinese company Landbridge, is returned to Australian hands. “Australia needs to own the Port of Darwin,” the prime ...24 hours ago
- NZ’s refreshingly candid ex-envoy Phil Goff – why I spoke out on Trump
Now that Phil Goff has ended his term as New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the UK, he is officially free to speak his mind on the damage he believes the Trump Administration is doing to the world. He has started with these comments he made on the betrayal of Ukraine ...1 day ago
- No, that’s not what a trade deficit means – and that’s not how you calculate other nations’ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Draper, Professor, and Executive Director: Institute for International Trade, and Jean Monnet Chair of Trade and Environment, University of Adelaide On April 2, United States President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping new “reciprocal tariff” regime he says will level the playing ...1 day ago
- Hackers have hit major super funds. A cyber expert explains how to stop it happening again
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toby Murray, Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne Several of Australia’s biggest superannuation funds have suffered a suspected coordinated cyberattack, with scammers stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of members’ retirement savings. Superannuation funds ...1 day ago
- Jewish students chain themselves to Columbia gates to protest over ICE jailing of Mahmoud Khalil
Democracy Now! Jewish students at Columbia University chained themselves to a campus gate across from the graduate School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) this week, braving rain and cold to demand the school release information related to the targeting and ICE arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a former SIPA student. ...1 day ago
- Rejecting Apologies: Human Rights Commissioner Must Be Held Accountable
We stand in solidarity with all communities impacted by Islamophobia, racism, and discrimination. We call for genuine accountability, not empty apologies. It is imperative that the government takes decisive action to restore integrity to the Human Rights ...1 day ago - Government Is Misleading Public Over Labelling Of GMO Food
"This is a broken promise to the public. People demand the right to choose and want products from gene editing to be labelled,” said Jon Carapiet, spokesman for GE-Free New Zealand (in Food and Environment). ...1 day ago
- The parliamentary processes behind the missing submissions story
Public submissions potentially ignored and unrecorded were a focus this week. We background how the process usually works and what will happen now. ...1 day ago
- Work safety expert critical of Minister Brooke van Velden’s workplace ‘myths’
"The things that she is recommending won't actually do anything much to address critical risks." ...1 day ago
- If a child has extra needs, support can be hard to find. This new approach can help make it easier a...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Trembath, Professor of Speech Pathology, Griffith University Lukas/Pexels If your child is struggling with certain everyday activities – such as playing with other kids, getting dressed or paying attention – you might want to get them assessed to see if ...1 day ago
- Complaint over teaching tikanga Māori in law schools rejected
But the select committee also put a limit on how much cultural education was required. ...1 day ago
- Daylight saving time ends Sunday. Why do we change our clocks? And how does it affect our bodies?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meltem Weger, Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland Kampus Productions/Pexels As summer fades into autumn, most Australian states and territories will set their clocks back an hour as daylight saving time ends and standard time resumes. ...1 day ago
- ‘Not an extension of Australia’ – Trump’s tariffs ‘reinforces’ Norfolk Island’s indepe...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Norfolk Island sees its United States tariff as an acknowledgment of independence from Australia. Norfolk Island, despite being an Australian territory, has been included on Trump’s tariff list. The territory has been given a 29 percent tariff, despite Australia getting only 10 percent. It ...1 day ago
- Nurses’ Union Backs Call To Scrap Anti-Treaty Bill
Parliament's Justice Committee has released its report into the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill and has recommended it does not proceed. ...1 day ago
- Heroin found in cocaine and ‘ice’, and snorting a line can be lethal
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney Skrypnykov Dmytro/Shutterstock Authorities in New South Wales and Victoria have been warning the public about worrying cases of heroin overdoses after people thought ...1 day ago
- Labour, Te Pāti Māori lose ground – April Taxpayers Union-Curia poll
Labour and Te Pāti Māori have lost support, the latest Taxpayers Union-Curia poll suggests. ...1 day ago
- Crew on Manawanui during sinking were under-trained, ship not up to task – report
A damning report explains how the disaster on a Samoan reef happened, including a full transcript of the dramatic night. ...1 day ago
- Transcript: What happened when the Manawanui Navy ship grounded off Samoa
A witness is heard calling for calm, before a mayday is put out and crew are ordered to abandon ship. Here is how the grounding played out. ...1 day ago
- Trump tariffs: Trade Minister Todd McClay gets clarification on how the United States’ new reg...
The flat 10 percent duty being applied to US imports will apply on top of any existing tariffs, but there are some exceptions. ...1 day ago
- Justice Committee Presents Report To The House On The Principles Of The Treaty Of Waitangi Bill
This is a Final Report of the Justice Committee. ...1 day ago
- It’s not easy being a street tree, but this heroic eucalypt withstands everything we throw at it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne alybaba/Shutterstock Street trees usually grow in appalling soils, have little space for their roots, are rarely watered and often get aggressively trimmed by road authorities ...1 day ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘reluctant heterosexual’ by Amanda Faye Martin
A new poem by Amanda Faye Martin. reluctant heterosexual one time i got snowed in with a guy i thought i didn’t want to sleep with but then he said something that felt true like clarity could be simple like things could be known like picking fruit in warm weather ...1 day ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending April 4
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. AUCKLAND 1 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, $30) More of that good Hunger Games stuff: ...1 day ago
- Pupil off to the dentist after biting into hard plastic in school lunch
A Palmerston North school wants to change school lunch providers after a child bit into a hard piece of plastic in their lunch. ...1 day ago
- Pupil off the to the dentist after biting into hard plastic in school lunch
A Palmerston North school wants to change school lunch providers after a child bit into a hard piece of plastic in their lunch. ...1 day ago
Did they actually need any "new" powers? Were there not already enough powers within existing laws? IMO if actually applied,yes.
I note ACT's Nicole McKee..
The "fit and proper person" test
ACT party and gun control….
I have to eat some humble pie here.
While Starmer was slow to support Zelensky after the Trump Vance shitshow he has played his cards brilliantly since.
Not only has he got a European phalanx of leaders onside for Zelensky….(The images of him and Trudeau and Macron back slapping Zelensky are priceless) he has also stuck it up Trump without seeming to.
Priceless.
I'm not sure any parents of soldiers will be keen to tuck in with you.
If Starmer and co plan is to keep tipping more humans and armaments into the theatre it's hardly a step forward.
Us witnesses from very afar, should be cautious about the schadenfreude we display because of Trump.
So what is your plan?
Hand over Ukraine to Putin, allowing his boys to continue to rape and pillage?
Appeasers gotta appease..
my guess is that gsays is being pacifcist rather than appeaser.
Unfortunately pacifism is like communism, great in theory only
We don't realy know whether or not communism would be great in theory only. It has never been tried. The Russian republic was socialist only, and the label "communist" was applied to them in fact by the ignorent west.
Aah yes! "Peace in our time". When have we heard those words before?
You cannot negotiate appeasement with tyrant dictators, and in this case the world is now witnessing a tyrant and a would be tyrant cosying up, and deciding how they are going to divvy up the world.
Bonhoeffer’s “theory of stupidity" Now springs very much to mind.
It isn't the Ukrainian President who is gambling on WW3, it is Trump. In 10 minutes with his bully boy behaviour in the oval office, he and his lap dog Vance have brought the world to the brink. All over a bit more real-estate and rare minerals. Greedy bastards.
ok, but just so we are clear, you don't need to lecture me on that (I'm not arguing for pacifism), and seeing as how gsays hasn't actually said what they think yet, maybe that's jumping the gun.
In my mind, pacifism and conscientious objection (should we end up in war) have value in reminding society to not be out and out warmongers. As I said below, we have some both/and options here.
Same thing in a war
Or rather, it's all well and good for the individual to be a pacifist and seek a non-combat role, but it's quite another to espouse it as the only right position in the middle of a war, especially one as brutal as this one.
I think there's a fine line of doing the peace work, and being willing to back up with power when needed. Lots of people calling for (re)armament, which I understand, but we need as many voices calling for peace as well. It's not an either/or, it's a both/and/and.
Peace is infinitely preferable to war.
But, as the old saying goes: Si vis pacem, para bellum
you probably have a better classics education than I do, but this from wiki,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Si_vis_pacem,_para_bellum
suggests that this applies to peacetime, not war. We already have war, and my point was that we need to talk about peace alongside arms.
I'm curious if you would apply Si vis pacem, para bellum to nuclear armament.
that's my feeling. Or at least it might be good to revisit where the line is and have a public discussion. Seeing a lot of people saying that the fiasco with Zelensky in the Oval Office the other means we all have to rearm made me nervous.
We definitely need to adapt our security, I'd just like to see a more nuanced discussion. Which I see you are doing re NZ under the Clark post, but I find the general rushing to a position of arm now! also alarming not least because of the implications for nuclear proliferation.
Unfortunately, my gut feeling is that proliferation is a genie that's already out of its bottle.
Of course, we can (and should!) maintain our stance on nuclear weapons. While encouraging anyone that's willing to listen to do the same. It's a fight worth fighting. And has the bonus of being a reasonably safe way of asserting independence in our foreign policy without risking too much.
But other states are facing a different set of choices, and the fact that Ukraine has been treated so shabbily after voluntarily giving up its own nuclear capacity is probably not lost on them.
Why would you wantg to allow "rfape and pillage". Surely a ceasefifre would be enough.
I'm also curious what you think should happen instead. If the UK/Europe present a peace plan and Putin doesn't accept it, what next?
A couple of things.
Roll with Trumps plan.
Europe/NATO step up and offer the security that's needed because if their actions/inactions.
But … My comment was about the really unsavoury nature of commenting on this subject.
From self identifying lefties.
Signalling yr greater distaste of Trump doesn't make you more of a lefty.
BRIAN: I didn't want to sell this stuff. It's only a job. I hate the Romans as much as anybody.
PEOPLE'S FRONT OF JUDEA: Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhh. Shh. Shhhh.
REG: Stumm.
JUDITH: Are you sure?
BRIAN: Oh, dead sure. I hate the Romans already.
REG: Listen. If you wanted to join the P.F.J., you'd have to really hate the Romans.
BRIAN: I do!
REG: Oh, yeah? How much?
BRIAN: A lot!
REG: Right. You're in. Listen. The only people we hate more than the Romans are the fucking Judean People's Front
Can you please be more specific? Because I thought this plan relied on trusting Russia, even though Russia are not trustworthy.
You imply that lefties are hating on Trump just because he's Trump. I can tell you that I consider him extremely dangerous not because I don't like him, but because he's a misogynistic rapist in the process of destroying the conventions that keep us safe, and who wants to remove democracy (destroying the planet in the process, bonus!).
I don't feel schadenfreude, I feel relief that the Western sphere appears to be getting its shit together, and that people are standing up to the US, not because the US are baddies, but because they are very dangerous at this point in time.
You appear to have just run a Trump's Not So Bad line
My thoughts entirely.
PS I'm sorry if you thought I was lecturing I was stating the position as I see it.
To my mind on the one hand Trump is an absolute idiot who is meddling in things on which he has no understanding, on the other hand Putin is an evil manipulator – hence my reference to Bonhoeffer above. The really dangerous one is Trump because he is stupid, and is being manipulated by Putin.
I watched a bit of Mary Trumps twitter Q and A earlier, she said somthing like they're in the process of dismantling everything, but they're also incompetent. Freaking dangerous on so many levels.
replay https://x.com/MaryLTrump/status/1896336033912103069
Were you present when Putin was doing his so called "manipulating". If not, then how do you know about it. Or have just been interviewing your typewriter.
"..more specific ."
Trump's plan was a mineral deal with Ukraine as a subset of rebuilding a relationship with Russia.
US tailing back from it's military obligations in Europe. NATO and Europe stepping up their support of Ukraine.
Again the gist was for lefties to think about what that means. What motivated schadenfreude was
"…he has also stuck it up Trump without seeming to.
Priceless."
An all too common vibe.
I try not to spend too much energy or attention on this stuff. I'm powerless to change it. Therefore it may appear
" to have just run a Trump's Not So Bad line
"
Definitely not my intent.
As per usual, more focussed on the left getting an identity back and looking for something for us to congregate around.
Having a Hate Trump Circle jerk doesn't cut it.
However, from the Ukrainian side, the 'Trump' proposal appears to rely entirely on Trump's ability to reign in Putin from any further territorial aggression. Ukraine has reason to believe that Putin/Russia will attack again (they're repeatedly broken other deals). Trump isn't going to be around forever. Any 'deal' which depends on his presence in the White House (even assuming that Putin would keep it – which I would regard as dubious), has a natural time limit.
The real guarantee would be American boots on the ground (ratified by Congress, not the President), if Putin/Russia attacked again. There is zero chance that Trump would offer this. And close to zero chance that Ukraine/Zelensky will accept anything less.
ATM, the deal from the Ukrainian side looks like a pause for Russia to re-arm, before attacking again.
Us witnesses from very afar, should probably acknowledge that the whole of Europe is terrified of Putin and what might happen if Trump kneecaps NATO.
By "the whole of Europe" you mean the political class, which from the comfort of London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin, has been loudly urging Ukrainians to die for the last three years.
For all his flaws, Trump is going to put a stop to that. It could of course have been stopped a few weeks after it started, if Zelenskyy had had the courage to stand up to the saboteur of peace, Boris Johnson.
Détente is a forbidden word. Reading Anne Jacobsen's book 'Nuclear War, a Scenario' should make any sane person want the powerful states of world talk to each other.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/02/27/has-the-world-gone-mad/
Thanks for that, aj.
Um, no, I mean the countries bound together by Article 5 of NATO and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe who still have very raw memories of Russian occupation.
The Ukrainians don't need much urging. I expect an illegal invasion and the various atrocities do that.
There's pacifism, and there's ignorance. I really have no idea what your problem is, but for the most part it's not worth engaging with.
They're a paranoid lot, them Europeans. But hopefully they will come to their senses eventually and tone down all this rearmament stuff
wonder why…
/
https://x.com/SimonOstrovsky/status/1895620236449038733
Agree gsays. Didn't actually say I supported sending troops or continuing the war. I doubt this will happen.
I just think that, unlike Trump, Starmer has built a coalition that shows Europe will not be a pushover
He is playing the diplomatic game much much better than Trump.
I think a lasting peace deal along the current war frontier with a commitment to strong forces to ensure this from Europe and the USA is the best we can hope for.
Macron, rather surprisingly, seems to have stood up as the rallying point for Europe's independent defence in the event of the US pulling out troops and withdrawing from NATO. On the one hand that's good, as the US can no longer be relied upon. On the other, the French moving parts of their nuclear arsenal into German bases is worrying, and I doubt the British would be far behind with Trident.
Whooooosh – brilliant stuff Sir Ian. I'm warming to you. https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360599193/sir-ian-taylor-dear-david-seymour
Yes that was rather good. The beauty of that article is that some of the people who read it and who voted for Seymour will not vote for him next time….though almost all will swap to the Nats.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/media-insider/media-insider-canadian-billionaire-james-grenon-takes-substantial-stake-in-nz-herald-publisher-and-newstalk-zb-owner-nzme/SNJR356K2BDKPF6HRXSYMCYP6M/
Far right oligarch seeks control of NZME…
Chantelle Baker's anti-Treaty, anti-trans cooker sugar daddy who bank rolled The Centrist rag.
https://djhdcj.substack.com/p/media-silence
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/election-2023/499861/the-political-newcomers-spending-thousands-to-influence-the-election
some random right wing mistruths for monday
-read my lips, no new taxes
-no ifs, not buts, no maybes, the surcharge will go
-we are rock solid on our tax cut costings
-we will build as many houses as labour has committed to
-china will pay the tariffs
-kids will love the new school lunches
Added The Strategist to the feed.
Might help with some of the discussion.
That’s a great find and addition, thanks
I've been reading them for a year or two. Finally got around to seeing if it had a RSS feed.
Newsroom on the Fast Track projects.
'Schedule 2 of the fast-track is a list of projects baked into the legislation. In that section of the legislation, 149 projects were listed when the bill passed into law. Because these projects are listed in the act, they cannot be challenged – judicial review is available for any approved projects in the future, where an expert panel has the final say.
'The only potential way to have prevented these projects from gaining the shield of Parliamentary sovereignty was to remove them from Schedule 2 before it passed. But when the bill was presented to the select committee and to the public, this section was blank.' (my bold)'
'350 Aotearoa campaigner Adam Currie told Newsroom: “Government agencies are fast becoming black boxes of secrecy.” '
Of the six advisors on the fast Track committee:
'Only two of the 14 nominees brought forward by government agencies were retained, and the rest were rejected and replaced by individuals chosen by the same parties who built the fast-track.
'Not a single member of the group had a background in hard science, and Lan Pham – environmental spokesperson for the Greens – later said she could not find evidence that any of them had ever worked for an environmental or conservationist group.'
Good reporting from Newsroom.