Open mike 03/10/2014

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:45 am, October 3rd, 2014 - 156 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

openmike 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 …

156 comments on “Open mike 03/10/2014 ”

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music4menz 1

3 October 2014 at 8:01 am

First post for me on The Standard, but am surprised that Tim Barnett has been able to censor what is and what isn’t posted on this site. Is this an indication of what we are going to see in the future? Not sure that I am comfortable with such suppression of free speech.
- Zorr 1.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 8:34 am
  
  How is it suppression of free speech?
  
  He probably asked nicely and lprent responded by respecting the request. Sounds pretty reasonable all round to me.
- mickysavage 1.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 8:36 am
  
  It was a polite request and lprent decided to take it down. There was no censorship involved.
  - Cancerman 1.2.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 8:40 am
    
    And everyone complains Slater/Farrer are puppets of the National Party. Just more effective puppets it seems.
    - boldsirbrian 1.2.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 8:52 am
      
      @ Cancerman (1.2.1)
      
      The concern with Slater and Farrar was that they were working in a clandestine way, receiving privileged information, probably often illegally, attacking other people and politicians.
      
      What the Standard has done is in no way comparable. A request was made to remove information. Lprent has clearly (very clearly) detailed both that request, and his acceptance. If others want to be titillated by a regretted action that has been apologised for, then they are free to use Google or Slater and Farrar.
      
      It’s not really a case of puppets. Those trying to seize the action as yet another example of “Gotcha” politics, are better described as muppets.
      - mickysavage 1.2.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 8:54 am
        
        Agreed. Strange to equate the unpublishing of a post with the smearing of innocent people using beehive sourced information.
        
        Cancerman 1.2.1.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 8:58 am
        
        Well the action quite clearly shows influence by the Labour Party over this blog that can not be denied. So who to say that information isn’t past and attacks aren’t made. We just take your word for it I assume?
        
        One Anonymous Bloke …
        
        3 October 2014 at 9:07 am
        
        His word, and the result of the official investigations that are no doubt warranted and you’ll be presenting evidence to. No? No police complaint? Nothing for the SFO to worry about?
        
        Careful, comrades, Beverley Wakem’s about to kick the door down.
        
        Tom Jackson …
        
        3 October 2014 at 10:36 am
        
        If we asked you to stop being an asshole, and you agreed because you thought it was a reasonable request, would that be censorship or influence?
        
        lprent appears to have decided that Barnett made a reasonable request. His autonomy and the autonomy of this blog is in no way compromised by that.
        
        adam …
        
        4 October 2014 at 12:24 am
        
        So being civil and responding positively to a request Cancerman now means that the standard is a labour party blog and involved in dirty politics?
        
        Do you read Cancerman, can you read? I mean what’s my politics – ask any labour person my position?
        
        Have you read anyone else here and their opinions – Oh lets say Karol or Phillip Ure.
        
        How about Iprent himself? Labour party hack you think?
        
        Odd, what an odd comment you have made cancerman – it seem to me to reek of desperation. Of an individual who does not like or struggles with polite or civilised society. Or you’re a person who is feeling a little gun shy about voting for a government actively involved in the perversion of politics, morality and the decent society.
        
        How can it be that a polite request, made to a reasonably fair minded individual, is somehow turned into a grand conspiracy?
        
        Is politeness, now nothing more than something else the right can attack the left on?
    - One Anonymous Bloke 1.2.1.2
      
      3 October 2014 at 9:03 am
      
      Yes, that’s what everyone complains about, isn’t it. No? What’s that you say? In Greymouth?
      
      Now I remember, it isn’t that the National Party has puppets, it’s the things it uses them for that are currently under investigation by at least three independent agencies including the SIS, Ombudsman and Police.
      
      On balance, I think putting the post up in the first place was a mistake: it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, do we really want politicians families to be fair game?
      
      Politics being war by other means I think it’s worth recalling how we treat soldiers who shoot civilians.
      
      PS: yes, yes, I know, we give them medals and a lecture tour, I was speaking hypothetically.
  - Mike 1.2.2
    
    3 October 2014 at 6:43 pm
    
    Polite request…Yeah Right!
- Oh Ho 1.3
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:01 am
  
  You need to remember that Labour was led into the last election by a Statesman. The type of message that was censored is not befitting for a Statesman led party. Please understand that censorship is for your own good
- One Anonymous Bloke 1.4
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:25 am
  
  Music4menz, censorship is when an official agency rules that the publication of certain material is illegal.
  
  No such edict is in force or even enforceable, Open Mike being what it is. No information is suppressed, being in the public domain elsewhere.
  
  In any case, speech at The Standard isn’t “free” – it costs money to host the site and we inhabitants are subject to its rules and our modern Robespierre, Lprent.
  - alwyn 1.4.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 10:25 am
    
    You do remember what happened to Robespierre don’t you?
    Presided over the Reign of Terror and was then deposed and guillotined.
    Surely there is a better comparison? I see him as Christopher Robin, presiding over the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood.
    - Puckish Rogue 1.4.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 4:06 pm
      
      I see him more as Kermit the frog presiding over a bunch of …think I’ll leave that bit out, not sure what his sense of humour is like at the moment 🙂
- Murray Olsen 1.5
  
  4 October 2014 at 12:05 am
  
  Where have all the Kactus Kate posts on Whalespew gone? Who censored them and suppressed her free speech?
phillip ure 2

3 October 2014 at 8:23 am

“..If You Stop Eating Beef – But Still Eat a Lot of Dairy – You Won’t Help Climate Change..

..A new study may have you rethinking your eating habits..”

(cont..)

http://www.alternet.org/food/eating-less-meat-more-dairy-climate-change
- The Lone Haranguer 2.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:55 am
  
  ..A new study may have you rethinking your eating habits..”
  
  Or not 🙂
  
  Phillip, I cant see that happening at my house anytime in the near or even long distant future.
  
  Im still trying to reconcile the local YMCA gym advertising how bad plastic water bottles are, while they have large vending machines full of the stuff in the front foyer.
  
  And Im not sure if me driving to the gym each day is kosher either. 🙂
  - phillip ure 2.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 3:52 pm
    
    @ tlh..
    
    i crack up at the auto-eroticists who drive their bike-laden s.u.v.’s to ponsonby..
    
    ..park up..unload their expensive-toys..
    
    and make their lycra-clad way up and down ‘p’-road…
- weka 2.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:56 am
  
  Likewise, eating industrial grains and beans courtesy of Monsanto doesn’t help with AGW either.
  
  It’s not what you eat, it’s how it’s grown that makes the difference.
  - cricko 2.2.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 12:02 pm
    
    Get with the programme weka.
    
    AGW was dropped ages ago, it’s, “climate change” these days.
    
    That’s because the globe is not warming and anyone who has heard of stuff
    like, say, the ice ages for e.g. cannot deny that the climate does change.
    
    People are not sucked into AGW any more.
    Much easier to spook the sheeple with just ‘climate change.’
    
    Do you recall Miss Clark scoffing accross the parliament at the, “Climate change
    deniers.”
    
    This is just as effective in shutting down your opponents as labelling them racists or homophobes and so on.
    - lprent 2.2.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 1:01 pm
      
      You have just reminded me that I need to start writing some more posts on climate change. In particular the probable time line and effects of the rapid melting of the WAIS that the drilling over the last few years revealed.
      
      Thank you… Your ignorant stupidity was inspiring
      - karol 2.2.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 4:28 pm
        
        On climate change: I saw this on Al Jazeera this morning. Thousands of walrus’s corwding on to the shore on Alaska’s coast. usually they seek ice covered places to go ashore, but that is becoming harder for them to find.
        
        The Guardian report on it:
        
        Pacific walrus that can’t find sea ice for resting in Arctic waters are coming ashore in record numbers on a beach in north-west Alaska.
        
        An estimated 35,000 walrus were photographed on Saturday about five miles north of Point Lay, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
        […]
        In recent years, sea ice has receded north beyond shallow continental shelf waters and into Arctic Ocean water, where depths exceed two miles and walrus cannot dive to the bottom.
        
        The World Wildlife Fund said walrus had also been gathering in large groups on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea.
        
        “It’s another remarkable sign of the dramatic environmental conditions changing as the result of sea ice loss,” said Margaret Williams, managing director of the group’s Arctic program.
        
        “The walruses are telling us what the polar bears have told us and what many indigenous people have told us in the high Arctic, and that is that the Arctic environment is changing extremely rapidly and it is time for the rest of the world to take notice and also to take action to address the root causes of climate change.”
      - cricko 2.2.1.1.2
        
        3 October 2014 at 4:53 pm
        
        Iprent…,
        
        I guess from your post above that you dissagree with me about AGW and climate change.
        
        Thats fine, but why do you need attack me personally ?
        
        Do you find that tactic lends some weight to your opinion ?
        
        Use of childish invective like calling me ignorant and stupid reveals more about your character than anything else.
        
        McFlock 2.2.1.1.2.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 4:58 pm
        
        When someone is insensible to logic, one might as well call them the moron that they are.
        
        It won’t change their opinions or undeserved sense of mental adequacy, but it can be fun.
        
        dv 2.2.1.1.2.2
        
        3 October 2014 at 5:02 pm
        
        I thought Lpent was gentle with you crick
        
        cricko …
        
        3 October 2014 at 5:33 pm
        
        Jeez, looks like I’ve innocently upset a few very thin skins here.
        
        Why do these types personally attack everyone they dissagree with and
        call them names. (Kind of childish way to discuss an issue isn’t it?)
        
        Perhaps any one of you could explain the difference between AGW and
        climate change ?
        
        That is a simple question.
        
        Now I would not call ‘McFlock’, ‘dv’, or even ‘Iprent’ ignorant or stupid so let
        us see if any one of them could prove it and answer that one simple
        question.
        
        By the way. I would have no difficulty to explain the difference and will do
        so for you if none of you are capable.
        
        dv …
        
        3 October 2014 at 5:42 pm
        
        ‘Much easier to spook the sheeple with just ‘climate change.’
        
        ‘This is just as effective in shutting down your opponents as labelling them racists or homophobes and so on.
        
        OH I am sorry those comments were meant as intelligent discussion about a serous issue.
        
        McFlock …
        
        3 October 2014 at 6:12 pm
        
        The fact that you are asking a question to which you claim to already know the answer demonstrates that you are not interested in a genuine discussion.
        
        So I could talk about how AGW is a type of CC, but really you don’t give a shit. Because you’re a moron.
        
        BTW, I don’t personally attack everyone I disagree with. Just fucking morons whose egos write cheques that their braincell can’t cash.
        
        cricko …
        
        3 October 2014 at 6:59 pm
        
        Hi McFlock,
        
        You are right, I do know the answer to that question.
        
        The reason that I asked it was to see if you or dv or Iprent knew the
        answer.
        
        So, according to you, I don’t give a shit, I’m a fucking moron, and a bit of extra abuse regarding my ego and braincell thrown in for extra emphasis.
        
        Charming, You seem to be a real prince.
        
        PS. I’ve never ever personally abused anyone on this blog.
        I did suggest to weka that the term anthropogenic global warming had
        been replaced by climate change and got abused by you and abused and threatened by Iprent for my trouble.
        
        Can any of you answer the question or not ?
        
        Draco T Bastard …
        
        3 October 2014 at 7:35 pm
        
        You are right, I do know the answer to that question.
        
        No you don’t. That’s obvious from ignorant comments and I’m not going to bother to try and enlighten you as it’s obvious that you’ll continue denying reality because it goes against your beliefs.
        
        McFlock …
        
        3 October 2014 at 9:39 pm
        
        I never said you knew the answer to your question.
        
        If you think treating everybody like fucking morons (by making idiot statements and wanking with passive-aggressive questions that you believe you know the answer to) gives you the moral or intellectual advantage over someone honest enough to point out precisely why you are a fucking idiot and which specific comments you wrote demonstrate that you are patently uninterested in good-faith discussion of an issue, then your compass is broken.
        
        lprent …
        
        3 October 2014 at 9:49 pm
        
        Perhaps any one of you could explain the difference between AGW and
        climate change ?
        
        If you want an answer to simple questions, then why don’t you try wikipedia.
        
        Start here AGW
        
        What you should be looking at is timescales. Most background climate change is done on long time scales.
        
        For instance with the houndreds of millions of years ofcontinental drift of Antarctica into the southern polar region from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary that lead to the formation of the southern polar icecap and the circumAntarticia ocean and atmospheric currents that keep it as a fridge for the globe. Or the Milankovitch orbital cycles that operate over 10s-100s or thousands of years and which appear to be closely related to Quarternary glaciation cycles.
        
        But these are all pretty long cycles. There are shorter climate change events related to plume events from the earths radioactive core causing larger sustained volcanic events (like the Deccan traps).
        
        Similarly short unsustained volcanic events around subduction zones causing ash triggered climate changes, which rarely persist for more than teeny numbers of years – typically 3-4 years.
        
        Of the various very short-term (decades) and long term (hundreds of millions of years) solar cycles.
        
        But AGW refers to climate change that is both short-term and sustained which is highly abnormal in the geological record and typically associated with large diebacks in the biotic parts of the climate system (large meteorite impacts mostly).
        
        For instance the slow cooling of the northern hemisphere in the initial industrial era due to dust (approx 1850-1950) that cause regional effects.
        
        But in less than 150 years we have seen some marked changes in the whole earth’s heat balance that are on the scale of the interglacial changes (they’re warming the entire earth’s oceans) but are happening in a fraction of the usual geological process times. These are (>95% confidence) attributed to changes in the composition of the earth’s atmosphere with the human introduction of greenhouse gases.
        
        So having given you this extremely basic primer for a moron, could you please look down the links and get your useless brain aware of geological timescales. Then it might be worth training you to up to primary school level.
        
        cricko …
        
        3 October 2014 at 10:39 pm
        
        Now, far be it from me to resort to the same level of nasty personal abuse and threats that i have copped from Iprent and others on this site today so…
        
        excuse me if I ask……
        
        Did Tim Barnet OK your 9.49 effort yet Iprent ?
        
        You may have to withdraw it if Tim doesn’t like it.
        
        You still can’t resist calling me a ‘moron’ and referring to my ‘useless brain’
        
        You just can’t help yourself can you.
        
        Quite sad.
        
        McFlock …
        
        3 October 2014 at 10:59 pm
        
        What’s sad is that you keep coming back to make moronic statements and snide innuendo.
        
        weka …
        
        3 October 2014 at 11:14 pm
        
        Cricko: Thats fine, but why do you need attack me personally ? and PS. I’ve never ever personally abused anyone on this blog.
        
        Cricko’s subsequent personal attacks on others:
        
        Thinned skinned
        
        Childish
        
        Sad
        
        Beholden to a Labour party puppet master
        
        etc.
        
        cricko …
        
        4 October 2014 at 12:01 am
        
        I gotta go,
        G’nite all.
        I leave it to all readers of the above to make up their own minds.
        
        PS I do give Iprent a tick for not banning me forever from this site in spite of his threat.
        Onya Iprent 4 that.
        
        Just because he is not able to debate the issue without resorting to personal invective does not mean that he may not have a cogent point. Duh! What !
        
        Thing is, based on the above exchanges…….
        What is his point ?
        The question was always quite simple.
        He will be seeking wise counsel from Tim Barnet for some guidence.
        
        We await a decision from Tim.
        
        infused …
        
        4 October 2014 at 4:00 am
        
        We’re not the ones being muzzled by Labour. Good being their lapdog eh? Sure your brain can get around that.
        
        lprent 2.2.1.1.2.3
        
        3 October 2014 at 5:12 pm
        
        Nope it just expresses what I think about you. It was quite pointed abuse
        
        That you are quite stupid and and obviously quite ignorant on earth sciences is to me perfectly obvious. No more and no less.
        
        I even thanked you for reminding me that I have a role in helping to educate those unfortunates who don’t understand the science. When I read your comment I could the weight of unfulfilled duty from my earth science degree calling to me to clear the weight of your ignorance.
        
        BTW: I’d suggest you read the policy on the site about what is permissible and expected before I get around to doing a moderating sweep. My moderating personality tends to get irritated about people telling other people how they should behave on this site. That is the moderators job.
        
        cricko …
        
        3 October 2014 at 9:30 pm
        
        Hi Draco T Bastard, hope you are having a nice evening.
        
        So, you too jump on the personal abuse wagon and accuse me of ignorance.
        
        And, in your mind I am denying reality . How so ?
        
        Are all the correspondents on this site incapable of discussion ?
        
        I suggested that the term AGW had been superseeded by the term climate change.
        Is that wrong ?
        
        Look at the vituperate reaction that has provoked on this blogsite.
        It’s staggering.
        
        You join in with glee and tell me what I think and that you wont bother to reply to what you think I think. Jeez.
        So why post anything ?
        Why waste your time.
        
        Do you know the answer to the question ?
        
        Are you able to address the question without resorting to childish personal abuse simply because I had the temerity to pose it ?
        
        Here is your chance to show you have something about you.
        
        You have the Open mike. Go for it.
        
        lprent …
        
        3 October 2014 at 9:54 pm
        
        That is because we have seen far too many idiots like yourself coming through who haven’t bothered to examine the evidence. Instead you seem to think that your close examination of your pubic hairs whilst wanking is as important as being less self-indulgent and bothering to learn enough to make intelligent conversation.
        
        Are you getting the point yet? We have heard all this before from other morons. You appear to be both stupid and ignorant. It simply isn’t worth the effort of explaining how and why you are.
        
        Please check out my primer that I carefully wrote and linked for you. Then ask some intelligent questions rather than sending the blood to the wrong organ.
        
        cricko …
        
        4 October 2014 at 12:24 am
        
        One last observation.
        
        Read your risible effort @ 9,54 again.
        
        You cite.
        
        “idiots like you”
        “other morons”
        “examinine your pubic hairs” and
        “wanking”
        “You appear stupid and ignorant”
        ” It simply is not worth the effort explaining”
        
        and yet you can’t help explaining.
        
        Then you call for “intelligent questions”
        
        Just silly.
        
        Maybe a huge intellect like, say, Drako T Bastard
        can explain your point for you.
        
        Go Drako………………eh!
        
        McFlock …
        
        4 October 2014 at 12:41 am
        
        You cite.
        
        [proceeds to list half a dozen examples of personal opinion, not a single example of citation to be seen]
        
        I love it when idiots try to fake intelligence by using words bigger than they are. And then accuse others of being silly.
        
        cricko …
        
        4 October 2014 at 12:54 am
        
        Who needs Drako when you have McFlock ?
        
        See 12.41 am
        
        Gee, McFlock great post, you can really sting. Not.
        
        What was that old saying about comming unarmed to a battle of wits ?
        
        I had great fun tonight,
        hope you did too.
        (and guess what. I did not need to resort to personal invective once to do you like a dogs dinner.)
        
        Calling names….call me an idiot….that the best you have ?
        That your argument ?
        
        Pathetic.
        
        McFlock …
        
        4 October 2014 at 1:00 am
        
        The best I have? Nah.
        But the unadorned truth is sufficient.
        
        Btw, you might want to avoid pwned statements. Even if they are performance-art tributes to the great Surrealists.
  - phillip ure 2.2.2
    
    3 October 2014 at 1:59 pm
    
    “..It’s not what you eat, it’s how it’s grown that makes the difference..”
    
    bullshit..!..complete and utter self-defending/justifying bullshit..
    
    ..did you even read the link..?
    
    ..another ‘green’ totally relaxed about both animal-exploitation/cruelty..
    
    ..and the burning of the planet..
    
    ..just so they can chew on animal-flesh and/or bye-products…
    
    ..can’t interfere with that..!
    
    ..their ‘green’ doesn’t go quite as far as that..
    
    ..i wonder just how..in their own minds..
    
    ..they can consider themselves ‘green’ in any way..
    
    ..animal-eating-green:..the walking-oxymoron..
Saarbo 3

3 October 2014 at 8:33 am

I was listening to the Kathryn Ryan interview with Robbie Deans yesterday, Ive always been a Dean’s fan since the 80’s when he competed with Alan Hewson (who couldn’t tackle to save himself).

Deans reckoned that the critics affect the family/partners the hardest because they have no control, which brought me back to Karen Price’s enlightening tweets on the internal workings of the Labour Party.

But is David Cunliffe the Robbie Deans of NZ politics. Steve Tew (ABD perhaps) is to Robbie Deans what the ABC’s are to David Cunliffe.

Just a thought.
Not a PS Staffer 4

3 October 2014 at 8:40 am

Naughty Colonial Viper!
Upsetting Clare Curran! Butter wouldn’t melt on her mouth.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/318024/curran-alleges-dirty-politics#comment-63063

Will Tim Barnett haul her in for a bollicking for washing clean linen in public?
This abuse of Twitter by the leading light of Robertson’s team will bring the party into disrepute.
- weka 4.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:05 am
  
  Good to see someone standing up and doing something, thanks CV.
  
  ”This is dirty tricks and dirty politics in Dunedin South,” she told the Otago Daily Times this week.
  
  Ok, so now ‘dirty politics’ is any time a political opponent opposes you in ways you disapprove of? Thanks Clare, we really needed a career politician on the left to render the concept of Dirty Politics that much less relevant 🙄
  - Puckish Rogue 4.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 10:10 am
    
    Not wanting to stae the obvious but its things like this that reinforce the notion that Labour are nowhere near ready to lead the country
    
    You’d think an MP would realise that
  - Chooky 4.1.2
    
    3 October 2014 at 2:19 pm
    
    +100 weka
  - Murray Olsen 4.1.3
    
    4 October 2014 at 12:49 am
    
    Every time I have seen anything from Curran, she has been shooting Labour in the foot. When we actually have an investigative journalist who actually has uncovered real dirty politics, and NAct has tried to change the definition away from their organised filth, why is a Labour MP giving credibility to the NAct story?
    
    Go get her CV. Time for a team that cares about more than their seats in parliament.
- Anne 4.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:28 am
  
  Aha… thanks NaPSS. Guyon Espinor mentioned it this morning.
  
  Clare Curran has yet another “moaning, whining, public tanty”.
  
  There’s a clear pattern developing here. The moaners and attackers bellowing to the media are former ABCers. What does it mean? Is someone coordinating them, or are they merely copying the ‘Dirty Politics’ meme – that is, accuse those who you attack… of doing the attacking!
  - karol 4.2.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 10:31 am
    
    Giving it back double.
  - Bill Drees 4.2.2
    
    3 October 2014 at 10:54 am
    
    We should all write to the Gen Sec asking that she gets some form of “counselling”. Perhaps she should be asked to pay Tat’s Labour membership fees for the next ten years?
- Bill 4.3
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:31 am
  
  As a well intentioned Labour Party member with a history of effective community activism…yup…get in touch and count me as ‘in’ Tat. Cheers.
  - left for dead 4.3.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:01 am
    
    Ditto.
    - Colonial Viper 4.3.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 1:26 pm
      
      Will do.
      - Roflcopter 4.3.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:17 pm
        
        Good luck CV, always a struggle swimming against the Curran
      - Not a PS Staffer 4.3.1.1.2
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:59 pm
        
        Poor Clare is getting a trouncing on-line at the OTD (Otago Daily times).
        http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/318024/curran-alleges-dirty-politics#comment-63063
        
        I wonder if she is calling on the Editor of the OTD to practice the same type of leadership that she exercised when in control (with Grant R) of the Red Alert?
        
        There is a very sexy picture of Tat there also. A real vote catching photo!
        
        greywarbler 4.3.1.1.2.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 3:12 pm
        
        @ Not a PS Staffer
        That’s interesting. Oh good new people joining up to the Party. Ooh the Party in Dunedin didn’t know if they really wanted them. Joining up like that theywould presumably have also been able to vote for the leader. Tat Loo definitely has a good head for strategy and policy. Not one to stay sitting on the whoopee cushion, though he might play a trick with it on one of the other sitting MPs.
travellerev 5

3 October 2014 at 9:00 am

I hope that some of you will enjoy this awesome lecture from John Perkins about the secret history of American Empire. John Perkins wrote “Confessions of an economic hitman” and in this lecture given at the Marlboro College in 2009 he tells his student audience about the history of the World Bank and the IMF and how they perform their “Duties”. It is part of my series about the Washington consensus and how John Key and ex-World Bank second in command Graeme Wheeler fit into the system and also how it connects with the policies put into place here in New Zealand.

The Washington Consensus, A Backgrounder And Yes, It Is Being Implemented In New Zealand Right Now http://wp.me/p638n-4w8
- thatguynz 5.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:57 am
  
  +1 Ev
boldsirbrian 6

3 October 2014 at 9:09 am

Lets be honest. The Robertson and Cunliffe debate is simply personality politics. Call it for what it is, and vote accordingly.

It’s really nothing to do with “left” and “centrist” and “core values” and “neo-liberal” and “traitorous”. And I can confidently assert this, because the debate is all about these labels and not about policy substance.
- anker 6.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:22 am
  
  6@ boldsirbrian………….
  
  I am not sure there is anything simple about the situation Labour is currently finding itself in in terms of Labour’s caucus.
  
  Likely there is a component of “personality politics.
  
  What I have been reminded of is how powerful the phenomena of “group think” is. How people feel uncomfortable when they don’t concur with the dominant opinion that a group appears to hold.
  
  And given the issues that some in the Labour caucus are so vocal about I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t what is going on around DC.
  
  A personal anecdote to illustrate. Some twenty years ago or so I was the leader of a smallish team in a work place of 30. I had to select a small group of colleagues to attend a conference. We travelled to the conference and all bar one of them bunked off virtually for the whole event. I expressed my displeasure to one on the plane going home. When I next went into work (I was part time) out of the staff of 30 (ish) only two people spoke to me.
  
  They then sabotage everything I tried to do. It was a very unpleasant experience. Fortunately I left and when on to a much, much better job and career wise I have never looked back.
  
  I hope people on this site will forgive me for a personal anecdote, but I can’t help beut wonder (and it is only speculation) that a similar thing hasn’t happened to DC.
  - boldsirbrian 6.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 9:43 am
    
    .
    @anker (6.1)
    
    I am not sure there is anything simple about the situation Labour is currently finding itself in in terms of Labour’s caucus.
    
    and ……. What I have been reminded of is how powerful the phenomena of “group think” is
    
    Yes. Great post; Relevant anecdote
    
    However, looking at the above quotes together ………
    
    Labour Caucus. It’s easy to throw stones there
    Bloggers at the Standard. It’s harder to self reflect here
    - weka 6.1.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 10:07 am
      
      “It’s really nothing to do with “left” and “centrist” and “core values” and “neo-liberal” and “traitorous”. And I can confidently assert this, because the debate is all about these labels and not about policy substance.”
      
      Do you mean the debate here? Because there was been lots around left vs neoliberal. Or do you mean between DC and GR?
      
      It’s unfortunate that most of the MSM seem focussed on the invidivuals rather than what this represents in terms of left and neoliberal.
      
      I guess the time is coming for DC to stand up and declare where he really intends to head (if he wins). Second chance won’t become a third one. Make or break time.
- anker 6.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:22 am
  
  6@ boldsirbrian………….
  
  I am not sure there is anything simple about the situation Labour is currently finding itself in in terms of Labour’s caucus.
  
  Likely there is a component of “personality politics.
  
  What I have been reminded of is how powerful the phenomena of “group think” is. How people feel uncomfortable when they don’t concur with the dominant opinion that a group appears to hold.
  
  And given the issues that some in the Labour caucus are so vocal about I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t what is going on around DC.
  
  A personal anecdote to illustrate. Some twenty years ago or so I was the leader of a smallish team in a work place of 30. I had to select a small group of colleagues to attend a conference. We travelled to the conference and all bar one of them bunked off virtually for the whole event. I expressed my displeasure to one on the plane going home. When I next went into work (I was part time) out of the staff of 30 (ish) only two people spoke to me.
  
  They then sabotaged everything I tried to do. It was a very unpleasant experience. Fortunately I left and went on to a much, much better job and career wise I have never looked back.
  
  I hope people on this site will forgive me for a personal anecdote, but I can’t help beut wonder (and it is only speculation) that a similar thing hasn’t happened to DC.
  
  I have always been aware of how “group think” operates and I speak up and resist it everytime I get a sniff of it.
  - Jim 6.2.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 10:28 am
    
    I think that most are buying into a presidential like system as promoted by the main stream media. David Cunliffe did in my opinion do a reasonable job during the election campaign, as would have any of the other candidates for labour leadership in the last few years. There does how ever seem to be a disconnect between the labour party hierarchy and the caucus. Before we deal with the more important issues of party structures and personnel, this leadership issue needs to be resolved to get the media to change focus.
    - boldsirbrian 6.2.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 11:30 am
      
      @ Jim (6.2.1)
      
      That’s a really good point Jim.
      
      Why do political parties (and I’m talking all of them here) buy into the “Presidential” system that suits the MSM?
      
      For some parties there is no alternative (WinstonFirst, DunneFirst, ActFirst and ConservyLoons). Another Party (DirtyJohn) has one orator who outshines everybody else in the caucus, and they gain advantage in keeping the less able away from public scrutiny.
      
      But Labour , could, if it so chose, set it’s own path during an election. Refuse to make the Leader the sole spokesperson. Refuse to participate in Leader’s debates, if these are the only Air time available (They actually told us nothing, apart from the fact that Cunliffe is a very good debater, and Key is lovable or hateable depending on your political views.)
      
      Bring out, and emphasise the team. Less convenient for MSM, but make that their problem. Bring out the Shadow Minister of Health to talk health issues, Education to talk Education issues, and the Finance spokesperson to provide the “gotcha” details on Fringe Benefit Tax. Show the Leader of the Party as exactly that …..somebody who can lead a competent team. Rather than someone simply selected as the best debater.
      
      I suggest that this may work well for either Cunliffe or Robertson, or actually any other leader.
      
      It’s an idea anyway?
- phillip ure 6.3
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:54 am
  
  you are wrong brave-brian..
  
  ..it is entirely about the battle for the direction of the labour party..
  
  ..does it..under robertson..continue to cling to the neo-liberal policies of the last 30 yrs..
  
  ..or does it..under cunnliffe..
  
  ..embrace progressive-polices focusing on poverty-busting etc..
  
  ..the personality stuff is just a distraction..
  
  ..and the right/corporate-media know what a crossroads this is..
  
  ..(hence their vicious-firestorm of a hate-campaign against cunnlife..
  
  ..they are terrified of the idea of a real labour party..
  
  ..one shed of its’ neo-liberal aberrations..)
  
  ..and they also know what they want..
  
  ..and that is robertson..and neo-lib..
  
  ..and just that fact should be enough to disqualify robertson..
  
  ..(and i have figured out why a joke like nash is there..he is there to make robertson look less neo-lib than he is..)
  - boldsirbrian 6.3.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:12 am
    
    .
    @ phillip ure (6.3)
    
    Thank you for your post, for you provide an excellent example of what the debate is unfortunately about. And which leaves me to conclude it’s not really of substance and more about the personalities of the contenders.
    
    I’ll look further into your statements. Full of emotion, but basically a lot of hot air. I assume, suspect, you’ve got some ideas of substance lurking underneath, but until Labour activists start articulating what those are, instead of throwing around labels, the movement is doomed to not achieve what is possible.
    
    ~~~~
    
    ..it is entirely about the battle for the direction of the labour party.. ..does it..under robertson..continue to cling to the neo-liberal policies of the last 30 yrs..
    ..or does it..under cunnliffe…embrace progressive-polices focusing on poverty-busting etc..
    
    “clinging to” emotive bullshit
    “neo-liberal policies of the last 30 years” meaningless claptrap, needing substance
    “embrace progressive policies” emotive bullshit
    “focussing on poverty-busting” Wow. The nearest we have come to something of substance. But still absolutely no details. No evidence of what your hero has done, or said he will do, that your villain will not also do.
    
    I personally think that inequality and doing something about poverty are issues that are of the highest priority. The very highest. But if anybody is trying to persuade me that one candidate is better than another on the basis of one being good (“embraces progressive”) and not bad (“clinging to neo-liberal”) I’d suggest a course in Sales 101. It’s not that your answer is necessarily wrong. It’s just the justification that is absent. Totally missing in action.
    
    ~~~~
    
    ..the personality stuff is just a distraction…….and the right/corporate-media know what a crossroads this is………(hence their vicious-firestorm of a hate-campaign against cunnlife………they are terrified of the idea of a real labour party……
    ..one shed of its’ neo-liberal aberrations..)………and they also know what they want………and that is robertson..and neo-lib……….and just that fact should be enough to disqualify robertson..
    
    Please just read this again, and again, and again. It’s absolute nonsense. At it’s very best, it’s drivel. It’s easier to say nothing with blank lines. It’s like a TV advertisement for hair shampoo. Trying to convey something?? by repetition. But repetition of a pile of crap, simply makes a bigger pile.
    
    If these are reasons why you have a hero, and the other one is a villain, I suggest you change shampoos. Or preferably work at a shampoo factory for a week, to get the real detail on the ingredients in each shampoo.
    
    ~~~~
    
    ….(and i have figured out why a joke like nash is there..he is there to make robertson look less neo-lib than he is..)
    
    When two people sit around, and have a common understanding of a problem, it’s ok to chew the fat, and say what you think. But all I understand from this statement (and I understand it well) is that you dislike Nash (intently). And that gets us where, precisely? Is this meant to be another argument that your hero should be elected, and your villain not be elected? I don’t think so.
    - anker 6.3.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 12:21 pm
      
      Re my earlier comment about group think and the “personality issues”. I think this is (ie. group think) probably a factor, but just one factor.
      
      I think the other issues are, Who will best represent the party? Who is geniune and capable about reversing policies that have hurt so many NZders, particularly Labour constitutiuants? Rogernomics or call it what you will has been so damaging for so many in NZ. My vote will go to someone who I believe has the will, the determination and knowledge to reverse this.
      
      At the leadership campaign meeting I went to last year when the candidates were asked what they would like to be known for, DC that was what he wanted to be known for, i.e reversing Rogernomics.
      - boldsirbrian 6.3.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 1:22 pm
        
        @anker (6.3.1.1)
        
        Thoughtful comment.
        
        Another significant issue is of course “Who will best achieve election success for the Party?” (Although your “Who will best represent the Party?” possibly covers this.)
        
        My concern is that the leader may represent the party’s objectives very well, but his (or her) personal characteristics may turn voters off. I’m not thinking homosexuality here as much as perceptions of sincerity, drive, arrogance, empathy etc. These are all valid concerns along with the issues that you have raised.
        
        And I appreciate your reference to policies.
        
        A reference to a NZ Herald article, by Dita de Boni, has already been made – Time for Labour to embrace the left
        
        Dita starts off with frustrating references to “progressive” values. (Everybody in the Labour Party probably has a reasonable understanding of the term, in their own heads at least. The label may even mean the same thing to most in the Party, but possibly not. But outside the Party in Voter-land, it probably means little.)
        
        But then Dita immediately redeems herself, and actually starts specifying what progressive means. She picks issues such as “free basic education, a fairer tax system, protecting our ecosystem, better workers and human rights, and a strong health system that does not discriminate between rich and poor”
        
        These are the things that will appeal to potential voters. They are not detailed policies, but they are a clear vision… She promotes a path: “In following the path of defining a set of core values and sticking with them even when the prevailing conservative chorus is decrying them” She gives good specific advice on how to work with other parties who have specific policies in common.
        
        Good stuff. Worth reading the full article.
        
        phillip ure 6.3.1.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:21 pm
        
        shit..!..bold-brian..
        
        ..apologies for not presenting a full poverty-busting poverty-program..
        
        ..but hey..!..a financial transaction tax on the banksters wd be a good start..
        
        ..to get that poverty-busting (’emotive’ i know..but there you go..!..)..to get that underway..
        
        …heard of that..?
        
        ..can i suggest you google ‘neo-liberal-‘…?..(that may help enlighten you there..)
        
        ..’shampoo-references pass me by..
        
        ..i am part of the shampoo-free movement..
        
        ..haven’t piled that muck on my hair for years..
        
        (and yes..thick/luxuriant/shiny enough to make dunne turn green with envy..)
        
        ..and seeing as you ask..
        
        ..and aide from nash being such good buddy/buddies with the denizens of the far-right..as in slater/lusk etc..
        
        ..(you quite relaxed about that..?..)
        
        ..there is the small fact that he is currently walking around trying to peddle the bullshit that he won the seat of napier because of his all-round skills..
        
        ..(going so fucken far as to offer to show other labour candidates ‘how’..(!)..)
        
        ..whereas the facts of the matter are that nash got no more votes in ’14 than he did in ’11..
        
        ..and the only reason he won napier..
        
        ..is because garth mcvicar stood for the conservatives..
        
        ..and hived over 4,500 votes from the national candidate..
        
        ..had he not done that..nash wd have lost..
        
        ..so yes..that he seems to be basing everything ‘good’ about him on what is a pile of stinking/steaming bullshit..
        
        ..i will yell out alarms about him..
        
        ..and point out what a joke he is..
        
        boldsirbrian …
        
        3 October 2014 at 3:28 pm
        
        @ phillip ure (6.3.1.1.1.1)
        
        shit..!..bold-brian..
        
        Would Mr. Botany (B.) be more politically correct?
        
        ~~~
        
        ..apologies for not presenting a full poverty-busting poverty-program…..
        ..but hey..!..a financial transaction tax on the banksters wd be a good start..
        ..to get that poverty-busting (‘emotive’ i know..but there you go..!..)..to get that underway..…heard of that..?..
        
        I did not claim that “poverty-busting” was emotive. In fact I singled what you wrote there as the best part of your whole post. Seems like we (may) share a common vision of what we think has to be achieved?
        
        ~~~~
        
        ..and the only reason he (Nash) won napier….is because garth mcvicar stood for the conservatives….and hived over 4,500 votes from the national candidate….had he not done that..nash wd have lost….
        
        Yes.
        
        Cheers,
        Mr. Botany (B.)
yeshe 7

3 October 2014 at 9:16 am

More lies from Key and Joyce around their Convention Centre deal… bet their own blind trusts are filled with Sky City shares … even Herald allows it to seem suspect as a hotel “slips” on to land for convention centre only …

The public purse ripped off by sale of TVNZ land for peanuts below commercial value; lovingly sponsored by Key and Joyce .. now the truth outs .. and it seems Joyce lied in the House as well … ho hum, just another day at the office …

Corrupt crims, all of them.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11335925
Rosie 8

3 October 2014 at 9:18 am

A light at the end of the tunnel?

(Apologies if this has already been discussed) From yesterday’s Gordon Campbell article on Scoop:

“…………the chances of the TPP countries pulling a deal together in the next three years are slim. One chronic reason being, the Obama administration has no authority to conclude this deal even if member countries could agree on the content – which they don’t. The US currently lacks the Trade Promotion Authority for Obama to clinch the terms of the deal.”

http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2014/10/01/gordon-campbell-on-the-last-rites-for-the-tpp/

So if the TPP is really on it’s last legs as the article suggests, we do at least have three years grace at best, with our pro TPP government sidelined perhaps?
- Chooky 8.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:12 am
  
  yes great news Rosie!…i heard it the other day on the radio i think…and was relieved at the reprieve…but you can never rule them out pulling something out of the hat at any moment when you least expect it
  - boldsirbrian 8.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 12:43 pm
    
    @ Chooky (8.1)
    
    I agree. Great news. (with your reservations).
    Almost what I feared most from this Government.
    
    The TPPA almost seemed to be the price “we” are being asked to pay, simply to permit another photo opportunity for Dirty John on the golf course.
- Lanthanide 8.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:45 am
  
  It’s been on the rocks for at least the last 2 years. That hasn’t stopped various countries and governments from parroting on that they’re working towards the agreement, though.
  
  Basically it just seems like a waste of taxpayer funds and an excuse to go on overseas trips.
  - Rosie 8.2.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:23 am
    
    I have heard such comment previously Lanthanide but was reluctant to focus too much energy on it, for the reason Chooky gives above:
    
    “but you can never rule them out pulling something out of the hat at any moment when you least expect it”.
    
    All those overseas trips you mention had to be justified so perhaps governments put on a brave fake face in an effort to avoid embarrassment. These are the cowboys of the wild new frontier of global corporate control, taking it further than ever before, they’ve got a reputation to protect. Just a thought.
    - Kiwiri 8.2.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 12:45 pm
      
      Lots of airpoints and hotel reward points accummulated for those overseas jetsetting negotiations can now be used to take the family on holiday. Nice job if you can get it.
      - travellerev 8.2.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 1:18 pm
        
        Wow, people really believe it’s off the table? 🙄
        
        Chooky 8.2.1.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:24 pm
        
        so what is their next move in your opinion?…is this just a pretend “off the table”…while they regroup covertly and present us all with a fait accompli ?
        
        Kiwiri 8.2.1.1.1.2
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:25 pm
        
        TPP won’t go away, and the accummulation of airports and hotel reward points won’t end.
        
        TPP will keep coming back, again and again. And it must be opposed again and again. It was being pushed at us as the MAI more than ten years ago. Now, we are battling against the TPP and it won’t stop coming at us more strongly, with another acronym change if that is what it takes to try to dupe people again.
        
        Rosie 8.2.1.1.1.3
        
        3 October 2014 at 3:41 pm
        
        travellerev. There’s really no need for the rolly eyes. Truth is, I don’t really know what to “believe”.
        
        I don’t think anyone can relax until it’s well and truly buried. I think if it does go then as Kiwiri suggests, it’s will come back again and again – just in a different format. I’m sure the global corporate powers have many masks and disguises for their intentions.
Whateva next? 9

3 October 2014 at 9:25 am

People can say what they like, just not under the banner of a Labour supporting site.
Reactionary posts are not supporting Labour, if anything they support National by dividing people……very convenient for National that the left do feel free to have robust debates, when done on Twitter or blogs too easy to misconstrue, escalate by MSM and cause fractures.
For people to suggest this is supression is worrying, almost looking for another battle, rather than focussing on issues that matter?
- boldsirbrian 9.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:07 am
  
  @ Whateva next? (9)
  
  If a “Labour Supporting Site” is simply an extension of the official Labour Party site, it becomes simply a propaganda site. That’s fine, but contributions would quickly dry up
  
  Robust debates are, or should be, the life blood of all political parties. The benefits far outweigh the possible concerns that others may misconstrue from such discussions. This is politics after all: Those on the other side of every fence are only too keen to misconstrue.
  
  Ideas are born of robust debate. The strength of this site, that I quickly discovered, is the relative tolerance to such robustness (I’ve been labelled a troll on a couple of occasions here; a badge I’ll wear with pride, as it seems to me the unsupported labelling was more a reflection of the accuser than anything else)
  
  The discussions here have substance …. and a common vision with intelligent disagreement can only be respected.
  
  If you want to reflect on alternatives, have a quick look at the drivel that takes place in the discussions on kiwiblog. Lots and lots of comments, but childish substance. Even Farrar is desperately trying to get more intelligent discussion by promoting extra “assistance” and saying that he will accept guest posts from those who disagree with him. (It will never work for Farrar, unless he actually relinquishes most of his personal power, and adopts a format more similar to the Standard)
  - whateva next? 9.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 2:26 pm
    
    “Ideas are born of robust debate” absobloodyluetely, in an environment that seeks to generate growth and meetings of minds, which social media is not, especially in a tribal climate generated and supported by a right wing MSM
    - boldsirbrian 9.1.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 2:49 pm
      
      @ whateva next? (9.1.1)
      
      Lots of truth there. But social media is here, and to stay. I envisage that as time goes on, social media will become more mature and effective, as people learn what works best and what doesn’t.
      
      Social media does provide an environment where there is “robust” discussion (One or three of my posts have been very blunt). Far more “robust” than in a face to face meeting would ever generate. I can see both advantages and disadvantages with that. It also allows for the participation of many more people with ideas
      
      I wasn’t too sure about your comment on social media debate being influenced by a right wing MSM. The discussion here is very different than MSM news and opinion, and seems to have formed it’s own style reasonably independently?
philj 10

3 October 2014 at 9:46 am

xox
I used to give credibility to Dr Bryce Edwards blog but he seems to have lost his ‘ balance’ the closer he gets to the MSM. Funny that. Do others at TS feel the same?
- phillip ure 10.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 9:59 am
  
  in my time of observing edwards-the-younger he has said one thing only that made sense..
  
  ..he said that labour policy was national-lite..
  
  ..and that labour need to move more left..
  
  ..most of the time he is a craven apologist for the status quo..
  
  ..and one whose ambition to be a talking-head on media is palpable..
  
  ..it almost throbs…that ambition,.
- Puckish Rogue 10.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:08 am
  
  Translation: Hes written something I don’t agree with
- Paul 10.3
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:52 am
  
  Yes he’s changed.
  The job at the Herald has had an effect.
greywarbler 11

3 October 2014 at 10:10 am

On the trail of active businesses keeping the NZ economy going and what sector, there is an Insight on Sunday on Radionz with Wallace Chapman on the thoroughbred industry. I heard a trailer this morning and I think they feel neglected, not taken seriously and they employ 33,000 people. Let’s hear it for the gee gees!
Sunday 5/10 at 8.12 a.m. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight

The heady days when horse racing was king, are gone.
People are discovering new ways to spent their entertainment dollar and the thoroughbred industry is now having to share the gambling pie with others like lotto and the casinos.
Racing, along with greyhounds and trotting, still manages turnover nearing two billion dollars and contributes to about one percent of the country’s gross domestic product, but many in the industry say it is getting harder to make a living.

Radio New Zealand’s Waikato reporter, Andrew McRae talks to all parts of the thoroughbred racing industry from trainers and owners, through to the breeders and jockeys about how it can try to keep pace with its competitors.

I tried to get some stats on employment in dairying but it’s hard to find for a newbie. There are more details from the dairy companies on cows, opportunities finance, yield of milk and money. Simple employment does not rate highly.

Some of the pdfs don’t convert to my old Firefox very well. There are all sorts of symbols in the headings.

Stats NZ is like following a will of the whisp. Every time I got into an area which I think could answer the simple? question of the annual count of employment in the dairy industry. I was directed to some program that would provide it if I pressed this button and spent 10 minutes reading about it.

And of course there is the proviso of how they changed the employment count in 2003 to give a broad brush over all employment presumably.
Until 2003, statistics used full-time equivalent (FTE) persons engaged as the business-size measure. From 2003 onwards, FTE was replaced by employee count (EC). Business demography statistics showing EC are available for 2000 onwards.
I think this means in reality, in use, that they can then count someone doing 1 paid hour per week in employment statistics, but that will require probably an hour’s study on how to use their tables and find definitions.

An interesting statistic from Min for Primary Industries: New Zealand dairy production has risen 77 percent over the past 20 years … Sources: Statistics New Zealand, DairyNZ, Fonterra Co-operative Group, and MPI. … The parties to the Accord agreed to work together to achieve clean healthy …
Puckish Rogue 12

3 October 2014 at 10:36 am

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/10573887/Left-rendered-irrelevant

– A good, thought-provoking piece
- BM 12.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:58 am
  
  I agree with everything he write.
  
  The left is completely out of touch with middle NZ and there’s nothing any party on the left can do to remedy that.
  
  The problems are far too systemic.
  - Puckish Rogue 12.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:49 am
    
    I suspect the problem has more to do with employment and earnings. When you look at the Labour MPs most of them would struggle to earn 70k a year let alone what an MP makes
    
    So these MPs are making more money then they ever have before so its only natural that they want to protect the money because they know when they leave they won’t have the same power, unfluence or pay packet
    
    I mean would T. Mallard or C. Curran get paid in the private market anything like they’re getting now?
    - BM 12.1.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 12:21 pm
      
      I see the main issue with the left is that they’re creating policies that appeal to the party members not the public.
      
      Great if you want to be a niche party, not so good if you want to be a major party.
      
      I agree with you about the labour Mps, which is why they’re so hard to pry off the trough, politics is as good as it gets so they’re not going anywhere without a fight.
      - Kiwiri 12.1.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 12:32 pm
        
        they’re creating policies that appeal to the party members not the public
        
        hahaha. try again. your framing there is misleading, mischievous as well as malicious.
        
        let’s see what those policies are that appeal to party members not the public? abandoning the call for GST to be removed from fresh fruit and vegetables? increasing the super age?
      - Puckish Rogue 12.1.1.1.2
        
        3 October 2014 at 12:41 pm
        
        I wonder if maybe the answer is to dro the pay down to 70K for MPs and 150K for the PM
        
        Take the money out of it and you’ll get people doing it for and staying in longer for the right reasons…maybe
        
        Kiwiri 12.1.1.1.2.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:27 pm
        
        Or give them the kind of National golden parachutes to kamikaze their parliamentary careers.
        
        Puckish Rogue …
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:31 pm
        
        Who in all seriousness would take on on Labours dead wood? Goff maybe but thats about it
    - Murray Olsen 12.1.1.2
      
      4 October 2014 at 1:33 am
      
      How much would Paula Bennett be able to earn? She’s pretty much as useless as Mallard or Curran, as are plenty of other Tories. The only way any of them make heaps is when they’re appointed to bullshit positions as a political reward.
- phillip ure 12.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 2:25 pm
  
  warning..!.it is far-right foamer..du fresne…
Pat O'Dea 13

3 October 2014 at 10:56 am

‘

“Dear Matafele Peinem, we won’t let you down”

Just in

In a victory for local residents opposed to the mine and Auckland Coal Action, The proposed excavation of the Mangatangi coal mine by Glen Coal ltd. just south of the city, at Mangatawhiri has been put on indefinite hold.
- blue leopard 13.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 12:35 pm
  
  Excellent to hear some good news, thanks Pat.
Paul 14

3 October 2014 at 10:57 am

Dita de Boni
‘Time for Labour to embrace the left.

Instead of trying to appeal to ‘middle New Zealand’, the party should proudly stand by progressive values…….
I am convinced that the Labour party of today has the same problem. And the advice from well-wishers and nefarious right-wing commentators alike – to “appeal to middle New Zealanders” – is, I believe, misguided.
The fact of the matter is that “middle New Zealand” currently prefers John Key. They want tax cuts, they want a prime minister they could have a beer with. God alone knows why, but their ideal female politician is Judith Collins, Hekia Parata and Maggie Barry (the “Hyacinth Bucket” model).
And they don’t care that dirty politics seeps out of every pore of the current administration.
So be it. Labour, at present, cannot sway these people and is not in good enough shape to take on the right-wing smear machine. But to my mind, it doesn’t have to – right now. It needs to reclaim and reaffirm that it stands for genuine left-wing values and ignore the critics – critics that are often non-voters, or non-Labour voters, egged on by opponents.’

Read the rest.
A great article.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11335076
- Tautoko Viper 14.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 12:19 pm
  
  Dita has absolutely nailed it.
- phillip ure 14.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 2:27 pm
  
  @ paul..
  
  ..”Maggie Barry (the “Hyacinth Bucket” model)..”
  
  (heh..!..)
- Murray Olsen 14.3
  
  4 October 2014 at 2:16 am
  
  John Key is the type of person I least like having a beer with. He would insist on being the centre of attention and make puerile wisecracks. He’s the sort of guy who would have been better off not drinking in a public bar when they had heavy glass jugs. Something has changed drastically with middle NZ, and I don’t like it. Some people say that social attitudes have changed for the better, but when you see the Rawshark emails and chats, you realise that for a lot of movers and shakers on the right, this is only lip service.
Pat O'Dea 15

3 October 2014 at 11:05 am

This is what victory looks like

http://aucklandcoalaction.org/
greywarbler 16

3 October 2014 at 1:09 pm

AN ALERT – Lecture coming up 15 October Auckland.
Wednesday 15 October, 6.30pm
Maidment Theatre
Alfred Street
The University of Auckland
The Maidment Bar will open from 5.30pm

The 2014 Bruce Jesson Lecture
Mike Joy – Paradise Squandered; New Zealand’s Environmental Asset Stripping

New Zealand’s lakes, rivers and most of our groundwater are in a critical state. Decades of misguided regulation and a free-for-all on diffuse pollution have encouraged agricultural intensification and driven our increasing reliance on imported feed and fertiliser.
The inevitable consequences have been devastating environmental impacts as well as increasing economic and biosecurity risks.
The solutions are many but require a paradigm shift; a move away from dependence on imported feed and fertiliser to keeping nutrients on farm and adding value to products, and strong leadership to move away from short-term thinking that accepts the massive ecological debt we are running up.

Mike Joy MSc(Hons), PhD in Ecology is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science at the Ecology Group-Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North. He has received a number of awards, including the Ecology in Action award from the New Zealand Ecological Society; an Old Blue award from the Royal Forest and Bird protection Society; Environmental New Zealander of the Year from North and South magazine and the Manawatu Evening Standard Person of the Year.
Presented by Politics and International Relations and the Bruce Jesson Foundation
Wednesday 15 October, 6.30pm
Maidment Theatre
Alfred Street
The University of Auckland
The Maidm
- Chooky 16.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 2:27 pm
  
  thanks greywarbler
Te Reo Putake 17

3 October 2014 at 2:28 pm

ACT: another one bites the dust.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10576531/ACTs-Jamie-Whyte-quits-as-leader
- Puckish Rogue 17.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 2:32 pm
  
  Yep ACT got a poor result and the leader quits and doesn’t try to run again…theres a lesson there somewhere
  - Te Reo Putake 17.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 2:40 pm
    
    Cool. In your world, 0.7% and being forced onto welfare is merely a “bad” result.
    - Puckish Rogue 17.1.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 2:44 pm
      
      Its better then 10% and no MPs in government (and none in nearly 25 years since being formed)
      - Te Reo Putake 17.1.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:53 pm
        
        Um, 10% gets you 12 or so MP’s. But that’s not going to be an issue for National’s Epsom franchise cum charity outreach program anytime soon 🙂
        
        edit ; I see what you did there! Colour me green with envy at your sly wit.
        
        Puckish Rogue 17.1.1.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 2:58 pm
        
        Except that ACTs currently in power and has been in power previously whereas the Greens have never been in power, in fact they’re the only party that’ve never had an mp in government
        
        Fact is the Greens are nothing less then a disapointment
- Rosie 17.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 3:55 pm
  
  Wow. Rimmer will now get an extra $155,700 as party leader, seeing as he has taken over. (Based on 2011 figures)
  
  http://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2011/0410/latest/DLM4148103.html
  
  Both him and Dunne were reported as being over the $500K mark on Campbell live once all their perks and bonus salaries were added up. Nice work if you can get it. Over a million dollars for one party that polled 0.22% and one that polled 0.7%.
  - Puckish Rogue 17.2.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 4:04 pm
    
    You can get it, you just need enough people to think your party is worth voting for
    - Draco T Bastard 17.2.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 4:17 pm
      
      In the case of Act and UF neither party got enough votes because no one thought that they were worth voting for but they still got it.
      - Puckish Rogue 17.2.1.1.1
        
        3 October 2014 at 4:20 pm
        
        I’d say the Greens could learn something from them but I think they prefer to be martyrs rather then try to ackshully get something done for their voters
Puckish Rogue 18

3 October 2014 at 2:47 pm

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/better-business/10576464/R-D-grants-stupid-taxpayer-subsidies-Sam-Morgan

– Morgan reiterated that profitable companies did not need grants, and if a company was not profitable, it had no prospect of paying tax.

But he then confessed his companies Xero, Sonar6 and Outsmart had also received grants.

“Maybe I should just shut-up.,” he tweeted.

“Seems like this grant lark is actually awesome for me.”

Or don’t accept the grants instead?
- Draco T Bastard 18.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 4:02 pm
  
  Or we could just be far more open about the fact that private success comes only with government subsidies.
  - Puckish Rogue 18.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 4:09 pm
    
    He just seems like an ungreatful prat and as loopy as his old man…
Mark 19

3 October 2014 at 2:56 pm

Chris Trotter’s latest missive stopped me in my tracks. I felt like I could have written the article from start to finish. ( If I could write)
A brilliant summary of how people like me still haven’t forgiven or forgotten.

http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/
- Puckish Rogue 19.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 3:31 pm
  
  Trotters perceptive
- Draco T Bastard 19.2
  
  3 October 2014 at 4:03 pm
  
  Actual link
boldsirbrian 20

3 October 2014 at 3:44 pm

I wonder where Jason Ede and Cathy Odgers are? Have they eloped? Are they helping out at Whaleoil? Or the new “moderators” at kiwiblog? I hope their disappearance is not creating any sort of holdup on the inquiries that have started.

Mr. Botany (B.)
McFlock 21

3 October 2014 at 5:05 pm

lol Jamie Whyte’s resigned.

I would say “good riddance”, but he was active for such a short time and had such little effect that nobody will really notice.
- Te Reo Putake 21.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 5:57 pm
  
  Yep, despite his strong appeal to the incest demographic, it turned out not to be all Whyte on the night.
  - adam 21.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:47 pm
    
    +1 Te Reo Putake. Ouch, now my side hurts.
weka 22

3 October 2014 at 6:17 pm

Fuck Russel Norman (I say that as a long time GP member and voter). “Crazies”? Really?

“I mean we had enough trouble with John Key standing up every day telling all his nonsense about us and on the other had we had to deal with these crazies. Having them on the radio and tv all the time talking their nonsense, it was like ‘Oh god,’ it did make it incredibly difficult to change the Government at that point because a lot of people who might have voted for Labour went ‘Oh god, if a vote for Labour means a vote for Dotcom and Harre, I’m not going to do that,'” he says

http://www.waateanews.com/waateanews?story_id=ODAwNg%3D%3D
- Chooky 22.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 11:39 pm
  
  i think the Greens lost votes in the last week because it was said by a television reporter ( rightly or wrongly) that Norman was making overtures and was seeking a coalition with Nactional !
  
  …Unconscionable!…people were confused and shocked…it seemed like an opportunistic betrayal by the Greens who were signalling Labour would not win in their opinion ,so they were ready to do deals with the Nactional which represents BIG BUSINESS and is the biggest violator of the environment!
  - Clemgeopin 22.1.1
    
    4 October 2014 at 12:26 am
    
    +1
    Good comment Chooky. Sometimes I think we the ordinary people here have a more honest and clearer view of things than some of these stupid ego driven smart arse dumb political ‘leaders’.
- Murray Olsen 22.2
  
  4 October 2014 at 2:28 am
  
  +1
  You can take the boy out of Brisbane, but you can’t take Brisbane out of the boy. I have to wonder how much his growing up in a white supremacist monoculture made him unable to understand Maori at all. I can’t think why else he would call them crazies, especially when they have a similar political alignment to his party.
  
  I also think he can go and fuck himself, and Metiria should speak for the Greens. I was going off Norman anyway, with all his talk of fiscal responsibility.
Draco T Bastard 23

3 October 2014 at 7:25 pm

Advice from Starbucks veteran:

But unless I am checking a new store off my list, I would not go there for the coffee.

And this guy would know after having:

travelled over 150,000 miles visiting 11,733 coffee shops and spending over $100,000.
- Chooky 23.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 11:30 pm
  
  lol…Starbucks is disgusting
  - McFlock 23.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:38 pm
    
    the one in dunedin gave away free coffees when it opened.
    It lost a bunch of prospective customers that way.
    - Chooky 23.1.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 11:48 pm
      
      lol….unfortunately for Starbucks New Zealanders have gotten used to good coffee….only young teenagers and Americans like Starbucks
      
      my friend took me to Palm Beach and I was shocked to find only a Starbucks coffee shop….i refused to drink the coffee she bought me ….but bought her a cake with green icing …she refused to eat her cake….she reckoned the cakes were made from ingredients in rocketry (she looked up the listed ingredients of Starbucks cakes on her laptop and pronounced they were also used in rocket fuel or some such)….ONLY IN USA!
Clemgeopin 24

3 October 2014 at 8:11 pm

Just received via email:

PRIME TIME WITH SEAN PLUNKET
TONIGHT AT 10 30

With speculation mounting that he will contest Labour’s leadership, Napier MP STUART NASH will go one on one with Sean Plunket tonight.

PLEASE NOTE — TONIGHT’S SHOW WILL BE AT THE LATER TIME OF 10 30.

And we’re surrendering. Tonight we have pundits! BILL RALSTON and BRIAN EDWARDS to take an informed but light hearted look back at the campaign.
(And yes, we know Brian is a friend of David Cunliffe and a long time Labour advisor and supporter and we also know that Bill worked on the National campaign. That’s why we invited them!)
- Paul 24.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 8:26 pm
  
  If Nash leads the Labour Party, it will have officially become a neoliberal party.
  - adam 24.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 11:41 pm
    
    What makes you think it is not at present?
    - Paul 24.1.1.1
      
      4 October 2014 at 12:21 am
      
      Fair point.
    - Clemgeopin 24.1.1.2
      
      4 October 2014 at 12:38 am
      
      It most definitely is not!
      Just take a look at their policies. Which of these do you honestly think are ‘neo liberal’ policies?
      
      *100,000 new, affordable homes
      *Free healthcare to under 13s, pregnant women and over 65s
      *Raising the minimum wage to $16.25
      *Ensure every rental is warm and dry
      *Everything paid for, plus we’re in surplus
      *Ensure all Kiwis under 20 are in work, education or training
      *Best Start for Kiwi kids
      *Reduce unemployment to 4% in our first term
      *Lower class sizes
      *Extend paid paternal leave to 26 weeks
      *Ensure that all our rivers and lakes are clean
      *Lowering power bills
      *Convert the dole to apprenticeships
      *Protecting our land from speculators
      *Christchurch recovery policy
      *Capital gains tax excluding family home
      *Increase tax to 36c/$ for incomes above $150,000
      * investments to upgrade regional economies and create jobs
      *Auckland and Christchurch city Rail Link
      *Public Service Television Station
      *Ban shark finning , animal testing of cosmetics, synthetic highs.
      * New ministry for children
      *Restore Adult and community education
      *Kiwi assure insurance
      *Marine reserves
      *Abolition of secondary tax
      *Inquiry into wages and collective bargaining
      *Review of spy laws.
AmaKiwi 25

3 October 2014 at 10:06 pm

Bryce Edwards confirms my suspicions: Like Labour, The Greens had a disastrous election result (along with Maori, Mana, and Internet parties).

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11336457

I think it is time the Left recognized we need a single Left party. It will require a huge amount of compromise on policies and organization. Can we do it or do we individually prefer to remain in the political wilderness?
- weka 25.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:19 pm
  
  why bother with MMP then? A single left party would homogenise left wing politics and disenfranchise more people. It might win Labour the govt, but what would be the point?
  - AmaKiwi 25.1.1
    
    3 October 2014 at 10:40 pm
    
    Because the Right is doing it and burying us.
    
    What a different election it would have been if instead of just National there was a farmers party, a small business party, and a real estate developers party.
    - weka 25.1.1.1
      
      3 October 2014 at 10:57 pm
      
      with one monolithic left wing party we’d have a left version of National, locking NZ into a centrist/rightist govt long term. So again, what would be the point? Power at all costs?
      
      Here’s another idea. How about Labour try being a left wing party and seeing if the non-vote comes out again. We’re running out of time though, because not voting will become a hard habit to break.
boldsirbrian 26

3 October 2014 at 10:24 pm

Today’s Leunig.

Seems appropriate with Australia entering the war in Syria and Iraq, and John Key trying to work out how we can get involved.

Leunig – Today’s Recipe: Cult Pie
- AmaKiwi 26.1
  
  3 October 2014 at 10:44 pm
  
  The rich countries like these kinds of wars: defense companies get richer as expensive ordinance gets blown up. But no troops on the ground to come home in coffins.
  
  Sorry, Key. We are cannon fodder so if you send our SAS, send body bags, too.
Penny Bright 27

3 October 2014 at 11:13 pm

Hi folks!

Seen this?

FRIDAY, OCT 3, 2014 10:25 AM NZDT
The great charter school rip-off: Finally, the truth catches up to education “reform” phonies
Fraud, financial mismanagement, lousy results: Reports highlight awful charter schools and people are catching on

JEFF BRYANT

http://www.salon.com/2014/10/02/the_great_charter_school_rip_off_finally_the_truth_catches_up_to_education_reform_

______________________________________________________________________________________

Penny Bright

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SciBlogsBy Guest Author
6 days ago

Still the same question
The Independent Police Conduct authority has found another case where police used excessive force in making an arrest: A police officer broke a woman’s arm with a baton before dragging her out of her car by the hair following a chase. The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found the ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
6 days ago

The Danger from the Extreme Right
Like other readers, no doubt, I recently experienced a “believe it or not” moment, when I read an account of a crowd at a recent Trump rally cheering the news that the US Women’s Football Team had been beaten at the Olympic Games. The reason for the cheering was, apparently, ...
Bryan GouldBy Bryan Gould
6 days ago

Why calling ordinary Kiwi cyclists ‘elitist’ just doesn’t add up
Timothy Welch, University of Auckland Something strange has happened to the perception of cyclists and cycling in the more than 200 years they’ve been around. Once a novelty, bike riding has moved from being a critical transport mode to a children’s pastime to now being popularly perceived as an ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
6 days ago

How do Olympic athletes stack up against invertebrates? Not very well
Caitlyn Forster, University of Sydney and Eliza Middleton, University of Sydney Olympians spend years training to be the best of the best. Scientists and sportspeople have spent decades researching the mechanics of the human body to ensure our elite athletes are always reaching higher, faster and stronger. But how ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
6 days ago

Zebra Ethics: The Amazon Second Age Series and Lessons from Game of Thrones
Today I stumbled across a genuinely interesting reddit article, which looks at the (positive) influence Game of Thrones may have on the upcoming Amazon Tolkien series: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/comments/oqvi81/amazons_the_lord_of_the_rings_show_going_got/ Essentially, the argument is that the framework of Tolkien’s Second Age material inherently lends itself to “Machiavellian Thriller” stories, rather than to ...
A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
6 days ago

The War over Sex and Gender: Kathleen Stock talks to the Free Speech Union
Speakeasy #1: Free Speech and the War over Sex and Gender from Free Speech Union on Vimeo. ...
RedlineBy Admin
6 days ago

Why governments will have to consider the costs of long COVID when easing pandemic restrictions
Richard Meade, Auckland University of Technology With governments worldwide under pressure to ease pandemic restrictions as vaccination rates rise and impatience with border restrictions grows, new threats become clearer. One of the costliest, it is now feared, could be a tsunami of “long COVID” cases. Long COVID is a ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
6 days ago

Taxpayers' Union gets destroyed
The Taxpayers’ Union scored another own goal yesterday when they decided to have a go at well-known journalist David Farrier (not to be confused with David Farrar) over Government funding he’d received to make a documentary.While that slinging match isn’t really worth reporting on, being that it was mainly just ...
The Jackal
7 days ago

Gender-specific health programs address important issues, but risk creating new biases
Matthew Jenkins and Victoria Chinn, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Gone are the days when health programmes were designed to simply punish or reward people to encourage behaviour change. We now know lasting behaviour change is more complex and nuanced, and this has prompted a proliferation ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
7 days ago

Fossil tooth fractures and microscopic detail of enamel offer new clues about human diet and evolut...
Ian Towle; Carolina Loch, and Thomas Loho, University of Auckland Teeth can tell us a lot about the evolution of prehistoric humans, and our latest study of one of our species’ close relatives may finally resolve a long-standing mystery. The genus Paranthropus is closely related to ours, Homo, ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
7 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – “Year of the vaccine” at risk
A consensus is emerging that the Government has generally managed the Covid crisis very well over the last 18 months, but they have dropped the ball when it comes to the crucial vaccine rollout. This was nicely encapsulated in opinion polling last week showing that while 69 per cent of ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 week ago

Profiteering politicians delegitimise parliament
Why aren't politicians interested in actually solving the housing crisis? Because virtually the entire political class is making massive profits from it: MPs have pocketed $50 million in capital gains from their property interests in the last year amid a growing housing affordability crisis, a Stuff analysis has found. ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

Democracy wins in Samoa
Over three months ago Samoa had an election, in which the people voted out the incumbent Human Rights Protection Party and voted in the opposition FAST Party. The incumbent Human Rights Protection Party ignored the results and clung to power, hoping to get their patsy head of state to call ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

Climate Change: The solution farmers don’t want us to talk about
RNZ this morning has a piece asking Can NZ really meet its methane emissions targets?. Posing it as a question like this frames it as difficult, more of the "but its too hard!" whine from farmers. But its not hard at all. Pretty obviously, we can meet methane reduction targets ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
1 week ago

A Conversation That Never Happened.
Attribution Error: “Well, Sir, the Ministry of State Security has absolutely nothing to gain by going after Microsoft Exchange. It’s not its style – way too public. The MSS would never draw attention to its activities in so dramatic a fashion. I mean, there is absolutely nothing in it for ...
Bowalley Road
1 week ago

Graham Adams: Parliament is in recess but Kris Faafoi is too busy to discuss proposals for hate-spee...
The Minister of Justice appears to have gone into hiding. Graham Adams provides an update on how the public debate on hate speech regulation is going, especially in terms of whether political opinion should or shouldn’t receive an exemption from new laws. It fell to RNZ to break the ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 week ago

Engineering A Miracle: Can Judith Collins Reprise Rob Muldoon?
Miracle Worker? But Judith Collins and National cannot regain power by simply hoping for the worst. Elections are won by politicians like Rob Muldoon, who persuade the voters that the incumbent government is the worst choice.WAITING FOR THE MIRACLE, as Leonard Cohen observed, is an agonising test. Especially if its ...
Bowalley Road
1 week ago

Hearing loss and social isolation – the silent burden
Feature image: this picture was chosen as it illustrates two elderly people in each other’s company. Tying in with the theme of hearing loss and social isolation, this depicts the importance of connection to each other and the world in which we live. Charlotte Gordon* Untreated hearing loss is a ...
SciBlogsBy Public Health Expert
1 week ago

2021 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #30
Listing of articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 18, 2021 through Sat, July 24, 2021 The following articles sparked above average interest during the week: Extreme rainfall in China: over 25 inches falls in 24 hours, leaving 33 dead, As scientists have ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

Capitalists in Space
. . Billionaire Richard Branson did it. Also-billionaire, Jeff Bezos, did it. Both will be the first money-hoarders into space (or sub-orbital near-space, to be more specific). Also-also-billionaire, Elon Musk – not content with sub-orbital ‘jaunts’ – has expressed a desire to go Full Interplanetary and personally colonise Mars. Meanwhile, ...
Frankly SpeakingBy Frank Macskasy
1 week ago

Elizabeth Rata: Responding to Andrew Geddis on Treaty Partnerships
My recent article about the role that the concept of a Treaty ‘partnership’ has played in the development of ethno-nationalism provoked a critical response from Professor Andrew Geddis. We obviously have different opinions about the value of a Treaty partnership in New Zealand’s liberal democracy. My purpose here is to ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
1 week ago

When tough on crime goes wrong
If there’s one thing that you can safely rely on, it’s right-wing politicians grandstanding with tough on crime rhetoric. It's understandable being that such propaganda is usually a sure bet, obviously because a very large proportion of the public wants to see less crime and fewer criminals in their communities.However ...
The Jackal
1 week ago

Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism’s flawed obsession with growth
Tim Jackson, University of Surrey Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, laments the Rocket Man in Elton John’s timeless classic. In fact, it’s cold as hell. But that doesn’t seem to worry a new generation of space entrepreneurs intent on colonising the “final frontier” as fast ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
1 week ago

Michael Cullen’s Policy Achievements
Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.Implicit in the title of the Michael Cullen’s memoir Labour Saving is his greatest policy achievement of improving the savings of the economy, as well as his saving the Labour Party from neoliberalism. But first, ...
PunditBy Brian Easton
1 week ago

Call to ‘come home’ does not apply to our sleeper cells in Australia, says Government
A map of believed New Zealand sleeper cells in Australia, which the Australian Secret Intelligence Service has described as “painfully obvious” and believes is “pretty much comprehensive.” As the Covid-19 travel bubble with Australia closes once more, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins have made clear ...
The CivilianBy admin
1 week ago

Cranky Uncle game now being translated
The Cranky Uncle game is now being translated into multiple languages, paving the way to building public resilience against misinformation across the world. So far, we have had volunteers offer to help translate the game into Danish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Ukrainian. But we are always looking ...
Skeptical Science
1 week ago

Andrew Geddis: Responding to Elizabeth Rata on Treaty Partnerships
In a recent post on this site, Prof Elizabeth Rata expressed her concerns at the growth of what she terms “ethno-nationalism” and the role that the concept of a “Treaty partnership” has played in this development. She does so by telling a story about how this idea of a Treaty ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
2 weeks ago

The Greatest Cyber-Weapon May Be The Truth.
Who's Hacking Who? So, let’s be clear: the very same Western powers who were voicing their alarm at China’s alleged outsourcing of its cyber-attack capabilities to private actors, are the identical Western powers who, for years, have winked at their friends in Jerusalem outsourcing their intelligence gathering to a shadowy Tel ...
Bowalley Road
2 weeks ago

Morbid Symptoms: Why Are Māori Vaccination Rates Plummeting?
Not Enough Shots In The Arm: The percentage of 8-month-old Māori babies in Counties Manukau receiving their primary course of immunisation on time has fallen from 85 percent in May 2020 to 68 percent in May 2021. A report prepared for the Counties Manukau DHB attributes this startling drop-off to: ...
Bowalley Road
2 weeks ago

Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29, 2021
94 articles Physical science of climate change, effects Three flavors of radiative feedbacks and their implications for estimating Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity Rugenstein & Armour Geophysical Research Letters DOI: 10.1029/2021gl092983 Observations of climate change, effects Multi-decadal change in western US nighttime vapor pressure deficit DOI: 10.1029/2021gl092983 Recent changes in ...
Skeptical Science
2 weeks ago

Looking for more coal is indefensible
Siberia is burning. China is flooding. Westport flooded last weekend. And against this backdrop of climate breakdown, the Southland District Council thinks its a good time to approve new coal exploration. This is a terrible idea. But its also a waste of time. Any coal discovered can never be burned ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

An end to imprisoning refugees?
Back in May, Amnesty International exposed New Zealand's repuslive system of refugee detention, and the ongoing human rights abuses it leads to. It clearly embarassed the government, because today they've announced a formal inquiry into the practice - the first step to ending it: But following the release in ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

Bryce Edwards: Political Roundup – The Seriousness of the rural revolt
It’s nearly a week since the “Howl of a Protest” took place throughout the country, and we’re still talking about the rural revolt. What are the farmers’ concerns? Are they legitimate? Has the rural-urban divide has become too deep, and will any of this have an impact on politics in ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
2 weeks ago

Extreme heat warning: what the first-ever UK Met Office alert means
Chloe Brimicombe, University of Reading Summer 2021 will mark a turning point in how heat is seen by the public and communicated by experts. For the first time in its 167-year history, the UK’s Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat for much of Wales and parts ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
2 weeks ago

Hydrogen in Southland?
New Zealand wants to move to more renewable electricity. But there's a barrier: the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter. It sucks up 13% of our total electricity supply, but its continued threats to shut down create ongoing uncertainty about demand, which puts people off building the additional renewables we need. But ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

When an ancient volcanic ‘supereruption’ caused sudden cooling, early humans got lucky
Ben Black, Rutgers University and Anja Schmidt, University of Cambridge Around 74,000 years ago, a “supereruption” on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, blasted out an estimated 5,000 cubic kilometres of magma. This was the Toba eruption, the largest volcanic eruption of the past 2 million years. To put 5,000 ...
SciBlogsBy Guest Author
2 weeks ago

Talley’s Group Ltd – Arsehole of the Week
In our modern world, it shouldn't be too much to ask that businesses operating in New Zealand be run in an ethical and safe manner, should it? I mean surely our fellow Kiwis should be treated fairly while undertaking an honest days work, shouldn't they?It’s not as if any of ...
The Jackal
2 weeks ago

Climate Crisis Intensifies Dramatically in 2021
In 2007 an organisation chose its name based on the scientific consensus that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was the uppermost level to avoid a climate tipping point. We are currently just short of 420pp of carbon and the last seven years have been the hottest ...
Local Bodies
2 weeks ago

Samoa’s women’s quota: Have I missed something?
(Narrator voice: Yes, yes I did. See correction at the bottom) Another election petition was finalised in Samoa today, seeing the first finding of an illegal practice against a FAST candidate (a party roadshow made a customary gift - koha in NZ terms - during a period where these are ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

A promising start
The "rebate" half of the government's feebate scheme to lower transport emissions came into force three weeks ago. And it looks like its had an immediate effect, with two months worth of EVs registered in the first 19 days alone: More than 1300 electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

Taking shortsighted penny-pinching to a whole new level
Over the weekend Westport was hit by devastating floods. Half the town had to be evacuated, 89 homes (so far) are uninhabitable, and another 400 (of ~1700) need serious repairs. The total cost hasn't come in yet, but its going to be well into the tens of millions of dollars. ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
2 weeks ago

Older posts

Green Party welcomes conversion therapy prohibition bill
The Green Party welcomes the announcement by Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi to introduce a bill to prohibit conversion therapy used against Rainbow communities. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Green Party welcomes Commerce Commission’s draft findings, cautions against wait and hope solution...
The Green Party welcomes the findings of the Commerce Commission’s report on competition in the retail grocery sector, which takes aim at the duopoly formed by Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs. ...
Greens
4 days ago

Building back better
It’s a three-week recess in Parliament – so, no bills are going through the House and no select committees are meeting. But the hard work of our ministers continues, and many of our MPs are back in their electorates, taking the opportunity to meet with local communities and businesses about ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Greens call for a Warrant of Fitness for rental homes
The Green Party is launching a petition today calling on the Government’s Healthy Homes Standards to be backed up with a proper Warrant of Fitness (WoF) for rental homes. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Securing our recovery: By the numbers
Our plan to secure New Zealand’s recovery from COVID-19 is working, with the past three months seeing the second-highest number of people moved off a main benefit into work since records began. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

More Kiwis in work through recovery plan
The latest statistics show the Government’s focus on jobs is working. The net number of people on a main benefit dropped by around 11,190 people during the past three months, with around 31,240 people moving off a benefit into work. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

Government commits further assistance for drought and flood-affected rural communities
Farmers and growers affected by this year’s drought or floods in Marlborough, Tasman, West Coat, Canterbury, Otago and the Chatham Islands will have access to Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) from today, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni has announced. “The Government is committed to easing the financial pressures on ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
9 hours ago

Cook Islands youth lead Language Week
The Cook Islands Language Week theme for 2021 highlights the vital role language plays in maintaining young people’s links to their Pacific home, said Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio. “The Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ‘Āirani – Cook Islands Language Week – theme is ‘Ātuitui’ia au ki ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
11 hours ago

Government offers formal apology for Dawn Raids
A formal and unreserved apology for the Dawn Raids The Government will offer education scholarships as part of the apology Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Scholarship Training courses Support Pacific artists and historians to develop a comprehensive written and oral account of the Dawn Raids Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 day ago

Speech to Dawn Raids Apology
Tēnā koutou katoa, Kia orana kotou katoatoa, Fakaalofa lahi atu ki mutolu oti, Tālofa nī, Mālō nī koutou, Ni sa bula vinaka, Fakatalofa atu, Noa'ia 'e mauri, Kam na mauri, Malo e lelei, Sioto'ofa, Mālō lava le lagi e mamā ma le soifua maua, Oue tulou, tulou atu, tulouna lava ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 day ago

Bridging the gap – last piece of Northcote Safe Cycle Route now complete
The opening of two bridges over Auckland’s Northern Motorway is the last link of a cycling and walking route which provides a safe, active alternative for students and commuters, Transport Minister Michael Wood said today. Michael Wood cut the ribbon for the completion of the Northcote Safe Cycle Route, at ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Progress in establishment of Aged Care Commissioner
Recruitment for an Aged Care Commissioner will start next month, to ensure greater oversight of New Zealand’s aged care sector. “This sector is responsible for supporting a large and often vulnerable population. While most people are able to access quality care, there have been cases where that care has fallen ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

New record number of homes consented
In the year ended June 2021, the actual number of new dwellings consented was 44,299, up 18 percent from the June 2020 year. In June 2021, the seasonally adjusted number of new dwellings consented rose 3.8 percent. In June 2021, 4,310 new dwellings were consented, an increase of 3.8 per ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Communities backed to tackle wilding pines
Twelve community projects across New Zealand will receive a share of $2 million to carry out wilding pine control, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor announced as part of Biosecurity Week. “Wilding pines are a serious problem that threaten many of the unique landscapes that New Zealanders value. Community groups and trusts ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Health Minister Andrew Little responding to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's rejection of ...
I was advised last night that the result of the ballot of Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation members have rejected the latest proposal to settle their collective agreement. Let me be clear: the proposal was one they put to the Government. The Nurses Organisation rejected their ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation introduced to Parliament
Legislation has been introduced to Parliament to protect against practices intended to change or suppress someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Introducing the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, Minister of Justice, Kris Faafoi, said the measures proposed were aimed at ending conversion practices which don’t work, are widely ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

New kaupapa Māori mental health and addiction services to support people in central North Island
New mental health and addiction services rolling out across the central North Island will improve outcomes and equity for Māori, Associate Minister of Health (Māori Health) Peeni Henare says. Today the Minister met with providers of the new kaupapa Māori primary mental health and addiction service, Poutama Ora, which will ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

New school site for booming West Auckland
The Government will build on a new school site in West Auckland to cope with rapid population growth in the area, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. The Ministry is working with existing local schools to determine how the 1.5-hectare site at 279 Hobsonville Point Road will be used to support ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Trans-Tasman travel window to close at midnight tomorrow
A further 500 MIQ rooms released for managed returnees from NSW Further Government actions announced today are balanced to provide more certainty for Kiwis wanting to return from Australia, while continuing to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Ayesha Verrall says. The actions were foreshadowed last ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Govt investing millions in Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti schools
Napier Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools are among those set to benefit from a $16.5 million investment in the Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti region, Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash announced today. The Government has set aside money in Budget 2021 to accelerate five projects in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Game changing Jobs for Nature investment for Northland
Conservation Minister Kiri Allan has announced Jobs for Nature funding for a portfolio of projects that will create ‘game changing’ gains for nature and communities across Northland/Te Tai Tokerau as part of the Government’s acceleration of the economic recovery from COVID. “This portfolio of 12 projects will see over $20 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Third COVID-19 vaccine receives provisional approval
New Zealand’s regulatory authority Medsafe has granted provisional approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older, Acting Minister for COVID-19 Response Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. New Zealand secured 7.6 million doses (enough for 3.8 million people) of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through an ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Bowel-cancer screening programme is saving lives
More than 1000 New Zealanders have had bowel cancer – New Zealand’s second-most-common cause of death from cancer - detected under the Government’s National Bowel Screening Programme, Health Minister Andrew Little said today. More than 1200 New Zealanders died from bowel cancer in 2017. The screening programme aims to save ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Govt welcomes draft report on the retail grocery sector
The Commerce Commission’s draft report into the retail grocery sector is being welcomed by Government as a major milestone. “I asked the Commerce Commission to look at whether this sector is as competitive as it could be and today it has released its draft report for consultation,” Commerce and Consumer ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Christchurch’s Youth Hub ‘set to go’ thanks to further Government funding
Construction of New Zealand’s first, purpose-built centre for youth well-being is ready to get underway thanks to an extra $2.5 million of COVID-19 response funding, Housing Minister and Associate Minister of Finance, Megan Woods announced today. “The Christchurch Youth Hub is about bringing together all the things young people need ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

Next step to protect Milford Sound Piopiotahi
Expert group lays out plan to better protect iconic UNESCO World Heritage site Milford Sound Piopiotahi and its surrounds Funding confirmed for dedicated unit and Establishment Board to assess the recommendations and provide oversight of the process from here Milford Opportunities Project a test case for transformational change in tourism ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Funding for projects to reduce waste from construction and demolition
The Government has announced funding for projects in Auckland and the lower North Island to help reduce construction and demolition waste. “Construction is the main source of waste sent to landfill, and much of this could be reduced, reused and recovered,” Environment Minister David Parker said. “The Government is funding ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Speech at the launch of the National Hepatitis C Action Plan
Tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you Anglesea Pharmacy and Te Manawa Taki for hosting this event. As a doctor, I saw first hand the impact of hepatitis C. I met Moana in 2019; she came to the infectious diseases outpatient clinic at Wellington Hospital having tested positive for hepatitis C. Like ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Plan to eliminate hepatitis C as a major health threat by 2030
A plan to eliminate hepatitis C in New Zealand, reducing liver cancer and the need for liver transplants, has been released today by Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. “Around 45,000 New Zealanders have hepatitis C, but only around half know they have it,” said Ayesha Verrall. “Symptoms often ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

School upgrades and new classrooms for West Coast, Tasman and Canterbury
A funding injection from Budget 2021 to complete four shovel ready projects and new classrooms at six schools and kura will provide a real boost to local communities, Minister Dr Megan Woods announced today. “This Government has committed to providing quality fit for purpose learning environments and 100,000 new student ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Warmer Kiwi Homes smashes annual target
The Government's highly successful insulation and heating programme, Warmer Kiwi Homes, is celebrating a key milestone with the completion of more than 38,000 insulation and efficient heater installs in the year to the end of June, smashing its target of 25,000 installs for the year. “The Warmer Kiwi Homes scheme ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Exemption granted for Wallabies to enter NZ
Bledisloe Cup rugby will be played in New Zealand after the Australian rugby team received an economic exemption to enter New Zealand. Travel between Australia and New Zealand was suspended on Friday for at least eight weeks following the worsening of the COVID outbreak across the Tasman. New Zealanders have ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Minister of Foreign Affairs makes three diplomatic appointments
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta today announced three New Zealand Head of Mission appointments. They are: Mike Walsh as Ambassador to Iran Michael Upton as Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union Kevin Burnett as Ambassador to Indonesia Iran “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long-standing and constructive relationship with Iran, despite a ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Enhanced Task Force Green Approved for West Coast and Marlborough
The Government has activated Enhanced Task Force Green (ETFG) in response to the West Coast and Marlborough floods, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “To assist with the clean-up, up to $500,000 will be made available to support the recovery in Buller and Marlborough which has experienced ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Govt support for upgrade of Eden Park players facilities
Minister for Sport and Recreation Hon Grant Robertson has announced funding to upgrade the players facilities at Eden Park ahead of upcoming Women’s World Cup events. Eden Park is a confirmed venue for the Rugby World Cup 2021, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, and a proposed venue for matches of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

More jobs and quicker public transport motoring towards West Auckland
Work to improve public transport for West Aucklanders and support the region’s economic recovery by creating hundreds of jobs has officially kicked off, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced today. Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff this morning marked the start of construction on the Northwestern Bus Improvements project. It ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Government backs critical health research
Research into some of New Zealanders’ biggest health concerns including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease is getting crucial support in the latest round of health research funding, Health Minister Andrew Little announced today. The funding, awarded through the Health Research Council of New Zealand, covers 31 General Project grants ($36.64 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

New Bay of Islands hospital facilities to bring services closer to home
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Health Minister Andrew Little have joined a ceremony to bless the site and workers for Phase Two of the redevelopment of the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa today. The new building will house outpatients and primary care facilities, as well as expanded renal care ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Raukokore re-imagined with ‘smart’ relocatable rent to own housing
Iwi, Crown Partnership Relocatable, fully insulated housing, connected to a new solar plant Provides a pathway to home ownership New housing in the remote eastern Bay of Plenty community of Raukokore shows how iwi and Crown agencies can work together effectively to provide warm, dry, energy efficient homes in a ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Cabinet accepts Turkish authorities’ request for the managed return of three NZ citizens
Cabinet has agreed to the managed return of a New Zealand citizen and her two young children from Turkey, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. The three have been in immigration detention in Turkey since crossing the border from Syria earlier this year. Turkey has requested that New Zealand repatriate ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Govt delivers more classrooms so children can focus on learning
Extra Government investment in classrooms and school building projects will enable students and teachers to focus on education rather than overcrowding as school rolls grow across the country, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis say. The pair visited Ruakākā School in Whangārei today to announce $100 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

New station a platform for AirportLink to take off
Every Aucklander with access to the rail network will now have a quick and convenient trip to the airport, Transport Minister Michael Wood and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said during the official opening of the new Puhinui Interchange today. The new interchange links the rail platform with a new bus ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

10 days sick leave for employees delivered
Legislation doubling employees’ minimum sick leave entitlement to 10 days comes into effect today, bringing benefits to both businesses and employees, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. “Our Government is delivering on a key manifesto commitment to help Kiwis and workplaces stay healthy,” Michael Wood said. “COVID-19 ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Prime Minister congratulates Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on Election Win
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern tonight congratulated Prime Minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa on her victory in the Samoa’s general election. “New Zealand has a special relationship with Samoa, anchored in the Treaty of Friendship. We look forward to working with Samoa’s new government in the spirit of partnership that characterises this ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Quarantine Free Travel with Australia suspended
Quarantine Free Travel from all Australian states and territories to New Zealand is being suspended as the Covid situation there worsens, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. From 11.59pm today Australians will no longer be able to enter New Zealand quarantine-free. This will be ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Growing conservation efforts in Gisborne
A big injection of Jobs for Nature funding will create much-needed jobs and financial security for families in TeTairāwhiti, and has exciting prospects for conservation in the region, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The projects target local communities most affected by the economic consequences of COVID 19 and are designed ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 weeks ago

Older posts

Albanese calls for $300 vaccination incentive, as rollout extended to vulnerable children
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The opposition has urged the government to provide a $300 incentive payment to everyone who is fully vaccinated by December 1, to accelerate the rollout. This payment should include those already vaccinated, the opposition says. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
3 hours ago

Tail whips and flairs: the jaw-dropping, high-flying tricks that won BMX freestyler Logan Martin the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eva Ellmer, The University of Queensland KYDPL KYODO/AP BMX freestyle has had its debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Logan Martin just made history by winning the first gold medal for Australia in the sport. The fresh, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
7 hours ago

Should we vaccinate children against COVID-19? We asked 5 experts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Roth, Deputy Editor, Health+Medicine Shutterstock Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently announced provisional approval for the Pfizer vaccine to be used in 12-15-year-olds. We learned on Monday that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has advised that ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
8 hours ago

The Tokyo Lowdown: Day 10
Following in our rowers' wake, the Kiwi paddlers had a fruitful first day on the water in Tokyo. Our daily wrap, looking at the fortunes of our NZ sportswomen, continues. Performances of the day Day one of six straight days of Olympic paddling for Lisa Carrington done, and three boxes ...
Newsroom
9 hours ago

If I’ve already had COVID, do I need a vaccine? And how does the immune system respond? An expert ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sunit K. Singh, Professor of Molecular Immunology and Virology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University Andre Coelho/EPA/AAP Over a year into the pandemic, questions around immune responses after COVID continue to confound. One question many people are asking ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
9 hours ago

Muscles are important, but stiff tendons are the secret ingredient for high-speed performance
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University The fastest sprinter is the world right now is Lamont Marcell Jacobs, who won Olympic gold in the men’s 100-metre sprint with a time of 9.80 seconds. You might be surprised to learn that ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
9 hours ago

Ardern announces RSE workers allowed one-way quarantine-free travel
Seasonal workers from Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu will be allowed into the country without having to go into managed isolation from September, the government says. ...
Radio NZ – political
9 hours ago

Thinking of taking a language in year 11 and 12? Here’s what you need to know
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mairin Hennebry-Leung, Lecturer in Languages and TESOL, University of Tasmania Shutterstock This article is part of a series providing school students with evidence-based advice for choosing subjects in their senior years. Some students elect to study languages in their senior ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
9 hours ago

Tuila’epa supporters demonstrate over ‘disintegration’ of Samoa constitution
By Soli Wilson in Apia Heavy rain early today failed to deter more than 1000 Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) supporters who gathered in front of the Government building in Apia — some travelling hours to get there — to protest against what they claim to be the “disintegration” of ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
9 hours ago

Michael Field: On saying sorry – who next? The Banabans?
COMMENT: By Michael Field of The Pacific Newsroom Apologies are, more or less by custom, the end of things. Say sorry, and don’t mention it again. As warm and moving as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s apology was over the immigration Dawn Raids of the 1970s, it will mostly ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
9 hours ago

Samoa confirms China-backed Vaiusu Bay port project shelved
RNZ Pacific Samoa’s new prime minister has opted not to proceed with a China-backed port development project championed by her predecessor. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said the US$100 million (NZ$139m) project would have significantly added to the country’s exposure to China which already accounts for 40 percent of its external debt. ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
9 hours ago

Fiji police, fire agency jointly probe two separate urban fires
By Talebula Kate in Suva The Fiji Police Force and the National Fire Authority are currently investigating two separate fires that broke out last night — at the Central Arcade in Ba and at Tappoos warehouse in Raiwai. Police say the first report of fire was received at the Ba ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
9 hours ago

Climate Change To Be Embedded In Council Decisions
Kāpiti Coast District Council’s adoption of a Climate Emergency Action Framework means thinking about climate change will be even more firmly embedded in all Council decisions. Councillor Sophie Handford says Council has heard calls from the community ...
Scoop politics
10 hours ago

Live: PM Jacinda Ardern speaks to media after Cabinet meeting
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is speaking to media in the first regular post-Cabinet briefing in two weeks. Watch live. ...
Radio NZ – political
11 hours ago

Dawn raids ceremony explained: Why Jacinda Ardern sat under a woven mat
Apulu Reece Autagavaia was among those who yesterday packed into Auckland Town Hall to witness the formal apology for the dawn raids. He explains the significance of the ifoga custom and what he hopes will follow this landmark event.Last night, we witnessed the prime minister Jacinda Ardern perform the ifoga, ...
The SpinoffBy Apulu Reece Autagavaia
11 hours ago

Appeal court throws out Peters' last claims over leak
After four years of ever-changing legal fighting, Winston Peters fails again to pin blame and win damages from government officials over a leak about his seven year overpayment of superannuation Former deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has lost again in his spray of allegations against a government department, senior mandarins, ...
Newsroom
12 hours ago

The Mana Wāhine inquiry isn’t over yet
Claimants to the Mana Wāhine inquiry tell Liam Rātana how the Waitangi Tribunal can start to address the damage done to Māori women by colonisation.I descend from a wāhine toa. She was a fearless leader of our people and held great mana in the area I’m from. Growing up, I ...
The SpinoffBy Liam Rātana
12 hours ago

Gamers know the power of ‘flow’ — what if learners could harness it too?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington www.shutterstock.com One of the constant challenges in education is keeping the learner engaged, motivated and connected in a world increasingly filled with distractions. Social media, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
12 hours ago

Landmark Coal Case For Future Generations
Forest & Bird is acting on behalf of future generations in taking the Southland District Council to court over coal exploration expansion, says Chief Executive Kevin Hague. Papers were served this week on the Southland District Council, ...
Scoop politics
12 hours ago

Response To Our Recommendations And Controller Update
In 2019, our report Using “functional leadership” to improve government procurement looked at how well public sector leadership over procurement was helping deliver on the expectations that public organisations understand and treat procurement as ...
Scoop politics
12 hours ago

Winston Peters' superannuation privacy leak appeal dismissed
Winston Peters has had his appeal in the leaking of his superannuation details before the 2017 General Election dismissed by the Court of Appeal. ...
Radio NZ – political
13 hours ago

Polls results won’t deter Labour from its reform programme – but they shouldn’t unnerve the Na...
Latest opinion polling has created a stir among the political cognoscenti. On one side, ACT’s rise is being seen as a big problem for National. From another, Labour’s fall by 9.7 points from the previous poll points to sharp disillusion with the Ardern government. TV3’s AM Show told viewers ACT’s ...
Point of OrderBy tutere44
13 hours ago

Young People Experiencing Homelessness And Living In Emergency Accommodation 'feel Terrified�...
Lifewise supports the Human Rights Commissioner calling the housing crisis a human rights crisis. Working daily at the coalface of the crisis, Lifewise sees people experiencing homelessness, especially young people, who 'feel terrified' living in ...
Scoop politics
13 hours ago

Why it’s so hard to launch a new supermarket in New Zealand
Forget the pie in the sky ‘KiwiGrocer’ idea, writes Eric Crampton for BusinessDesk – we need to make it easier for a overseas player to enter our grocery market.If you’re going to read the Commerce Commission’s market study on supermarkets in New Zealand, I’d suggest starting with the first half ...
The SpinoffBy Eric Crampton
13 hours ago

Covid-19: Border plans set to be revealed next week
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will next week set out whether and how the government plans to open the country's borders. ...
Radio NZ – political
14 hours ago

Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – August 2 2021
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Click here to subscribe to Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup and New Zealand Politics Daily. Today’s content Commerce Commission Supermarket Report Luke Malpass (Stuff): Labour’s $22 billion supermarket problem — and ...
Evening ReportBy Bryce Edwards
14 hours ago

I am grateful, I am blessed: A life with diabetes
Jessica Kirikava shares her story of grit and hope and remarkable recovery. This is a lightly abridged version of one of 12 essays published in the new anthology Te Kinakina: E Ngara I te Ngari / Remember who you are and where you come from. The book was written by Cook Islands ...
The SpinoffBy Jessica Kirikava
14 hours ago

Public servants stuck overseas are feeling they have been abandoned because of the MIQ lottery
A head of pressure is building among New Zealanders overseas at the difficulties in securing Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) slots. No, these aren’t holiday-makers off to see their rellies, stranded tourists or those with dual citizenship who flit between countries according to the levels of Coronavirus infections. Rather, these ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
14 hours ago

Petition To Ban Greyhound Racing Heading To Parliament On Wednesday
SAFE and the Greyhound Protection League are delivering their 37,000 strong petition to Parliament on Wednesday, which calls for a ban on greyhound racing and to rehabilitate and rehome all dogs bred for racing. This petition was supported by Grey2K USA Worldwide. ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

Has the High Court shown the way for successful Māori claims to marine title?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Fisher, Lecturer, University of Canterbury www.shutterstock.com Nearly two decades on from the bitter political battle over ownership of the seabed and foreshore, a recent precedent-setting High Court decision passed almost without comment in the mainstream media. Perhaps that is ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
15 hours ago

Do Shareholders Realise Marsden Point Conversion Could Cost More Than Half A Billion Dollars?
FIRST Union, the union representing workers at Refining NZ, are querying whether shareholders voting on Friday on whether to convert the Marsden Point refinery to an import-only terminal realise the conversion could cost $650-700 million dollars. ...
Scoop politics
15 hours ago

E Tipu E Rea Press Statement: Young Parents Are Invisible In Government’s Housing Strategy.
Child Poverty Action Group’s new report The first year of Covid-19: Initial outcomes of our collective care for low-income children in Aotearoa New Zealand has highlighted that the lack of a strategy to end youth homelessness led to gross inequalities and ...
Scoop politics
16 hours ago

Real talk: The highlights of Neon’s Documentary Spotlight
A bunch of the best TV documentaries of the year arrive on Neon this week. Here are the ones you won’t want to miss.Rescue Chimpanzees of the Congo with Jane Goodall (premieres August 1, weekly thereafter)Everyone loves a second chance, so prepare for your heartstrings to be pulled and your ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
16 hours ago

NZ government makes apology over Dawn Raids targeting Pasifika
RNZ Pacific New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today delivered the government’s apology for the Dawn Raids against Pasifika overstayers. She apologised for the raids in the 1970s which happened under both Labour and National governments. “The government expresses its sorrow, remorse and regret that the Dawn Raids and random ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
16 hours ago

What’s the biggest queer game developer in the world doing in New Zealand?
Robert Yang has made some of the most notorious (and notoriously great) queer video games of the past decade. He talks to The Spinoff about his latest game, We Dwell in Possibility, and his recent move to New Zealand.If you look at Robert Yang’s oeuvre, you might be surprised that ...
The SpinoffBy Sam Brooks
18 hours ago

What Olympic athletes can teach us about regulating our emotions and staying dedicated
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Hannan, Postdoctoral research fellow, Griffith University Alessandra Tarantino/AP Olympians are often seen as the epitome of human performance, with incredible physical and mental strength. And with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games well underway, it’s hard to not be impressed ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

Who were Australia’s best prime ministers? We asked the experts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Strangio, Professor of Politics, Monash University Public Domain except Hawke, Keating and Howard (Commonwealth of Australia CC-BY-SA) Who have been Australia’s most accomplished prime ministers? Curiously, it’s a question that is seldom asked. We enthusiastically compile lists of the ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

Aboriginal people near the Ranger uranium mine suffered more stillbirths and cancer. We don’t know...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosalie Schultz, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, College of Medicine and Public Health Centre for Remote Health, Flinders University This article mentions stillbirth deaths in Aboriginal communities. The Ranger uranium mine, surrounded by Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory, operated for 40 ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

Australia’s international education market share is shrinking fast. Recovery depends on unis offer...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Anderson. Palawa, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Student and University Experience, Australian National University Shutterstock Governments and universities are planning for the recovery of our international student market once Australia can start easing border closures that have had huge impacts on universities ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

Orangutans, gibbons and Mr Sooty: what the origins of words in Southeast Asia tell us about our long...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wayan Jarrah Sastrawan, Research associate, University of Sydney Shutterstock Forest creatures include some of humanity’s closest biological relatives. Due to human threats, they are also some of the most endangered animals on our planet. Southeast Asia hosts many unique ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
18 hours ago

Live updates, August 2: Act’s success ‘good’ for National, says Judith Collins
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for August 2, bringing you the latest news updated throughout the day. Get in touch at stewart@thespinoff.co.nz8.05am: Collins happy with growth for the right in latest Newshub pollFollowing on from this morning’s top story in The Bulletin (see more below): Both Judith Collins and ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
18 hours ago

How much would you pay to read this?
Micropayments for online media could be rising from the dead, writes Hal Crawford.As news publishers in New Zealand and around the world increasingly put their content behind paywalls, it’s become common to click a link only to find that somebody new wants your credit card number. But you’re not going ...
The SpinoffBy Hal Crawford
19 hours ago

The Bulletin: Poll confirms steady rise for Act and David Seymour
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin: In today’s edition: Poll confirms steady rise for Act and David Seymour, formal apology for Dawn Raids takes place, and Human Rights Commission alleges housing breaches.A major new poll has seen the gap closing between the parties of government and opposition – but ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Braae
19 hours ago

Ministers warned students are 'falling through the cracks'
Education officials have warned their ministers that students are "falling through the cracks" because the curriculum does not clearly signal when they need more support. ...
Radio NZ – political
20 hours ago

Investor nervousness rises in new global headwinds
Business & Investing: Facebook and Amazon, among others, see sales growth slowing and China's crackdown on its own firms causes concern ...
Newsroom
20 hours ago

ACT hopes growing popularity will lead to 'a change in direction'
Support for the Labour Party has taken a hit while the ACT Party, and its leader, is growing in popularity, a new political poll shows. ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

Support for Labour takes a hit, popularity for ACT growing in new poll
Support for the Labour Party has taken a hit while the ACT Party, and its leader, is growing in popularity, a new political poll shows. ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Monday 2 August
Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Newsroom daily crossword, Monday 2 August
...
Newsroom
21 hours ago

Consent education needs more than tea
Among her peers, sexual assault and harassment are everyday occurrences, writes high school student Nevada Wolfgramm. It’s about time our education system stopped tip-toeing around it.Among my friends, sexual assault and sexual harassment is talked about as if it’s a completely normal thing. It’s rare for me to talk to ...
The SpinoffBy Nevada Wolfgramm
22 hours ago

‘We accept your apology. However …’ Pacific leaders look to ‘new dawn’
Pacific leaders thanked Jacinda Ardern for her formal apology for the dawn raids yesterday, at the same time as challenging the government to work to ensure the racism experienced by their communities is rubbed out. Shortly after emerging from underneath a finely woven mat, as part of a modified version of ...
The SpinoffBy Justin Latif
22 hours ago

'No escape from NZ' says reservation system expert
Evaluating booking systems is his job, but now like thousands of others he’s hit a dead end with MIQ - and the Government doesn't want to hear his solutions When Mike Moore lost his brother to suicide a few months ago, his niece asked when she could expect him. His brother ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Dawn Raids: 'This incredible moment'
A moving, historic event of reconciliation in Auckland sees the Crown forgiven for its racist immigration policies, but asked repeatedly to fix the problems of today for Pacific peoples in NZ Apologies offered are one thing. Apologies accepted, especially after generations of pain, are another. Speaker after speaker at yesterday's ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

A patient's story: inside a mental health ward
A personal account of “New Zealand’s worst mental health ward” actually providing excellent care It was reported in June that the West Coast mental health unit was the worst in the country. But what it lacks in shiny new fittings, it makes up for through its delivery of ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

KiwiGrocer is a classic Catch-22
A Government-sponsored grocery chain to break the duopoly of NZ supermarket firms would suffer the same problems faced by any strictly commercial competitor. But Eric Crampton offers a solution. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Anna Rawhiti-Connell: Building armour for thin skin
As we plod along, confused, scared and hurt together in a world that will potentially never be the same, Anna Rawhiti-Connell sees small chinks of light in the presence of people carrying on despite not knowing where we are headed Wednesday, July 21, 2021 started as an utterly unremarkable day. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Govt wants ambitious audience growth at RNZ
Awkwardly, just as audiences shrink at RNZ National, the broadcasting minister has asked for more ambitious listenership and online viewer targets, Stephen Parker reports. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

The women guiding our Olympians to greatness
Just four women are coaching Kiwi athletes in Tokyo. Suzanne McFadden talks to Angie Dougal, coach of our trampoline bronze medallist, and Jo Aleh, who’s coached a sailor with a broken leg. They have must have made quite a sight on Saturday afternoon. Inside a car parked up outside ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Government didn't report possible hack
For three days in January, the Government thought it may have been the target of a malicious cyber attack. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Importing coal by the shipload
How can New Zealand be importing massive amounts of coal when we are supposedly on a journey towards 100 percent renewable energy? New Zealand is importing coal by the shipload. Coal is the worst emitter you can possibly find and we’re finding lots of it – in Indonesia. Last ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Is Auckland really the most liveable city?
How do we know if Auckland is really becoming a better place to live? Mark Thomas says global indexes don't tell half the story and we need a local measurement citizens can rely on The prospects for Auckland’s liveability should be looking up following Auckland Council’s recent $32 billion, 10-year ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Consumer spending funded through debt and buy-now pay-later liability
Covid has spurred consumer spending but Kiwis are also stacking up tens of thousands in personal debt, a new report shows. ...
Newsroom
22 hours ago

Top economists say cutting immigration is no way to boost wages
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s top economists have overwhelmingly rejected cuts to either permanent or temporary migration as a means of restoring lost wage growth. The 56 ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

ACT main beneficiary as Labour takes hit in new poll
The Labour Party could no longer govern alone, according to the latest political poll. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Recap: Government makes apology over Dawn Raids
The prime minister has delivered the government's apology for the Dawn Raids. Watch the ceremony again here and review the event as it happened on RNZ's blog. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

National Cabinet’s plan out of COVID aims too low on vaccinations and leaves crucial questions una...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Wood, Chief executive officer, Grattan Institute At Friday’s National Cabinet meeting, our nation’s leaders put some meat on the bones of their 4-stage plan to reopen Australia. The plan includes target vaccination thresholds and some details on restrictions that might ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

Live updates: Government making apology over Dawn Raids
The prime minister has delivered the government's apology for the Dawn Raids. Watch the ceremony live here and follow all the latest developments with RNZ's live blog. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Olympic Greatness: Dame Val and her Louloubelle
UPDATE: Dame Valerie Adams has done it - she's won a bronze medal Sunday afternoon in the women's shot put at the Tokyo Olympic Games, adding to her career total of two golds and a silver. In the buildup to the Games, she told Suzanne McFadden of the special bond she ...
Newsroom
2 days ago

PNG byelection officers protest over unpaid work – told ‘wait, no funds’
By Clifford Faiparik in Port Moresby Angry policemen, election officials and others involved in Papua New Guinea’s Moresby North-West byelection last month stormed into the Electoral Commission (PNGEC) headquarters this week demanding to be paid what they are owed. They have been waiting since June 24 to be paid wages, ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
2 days ago

Meet the contestants of Celebrity Treasure Island 2021
Celebrity Treasure Island is back and bigger than ever, with a fresh group of New Zealand stars ready to raise money for charity. Gird your loins for a new season of the reality series with it all: sea, sand, and 21 celebrities ready to catch pineapples with their feet. There’s no ...
The SpinoffBy Tara Ward
2 days ago

What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and other streaming services in August
What are you going to be watching in August? With thanks to our friends at Nando‘s, we round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.The biggiesNine Perfect Strangers (limited series, first three episodes on Amazon Prime Video on ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff
2 days ago

Dismissing mātauranga Māori: Racism and arrogance in academia
The University of Auckland's Stephen May explains how mātauranga Māori is a complementary counterweight to the arrogance and insularity of so much European thought Comment: A controversy has erupted over a letter to the editor in last week‘s Listener collectively penned by seven of my professorial colleagues at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University ...
Newsroom
2 days ago

The wahine winemaker hunting for a sense of place
With few Māori in the winemaking industry, and even fewer Māori women, Jannine Rickards is a rare breed. Charlotte Muru-Lanning visits her in Wairarapa.An eye-catching bone hei matau adorns Jannine Rickard’s neck.A fishhook symbolic of journeys that are interwoven into journeys, it’s been worn for the last 20 years, since ...
The SpinoffBy Charlotte Muru-Lanning
2 days ago

The Sunday Essay: Letter from Aurelia
Hinemoana Baker writes from a boat on a river a long way away. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New ZealandOriginal illustrations by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White.Not everything needs to be forced through the mind. I don’t know who said this first. Was it Derrida? The Buddha? ...
The SpinoffBy Hinemoana Baker
2 days ago

Olympic bronze: The lady and the trampolinist
* Dylan Schmidt has won Olympic bronze in the men's trampoline final in Tokyo. Read about him and his special relationship with the life coach who's helped him on his medal journey.* The longest-serving member of “Team Dylan” – the network around Olympian Dylan Schmidt – is his athlete life ...
Newsroom
2 days ago