Imagine, – Tiwai Aluminium Smelter has been repurposed to recharge iron powder, the iron powder is being shipped to Huntly and burnt in modified coal fired boilers. As well as being burnt in other industrial heat applications around the Motu.
Principal of conservation of energy, the potential energy of fine iron powder turned into heat then requires as much or more energy to convert back from Ferrous oxide ( rust) to iron again, using, you guessed it, copious quantities of heat
eg' Mesh Belt Furnace: In the mesh belt furnace the iron oxide is transported by a conveyor belt through a furnace in which hydrogen is added at 800-1000°C. The iron oxide is reduced to iron, which sticks together because of the heat, resulting in a layer of iron. This can then be ground up to obtain iron powder.'
The only reason they are looking at this at all is the 'heat' required by many industrial processes cant be efficently supplied from (renewable) electricity.
Thanks for this, I hadn't heard of it and it is very interesting – exciting even.
Potentially, it is a safe and convenient way to store and transport large amounts of energy collected from intermittent renewable sources (solar, wind), allowing high intensity energy use at distant locations at any time. Potential to replace fossil fuels in industry as well as shipping – and shipping has looked very difficult to decarbonise.
A lot easier to transport metal / rust, than hydrogen or batteries!
We are told to never doubt our scientists and experts in this pandemic environment who are wheeled out constantly.
Those same experts know that Māori generally contract cancer 10 years in advance of their fellow New Zealanders. Are those Māori screened for these cancers early to ensure that they get a better shot at recovery or longevity?
The answer is no.
Someone who is not a Māori has clearly made a decision that Māori people will be consigned to a more gory death by blocking access to early cancer testing.
If the shoe was on the other foot, it would mean non-Māori would not be screened for cancer until they were 70. Can you imagine the storming of Parliament by those folk if they had that visited upon them?
"Someone who is not a Māori has clearly made a decision that Māori people will be consigned to a more gory death by blocking access to early cancer testing."
The daily smoking rate for Māori adults is 28.7%. Māori were 2.77 times as likely to be current smokers, and Māori women were 3.6 times as likely to be current smokers, than their non-Māori counterparts, after adjusting for age, and gender
Someone who is a Maori has clearly made a decision that will result in a more gory death by engaging in riskier health addictions.
The issue is more complex than a one cause (smoking) answer.
Cancer impacts more heavily on Māori, with large inequalities in the experience and quality of care from diagnosis to treatment to outcomes.
Māori have a higher incidence and higher mortality from for all cancers compared to non-Māori.
Inequalities in cancer death rates are increasing, which is a major reason for the 8 year gap in life expectancy for Māori compared to non-Māori.
Survival rates for Māori are poorer, with disparities in access to all cancer services.
Māori are nearly twice as likely to die from cancer, even though they are only 18% more likely to have cancer. One reason may be that diagnosis comes when the cancer has reached a more advanced stage.
Māori have the highest rate of lung cancer in the world with three times the mortality rate and a 7 year gap in life expectancy compared to non-Māori. This high mortality stems mostly from late presentation, delays in treatment and low surgical rates for early stage disease.
The emergency department is the most common method of entry to secondary care. This suggests that access barriers (e.g. financial, cultural, geographic) may still exist in the primary care sector along with other factors influencing late presentation such as patient fear.
Māori were more likely to have delays in receiving treatment, four times less likely than Europeans to receive curative treatment. Treatment for Māori was aimed at relieving symptoms.
The differences in types of treatment received may reflect the stage of cancer at presentation and higher rates of comorbidity (e.g. renal disease, cardiovascular disease) for Māori, which would preclude the use of curative treatments.
Could be that new Maori initiatives starting will make a great difference. A factor that hasn't been foremost I think, is that Maori influence each other and also that many have been getting along, making do, as well as they can for many decades, but without a clear belief and path to follow for a brighter future.
If a hapu got together and set themselves achievable goals, health, fitness, housing, education, regular jobs, tome for cultural and family entertainment and sport, and were financed reasonably so that these aspirations could be achieved, there would be a group rise. And this would ratchet up on the success of each, and they also could institute a buddy system with a plan that the pair drew up and they would help each other to stick to it with a reward for themselves at the end.
That could be a winning system, which may already be under way in different areas, but then there needs to be communication about it to others and what is succeeding and what needs tweaking.
Contribution of smoking to the life expectancy gap—Māori Among Māori men, 2.1 years (28.4%) of the 7.4 year gap in life expectancy was attributable to the higher mortality rates from smoking attributable deaths. Among Māori women, the contribution from smoking attributable deaths was 2.3 years (32.9%) of the 7.0 year gap.
Drivers of inequity Factors contributing to the pervasive and persisting ethnic health inequities are multifaceted and complex. Three main pathways have been identified: (i) differential access to the determinants of health or exposures leading to differences in disease incidence, (ii) differential access to healthcare and (iii) differences in quality of care received. These pathways are driven by different levels of racism, particularly institutionalised and personally mediated or interpersonal racism.
I have to agree with JT – a separatist health system.
But it already exists in another form – the private health system. If you have a few bucks you can always get treatment in the private system, whereas you might wait weeks for similar treatment in public.
Socialise the whole bloody lot – which certainly shouldn't preclude a specialist section devoted to Maori health.
Actually if you care to read fully, you would see that the last time we got comprehensive unemployment numbers is Dec 20 for the last quater of 2020. We are now in may and so far have not been given the numbers for first quater 2021.
Unemployment
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in the December 2020 quarter, down from 5.3 percent in the September quarter.
For men, the unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, down from 4.8 percent last quarter.
For women, the unemployment rate was 5.4 percent, down from 5.8 percent
In the year to the December 2020 quarter, there were 25,000 more unemployed people:
11,000 more men were unemployed.
15,000 more women were unemployed.
The unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) for the following ethnic groups in the December 2020 quarter was:
3.7 percent for European (no statistically significant change since the December 2019 quarter)
9.0 percent for Māori (no statistically significant change since the December 2019 quarter)
9.6 percent for Pacific people, up from 7.2 percent in the December 2019 quarter
5.2 percent for Asian, up from 3.4 percent in the December 2019 quarter.
The unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) for following age groups in the December 2020 quarter was:
10.1 percent for 15–29-year-olds (up from 8.4 percent in the December 2019 quarter)
3.3 percent for 30–54-year-olds (up from 2.6 percent in the December 2019 quarter)
2.5 percent for 55 and over (no statistically significant change since the December 2019 quarter).
If you care to look at the unemloyment numbers in detail, you will see that the only group that fits that unemployment number in fact is below is men and caucasians as a group. That is where the shovel ready jobs really did some good, albeit 8000 jobs short, and that could be due to the fact that the shovel ready jobs or the Provincial Growth fund was axed by the now majority government.
Not sure if it was done, but then i would not put it past them.
So i would really not sprout some numbers that are literally 5 month old now, while we still wait for the government massage its current numbers into something that they are happy to show and people are happy to swallow.
And never mind underutilasation, or the people that are not even in Winz books because they rather go prostitute or participate in the black economy then subject themselves to the kindness and gentleness that is Jacinda Arderns and the Labour Parties Ministry of Social Bullshittery.
The numbers are from the government, they do the story telling. I just copy paste the numbers so that people don't believe that the 'unemployment is down' is not mistaken for a one fits all. Unemployment is indeed down, for men and caucasians. All others seem to be stuck or getting worse.
But as i said, these are not my numbers they are the one provided by the current government of NZ. Any issue with the story these numbers tell should be taken up with the ones that compiled and formatted them.
And yes, i actually can't wait for the numbers. if anything i owuld like to get them monthly as that would maybe provide some more nuance.
It’s worse than that. Under capitalist dogma, all employment is good employment, which is why the focus is always on the ‘desirable’ or ‘good’ aspect and why people must be forced toiling their lives away earning a living at all cost. Those who cannot or do not want to be meaningfully employed shall be penalized and punished by the State. The State has indoctrinated the people and co-opted the Media to ensure Society at large does most of the penalizing and punishing and to avoid the people turning against the State when it applies sanctions on the ‘undesirables’ under the umbrella excuse of Social License (AKA mandate). Such is the power of capitalism that many people not only are ok with this but they actually actively advocate and vote for the harsh coercion of their fellow humans. This we call Democracy and Freedom. And for the China lovers here, State Capitalism is even worse, IMHO.
Dismissing me as being difficult is an easy way out but employment is paid work and not all work is paid or a necessity; work can be for pleasure as well and there’s even such a thing as a voluntary work and a volunteer worker; ever heard of a volunteer employee? Neither have I; it is an oxymoron. Sloppy thinking leads to sloppy language and vice versa.
I dont dismiss you at all…indeed the fact I said you were being difficult indicates the complexity of the problem…suggesting sloppy thinking IS the easy way out….answering 'who' does the work required is the difficult question to be answered
fair enough..it is broad. however the fact remains that there is a certain amount of work required to support the life of our population, and that 'work' is necessary…..who does it?
As someone getting close to the age of being unable to do much of it I ask myself (and , on this occasion , you) how do we ensure we are capable of carrying it out?
Neither and both….the original post was about employment (unspecified) so employment (work) unspecified is my point…and that would include health and elderly care I would expect.
As stated, any society only survives with the labour of its members (how that labour is allocated can vary) ….we seem to be failing to the extent that we need to import that labour from without,
We can ‘import’ doctors and nurses from elsewhere but this may create a gap/need there, where they may be needed even more urgently. The global employment market is competitive, wich means the lowest bidders miss out. If we, as a country, are prepared to pay the price, then we should be ok. I just have a feeling this is not exactly what you’re asking though …
It could be…if we believe we can remain able to match the bid…I doubt that is realistic…if that is so then we need to ensure we can provide from within…and that means we need to maximise the capability of those here.
We, it seems to me at least, fail to come close to that, indeed we appear to have written off a significant proportion of our community.
If you agree that we are unlikely to win a bidding war then what option remains?
sorry ad, but poverty is expensive and we don't have the money to tackle it. We need the money for Americas Cup rich listers entertainment, a few million bucks for the richest man of the world the sell him the beauty of nZ and keep a movie legacy, and so one and so forth.
Just don't ask for funding to self test for cancer, or feed all the hungry kiwi kids, or make the heating supplement not a filler benefit but a permanent one for all beneficiaries.
This government has priorities, and poverty is not one of them, unless to many people yell about it and the Polls tell dear Leader that people in the country are getting testy, and then the kindness fairy appears and will tinkle down a few dollar (fully taxed) to a deserving few.
Ah yes, shovel ready projects. Most of us knew this was wishful thinking at best. Now we know. Those 11 000 jobs (part, casual, full anything goes) will disappear with the finishing of the projects and then its back to square one. But now a new highly paid entity is being established. This can only mean that those 140K earners in parliament are there to have ideas, not that these need to be feasible. No no no, we need a reality check department, speak implementation unit to make sure those folks get going in the right direction, whatever that is. This is like a comedy. When are we going to build houses, get people enough paid that they can make a living? I mean that is basics really. Roof over the head, food on the table, clothes on the back. Civilizations are build on this.
I wonder how the kids to in NZ that currently do online learning cause their school was not rewarded with some funding – but i guess they were not green enough 🙂 They were just educating Kiwis from non rich families.
As i said, this government and the one before had and still have their priorities.
heck its all good, the kids returned to their not warm, mouldy leaking school. I guess someone stuck some duct tape over the leaks and considers it good now. Or go to other buildings all over town. Heck maybe they need to put a grant towards the government and call it the ‘green school’, and then maybe someone will get real exited and get them some cash.
So Robert, have you got anything to say about the Kids in lower Hutt with their school that has mold everywhere, 13 rooms that need to be demolished, and that they are now going back to ?
Or do you only reflexivly defend something because it grew on the manure pile the Green Party? Or is that something that you like so many others seems to fall under ,sucks to be them, happy it ain't me, and besides its not a nice and green school, also i am not poor so i am not affected. As that is literally what come across.
A nice article from last year, and of course the child of the dear leader will never go to that school. That school is for the undeserving poor. Dear Leaders child might go to a very fine very expensive private school, that may or may not be green. But it will be without leaks and food for all. That is for sure.
The problem is not what i said, Robert, the problem may be what you read.
This school was part of that scheme, and i would like to know if they put that money to good use, and if people are still employed to build it. After all that money they got is coming from us. The taxpayers. So yeah, we should be told how these investments are going, and if these investments will bring a benefit to all of us, or just a wee tiny small group of people.
Oh, you want to know details of the school's progress – have you tried searching for articles in the various media? That'd be a good place to start. I thought you were wanting opinions from commenters here on TS, about how the green school is going.
You know it was a loan in full, yes? It is in the link I gave. Was your question about the Green School in good faith or were you just angling for an excuse to flip your lid again and piss on somebody else’s success stoking envy and divisiveness?
Yes, i know that it got changed into a loan after a whole lot of brouhahah, and as i said, this government will change its tune to the Polls.
The point is not that his school got a grant or a loan, the point is that we have hundreds of schools that actually have a need, now, for kids going to school now, and that 40 odd million that was given to these rich listers for their private school should have been spend on the schools in NZ that have mold, leaking roofs and room so bad that they must be destroyed.
And then give money to some rich listers for their private enterprise under the guise of shovel ready jobs and not a moment before .
So, you just grab any excuse, even manufacture one here, to piss on things. You cannot let escape any opportunity to drag the PM (AKA Dear Leader, FFS) down and even drag her child down into it.
You know the famous movie scene:
I’ll have what she’s having!
Well, to me your comments are the exact opposite of that.
I have said exactly the same last year – namely that there are schools that have a greater need, in some cases even an urgent immediate need, and that they should get first dibs on any money the government hast to throw about.
Government has a responsability towards our children, be that to assure they have enough to eat, live in decent housing or go to safe, warm, non mouldy schools fully equipped with the tools that are needed to educate them and give them a chance for a future.
And once they have fulfilled that obligation and then if there is money left in the kitty they can then go and distribute that money to the greatest benefit of all. I do not change my opinion like underwear. And in this case I still believe that it was not a good decision. Full stop there.
Why do some (…) commenters here insist on being and staying ignorant yet think that they ride the moral high-road and know it all?
“Just to be clear, never, ever was this a 100 per cent grant – not at all,” Chris Edwards, Green School New Zealand chief executive, said on Wednesday. “The application was for a 25 per cent grant – the rest was a series of loans.”
…and yet, confusingly, James Shaw is quoted thus just the day before.
“As a politician, admitting you were wrong is one of the hardest things to do. We’re expected to be infallible. So much so that we can forget that people prefer their leaders to be honest and compassionate.
“Becoming a Minister means being willing to question your decisions in public and, if necessary, correct them,” Shaw said.
But it looks like correcting the decision will be difficult.
Shaw said the Green School had approached the Government to find a solution, but he was staying out of any negotiations because it would be in appropriate for a Minister to intervene.
“These discussions can take time, and whatever you think of the process, Ministers cannot insert themselves in commercial negotiations,” Shaw said.
He said that the best thing to happen now would be for the funding to be converted into a loan.
“My personal view is that the best way to do this is that support for the Green School to come in the form of a loan, rather than a grant. That would ensure the money is paid back in full,” Shaw said.
Seriously…hats off to anyone who has managed to sort the fact from the fantasy and the double-handed butt-covering surrounding that embarrassing little shit show.
I didn't realise the original principal resigned after the $11.7m grant / loan fiasco. I guess its not surprising given the bad publicity received. I have to agree with Sabine on this one, would be nice if the government could find a few million for either a grant (or even a loan) for the Hutt Valley school.
so we can assume that the Lower Hutt School is still waiting for some of that 1.9 billion to tinkle down.
3 JULY 2020
Four new projects announced as part of the biggest ever national school rebuild programme
Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern
Hon Chris Hipkins
Prime MinisterEducation
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced significant funding for Auckland’s Northcote College as part of the first wave of a new nationwide school redevelopment programme to upgrade schools over the next 10 years.
The $48.5 million project brings the total investment in Northcote College to $60 million since 2018. The additional funding will be used to refurbish two of Northcote College’s heritage buildings, and relocate a third to a better location on the site. A new gym will be built, and 20 ageing classrooms rebuilt or upgraded.
Jacinda Ardern said Northcote College is one of four projects announced today, worth $126 million, which will need hundreds of skilled workers. Design work at Northcote will start shortly, and construction is on track to start early next year.
“Critically, this funding and our approach to look 10 years ahead sends a strong signal to the construction sector that we’ve got a full book of work lined up, and we’ll need a skilled workforce to do it.
“These five projects alone will need hundreds of workers. We’re working on that too by offering free apprenticeships and training courses and providing support to firms to keep on their apprentices through Covid.
“In August, we’ll make information available for the remaining schools in the programme, which is funded from a mix of depreciation funding and future roll growth.
“It adds to the $400 million Schools Investment Package, which we announced late last year and brings forward support for schools to carry out smaller scale building and upgrade projects,” Chris Hipkins said.
'Great chain of being' existed across all cultures , the Inka was total ruler in an hierarchical system.
Just the other the day the Queen of the Zulus died and thats a paramount chieftan role thats existed for many centuries and similar existed through out Africa
Somehow Open Mike has become very much a focus for a few constant daily commenters who never ever see any joy or positivity in anything at all. They cannot see while many things may not be ideal, there is much to be reasonably content about in NZ. Interesting discussions involving many people's views are unfortunately not happening.
The 'word' came from the OHRP. Concerned that Pharmac would react to a claim of discrimination against kids with SMA by cutting funding for paediatric cancer drugs, they decided not to represent the claim at the HRRT.
There is the risk that the answer to any discrimination claim would be to normalise the situation by decreasing paediatric cancer patients' access to treatment funding. That would be a very disappointing outcome but it is one Pharmac has suggested it is willing to do."
What Tolich didn't know was Pharmac had been considering for some time ending its blanket coverage for child cancer drugs – a situation that developed by historical accident.
They had said it was something previously they had looked at , not some thing they will do in response for the court case, which is bogus discrimination grounds.
You make the mistake of the 'reporting' suggesting something as though its a fact
edit
Other sites have interesting discussions and cover what some are 'reasonably content about in NZ'. The Standard's purpose is largely to discuss what the left is thinking, doing and not doing in this country and the world. And why thinking people cannot be reasonably content. Those that are, aren't thinking about the reality of what is happening, what will happen if the right things are not done, what will happen whatever is done, how we can get ready for the future catastrophes, how we can awaken enough people to the situation and to act together with goodwill to ameliorate the process. That is The Standard's proper function, and if it doesn't do that it fails the thinking people trying to live fulfilling, happy lives, but caters for the sheeple, sweet people a lot of them, but with their heads in the sand. And we are also providing intelligence to each other about the people who are not sweet, not kind, not caring citizens and who will step over those with preventable illnesses physical and mental, to get where and what they want.
Reality, if you are thinking of Sabine, she raises good points but doesn't take enough time to relax her mind, ready for the next onslaught of bad news and stress. For a whole day Sabine stop, don't let any bad news come into your wonderful mind, and don't go on-line. Listen, read, take in what I and other people are saying for your own good, don't try and take everything stubbornly on your own shoulders. These are friendly suggestions not combative ones. Stop argufying for a while. Give yourself a break, and us, we all can only take so much before we cry or go catatonic.
Is that the best you can do? Instead of addressing comments, you simply fob off others by posting video clips!? This is the second one here in OM and you’re derailing the threads of others who raise salient and valid points.
I (like many others who used to comment here regularly up to about two years ago) rarely do so now with many good people complete no shows. I just cannot be bothered with the power imbalances, delusions of superiority, personal insults and targeting etc.
I admire your fortitude and that of others such as Rosemary, Adrian Thornton to mention just a few – even Morrissey and Gosman. Kia kaha!
PS – totally with you and Rosemary on the Green School "loan" issue. In fact having read the thread above, rechecked with a couple of former work colleagues in the Wellington State Sector/Parliamentary Precinct who confirmed the transformation from full grant to full loan once it became public … Obviously cannot provide links!
As someone said at 11.32am above in this thread "Why do some (…) commenters here insist on being and staying ignorant yet think that they ride the moral high-road and know it all?"
A Queen song just came to mind – something about hammers, but won't post a link.
Hearsay doesn’t count for anything here. Please put up your evidence and I will stand corrected, like many others. Or leak it to the media so that you can cite it here.
I’ve also observed how tribalism is rife here on TS; sub-groups gang up and then band together when one of them is challenged. Quite unfortunate, as it creates a polarising and divisive forum where robust debate is impossible and dies a sudden death 🙁
As such, your comment only added fuel to the fire and did not (re)solve anything, which is most disappointing and quite unexpected coming from you.
"For this term of Government we have three core goals. In addition to keeping New Zealanders safe from COVID-19, we are focused on accelerating our economic recovery and addressing the big three foundational challenges, housing affordability, climate change and child wellbeing.
The Government is determined that we will deliver on these core priorities. To that end the Prime Minister has asked me to lead the establishment an Implementation Unit based in her department.
The Unit will be funded through Budget 2021 and will monitor and support implementation of a small number of critical initiatives, particularly where multiple agencies are involved in the work. This includes areas such as mental health, infrastructure, housing and climate change mitigation. The Unit will report to me as Deputy Prime Minister, and will engage closely with Minister’s offices."
What do you do when you have placed your best options in positions of authority and they dont perform?….you can 'crack as many heads' as you like but ultimately even replacing them dosnt ensure improved performance.
Its been suggested that this is a vote of no confidence in the public service but while there may be little confidence in the PS (id suggest with good reason) this appears more to be a vote of little confidence in ministerial ability.
The quandary of this government is that the Ministers are performing fine but their sum totality is underwhelming. To me that bespeaks a Prime Minister with out the muscle to get the most out of her team. They need head-kickers to shift major entities: you can do the list of the poor performing state entites.
Subbing the job out from Cabinet and PM's office to DPMC and SSC then to this new one is an illustration of brittle leadership at the top.
Muldoonism is long gone , but seems its still lamented.
Virtually no ministers have any powers you suggest, only a few exceptions allow them to 'direct' the relevant department ( thanks for your opinion mInister !) and in some cases its proscribed to even give an opinion.
No one is suggesting doing away with the Policy/Executive split.
But as you can see from the actions some Ministers have taken in this second term across Health, Public Health, Customs, Housing, Reserve Bank, Tertiary Education, Water regulation, and more, Ministers very much have powers to cajole, force, bully, remove, shame, defund, and merge entities to do their bidding to achieve policy aims are still strong … and under this government getting much stronger.
Since it needs spelling out to you: the entities that I see the government is finding real and sustained resistance to their policies are:
NZTA, Airways, MPI, NZPolice, parts of MBIE particularly Energy and Immigration, TVNZ, multiple DHB's, Corrections, MoJ esp Courts, Electricity Authority, and Commerce Commission.
So if you ranked Ministers, and then ranked their respective Departments, you'd find quite different scores often.
By your own comment it is obvious the Ministers performance is anything but 'fine'….if it were fine there would be no need to invent another layer of oversight
Great. So now we need another department to blame when things don't get done. Why are we paying these ministers so much? They are obviously not getting things implemented as why else would we need this unit. What happened to the year of delivery?
Id agree they are failing to implement change (and failing badly) however I would suggest that is a better problem to have than the previous administration who were comfortable to oversee a public service not required to administer change
Greywarshark – thank you for your thoughtful response. I readily agree we must always be ready to challenge what is not right or fair. But the sun often shines, the sky is a lovely blue, there are lovely flowers and trees to enjoy looking at, we get pleasure from meeting up with friends and family. So sometimes we can be happy and/or reasonably content, surely? And smile about something amusing. But still have concern for those who struggle. People who are positive and can enjoy themselves, even when things may be difficult, are those who I prefer to interact with.
I look for the best in things Reality. But think of this period as a phony war. Can we prevent it? Sure as eggs we will have climate change and if we don't start now the authorities will end up pushing us round with army bodily removing us to …where? and prison terms for protest etc. So don't sit around having tea and cakes too long will you. I have that once a week, go to music nights, occasional beer and wine. You don't need to become an ascetic just a well-rounded person coping with the thoughts of likely dystopia, and finding some answers that are good for us all. Kia kaha.
From a man who was a 9 year old child that Social Welfare put into Cherry Farm Hospital against the experienced doctor's advice.
The patients were very disturbed and mentally ill, he said. "They were making noises, wailing and making unusual movements with their bodies and faces. I remember thinking to myself what the hell is this and I was still wondering where the cherries were.
"I went into a foetal position and the patients starting coming at me in every direction." He was constantly medicated at Cherry Farm to keep him quiet and then discharged six weeks later without there ever being a mental illness diagnosis
He first went to the Epuni Boys' Home and then Hokio Beach School. At Hokio he was raped at least hundreds of times by older boys.
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The Prime Minister says he's really comfortable with us not knowing the reoffending rate for his boot camp programme.They asked him for it at yesterday’s press conference, and he said, nah, not telling, have to respect people's privacy.Okay I'll bite. Let's say they release this information to us:The rate of ...
Warning 1: There is a Nazi theme at the end of this article related to the disabled community. Warning 2: This article could be boring!One day, last year, I excitedly opened up a Substack post that was about how to fight back, and the answer at the end was disappointing ...
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Last week various of the great and good of New Zealand economics and public policy trooped off to Hamilton (of all places) for the annual Waikato Economics Forum, one of the successful marketing drives of university’s Vice-Chancellor. My interest was in the speeches delivered by the Minister of Finance and ...
The Prime Minister says the Government would be open to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine if a ceasefire was reached. The government has announced a $30 million spend on tourism infrastructure and biodiversity projects, including $11m spent to improve popular visitor sites and further $19m towards biodiversity efforts. A New Zealand-born ...
This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler “But what about when the sun doesn't shine?!” Ah yes, the energy debate’s equivalent of “The Earth is flat!” Every time someone mentions solar or wind power, some self-proclaimed energy expert emerges from the woodwork to drop this supposedly devastating truth bomb: ...
This post by Nicolas Reid was originally published on Linked in. It is republished here with permission.In this article I look into data on how well the rail network serve New Zealanders, and how many people might be able to travel by train… if we ran more than a ...
Hi,Before we get into Hayden Donnell’s new column about how yes, Donald Trump is definitely the Antichrist, I wanted to touch on something feral that happened in New Zealand last week.Members of Destiny Church pushed and punched their way into an Auckland library, apparently angry it was part of Pride ...
Despite delays, logjams and overcrowding in our emergency departments, funding constraints are limiting the numbers of nurses and doctors being trained. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, February 18 are:A NZ Herald investigation ...
Now that the US has ripped up the Atlantic alliance, Europe is more vulnerable now than at any time since the mid-1930s. Apparently, Europe and Ukraine itself will not have a seat at the table in the talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin that will ...
Olivia and Noah and Hana are going to the library!It is fun to go to the library. It has books and songs and mat time and people who smile at you and say, Hello Olivia, what have you been doing this morning?The library is more fun than the mall. At ...
New World Orders: The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly.IT IS, SURELY, the ultimate Millennial revenge fantasy. Calling senior Baby-Boomer and Gen-X ...
“This might surprise you, Laurie, but I reckon Trump’s putting on a bloody impressive performance.”“GOODNESS ME, HANNAH, just look at all those Valentine’s Day cards!”“Occupational hazard, Laurie, the more beer I serve, the more my customers declare their undying love!”“Crikey! I had no idea business was so good.” Laurie squinted ...
In 2005, Labour repealed the long-standing principle of birthright citizenship in Aotearoa. Why? As with everything else Labour does, it all came down to austerity: "foreign mothers" were supposedly "coming to this country to give birth", and this was "put[ting] pressure on hospitals". Then-Immigration Minister George Hawkins explicitly gave this ...
And I just hope that you can forgive usBut everything must goAnd if you need an explanation, nationThen everything must goSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Today, I’d like to talk about a couple of things that happened over the weekend:Brian Tamaki’s Library Invasion and ...
New reporting highlights how Brooke van Velden refuses to meet with the CTU but is happy to meet with fringe Australian-based unions. Van Velden is pursuing reckless changes to undermine the personal grievance system against the advice of her own officials. Engineering New Zealand are saying that hundreds of engineers ...
The NZCTU strongly supports the Employment Relations (Employee Remuneration Disclosure) Amendment Bill. This Bill represents a positive step towards addressing serious issues around unlawful disparities in pay by protecting workers’ rights to discuss their pay and conditions. This Bill also provides welcome support for helping tackle the prevalent gender and ...
Years of hard work finally paid off last week as the country’s biggest and most important transport project, the City Rail Link reached a major milestone with the first test train making its way slowly though the tunnels for the first time. This is a fantastic achievement and it is ...
Engineers are pleading for the Government to free up funds to restart stalled projects. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Monday, February 17 are:Engineering New Zealand CEO Richard Templer said yesterday hundreds of ...
It’s one of New Zealand’s great sustaining myths: the spirit of ANZAC, our mates across the ditch, the spirit of Earl’s Court, Antipodeans united against the world. It is also a myth; it is not reality. That much was clear from a series of speakers, including a former Australian Prime ...
Many people have been unsatisfied for years that things have not improved for them, some as individuals, many more however because their families are clearly putting in more work, for less money – and certainly far less purchase on society. This general discontent has grown exponentially since the GFC. ...
A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 9, 2025 thru Sat, February 15, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report shows worsening food poverty and housing shortages mean more than 400,000 people now need welfare support, the highest level since the 1990s. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in our political economy around housing, climate and ...
You're just too too obscure for meOh you don't really get through to meAnd there's no need for you to talk that wayIs there any less pessimistic things to say?Songwriters: Graeme DownesToday, I thought we’d take a look at some of the most cringe-inducing moments from last week, but don’t ...
Please note: I’ve delayed my “What can we do?” article for this video.The video above shows Destiny Church members assaulting staff and librarians as they pushed through to a room of terrified parents and young children.It was posted to social media last night.But if you read Sinead Boucher’s Stuff, you ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is sea level rise exaggerated? Sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, not stagnating or decreasing. Warming global temperatures cause land ice ...
Here is a scenario, but first a historical parallel. Hitler and the Nazis could well have accomplished everything that they wanted to do within German borders, including exterminating Jews, so long as they confined their ambitious to Germany itself. After all, the world pretty much sat and watched as the ...
I’ve spent the last couple of days in Hamilton covering Waikato University’s annual NZ Economics Forum, where (arguably) three of the most influential people in our political economy right now laid out their thinking in major speeches about the size and role of Government, their views on for spending, tax ...
Simeon Brown’s Ideology BentSimeon Brown once told Kiwis he tries to represent his deep sense of faith by interacting “with integrity”.“It’s important that there’s Christians in Parliament…and from my perspective, it’s great to be a Christian in Parliament and to bring that perspective to [laws, conversations and policies].”And with ...
Severe geological and financial earthquakes are inevitable. We just don’t know how soon and how they will play out. Are we putting the right effort into preparing for them?Every decade or so the international economy has a major financial crisis. We cannot predict exactly when or exactly how it will ...
Questions1. How did Old Mate Grabaseat describe his soon-to-be-Deputy-PM’s letter to police advocating for Philip Polkinghorne?a.Ill-advisedb.A perfect letterc.A letter that will live in infamyd.He had me at hello2. What did Seymour say in response?a.What’s ill-advised is commenting when you don’t know all the facts and ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has called on OJI Fibre Solutions to work with the government, unions, and the community before closing the Kinleith Paper Mill. “OJI has today announced 230 job losses in what will be a devastating blow for the community. OJI needs to work with ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is sounding the alarm about the latest attack on workers from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden, who is ignoring her own officials to pursue reckless changes that would completely undermine the personal grievance system. “Brooke van Velden’s changes will ...
Hi,When I started writing Webworm in 2020, I wrote a lot about the conspiracy theories that were suddenly invading our Twitter timelines and Facebook feeds. Four years ago a reader, John, left this feedback under one of my essays:It’s a never ending labyrinth of lunacy which, as you have pointed ...
And if you said this life ain't good enoughI would give my world to lift you upI could change my life to better suit your moodBecause you're so smoothAnd it's just like the ocean under the moonOh, it's the same as the emotion that I get from youYou got the ...
Aotearoa remains the minority’s birthright, New Zealand the majority’s possession. WAITANGI DAY commentary see-saws manically between the warmly positive and the coldly negative. Many New Zealanders consider this a good thing. They point to the unexamined patriotism of July Fourth and Bastille Day celebrations, and applaud the fact that the ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the week’s news with regular and special guests, including: and on the week in geopolitics, including the latest from Donald Trump’s administration over Gaza and Ukraine; on the ...
Up until now, the prevailing coalition view of public servants was that there were simply too many of them. But yesterday the new Public Service Commissioner, handpicked by the Luxon Government, said it was not so much numbers but what they did and the value they produced that mattered. Sir ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and ...
In a moment we explore the question: What is Andrew Bayly wanting to tell ACC, and will it involve enjoying a small wine tasting and then telling someone to fuck off? But first, for context, a broader one: What do we look for in a government?Imagine for a moment, you ...
As expected, Donald Trump just threw Ukraine under the bus, demanding that it accept Russia's illegal theft of land, while ruling out any future membership of NATO. Its a colossal betrayal, which effectively legitimises Russia's invasion, while laying the groundwork for the next one. But Trump is apparently fine with ...
A ballot for a single member's bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill (Adrian Rurawhe) The bill would extend union rights to employees in triangular relationships, where they are (nominally) employed by one party, but ...
This is a guest post by George Weeks, reviewing a book called ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin AshtonBook review: ‘How to Fly a Horse’ by Kevin Ashton (2015) – and what it means for Auckland. The title of this article might unnerve any Greater Auckland ...
This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
“The ACT Party can’t be bothered putting an MP on one of the Justice subcommittees hearing submissions on their own Treaty Principles Bill,” Labour Justice Spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Isaac Gross, Lecturer in Economics, Monash University Gumbariya/Shutterstock The Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time in four years has triggered a round of celebration. Mortgage holders are cheering the fact their monthly repayments are now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Housing supply in Australia will be a key battleground in the election campaign. With home ownership more and more out of reach for young and not so young Australians, red tape and low productivity are ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Korolev, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, UNSW Sydney The United States and Russia agreed to work on a plan to end the war in Ukraine at high-level talks in Saudi Arabia this week. Ukrainian and European representatives were pointedly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock Sleep is the holy grail for new parents. So no wonder many tired parents are looking for something to help their babies sleep. A TikTok trend claims ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ranjana Gupta, Senior Lecturer, Accounting Department, Auckland University of Technology Jirsak/Shutterstock The profit made on every breakfast bowl of weet-bix is tax exempt, giving Sanitarium Health Food Company, owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an advantage over other breakfast food companies. ...
A closer look at some of the homegrown talent currently commanding television screens around the globe. The new season of The White Lotus hit our screens this week, and with it a familiar face in New Zealand actor Morgana O’Reilly. To secure a role in one of the world’s most ...
"This is a crisis of the Government’s own making and the unit is another sign of desperation," said PSA acting national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francesca Perugia, Senior Lecturer, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University Australia’s housing crisis has created a push for fast-tracked construction. Federal, state and territory governments have set a target of 1.2 million new homes over five years. Increasing housing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ash Watson, Scientia Fellow and Senior Lecturer, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock When we’re uncomfortable we say the “vibe is off”. When we’re having a good time we’re “vibing”. To assess the mood we do a “vibe check”. And when the atmosphere in ...
What’s up with the man from Epsom? The leader of the Act Party has been in plenty of headlines in the last two weeks, ranging from a controversial letter to police on behalf of constituent Philip Polkinghorne (written before David Seymour was a minister) to an attempt to drive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University Newly published research has found clear evidence that openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer+ (LGBTIQ+) Australian politicians were disproportionately targeted with personal abuse on social media at the ...
Gilmore Girls, Schitt’s Creek, even The Vampire Diaries – they’re all set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. So what is it like to actually know your neighbours? My favourite television shows are set in tight-knit neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone. Characters attend town meetings where they debate local ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yanyan Hong, PhD Candidate in Communication and Media Studies, University of Adelaide IMDB On the surface, Ne Zha 2: The Sea’s Fury (2025), the sequel to the 2019 Chinese blockbuster Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child, is a high-octane, action-packed and ...
Wellington travellers say their buses are so hot they’re often forced to get off early and walk. Shanti Mathias explores the impact of non-functioning air conditioning on public transport. When Bella, a young professional living in Wellington, thinks about taking the bus, her first thought is “Ugh”. The bus might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annette Kroen, Research Fellow Planning and Transport, RMIT University The cleanup is underway in northern Queensland following the latest flooding catastrophe to hit the state. More than 7,000 insurance claims have already been lodged, most of them for inundated homes and other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Subha Parida, Lecturer in Property, University of South Australia Carl Oberg/Shutterstock Houses and fire do not mix. The firestorm which hit Los Angeles in January destroyed nearly 2,000 buildings and forced 130,000 people to evacuate. The 2019–20 Australian megafires destroyed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Tasmania has been burning for more than two weeks, with no end in sight. Almost 100,000 hectares of bushland in the northwest has burned to date. This includes the Tarkine rainforest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney This week, the Productivity Commission released its much-awaited report into productivity growth in Australia’s housing construction sector. It wasn’t a glowing appraisal. The commission found physical productivity – the total number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pascale Lubbe, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Molecular Ecology, University of Otago Royal spoonbills are among several new species that have crossed the Tasman and naturalised in New Zealand. JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA When people arrived on the shores of Aotearoa ...
Stats NZ’s head is stepping down over the agency’s failure to safeguard census data, and more officials may soon be in the firing line, writes Catherine McGregor in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. An ‘absolutely unacceptable’ failure Stats NZ chief ...
Health NZ is under greater government scrutiny, with the new health minister setting up a unit he says will "drive greater accountability and performance". ...
Manurewa Marae acknowledges should have done better at handling completed census forms, following an inquiry into steps government agencies took to protect data. ...
Police failed to protect people from protesters at a high-profile rally and made unlawful arrests at another, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says. ...
Comment: Crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are making it easier for people to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum without having to handle digital wallets or private keys. These allow investors to buy and sell cryptocurrency through their regular brokerage accounts.This has opened the door for billions of dollars ...
Two long-awaited reports into alleged personal data misuse, centred on census collection and Covid-19 vaccination efforts at Manurewa Marae, were released yesterday. Here’s what you need to know.“Very sobering reading” was how public service commissioner Sir Brian Roche described his organisation’s long-awaited report into the alleged misuse of census ...
Backbench MPs reached new levels of patsy questions in an extraordinarily dull question time on Tuesday. Echo Chamber is The Spinoff’s dispatch from the press gallery, recapping sessions in the House. Columns are written by politics reporter Lyric Waiwiri-Smith and Wellington editor Joel MacManus. “MPs ask questions to explore key issues ...
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Matt McCarten is spearheading a campaign against worker abuse in the wake of the pandemic.
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/end-workplace-exploitation-and-abuse
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What is wrong with this idea?
Imagine, – Tiwai Aluminium Smelter has been repurposed to recharge iron powder, the iron powder is being shipped to Huntly and burnt in modified coal fired boilers. As well as being burnt in other industrial heat applications around the Motu.
Why aren't we doing this, can anyone tell me?
https://newatlas.com/energy/bavarian-brewery-carbon-free-renewable-iron-fuel/
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Because we have renewable electricity instead, I'm guessing.
Principal of conservation of energy, the potential energy of fine iron powder turned into heat then requires as much or more energy to convert back from Ferrous oxide ( rust) to iron again, using, you guessed it, copious quantities of heat
eg' Mesh Belt Furnace: In the mesh belt furnace the iron oxide is transported by a conveyor belt through a furnace in which hydrogen is added at 800-1000°C. The iron oxide is reduced to iron, which sticks together because of the heat, resulting in a layer of iron. This can then be ground up to obtain iron powder.'
The only reason they are looking at this at all is the 'heat' required by many industrial processes cant be efficently supplied from (renewable) electricity.
So no beer in a carbon neutral future
By 'efficiently' do you mean 'cheaply'?
Thanks for this, I hadn't heard of it and it is very interesting – exciting even.
Potentially, it is a safe and convenient way to store and transport large amounts of energy collected from intermittent renewable sources (solar, wind), allowing high intensity energy use at distant locations at any time. Potential to replace fossil fuels in industry as well as shipping – and shipping has looked very difficult to decarbonise.
A lot easier to transport metal / rust, than hydrogen or batteries!
How we already have a segregated health system, Nats. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/300290195/john-tamihere-we-already-have-a-separatist-healthcare-system
"Someone who is not a Māori has clearly made a decision that Māori people will be consigned to a more gory death by blocking access to early cancer testing."
The daily smoking rate for Māori adults is 28.7%. Māori were 2.77 times as likely to be current smokers, and Māori women were 3.6 times as likely to be current smokers, than their non-Māori counterparts, after adjusting for age, and gender
Someone who is a Maori has clearly made a decision that will result in a more gory death by engaging in riskier health addictions.
The issue is more complex than a one cause (smoking) answer.
Cancer impacts more heavily on Māori, with large inequalities in the experience and quality of care from diagnosis to treatment to outcomes.
Māori have a higher incidence and higher mortality from for all cancers compared to non-Māori.
Inequalities in cancer death rates are increasing, which is a major reason for the 8 year gap in life expectancy for Māori compared to non-Māori.
Survival rates for Māori are poorer, with disparities in access to all cancer services.
Māori are nearly twice as likely to die from cancer, even though they are only 18% more likely to have cancer. One reason may be that diagnosis comes when the cancer has reached a more advanced stage.
Māori have the highest rate of lung cancer in the world with three times the mortality rate and a 7 year gap in life expectancy compared to non-Māori. This high mortality stems mostly from late presentation, delays in treatment and low surgical rates for early stage disease.
The emergency department is the most common method of entry to secondary care. This suggests that access barriers (e.g. financial, cultural, geographic) may still exist in the primary care sector along with other factors influencing late presentation such as patient fear.
Māori were more likely to have delays in receiving treatment, four times less likely than Europeans to receive curative treatment. Treatment for Māori was aimed at relieving symptoms.
The differences in types of treatment received may reflect the stage of cancer at presentation and higher rates of comorbidity (e.g. renal disease, cardiovascular disease) for Māori, which would preclude the use of curative treatments.
Could be that new Maori initiatives starting will make a great difference. A factor that hasn't been foremost I think, is that Maori influence each other and also that many have been getting along, making do, as well as they can for many decades, but without a clear belief and path to follow for a brighter future.
If a hapu got together and set themselves achievable goals, health, fitness, housing, education, regular jobs, tome for cultural and family entertainment and sport, and were financed reasonably so that these aspirations could be achieved, there would be a group rise. And this would ratchet up on the success of each, and they also could institute a buddy system with a plan that the pair drew up and they would help each other to stick to it with a reward for themselves at the end.
That could be a winning system, which may already be under way in different areas, but then there needs to be communication about it to others and what is succeeding and what needs tweaking.
Yep. That is pretty much a description of Whānau Ora.
Right with you there mac1. Could you add links to some of where you get your information.
Here's a 2020 report.
https://teaho.govt.nz/reports/cancer-state
Being non-Māori is definitely the healthy 'choice' in NZ, and that’s not choice, imho.
I have to agree with JT – a separatist health system.
But it already exists in another form – the private health system. If you have a few bucks you can always get treatment in the private system, whereas you might wait weeks for similar treatment in public.
Socialise the whole bloody lot – which certainly shouldn't preclude a specialist section devoted to Maori health.
Unemployment is so low, were the extra jobs for shovel ready projects actually needed?
Only half promised shovel-ready jobs will be delivered | Stuff.co.nz
Construction industry provides few jobs per dollar. Who knew?
Jester Do you know and can you explain to us what criteria the Stats Dept uses to count employed and unemployed?
Actually if you care to read fully, you would see that the last time we got comprehensive unemployment numbers is Dec 20 for the last quater of 2020. We are now in may and so far have not been given the numbers for first quater 2021.
In the year to the December 2020 quarter, there were 25,000 more unemployed people:
If you care to look at the unemloyment numbers in detail, you will see that the only group that fits that unemployment number in fact is below is men and caucasians as a group. That is where the shovel ready jobs really did some good, albeit 8000 jobs short, and that could be due to the fact that the shovel ready jobs or the Provincial Growth fund was axed by the now majority government.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300110872/labour-would-axe-provincial-growth-fund-promising-focused-evolution-of-regional-development
Not sure if it was done, but then i would not put it past them.
So i would really not sprout some numbers that are literally 5 month old now, while we still wait for the government massage its current numbers into something that they are happy to show and people are happy to swallow.
And never mind underutilasation, or the people that are not even in Winz books because they rather go prostitute or participate in the black economy then subject themselves to the kindness and gentleness that is Jacinda Arderns and the Labour Parties Ministry of Social Bullshittery.
Only one more day to wait.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/unemployment-rate
Great! i personally can't wait.
And then it is even more dumb by anyone to sprout numbers that are neither here nor there.
Of course, numbers mean nothing on their own, as they tell a story. However, which story depends on the story teller.
The numbers are from the government, they do the story telling. I just copy paste the numbers so that people don't believe that the 'unemployment is down' is not mistaken for a one fits all. Unemployment is indeed down, for men and caucasians. All others seem to be stuck or getting worse.
But as i said, these are not my numbers they are the one provided by the current government of NZ. Any issue with the story these numbers tell should be taken up with the ones that compiled and formatted them.
And yes, i actually can't wait for the numbers. if anything i owuld like to get them monthly as that would maybe provide some more nuance.
Did I read the word 'nuance', theres hope after all
Under-employment is a huge trend disguised by our ongoing official/media fixation on only one of the numbers.
It’s worse than that. Under capitalist dogma, all employment is good employment, which is why the focus is always on the ‘desirable’ or ‘good’ aspect and why people must be forced toiling their lives away earning a living at all cost. Those who cannot or do not want to be meaningfully employed shall be penalized and punished by the State. The State has indoctrinated the people and co-opted the Media to ensure Society at large does most of the penalizing and punishing and to avoid the people turning against the State when it applies sanctions on the ‘undesirables’ under the umbrella excuse of Social License (AKA mandate). Such is the power of capitalism that many people not only are ok with this but they actually actively advocate and vote for the harsh coercion of their fellow humans. This we call Democracy and Freedom. And for the China lovers here, State Capitalism is even worse, IMHO.
Work shall make us free.
Ah, yes, but work and employment are two different things, aren’t they?
Slave labour is its own reward.
Funny that you said that, I’ve recently been reading about slavery (in the US of A) and Stockholm Syndrome. Not light reading, I might add.
you are being difficult Incognito…..what is employment ?. Work is a necessity, who does it however is open to politics
Dismissing me as being difficult is an easy way out but employment is paid work and not all work is paid or a necessity; work can be for pleasure as well and there’s even such a thing as a voluntary work and a volunteer worker; ever heard of a volunteer employee? Neither have I; it is an oxymoron. Sloppy thinking leads to sloppy language and vice versa.
https://www.employment.govt.nz/starting-employment/who-is-an-employee/volunteers/
I dont dismiss you at all…indeed the fact I said you were being difficult indicates the complexity of the problem…suggesting sloppy thinking IS the easy way out….answering 'who' does the work required is the difficult question to be answered
Ah, in that case, sorry.
and the difficult question remains unanswered
As posed, it is unanswerable.
fair enough..it is broad. however the fact remains that there is a certain amount of work required to support the life of our population, and that 'work' is necessary…..who does it?
As someone getting close to the age of being unable to do much of it I ask myself (and , on this occasion , you) how do we ensure we are capable of carrying it out?
Are you talking about health and elderly care?
Neither and both….the original post was about employment (unspecified) so employment (work) unspecified is my point…and that would include health and elderly care I would expect.
As stated, any society only survives with the labour of its members (how that labour is allocated can vary) ….we seem to be failing to the extent that we need to import that labour from without,
We can ‘import’ doctors and nurses from elsewhere but this may create a gap/need there, where they may be needed even more urgently. The global employment market is competitive, wich means the lowest bidders miss out. If we, as a country, are prepared to pay the price, then we should be ok. I just have a feeling this is not exactly what you’re asking though …
It could be…if we believe we can remain able to match the bid…I doubt that is realistic…if that is so then we need to ensure we can provide from within…and that means we need to maximise the capability of those here.
We, it seems to me at least, fail to come close to that, indeed we appear to have written off a significant proportion of our community.
If you agree that we are unlikely to win a bidding war then what option remains?
As you've been pointing out for a while, headline unemployment is one thing: underlying rapid growth in poverty is where the country is at.
sorry ad, but poverty is expensive and we don't have the money to tackle it. We need the money for Americas Cup rich listers entertainment, a few million bucks for the richest man of the world the sell him the beauty of nZ and keep a movie legacy, and so one and so forth.
Just don't ask for funding to self test for cancer, or feed all the hungry kiwi kids, or make the heating supplement not a filler benefit but a permanent one for all beneficiaries.
This government has priorities, and poverty is not one of them, unless to many people yell about it and the Polls tell dear Leader that people in the country are getting testy, and then the kindness fairy appears and will tinkle down a few dollar (fully taxed) to a deserving few.
Ah yes, shovel ready projects. Most of us knew this was wishful thinking at best. Now we know. Those 11 000 jobs (part, casual, full anything goes) will disappear with the finishing of the projects and then its back to square one. But now a new highly paid entity is being established. This can only mean that those 140K earners in parliament are there to have ideas, not that these need to be feasible. No no no, we need a reality check department, speak implementation unit to make sure those folks get going in the right direction, whatever that is. This is like a comedy. When are we going to build houses, get people enough paid that they can make a living? I mean that is basics really. Roof over the head, food on the table, clothes on the back. Civilizations are build on this.
i wonder how the green school is doing, have fee paying schoolchildren and their parents already received their visas?
The Green School seems to be doing fine.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/124916624/new-green-school-nz-principal-came-across-her-dream-job-by-chance
I wonder how the kids to in NZ that currently do online learning cause their school was not rewarded with some funding – but i guess they were not green enough 🙂 They were just educating Kiwis from non rich families.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/124814172/ministry-ignored-leaking-buildings-as-school-for-years–hutt-valley-high-principal
As i said, this government and the one before had and still have their priorities.
heck its all good, the kids returned to their not warm, mouldy leaking school. I guess someone stuck some duct tape over the leaks and considers it good now. Or go to other buildings all over town. Heck maybe they need to put a grant towards the government and call it the ‘green school’, and then maybe someone will get real exited and get them some cash.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441628/students-to-return-to-mould-stricken-hutt-valley-school
This country is really good at wasting money for the shiny bauble and its kids are paying the price.
Damn those children learning to think in a "green" way!
Curse them and their life-enhancing curriculum (probably exploring Anne Salmond's latest offer as we speak, the brats!)
Deport them, I say, those virus carriers and super spreaders with too much money in their pockets. Or lock them up in “distant farms”. Oh, wait …
So Robert, have you got anything to say about the Kids in lower Hutt with their school that has mold everywhere, 13 rooms that need to be demolished, and that they are now going back to ?
Or do you only reflexivly defend something because it grew on the manure pile the Green Party? Or is that something that you like so many others seems to fall under ,sucks to be them, happy it ain't me, and besides its not a nice and green school, also i am not poor so i am not affected. As that is literally what come across.
A nice article from last year, and of course the child of the dear leader will never go to that school. That school is for the undeserving poor. Dear Leaders child might go to a very fine very expensive private school, that may or may not be green. But it will be without leaks and food for all. That is for sure.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/122644266/would-the-pm-send-neve-herethe-sodden-horror-of-a-decile-1-school
So yeah, i guess the poor kids of NZ don't need nice schools unless their parents can afford a years salary in payment. So very green.
Sabine – I was certain that the topic was the green school, as you began your comment with,
"i wonder how the green school is doing"
The problem is not what i said, Robert, the problem may be what you read.
This school was part of that scheme, and i would like to know if they put that money to good use, and if people are still employed to build it. After all that money they got is coming from us. The taxpayers. So yeah, we should be told how these investments are going, and if these investments will bring a benefit to all of us, or just a wee tiny small group of people.
So how is that school doing?
Oh, you want to know details of the school's progress – have you tried searching for articles in the various media? That'd be a good place to start. I thought you were wanting opinions from commenters here on TS, about how the green school is going.
Already answered that <sigh>
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-05-2021/#comment-1790862
You know it was a loan in full, yes? It is in the link I gave. Was your question about the Green School in good faith or were you just angling for an excuse to flip your lid again and piss on somebody else’s success stoking envy and divisiveness?
Yes, i know that it got changed into a loan after a whole lot of brouhahah, and as i said, this government will change its tune to the Polls.
The point is not that his school got a grant or a loan, the point is that we have hundreds of schools that actually have a need, now, for kids going to school now, and that 40 odd million that was given to these rich listers for their private school should have been spend on the schools in NZ that have mold, leaking roofs and room so bad that they must be destroyed.
And then give money to some rich listers for their private enterprise under the guise of shovel ready jobs and not a moment before .
So, you just grab any excuse, even manufacture one here, to piss on things. You cannot let escape any opportunity to drag the PM (AKA Dear Leader, FFS) down and even drag her child down into it.
You know the famous movie scene:
Well, to me your comments are the exact opposite of that.
I have said exactly the same last year – namely that there are schools that have a greater need, in some cases even an urgent immediate need, and that they should get first dibs on any money the government hast to throw about.
Government has a responsability towards our children, be that to assure they have enough to eat, live in decent housing or go to safe, warm, non mouldy schools fully equipped with the tools that are needed to educate them and give them a chance for a future.
And once they have fulfilled that obligation and then if there is money left in the kitty they can then go and distribute that money to the greatest benefit of all. I do not change my opinion like underwear. And in this case I still believe that it was not a good decision. Full stop there.
But feel free to take my comments as you like.
You know it was a loan in full, yes?
It miraculously morphed into said loan only because of the very loud thoroughly righteous public outrage.
Why do some (…) commenters here insist on being and staying ignorant yet think that they ride the moral high-road and know it all?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/122640790/green-schools-117m-from-govt-never-ever-been-a-100-per-cent-grant-ce-says
So many 'everses'…
…and yet, confusingly, James Shaw is quoted thus just the day before.
“As a politician, admitting you were wrong is one of the hardest things to do. We’re expected to be infallible. So much so that we can forget that people prefer their leaders to be honest and compassionate.
“Becoming a Minister means being willing to question your decisions in public and, if necessary, correct them,” Shaw said.
But it looks like correcting the decision will be difficult.
Shaw said the Green School had approached the Government to find a solution, but he was staying out of any negotiations because it would be in appropriate for a Minister to intervene.
“These discussions can take time, and whatever you think of the process, Ministers cannot insert themselves in commercial negotiations,” Shaw said.
He said that the best thing to happen now would be for the funding to be converted into a loan.
“My personal view is that the best way to do this is that support for the Green School to come in the form of a loan, rather than a grant. That would ensure the money is paid back in full,” Shaw said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300096758/james-shaw-calls-green-school-funding-an-error-of-judgment-as-he-searches-for-a-solution?rm=a
Seriously…hats off to anyone who has managed to sort the fact from the fantasy and the double-handed butt-covering surrounding that embarrassing little shit show.
I’m not confused; are you? Part was a grant and part was a loan. Which part confuses you? I’m aiming for clarity; are you?
Anyway, this thread is not about the Green School, never was. It is just a hook put up by Sabine.
Hang on a minute Sunshine…you threw out the old "ignorant" slur…
Part was a grant and part was a loan. Link, please?
Take it up with James Shaw…he's the one who appears confused.
If the shoe fits …
Which bit did you miss in the quoted text plus link here: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-05-2021/#comment-1790914?
I believe James Shaw is not confused and has moved on. Please let me know if you need any further assistance with clearing up your confusion.
Have a nice day or, as you prefer, SSDD.
I didn't realise the original principal resigned after the $11.7m grant / loan fiasco. I guess its not surprising given the bad publicity received. I have to agree with Sabine on this one, would be nice if the government could find a few million for either a grant (or even a loan) for the Hutt Valley school.
Rebuilds/repairs for all state schools are $100s millions per year, but after 9 years of neglect the backlog is huge
'“The first wave includes around 40 schools and has a budget of up to $1.3 billion'
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/four-new-projects-announced-part-biggest-ever-national-school-rebuild-programme
yei!
the link dates to July 2020
so we can assume that the Lower Hutt School is still waiting for some of that 1.9 billion to tinkle down.
Your level of catastrophising has me really worried
You've got the wrong end of the stick; he was headhunted and offered a job he couldn't refuse.
https://greenschool.nz/news/gsnz-principal-heading-to-lego-foundation/
An excellent piece by Anne Salmond, which I won’t spoil or pre-empt with my own views as there’s much, i.e. almost everything, to take in from it.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/dame-anne-salmond-iwi-and-kiwi-beyond-the-binary
+1
Stunningly well thought-through and presented piece, Dame Anne!
The final 4 paragraphs are all questions to which the answers are yes, yes, yes & yes!
The following quote describes the present circumstance beautifully,
"Current debates that seek to revive animosities between ‘iwi’ vs ‘Kiwi,’ for example, are classic Cartesian devices…"
'Great chain of being' existed across all cultures , the Inka was total ruler in an hierarchical system.
Just the other the day the Queen of the Zulus died and thats a paramount chieftan role thats existed for many centuries and similar existed through out Africa
This fragment, however, was of the greatest interest to me 🙂
"a first burst of energy in the cosmos generated thought, memory and desire; followed by knowledge;"
I cannot do it justice, definitely not now 🙁
Somehow Open Mike has become very much a focus for a few constant daily commenters who never ever see any joy or positivity in anything at all. They cannot see while many things may not be ideal, there is much to be reasonably content about in NZ. Interesting discussions involving many people's views are unfortunately not happening.
Not only beautiful, but uplifting. Hope it makes your day.
https://www.facebook.com/TeMangaiPaho/videos/2680614895531616
…never ever see any joy or positivity in anything at all.
I have a good news story….
Public Servant does their job!!!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441704/don-t-play-sick-children-off-against-each-other-children-s-commissioner-tells-pharmac
Unfortunately, (and not unexpectedly)…
Minister Responsible criticizes hard working Public Servant.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441731/andrew-little-not-pleased-with-children-s-commissioner-comments-on-potential-pharmac-move
SSDD
Pharmac wasnt doing what they suggested it shouldnt do.
'Potential move '
Pharmac wasnt doing what they suggested it shouldnt do.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/441649/pharmac-likely-to-end-blanket-funding-for-kids-cancer-drugs
The 'word' came from the OHRP. Concerned that Pharmac would react to a claim of discrimination against kids with SMA by cutting funding for paediatric cancer drugs, they decided not to represent the claim at the HRRT.
There is the risk that the answer to any discrimination claim would be to normalise the situation by decreasing paediatric cancer patients' access to treatment funding. That would be a very disappointing outcome but it is one Pharmac has suggested it is willing to do."
What Tolich didn't know was Pharmac had been considering for some time ending its blanket coverage for child cancer drugs – a situation that developed by historical accident.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-depth/441649/pharmac-likely-to-end-blanket-funding-for-kids-cancer-drugs
What is it about some here and Pharmac? It is up for scrutiny and criticism just like any other taxpayer funded organisation.
(And considering Spinraza, started early, has 75% efficacy at preventing symptoms of SMA…)
They had said it was something previously they had looked at , not some thing they will do in response for the court case, which is bogus discrimination grounds.
You make the mistake of the 'reporting' suggesting something as though its a fact
edit
Other sites have interesting discussions and cover what some are 'reasonably content about in NZ'. The Standard's purpose is largely to discuss what the left is thinking, doing and not doing in this country and the world. And why thinking people cannot be reasonably content. Those that are, aren't thinking about the reality of what is happening, what will happen if the right things are not done, what will happen whatever is done, how we can get ready for the future catastrophes, how we can awaken enough people to the situation and to act together with goodwill to ameliorate the process. That is The Standard's proper function, and if it doesn't do that it fails the thinking people trying to live fulfilling, happy lives, but caters for the sheeple, sweet people a lot of them, but with their heads in the sand. And we are also providing intelligence to each other about the people who are not sweet, not kind, not caring citizens and who will step over those with preventable illnesses physical and mental, to get where and what they want.
Reality, if you are thinking of Sabine, she raises good points but doesn't take enough time to relax her mind, ready for the next onslaught of bad news and stress. For a whole day Sabine stop, don't let any bad news come into your wonderful mind, and don't go on-line. Listen, read, take in what I and other people are saying for your own good, don't try and take everything stubbornly on your own shoulders. These are friendly suggestions not combative ones. Stop argufying for a while. Give yourself a break, and us, we all can only take so much before we cry or go catatonic.
its really uplifting. 🙂
Is that the best you can do? Instead of addressing comments, you simply fob off others by posting video clips!? This is the second one here in OM and you’re derailing the threads of others who raise salient and valid points.
Good choice, Sabine!
And Grey seems to have missed that you do take days (or longer) off from time to time, including just two days ago – on Sunday May 2. LOL
https://thestandard.org.nz/search/%40author+%22Sabine%22/page/2/?search_comments=true&search_posts=true&search_sortby=date
I (like many others who used to comment here regularly up to about two years ago) rarely do so now with many good people complete no shows. I just cannot be bothered with the power imbalances, delusions of superiority, personal insults and targeting etc.
I admire your fortitude and that of others such as Rosemary, Adrian Thornton to mention just a few – even Morrissey and Gosman. Kia kaha!
PS – totally with you and Rosemary on the Green School "loan" issue. In fact having read the thread above, rechecked with a couple of former work colleagues in the Wellington State Sector/Parliamentary Precinct who confirmed the transformation from full grant to full loan once it became public … Obviously cannot provide links!
As someone said at 11.32am above in this thread "Why do some (…) commenters here insist on being and staying ignorant yet think that they ride the moral high-road and know it all?"
A Queen song just came to mind – something about hammers, but won't post a link.
Hearsay doesn’t count for anything here. Please put up your evidence and I will stand corrected, like many others. Or leak it to the media so that you can cite it here.
I’ve also observed how tribalism is rife here on TS; sub-groups gang up and then band together when one of them is challenged. Quite unfortunate, as it creates a polarising and divisive forum where robust debate is impossible and dies a sudden death 🙁
As such, your comment only added fuel to the fire and did not (re)solve anything, which is most disappointing and quite unexpected coming from you.
I just cannot be bothered with the power imbalances, delusions of superiority, personal insults and targeting etc.
That's what I noticed too veutoviper. Snap!
A great clip sabine…and a valid/potent reply to the demand to cheer up…
And I would like to second what veutoviper says below..
Couldn't have said it better myself..
Correction:..what veutoviper said above..
Sabine is the Leader of the Opposition that we should have.
It's a very debilitating being a politician though. Will she make it through the electoral term?
She would be an infinite improvement.
Doers she think that MPs shouldn't talk to gangs?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/national-mp-simeon-brown-ties-death-threats-to-marama-davidsons-visit-to-mongrel-mob/RGXMLADLR5I42MUYX6DCN2JU2E/
If you don't talk to gang members because it's a waste of time because they cause problems for our society, should we talk to National MPs?
lol…apparently not
Department to ensure that actions match words?
"For this term of Government we have three core goals. In addition to keeping New Zealanders safe from COVID-19, we are focused on accelerating our economic recovery and addressing the big three foundational challenges, housing affordability, climate change and child wellbeing.
The Government is determined that we will deliver on these core priorities. To that end the Prime Minister has asked me to lead the establishment an Implementation Unit based in her department.
The Unit will be funded through Budget 2021 and will monitor and support implementation of a small number of critical initiatives, particularly where multiple agencies are involved in the work. This includes areas such as mental health, infrastructure, housing and climate change mitigation. The Unit will report to me as Deputy Prime Minister, and will engage closely with Minister’s offices."
https://www.interest.co.nz/news/110227/robertson-oversee-implementation-unit-be-set-monitor-and-support-implementation-key
WTF is DPMC for then?
This is a pisspoor substitute for Ministers cracking heads.
What do you do when you have placed your best options in positions of authority and they dont perform?….you can 'crack as many heads' as you like but ultimately even replacing them dosnt ensure improved performance.
Its been suggested that this is a vote of no confidence in the public service but while there may be little confidence in the PS (id suggest with good reason) this appears more to be a vote of little confidence in ministerial ability.
The quandary of this government is that the Ministers are performing fine but their sum totality is underwhelming. To me that bespeaks a Prime Minister with out the muscle to get the most out of her team. They need head-kickers to shift major entities: you can do the list of the poor performing state entites.
Subbing the job out from Cabinet and PM's office to DPMC and SSC then to this new one is an illustration of brittle leadership at the top.
Muldoonism is long gone , but seems its still lamented.
Virtually no ministers have any powers you suggest, only a few exceptions allow them to 'direct' the relevant department ( thanks for your opinion mInister !) and in some cases its proscribed to even give an opinion.
No one is suggesting doing away with the Policy/Executive split.
But as you can see from the actions some Ministers have taken in this second term across Health, Public Health, Customs, Housing, Reserve Bank, Tertiary Education, Water regulation, and more, Ministers very much have powers to cajole, force, bully, remove, shame, defund, and merge entities to do their bidding to achieve policy aims are still strong … and under this government getting much stronger.
Since it needs spelling out to you: the entities that I see the government is finding real and sustained resistance to their policies are:
So if you ranked Ministers, and then ranked their respective Departments, you'd find quite different scores often.
No one is suggesting doing away with the Policy/Executive split.
Why? The alternative that we have is not working well either. Oh constipated Again! I suggest we need a different diet, before we die of it.
What exactly is "Muldoonism"?…..please elaborate
By your own comment it is obvious the Ministers performance is anything but 'fine'….if it were fine there would be no need to invent another layer of oversight
Great. So now we need another department to blame when things don't get done. Why are we paying these ministers so much? They are obviously not getting things implemented as why else would we need this unit. What happened to the year of delivery?
Id agree they are failing to implement change (and failing badly) however I would suggest that is a better problem to have than the previous administration who were comfortable to oversee a public service not required to administer change
Greywarshark – thank you for your thoughtful response. I readily agree we must always be ready to challenge what is not right or fair. But the sun often shines, the sky is a lovely blue, there are lovely flowers and trees to enjoy looking at, we get pleasure from meeting up with friends and family. So sometimes we can be happy and/or reasonably content, surely? And smile about something amusing. But still have concern for those who struggle. People who are positive and can enjoy themselves, even when things may be difficult, are those who I prefer to interact with.
Yes, your second paragraph was spot on.
I look for the best in things Reality. But think of this period as a phony war. Can we prevent it? Sure as eggs we will have climate change and if we don't start now the authorities will end up pushing us round with army bodily removing us to …where? and prison terms for protest etc. So don't sit around having tea and cakes too long will you. I have that once a week, go to music nights, occasional beer and wine. You don't need to become an ascetic just a well-rounded person coping with the thoughts of likely dystopia, and finding some answers that are good for us all. Kia kaha.
Rest In Peace Brian Corban.
NZ rail owes you a lot.
Initial govt response: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2105/S00010/minister-for-state-owned-enterprises-saddened-by-passing-of-kiwirail-chair.htm
From a man who was a 9 year old child that Social Welfare put into Cherry Farm Hospital against the experienced doctor's advice.
The patients were very disturbed and mentally ill, he said.
"They were making noises, wailing and making unusual movements with their bodies and faces. I remember thinking to myself what the hell is this and I was still wondering where the cherries were.
"I went into a foetal position and the patients starting coming at me in every direction."
He was constantly medicated at Cherry Farm to keep him quiet and then discharged six weeks later without there ever being a mental illness diagnosis
He first went to the Epuni Boys' Home and then Hokio Beach School.
At Hokio he was raped at least hundreds of times by older boys.
"I can't exactly say how many times I was raped while I was there but my guess is 200 times based on my experience of being raped every day and every night and the amount of boys who were doing it and, as I stand here today, how would anybody like to be raped 200 times in just one place."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441732/child-put-into-adult-pyschatric-hospital-royal-commission-hears
(What is happening in our prisons at present I wonder and fear?)