So with the Greens seemingly about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory I wonder what the chances are of the Māori Party retaking one of their old seats? And maybe getting another MP in on the list? Should Labour end up in a narrow minority and needing a confidence and supply partner?
Yes ScottGN. My concerns are now centered around keeping National out, rather than hoping the Greens can get back in. The Maori Party is a possibility but I will be watching the polls closely over the next few weeks and will vote primarily to keep Judith out out out.
I think the Greens may dip in support, but should still get over the 5%. Nats best case scenario I reckon will be 35%, along with Act say 5% so I cant see a Nat govt anytime soon.
one green sign here in rotorua, no candidate name, just he generic vote for us sign, but heeps of signs for the Maori Party guy, the Tamaki Crowd, the new conservatives, national, labour.
The Greens, as a party, tend to go for the party vote rather than electorate vote. Pretty much the only reason why they stand electorate candidates at all is because it ups their allowed spend on electioneering.
To me, that's another reason to get rid of electorates and make all party electioneering funding the same.
That was a Roy Morgan poll. Which are usually unreasonably optimistic about the Greens. And the sampling period was likely to be mostly if not entirely before the crystals hit the fan.
It's an impressive collection of argument for authority, mistruths and outright bullshit they've put together.
Starting with an attempt to discredit our health authorities with a gross misrepresentation of the advice around masks. They portray it as a complete reversal of position over two weeks, whereas the advice has actually evolved over months in response to changing circumstances, resources, priorities and new evidence.
They whine about the cost of lockdowns and point to economics fantasies apparently comparing what happens under lockdown to some alternate universe where covid never happened.
They try to downplay the very serious risk of death from covid, indulging in the really ugly "it's only risky to the old and already diseased" argument, as well as totally misleading comparisons like cherry-picking the lowest reasonably plausible infection fatality rate of 0.65%, and then saying the risk of dying in a car accident in the US in 2018 was 1 in 108 (their link actually says that's the lifetime odds). Never mind that the risk of dying in a transport accident is incurred while doing stuff we want to do, while there are absolutely zero positives associated with the risk of covid.
Newsroom have also paired it with an argument for continuing the approach we have now:
100%. 'Plan B' psychopaths need to be shoved back into the crypt from whence they emerged. There isn't a plan B. There's simply competent management of a public health crisis – or eugenicist lunacy that produces worse outcomes on every indicator (health and economy). The non-existence of a Plan B becomes even more apparent as Plan A acquires superior tools (e,g, genomic testing, beefed up contact tracing) that allow the disruption to daily life to be reduced a little each time there is an outbreak.
It's clear that the origins of Plan B thinking are are a set of completely irrational and onanistically-derived ideas about personal 'freedumb' being impinged by collective action on public health.
Ooh AB you're a hero. You have managed to trounce those Plan B sods in well-chosen words. Which they won't absorb of course, being covered in teflon sort of flak bodysuits from which anything is repelled, and just runs down their legs into puddles on the ground. However to understand your enemy is a resource, and I consider them my enemy, and human society's enemy, now we recognise them for what they are.
Perhaps they are The Halfmen of O that Maurice Gee wrote about. The books written under the Young Adult aegis are often questing, beautiful and disturbing as the protagonists search for direction and meaning.
(Susan and Nick…are summoned to the beautiful land of O in a last-ditch attempt to save the planet from cruel Otis Claw and his followers, the evil Halfmen, who have lost every trace of human goodness and kindness.) https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/halfmen-of-o-9780143318347
It’s a pity that the ‘debate’ was highly polarised from the outset and turned into a dichotomy of Plan A and Plan B. The Plan B group did not help their cause whatsoever.
It's not clear to me what the "plan B" lot are actually trying to achieve. Polling makes it look pretty clear the NZ public is solidly behind the elimination strategy, and are ok with being patient about a vaccine potentially happening next year.
If the phase 3 trials that are already underway show all the current candidates to be abject failures, then it's likely there will be a strategy conversation to be had. But for now it just looks like "plan B" are merely trying to sow unhappiness. Their repetition of the "mumps vaccine took four years to develop" just adds to that impression. As a context-free fact, it's true enough, but it's also very relevant that that was over fifty years ago and our knowledge and manufacturing capabilities have improved by orders of magnitude since then.
Well, yes, that's the likely result. But my poor opinion of them doesn't quite extend to thinking that's the primary objective. Surely they've got something else less shitty they're actually trying to achieve.
Or maybe my view of other humans has taken to heart a bit too much of Jacinda's "kindness".
The WHO special envoy on Coronavirus said on radio that while New Zealand had done well, it should now follow Sweden’s model.
Scientist Michelle Dickinson said on radio that “we’re going with a different strategy now – our last strategy was elimination – now its almost learning to live with a virus.”
A third developing myocarditis perhaps, but based on experience with better known viral infections, only a minority will get a dilated cardiomyopathy.
"Viral infection of the heart is relatively common and usually of little consequence. It can, however, lead to substantial cardiac damage and severe acute heart failure. It can also evolve into the progressive syndrome of chronic heart failure."
Because Covid19 is a new disease there is limited experience and we will have to wait for further studies to see what proportion of people get myocarditis and in how many the inflammation resolves without the continuing damage that leads to cardiomyopathy.
So anyone who does develop myocarditis post C19 infection can wait for the possibility of spontaneous recovery while new treatments for viral heart disease are awaited.
It’s a moot point, really, because TINA. Nobody except some Opposition politicians seems to want having a conversation about anything but Plan A at the moment. High public support may be vital in the current context.
It certainly highlights that kind of thought is out there and active. As far as the euthanasia thing goes, I think the safeguards in the process are more than sufficient to stop that kind of abuse from actually happening. So I'll still be a yes vote. But maybe I don't have contact with the wrong circles where the risk is real.
Looking at the yanks, bojo, and our local tories (and one or two fringe parties), I am almost certainly a no. But it's always sat uneasily with me, anyway.
Possibly. But to me, the guaranteed benefit of giving people control of the end of their lives outweighs the hypothetical risk that is understood and appears to be adequately guarded against.
Making sure that Collins and National are as far away from the treasury benches as possible
If the Greens can help in that endeavour, then great. If not then Ardern either needs to do what no other PM has done since 1951 and win a plurality of the votes or hope there is another small party in the parliament who can give her minority government confidence and supply.
While that may be true, her influence on the character of the government is very apparent, and represents a positive for Labour that it has not been able to offer in a generation.
The 1951 National government was the last government voted in with an outright majority of votes.
You're right, although in reality before MMP (and the 'party vote') the percentage vote achieved by a party didn't have any real meaning in NZ's electoral system. Really what it means is that in 1951 the votes won by all the National MPs standing in electorates added together came to 54% of the total votes. All that mattered under FPTP though was winning seats. Until 1990 NZ ballot papers didn't even list candidates' party affiliation.
Remarkably, in the last FPTP election (1993), National won 50 out of 99 seats with just 35% of the vote, to Labour's 34.6%. The combined c 27% won by the Alliance and NZ First earned them two seats each. FPTP really was an extremely unfair system.
The police teams that tooled up to terrorise the neighbourhood. According to the story it was Waikato, Counties Manakau and Canterbury selected. But I thought some where running around Palmerston North?
Plus the serious misjudgement that this would make people feel safer??
They are talking about Abbott. And he is good at trade, so despite a number of defects he's okay. And that is how we feel about Australia – has defects but serves a purpose so we can't be too staunch about those cobbers.
But Peters said a complete halt on cattle exports in the future was not the answer.
"If it was not for livestock exports, this country would have no farming industry at all.
Hahahahahahahahaha
Peters just proved that he doesn't understand economics as it pertains to the real world. These cattle were exported as breeding stock which means that, in the fullness of time, we won't be exporting cattle any more, or milk or any of the other by-products because China will be out-competing us (which I'm in favour of).
"I can't remember in all my years – I've been 40 years in the industry – hearing of a livestock ship sinking and claiming lives… it's quite exceptional."
No matter how big we build Gaia is always going to prove that she is still bigger and more powerful than we are.
Yes you don't hear that sort of fact coming up in discussion – the economics of it. We are exporting good breeding stock for a handful of beans! And unless we have a fearless, flight of foot Jack to do something amazing climbing the Beanstalk and running away with the giant's goodies, which would never be allowed, we won't find any high side to this. But who's looking after the country's interest.
And the usual amazement about any event, it never happened in my life before. Everything changes, but I'm still the same.
We didn't do anything when the kiwifruit was sold overseas, and it is a matter of discussion whether having it growing elsewhere ultimately introduced it to the world market better than we could have done. We could at least have tried for a royalty on the genetic material. Till it got pinched.
The winter energy payment ends two weeks before the election. Two weeks.
The amount of Beneficiaries who came out and voted for the first time in 2017 who are about to lose $40 and $60 should worry labour because theyll stay home and it's a couple % that labour will lose.
Labour have ruthlessly created a two tier welfare system at a time when people who were on welfare prior to covid can't get employed because people who lost their jobs cos of COVId will get preference than longer term unemployed people.
The families package doesn't do a damn thing for disabled , mentally unwell, or unemployed people on their own so when labour says they've done enough for Beneficiaries and quote the family package I wanna rip out my hair.
Give all solo Beneficiaries or atleast disabled and mentally unwell Beneficiaries the covid unemployment rate or extend the winter energy payment or you're going to see Beneficiaries stay home, or get angry and even more alienated with govt that they vote nzpp or you'll see unemployment demonstrations and protests.
Disgusting that so many people who support labour on my social media are now realizing they are about to lose a bunch of money in a couple weeks and are furious. There's no jobs for them and they can't afford and don't deserve to live in these conditions.
Some of that kindness please labour. It's gonna cost you electorally to have some of your biggest supporters lose a chunk of change two weeks out from the election
Give all solo Beneficiaries or atleast disabled and mentally unwell Beneficiaries the covid unemployment rate or extend the winter energy payment or you're going to see Beneficiaries stay home, or get angry and even more alienated with govt that they vote nzpp or you'll see unemployment demonstrations and protests.
Or they vote for the party that will actually be good for them and vote Green.
again, the 25 NZD in benefit increase that the Greens are so proud of is ONLY because of Covid.
Just think about that for a moment, let it marinate, and then again, both the increase in base benefit and the double heating payment did not come about because of the need for this money but because of Covid.
Labour, NZ First and the Greens just gave the very poor as much kindness and gentleness as they had too and not one bit more. And as the fullah above says, and even the governments own adviser group says, Not good enough.
And withoput the Greens we probably wouldn't have seen even that amount.
Having more Green say in government will help ensure that those increases are permanent and even higher. If you don't want that then vote Labour or NZFirst.
To get the transformation that we really need we need the Greens with more power.
Should the greens be returned with say with 5% vote or win central Auckland and achieve less than 5%, Shaw decides to “retire” how does any party cope with a co leader who is not in parliament ? As the next male is ranked 8th, as under my scenario 6 max get in so the next in line would be Golriz.
IMO NZ losses out everytime a political party is removed from parliament. We do need a variety of views there in Wellington.
With the in government but not in government thing going on, there may even be some optical benefit in having a co-leader that is not an MP for those occasions when the government does something that is not in line with Green policies and values.
It just happened that Norman was next on the list when Tanczos called it quits. Otherwise he would have had to wait until the election, or persuade those ahead of him to withdraw from the list.
Surveillance masquerading as Socialism; nationwide electronic Big data collection on babies ( instead of data with care providers ) and then profiling ( racially ) – aka as the resurrection of " social investment ".
A system that never addressed the deeper causes, offering psychological sweeteners to groom the gullible at election time.
Socialism is about addressing equality and justice for people. This ugly fairy delivering ' save the babies ' policy has its main objective entrenched in economics, saving money.
The social investment model is then privatised through contracting, see the small print -: $3000 is a credit ( for extras on top of free care already available eg. Parenting course) to government nominated and approved agents only.
Has Paula Bennett's legacy slipped from people's minds, did her Valedictory speech accidently mention the way forward was ' social investment' ? "
" ..under a more accurate definition, social investment reflects four characteristics of neo-liberalism: the de-politicisation of the economy and of welfare reform; the economic understanding of the state; the extension of economic rationale to non-economic domains; and the anthropology human capital. Taking this view, while social investment is preferable to welfare retrenchment, it promotes the same kind of citizenship as neo-liberalism, especially in terms of the marginalisation of the role of democracy in regulating the economy."
"Social investment: Diffusing ideas for redesigning citizenship after neo-liberalism? "
Francesco Laruffa
First Published December 31, 2017 Research Article Sage Publications.
Oh boy. CDC has informed states to be ready to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine by Nov. 1 (2 days before the US election) and to remove all impediments to doing so. Trump isn't going to roll over – he'll lie through his teeth about a vaccine and how he's saved millions of lives. Don't see how they can do proper tests of either efficacy or adverse events in that timeframe?
He's jealous his besties Poots and Xi can just order something to be approved and start jabbing soldiers and doctors. So he's trying to prove he can just order things to happen too, and blame "the Deep State" trying to sabotage him when it doesn't work out.
Just as well nobody's explained the concept of challenge trials to him or he would be ordering them to be done on troops. Or maybe somebody tried and he didn't pay attention.
I've learnt, after studying thousands of marine accident reports, that the causes are not always the obvious ones. And it is best to wait until you have all the facts.
Just a few observations.
TRS do not always follow the expected tracks. In places with limited sea room the options to avoid them are also limited.
The Captain has the responsibility, but little power these days. Especially from places with no labour law protection, like all "Flag of convenience" registries, and most countries that supply crews.
No vessel is hurricane proof. Luck, seamanship, construction, maintenance and design all play a part.
Wonder if it's occurred to him that even a generally solid Repug voting bloc like the military might have their limits when you repeatedly go out of your way to offensively insult them.
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David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iran’s drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
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Opinion: With maths understanding at 42 percent for Year 8 students, there’s no doubt something has to be done. But how? The post Financial literacy should be on all of us appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Hineaupounamu ‘Missy’ Nuku has been scaling mountains in Canada for her college basketball team, the Lakeland Rustlers. Alberta is currently home for the 20-year-old point guard, who is in her first year of a scholarship at Lakeland College, where she is studying for a business degree. She has certainly made ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra When ASIO boss Mike Burgess delivered his annual threat assessment earlier this year, he stressed the rising danger posed by espionage and foreign interference. “In 2024, threats to our way of life have surpassed ...
The Tribunal had called on Minister for Children Karen Chhour to provide evidence at an urgent inquiry into the repeal of Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Midjourney image by T.J. Thomson As more than half of Australian office workers report using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for work, we’re starting to see this technology affect every ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Nicole Sharwood, Injury epidemiologist | Expert Witness, UNSW Sydney Sergey Novikov/Shutterstock Injuries are the leading cause of disability and death among Australian children and adolescents. At least a quarter of all emergency department presentations during childhood are injury-related. Injuries can ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Di Winkler, Adjunct Associate Professor, Living with Disability Research Centre, La Trobe University Shutterstock/Ground PictureMany Australians with disability feel on the edge of a precipice right now. Recommendations from the disability royal commission and the NDIS review were released late ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Salman Shooshtarian, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Salman Shooshtarian Asbestos has been found in mulch used for playgrounds, schools, parks and gardens across Sydney and Melbourne. Local communities naturally fear for the health of their ...
Family First says that the latest abortion statistics make grim and upsetting reading, with a 25% increase in abortions since the decriminalisation of abortion in March 2020. According to an Official Information Act request received by Right to Life ...
Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study on populism reveals a pervasive sense of societal and economic decline among New Zealanders. MORE DETAILS AND FULL REPORT HERE Ipsos New Zealand's inaugural participation in a global study ...
So with the Greens seemingly about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory I wonder what the chances are of the Māori Party retaking one of their old seats? And maybe getting another MP in on the list? Should Labour end up in a narrow minority and needing a confidence and supply partner?
Yes ScottGN. My concerns are now centered around keeping National out, rather than hoping the Greens can get back in. The Maori Party is a possibility but I will be watching the polls closely over the next few weeks and will vote primarily to keep Judith out out out.
I think the Greens may dip in support, but should still get over the 5%. Nats best case scenario I reckon will be 35%, along with Act say 5% so I cant see a Nat govt anytime soon.
Can not see NATS /ACT more than 35% between them LAB/GREENS 58%
Gariboldi and Jester-the way to keep National out is for the Greens to get 5%+.
Lab 44 Nats 39 Greens 4.9 NZF 4 Act 6 other wasted 2.1=PM Collins
Jester-it is a small leap from 35% to 39%. Wait until the Nats DP campaign really kicks in. The attacks on Shaw will seem like a picnic in the woods.
one green sign here in rotorua, no candidate name, just he generic vote for us sign, but heeps of signs for the Maori Party guy, the Tamaki Crowd, the new conservatives, national, labour.
Not that this is any indication of anything.
The Greens, as a party, tend to go for the party vote rather than electorate vote. Pretty much the only reason why they stand electorate candidates at all is because it ups their allowed spend on electioneering.
To me, that's another reason to get rid of electorates and make all party electioneering funding the same.
dude, what?
11% in the latest poll. I don't think the school is the gut punch pundits are salivating over.
That was a Roy Morgan poll. Which are usually unreasonably optimistic about the Greens. And the sampling period was likely to be mostly if not entirely before the crystals hit the fan.
The Greens are fine, thank you for your concern.
Plan B arseholes are still trying to kill and disable New Zealanders by deliberately allowing disease to spread.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ananish-plan-b-oped
It's an impressive collection of argument for authority, mistruths and outright bullshit they've put together.
Starting with an attempt to discredit our health authorities with a gross misrepresentation of the advice around masks. They portray it as a complete reversal of position over two weeks, whereas the advice has actually evolved over months in response to changing circumstances, resources, priorities and new evidence.
They whine about the cost of lockdowns and point to economics fantasies apparently comparing what happens under lockdown to some alternate universe where covid never happened.
They try to downplay the very serious risk of death from covid, indulging in the really ugly "it's only risky to the old and already diseased" argument, as well as totally misleading comparisons like cherry-picking the lowest reasonably plausible infection fatality rate of 0.65%, and then saying the risk of dying in a car accident in the US in 2018 was 1 in 108 (their link actually says that's the lifetime odds). Never mind that the risk of dying in a transport accident is incurred while doing stuff we want to do, while there are absolutely zero positives associated with the risk of covid.
Newsroom have also paired it with an argument for continuing the approach we have now:
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/why-a-plan-b-when-plan-a-is-working-so-well
100%. 'Plan B' psychopaths need to be shoved back into the crypt from whence they emerged. There isn't a plan B. There's simply competent management of a public health crisis – or eugenicist lunacy that produces worse outcomes on every indicator (health and economy). The non-existence of a Plan B becomes even more apparent as Plan A acquires superior tools (e,g, genomic testing, beefed up contact tracing) that allow the disruption to daily life to be reduced a little each time there is an outbreak.
It's clear that the origins of Plan B thinking are are a set of completely irrational and onanistically-derived ideas about personal 'freedumb' being impinged by collective action on public health.
Ooh AB you're a hero. You have managed to trounce those Plan B sods in well-chosen words. Which they won't absorb of course, being covered in teflon sort of flak bodysuits from which anything is repelled, and just runs down their legs into puddles on the ground. However to understand your enemy is a resource, and I consider them my enemy, and human society's enemy, now we recognise them for what they are.
Perhaps they are The Halfmen of O that Maurice Gee wrote about. The books written under the Young Adult aegis are often questing, beautiful and disturbing as the protagonists search for direction and meaning.
(Susan and Nick…are summoned to the beautiful land of O in a last-ditch attempt to save the planet from cruel Otis Claw and his followers, the evil Halfmen, who have lost every trace of human goodness and kindness.) https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/halfmen-of-o-9780143318347
The O trilogy – https://www.goodreads.com/series/57343
It’s a pity that the ‘debate’ was highly polarised from the outset and turned into a dichotomy of Plan A and Plan B. The Plan B group did not help their cause whatsoever.
It's not clear to me what the "plan B" lot are actually trying to achieve. Polling makes it look pretty clear the NZ public is solidly behind the elimination strategy, and are ok with being patient about a vaccine potentially happening next year.
If the phase 3 trials that are already underway show all the current candidates to be abject failures, then it's likely there will be a strategy conversation to be had. But for now it just looks like "plan B" are merely trying to sow unhappiness. Their repetition of the "mumps vaccine took four years to develop" just adds to that impression. As a context-free fact, it's true enough, but it's also very relevant that that was over fifty years ago and our knowledge and manufacturing capabilities have improved by orders of magnitude since then.
They want around 45k* infected Kiwis with a third> developing cardiomyopathy. Sweet.
(going by Sweden's numbers)*
https://twitter.com/pupadhyaya_/status/1301544819731451904
Well, yes, that's the likely result. But my poor opinion of them doesn't quite extend to thinking that's the primary objective. Surely they've got something else less shitty they're actually trying to achieve.
Or maybe my view of other humans has taken to heart a bit too much of Jacinda's "kindness".
I'd like to know who's funding them.
https://twitter.com/medickinson/status/1301682314099875840
The WHO special envoy on Coronavirus said on radio that while New Zealand had done well, it should now follow Sweden’s model.
Scientist Michelle Dickinson said on radio that “we’re going with a different strategy now – our last strategy was elimination – now its almost learning to live with a virus.”
https://www.covidplanb.co.nz/category/news-and-videos/
Nope – they just seem to be trying to maintain the
bludgingprofits of the rich."with a third> developing cardiomyopathy."
A third developing myocarditis perhaps, but based on experience with better known viral infections, only a minority will get a dilated cardiomyopathy.
"Viral infection of the heart is relatively common and usually of little consequence. It can, however, lead to substantial cardiac damage and severe acute heart failure. It can also evolve into the progressive syndrome of chronic heart failure."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11123385/
Because Covid19 is a new disease there is limited experience and we will have to wait for further studies to see what proportion of people get myocarditis and in how many the inflammation resolves without the continuing damage that leads to cardiomyopathy.
So anyone who does develop myocarditis post C19 infection can wait for the possibility of spontaneous recovery while new treatments for viral heart disease are awaited.
Cool.
/
It’s a moot point, really, because TINA. Nobody except some Opposition politicians seems to want having a conversation about anything but Plan A at the moment. High public support may be vital in the current context.
The ease with that argument has emerged/resurfaced has definitely given me much to think about in the euthenasia referendum.
It certainly highlights that kind of thought is out there and active. As far as the euthanasia thing goes, I think the safeguards in the process are more than sufficient to stop that kind of abuse from actually happening. So I'll still be a yes vote. But maybe I don't have contact with the wrong circles where the risk is real.
Looking at the yanks, bojo, and our local tories (and one or two fringe parties), I am almost certainly a no. But it's always sat uneasily with me, anyway.
It's a foot in the door.
Possibly. But to me, the guaranteed benefit of giving people control of the end of their lives outweighs the hypothetical risk that is understood and appears to be adequately guarded against.
@garibaldi 1.1
Me too.
My priorities for the election are
If the Greens can help in that endeavour, then great. If not then Ardern either needs to do what no other PM has done since 1951 and win a plurality of the votes or hope there is another small party in the parliament who can give her minority government confidence and supply.
That’s it.
"
My priorities for the election are
No offence intended, but is is quite funny how almost presidential politics has turned for some people.
Ardern herself has said everything is decided by Caucus vote.
While that may be true, her influence on the character of the government is very apparent, and represents a positive for Labour that it has not been able to offer in a generation.
Which is what we should expect of a president – if we had one.
The 1951 National government was the last government voted in with an outright majority of votes. All others since have only had a plurality.
You're right, although in reality before MMP (and the 'party vote') the percentage vote achieved by a party didn't have any real meaning in NZ's electoral system. Really what it means is that in 1951 the votes won by all the National MPs standing in electorates added together came to 54% of the total votes. All that mattered under FPTP though was winning seats. Until 1990 NZ ballot papers didn't even list candidates' party affiliation.
Remarkably, in the last FPTP election (1993), National won 50 out of 99 seats with just 35% of the vote, to Labour's 34.6%. The combined c 27% won by the Alliance and NZ First earned them two seats each. FPTP really was an extremely unfair system.
The police teams that tooled up to terrorise the neighbourhood. According to the story it was Waikato, Counties Manakau and Canterbury selected. But I thought some where running around Palmerston North?
Plus the serious misjudgement that this would make people feel safer??
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300094225/police-armed-response-teams-dumped-because-they-created-fear-documents-show
Filleted.
https://twitter.com/aljwhite/status/1301423616479944704
They are talking about Abbott. And he is good at trade, so despite a number of defects he's okay. And that is how we feel about Australia – has defects but serves a purpose so we can't be too staunch about those cobbers.
Is that Dutton's long lost twin?
Or did the lizard people replicator glitch and run the same recipe twice?
I have made a comment twice in the reds under the beds thread and it has disappeared once i get back to the homepage both times.
Well that one stuck.
They are pending approval by the Author who has opted to moderate all comments under their Post.
The ship, the people and the cows in the typhoon.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/425193/missing-cattle-export-ship-second-survivor-found-unconscious-in-sea
Two people found, one face down, one first officer seemingly okay. Dozens of cows. The engines went down, and then the seas turned them over.
Yep. Fucking tragic.
Hahahahahahahahaha
Peters just proved that he doesn't understand economics as it pertains to the real world. These cattle were exported as breeding stock which means that, in the fullness of time, we won't be exporting cattle any more, or milk or any of the other by-products because China will be out-competing us (which I'm in favour of).
No matter how big we build Gaia is always going to prove that she is still bigger and more powerful than we are.
Yes you don't hear that sort of fact coming up in discussion – the economics of it. We are exporting good breeding stock for a handful of beans! And unless we have a fearless, flight of foot Jack to do something amazing climbing the Beanstalk and running away with the giant's goodies, which would never be allowed, we won't find any high side to this. But who's looking after the country's interest.
And the usual amazement about any event, it never happened in my life before. Everything changes, but I'm still the same.
(Joe Walsh Life's been good to me so far https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ocviQ3ux0)
We didn't do anything when the kiwifruit was sold overseas, and it is a matter of discussion whether having it growing elsewhere ultimately introduced it to the world market better than we could have done. We could at least have tried for a royalty on the genetic material. Till it got pinched.
The winter energy payment ends two weeks before the election. Two weeks.
The amount of Beneficiaries who came out and voted for the first time in 2017 who are about to lose $40 and $60 should worry labour because theyll stay home and it's a couple % that labour will lose.
Labour have ruthlessly created a two tier welfare system at a time when people who were on welfare prior to covid can't get employed because people who lost their jobs cos of COVId will get preference than longer term unemployed people.
The families package doesn't do a damn thing for disabled , mentally unwell, or unemployed people on their own so when labour says they've done enough for Beneficiaries and quote the family package I wanna rip out my hair.
Give all solo Beneficiaries or atleast disabled and mentally unwell Beneficiaries the covid unemployment rate or extend the winter energy payment or you're going to see Beneficiaries stay home, or get angry and even more alienated with govt that they vote nzpp or you'll see unemployment demonstrations and protests.
Disgusting that so many people who support labour on my social media are now realizing they are about to lose a bunch of money in a couple weeks and are furious. There's no jobs for them and they can't afford and don't deserve to live in these conditions.
Some of that kindness please labour. It's gonna cost you electorally to have some of your biggest supporters lose a chunk of change two weeks out from the election
Or they vote for the party that will actually be good for them and vote Green.
yeah, right. Tui.
again, the 25 NZD in benefit increase that the Greens are so proud of is ONLY because of Covid.
Just think about that for a moment, let it marinate, and then again, both the increase in base benefit and the double heating payment did not come about because of the need for this money but because of Covid.
Labour, NZ First and the Greens just gave the very poor as much kindness and gentleness as they had too and not one bit more. And as the fullah above says, and even the governments own adviser group says, Not good enough.
And withoput the Greens we probably wouldn't have seen even that amount.
Having more Green say in government will help ensure that those increases are permanent and even higher. If you don't want that then vote Labour or NZFirst.
To get the transformation that we really need we need the Greens with more power.
Should the greens be returned with say with 5% vote or win central Auckland and achieve less than 5%, Shaw decides to “retire” how does any party cope with a co leader who is not in parliament ? As the next male is ranked 8th, as under my scenario 6 max get in so the next in line would be Golriz.
IMO NZ losses out everytime a political party is removed from parliament. We do need a variety of views there in Wellington.
Russel Norman was co-leader for a couple of years before he went into parliament.
I didn’t know that
not ideal there are parties that have had the next person stand down to enable the one that is desired to be there to make it into parliament
With the in government but not in government thing going on, there may even be some optical benefit in having a co-leader that is not an MP for those occasions when the government does something that is not in line with Green policies and values.
It just happened that Norman was next on the list when Tanczos called it quits. Otherwise he would have had to wait until the election, or persuade those ahead of him to withdraw from the list.
Must be an election coming up. National being socialist, again. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/09/nz-election-2020-national-promises-3000-for-parents-to-spend-on-baby-services-paid-parental-leave-choices.html
Surveillance masquerading as Socialism; nationwide electronic Big data collection on babies ( instead of data with care providers ) and then profiling ( racially ) – aka as the resurrection of " social investment ".
A system that never addressed the deeper causes, offering psychological sweeteners to groom the gullible at election time.
Socialism is about addressing equality and justice for people. This ugly fairy delivering ' save the babies ' policy has its main objective entrenched in economics, saving money.
The social investment model is then privatised through contracting, see the small print -: $3000 is a credit ( for extras on top of free care already available eg. Parenting course) to government nominated and approved agents only.
Has Paula Bennett's legacy slipped from people's minds, did her Valedictory speech accidently mention the way forward was ' social investment' ? "
" ..under a more accurate definition, social investment reflects four characteristics of neo-liberalism: the de-politicisation of the economy and of welfare reform; the economic understanding of the state; the extension of economic rationale to non-economic domains; and the anthropology human capital. Taking this view, while social investment is preferable to welfare retrenchment, it promotes the same kind of citizenship as neo-liberalism, especially in terms of the marginalisation of the role of democracy in regulating the economy."
"Social investment: Diffusing ideas for redesigning citizenship after neo-liberalism? "
Francesco Laruffa
First Published December 31, 2017 Research Article Sage Publications.
Why don’t you provide the link? Easy enough for you when you copy & paste.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0261018317749438
Oh boy. CDC has informed states to be ready to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine by Nov. 1 (2 days before the US election) and to remove all impediments to doing so. Trump isn't going to roll over – he'll lie through his teeth about a vaccine and how he's saved millions of lives. Don't see how they can do proper tests of either efficacy or adverse events in that timeframe?
He's jealous his besties Poots and Xi can just order something to be approved and start jabbing soldiers and doctors. So he's trying to prove he can just order things to happen too, and blame "the Deep State" trying to sabotage him when it doesn't work out.
Just as well nobody's explained the concept of challenge trials to him or he would be ordering them to be done on troops. Or maybe somebody tried and he didn't pay attention.
I've learnt, after studying thousands of marine accident reports, that the causes are not always the obvious ones. And it is best to wait until you have all the facts.
Just a few observations.
TRS do not always follow the expected tracks. In places with limited sea room the options to avoid them are also limited.
The Captain has the responsibility, but little power these days. Especially from places with no labour law protection, like all "Flag of convenience" registries, and most countries that supply crews.
No vessel is hurricane proof. Luck, seamanship, construction, maintenance and design all play a part.
Oh shit. A new death from COVID. Condolences to his family, friends and all others affected.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300100073/coronavirus-auckland-man-dies-in-icu-the-first-death-of-the-cluster
They should have all got themselves bonespurs deferments and been winners at their own personal Vietnams like he was.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/300100019/donald-trump-disparaged-us-war-dead-as-losers-suckers–report
Wonder if it's occurred to him that even a generally solid Repug voting bloc like the military might have their limits when you repeatedly go out of your way to offensively insult them.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/08/31/as-trumps-popularity-slips-in-latest-military-times-poll-more-troops-say-theyll-vote-for-biden/