Roast the roots for tea. good coffee ersatz in times of hardship, but also nice tea and good for the liver. Small leaves are good in salad and bigger ones can be used in a boil up (if nothing else better is there). In Europe dandylions got patches on which they were planted for harvesting.
I am considering actually 'planting' some in a spot so that i can harvest the roots for tea.
Sugar is a natural preservative. You can not make jam/marmalade without sugar.
Unless you are happy to set it with a gelling agent such as gelatin, agar agar, quinoa seeds, yellow pectin / apple core, pear core or the skins thereof but then you have a shelf life of 3 days max, which is not what they are doing, they are stocking up the larder with preserves. Sugar binds water and thus prevents mold. Sugar and salt are the two natural preservatives that are easy to find and easy to use.
Also, it is jam, so how much would you put on a slice of toast?
A week ago John Key's opinions about Covid were all over the media. Relevant experience and expertise: none.
So this week the same media should be banging on his door and asking the tough questions about the Pandora papers and international finance. Something he actually does know about.
Our financial regulations were under the control of former money-trader Key for nearly a decade, in which time the Cook Islands finally abandoned the ghost of an independent currency and fully adopted the NZ$. I seem to recall the NZ$ was at one time during the Key regime, the 6th most traded in the world (though don't know from where to trawl out a link for that).
So it was with some interest that I read this BusinessDesk piece (unfortunately directly quoting violates their website policy). Paraphrasing; the Cook Islands, Samoa, & Vanuatu are specifically mentioned as tax havens or "soft regimes". NZ, and not Australia, is mentioned 4 times as a "venue for a country office"
A 2001 presentation for Latin American clients explored apparently legitimate ways Asiaciti could help a hypothetical Mexican businessman who held offshore assets that “have not been declared to Mexican revenue authorities” and who did not expect to need to bring the money back to Mexico.
It proposed shutting down existing structures in the Caribbean and instead setting up a trust in New Zealand that would own a company in Singapore, which would in turn hold the businessman’s offshore assets.
Asiaciti also promoted the use of a structure available in Samoa, known as “creditor controlled companies”, using legal loopholes to minimise or avoid tax in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Russia and the US.
“The Samoa CCC can be an effective entity in which to accumulate foreign source income and to defer liability to domestic taxes,” Asiaciti staff said in a technical briefing note issued in July 2014.
From a folder in the attic, so to speak, which contains things that seemed to shed a little beam upon the lean and hungry look of yonder Cassius – and still do perhaps. Article by Tom Pullar-Strecker.
No New Zealand clients of Mossack Fonseca have been named, but it would be surprising if there weren't any.
The Inland Revenue Department is trying to negotiate access to the Panama Papers and has advised anyone with dodgy dealings that may be exposed to come forward before it knocks on their door. New Zealand journalists are also seeking access to the documents.
Anything else New Zealand needs to worry about?
New Zealand features as one of the 21 "tax havens" used by Mossack Fonseca and its clients, though Prime Minister John Key has rejected that label.
The issue is that New Zealand is the only country in the OECD where foreigners (other than Australians) can set up trusts without having to register their own identity or any material details of their trust's affairs, and they don't' have to pay tax here on their overseas profits.
I find it hard to see what these Pandora papers have to do with John Key. The main point of the "businessdesk" article is that the activities are going on in New Zealand today. You may like to consider the fact that Key retired as PM about 5 years ago and that we have had a Labour led Government for the last four years.
You really should be asking why they haven't done anything about it shouldn't you?
When I followed that link I happened to notice a reference to another of their stories. This was on Little's re-organisation of the Health system to centralise everything with the abolition of the DHBs.
The author of the article, Dr Powell, regards the proposal as an unmitigated disaster as far as I can see. It is a new organisation that is being promoted without any reason for it being promulgated. Oh well, what is another shambles to add to the current Governments record?
Much better to follow the science rather than read the Herald.
Having said that Michael Plank has just been interviewed on RadioNZ's Nine to Noon. He is not an epidemiologist, but is a mathematical modeller so his views need to be looked at in that light. The key point he made was that there is a great deal of difference in the outcomes between 80% and 90% vaccinated. 80% sounds like a waste of time. (I am assuming Plank's percentages are of the population over 12 years old-Ryan did not ask).
Portugal has vaccinated 88% of its ENTIRE population, and rising.
Assuming Portugal can achieve 90% of the entire population, why can't NZ? I think NZ should look at gradually opening the borders once we have achieved this, and NOT before.
Yeah, it's the effect of each person who gets it infecting, on average, X number of other people within say 2 weeks.
Reff of 3 means that starting with 1, then 1+3, then 1+3+9, then 1+3+9+27 (total 40) can have it within a couple of months.
Reff of 6 means 1, 1+6, 1+6+36, 1+6+36+216 (total 259) in the same period.
80% isn't a waste of time as such (the people will still get lower effects and infections), but we would need to stamp it out much harder and faster than if we were at 90+ vax of total population.
" I think NZ should look at gradually opening the borders once we have achieved this, and NOT before."
Are you seriously suggesting that you want to remain locked up forever? The chance of us reaching that percentage of the population, including our Maori communities, is only infinitesimally different from zero, at least in my opinion.
How would other business cope with that? Because that would be a huge change, and it would affect anyone else too, not just tech companies.
Maybe can we just start giving these guys such as Bezos from Amazon big tax write offs and other tax gifts to come here and create nothing much? that would be a good start.
It's certainly possible, but would work better as a minimum tax e.g. tax on profits but not less than 5% of turnover (to pick a random number out of the air), than as a replacement for income tax on profits, not least because that would incentivise industries with low or no wages if labour costs couldn't be offset against income before taxes were calculated/paid.
You could look at local (NZ) turnover versus local costs and tax the difference – but it has the obvious flaw of not taking into account costs incurred outside NZ that the local operation depends on to generate turnover. These are things like IT systems, R&D, manufacturing plants, etc.
Instead you could try splitting corporate tax into two components – a tax on profits and a social infrastructure contribution. The social infrastructure contribution recognises that no business in NZ can operate without education and healthcare systems for its workers, a viable police force and justice system, roads, energy distribution, etc, etc, etc.. You could set this contribution as a percentage of turnover – then adjust the tax on profits down accordingly so that most businesses aren't paying any more. And genuine start-up businesses might be able to get relief from making this contribution for a period of a few years.
Such a scheme would at least partially catch the big cheats who have the resources to pretend they make no profit here. A name like "social infrastructure contribution" sounds naff, but is actually important, because it is a piece of truth-telling that bypasses the unpleasant connotations of the word "tax".
Don't listen to Mike Hosking, but interested to hear if he comments on his admiration for the now resigned Gladys Berijklian today. Or John Keys's defence of secret trusts.
A Stuff investigation has found more than a third of child support paid by parents to Inland Revenue, totalling more than $900m in the past five years, has been intercepted before it gets to kids.
That’s because of a law that says if a primary caregiver is on a benefit, the Government is entitled to take the child’s support money to recoup the cost of welfare.
For these women, as their wages disappear, so does their child support.
And for the fathers who pay out, it's just another tax.
………..
And they say it creates a nonsensical two-tier system where kids whose mums are in paid work are allowed to keep the money, while the kids of beneficiaries are penalised.
“It’s a flawed and misconceived adult-centric mechanism that is bad for children,” says Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft.
…….
Stay-at-home mum Nikki and her two preschool-aged children were thrown into poverty when she split with her ex-partner. He paid child support of around $300 a week, which the kids didn't receive, while she struggled to find a rental she could afford on the sole parent benefit.
“That money would have made my kids lives so much better, and it could have helped me to get back up on my feet faster,” she says. “They used to be able to have clothes … I can’t tell you how many meals I just didn’t eat so the kids could have a slightly nicer dinner, with vegetables.
“I was really lucky because I was offered a state house. I don’t even know what other people do. We lived in poverty because of it, and that doesn’t seem right.”
oh well, it is in the News, so maybe it gets discussed for a moment or two and then forgotten again.
There is a reason why our poor people, and their poor kids are poor. This is one of them.
An absolute travesty. Andrew Becroft has got to be one of the best Children's Commissioners that understands the way the State suffocates potential through abject poverty.
Oh come on!! Labour and Sepoloni, you need to remove this!! I have been a Labour supporter for Life, but that is shameful poverty caused by the State. Dickensian punitive rules for the poor and struggling need to end!! Just sent off a critical email!!
There was a bloke on the radio this morn imagining that some people might have to give the money back depending on the outcome of Peter Ellis,s appeal .Fat chance !! Alive or dead the likelihood of him getting any real justice is slim indeed .Still making legal history by appealing from the grave is something i guess .
The convictions of Peter Ellis never felt safe or convincing to me.
This was reinforced by 'A City Possessed', Lynley Hood's disturbingly good book on the subject.
The relationship between the investigation officer and a complainant's mum, the severe editing of children's evidence and the social environment the trial occurred in were all against a just trial.
I’m quite excited – or at least very pleased – that the Court has determined that a deceased person’s mana, or reputation – together with that of his whanau, continues to have standing following the death of someone who may have suffered a gross miscarriage of Justice. 🌴
Some good news on the self-contained saliva SARS-CoV-2 front!
With help from funding from the United States Government, MicroGem has developed a simple-to-use and fast saliva Covid-19 test called "Spitfire" and it could be ready for the market within weeks.
Discussions are already under way with MicroGem, University of Otago and district health boards about introducing it in New Zealand.
Users of the mobile test spit into a specially designed plastic receptacle which is then inserted into a box resembling a computer monitor and processed within 25 minutes. Usually, Covid-19 tests take two to three days…
The research and development of Spitfire was completed in the company’s Dunedin lab, with manufacturing completed overseas.
Removing the saliva testing from needing PCR lab time is a major advance, as it frees up those resources. Especially if the processing time can be shortened to 5 (theoretically, or even 10 practically) minutes as "The Boss" suggests in the accompanying South Today video.
However the need for manufactured units is a bit of of a downside, especially with NZ being near the end of the world's supply chain. SHERLOCK was announced back in August and has already gained FDA approval – miSHERLOCK can be 3D printed in reusable handheld units which are cheaper and (apart from the necessary chemicals/ biologicals) don't rely so much on international shipping. There are also two other CRISPR based tests that were announced in September; DETECTR, and FELUDA, which may also have a place in rapidly-processed SARS-CoV-2 testing. But that will come down to the cost/ effectiveness calculations after independent testing which are not yet publicly available.
As compared to the standard WHO/CDC qPCR detection method, which consumes several hours for detection, CRISPR-based SHERLOCK, DETECTR, and FELUDA have emerged as rapid diagnostic tools for the detection of the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2 within an hour with 100% accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity… The approval of SHERLOCK as the first CRISPR-based SARS-CoV-2 test kit by the FDA, for emergency diagnosis of COVID-19 patients, has given positive hope to scientists that sooner human trials of CRISPR-based therapy will be ratified.
Would be nice to get, my essential worker at home has been getting tested once a week now for weeks on end, and he feels like his brain is shrinking. He coveres a huge territory and cold potentially by himself infect the half of the north island should he become a carrier. It would be so lovely to have these available – and affordable.
If found guilty, since he has been one of those most responsible for promoting the conspiracy theories, and undermining public health, he should be sentenced to being breathed on by a Covid patient until he gets it.
The issue here (ww.stuff.co.nz/national/300418067/the-mothers-struggling-to-feed-their-babies-while-the-state-keeps-all-their-child-support) starts with "Why is the State involved?"
Wasn't it because breadwinners left their families destitute and without any support at all. It seems those who had custody of the children became supported by the State via the DPB and that this was to be recovered from the non-custodial parent. Any the excess was then to be paid to the custodial parent. Where both parents have a financially supportive income, the State is not required to be involved but binding agreements should be reached between the relevant parties.
The next question then might be be, "Why is the State not recovering maintenance payments from so many non-custodial parents?"
Can someone please explain three waters to me in two paragraphs. No links (I know how to google), and preferably keep the satire and sarcasm until after there’s a decent explanation.
Citizens and Ratepayers loose the ability to not spend money on water and sewage infrastructure.
Done by combining Council infrastructure into regional entities with professional management and board structures but with the minimum of elected representative control
Yep, but really most of the management and control hasn’t been that flash, hence we had Havelock North and the one just north of Dunedin. Also a very bad thing in Queenstown in 80’s. And a huge wave of issues coming up from Councils that have kicked the can down the road with maintenance over the last 40 years plus
Boards will be appointed by panels comprising Council and Iwi appointees.
Under the new Water Services Act the professional boards and management will be accountable, elected representatives won’t be for some reason
Watercare is the entity that manages the 3 Waters infrastructure of the combined Auckland City
Wellington leaky pipes, Auckland's ongoing problems with shortages, and Environment Canterbury (ECan) becoming a political football, nitrates leaching into Chch water supply.
Poor management/ cost-cutting mentality/ capture by special interests, is endemic.
The main problem we have had in Wellington is that our Mayor(s) and Councillors have, since about the 1986 election, been devoted to building glamorous White Elephants rather than worrying about the infrastructure of the City.
There isn't anything glamourous about the waste water system. Let's build enormously expensive cycleways for a few lycra- clad idiots. They are much more fun to waste the ratepayers money on. Well they are all collapsing.
Although I spotted a probably leak in a water main on the road outside my neighbour’s place last week. I meant to report it but got busy at home & forgot.
Driving in from the supermarket the next day (I exit via a different driveway to the entrance by our letterboxes) I noticed that the leak had quickly progressed to a very large puddle, with water gushing up in a plume about an inch higher than the water surface, & the road surface was collapsing into a hole.
I put the groceries away, went straight online to the Council website, & reported this.
Got an acknowledgement that it had been referred to water services, & a “ticket number”, within an hour, by email, which sayeth thusly:
………………………
“Your ticket has now been passed through for the attention of our Wellington Water team.
If you need to follow up with us please reply to this email or phone us on 04 499 4444 and quote reference number “SR-123456 etc.”
……………………..
A temporary patch job was done by the end of the same day. Next morning a truck crew was back on site at 8.30am. By early afternoon the problem had been permanently fixed, the hole filled in, & a professional-looking asphalt surface laid over top.
There’s also some issues around how the change will affect Councils balance sheets. At present these are underpinned by the valuation of the Councils infrastructure ‘assets’. Take them away and Council finances could get a bit wobbly. Government has wheeled out buckets of cash to solve the problem but there’s a bit of a gap between what Government is offering and Council valuations.
One problem with local democracy is chronic shortage of funds. There was a small Council somewhere north of Auckland that buried itself in debt with water supply problems. And the tales of council incompetence are endless
I think you are referring to Mangawhai WW "… the Mangawhai wastewater system with an estimated cost in October 2005 of $26.26 million that ballooned to a total cost of $63.2 million in July 2009."
"But there are plenty of successful variants of this in operation already."
What would be some examples?
Yes, improvement for Māori, this is really good. Still doesn't fix the LGA or sort out the wider democratic issues there including what happens when there is poor management. Local govt really is the lowest form of democracy.
Just off the top of my head some successfully corporatised entities are:
– All of Christchurch Holdings and its entities
– All of Dunedin Holdings and its entities
– Auckland Airport
– Auckland Film Studios
– Kainga Ora's development entities
– Airports which are half Crown and half local Government owned eg Dunedin.
And yes they have all had major dramas in their 20+year existence. And there are also plenty of failues.
You may not know that Watercare's remit already looks after northern Waikato's water beyond Auckland. It's made plenty of mistakes but since metering and regular pricing tweaks we are far more efficient users of water than we used to be. They are required by law only to charge what is required to produce safe water services.
To me what is missing from the reforms is a national water price regulator. They are after all forming a system at least as powerful as the supermarket duopoly or as powerful as AIAL and CIAL.
Indeed. The super-city model in Auckland is deeply flawed, and it has been made so much worse by the way some of the elected officers operate., however I refuse to believe it cannot be improved.
You are always going to have those people, and their values on councils, and dominating councils.
No one gets elected to local government saying they are going to put the rates up and dig up the streets for the next 10 years. Even an infrastructure focus is hard, voters want things they cam see, like street works and rec centres, not pipes in the ground
that's two failures of democracy. That needs fixing and centralising water infrastructure won't do that. Wasted opportunity. We could be improving democracy.
The last local government reform we had nationwide was in 2002, which softened the terrible 1989 reforms with tonnes of democratic consultative requirements resulting in lots of promises and no funding to do them.
The last regional reform we had was in Auckland in 2010 which under Labour promised better representation for Maori but under National-Act was turned into a deeply undemocratic beast.
We had a little reform last year which made it easier for Councils to make Maori wards
We are also due for very large reform by proxy with the three replacement acts to the Resource Management Act. Coming to a Parliament near you.
None of the above is going to rescue our rivers, guarantee well priced and quality drinking water, or stop it being wasted by agribusiness on its astonishing scale. Just check out the mess in Otago Regional Council.
It cost around $80m to fix those issues, which is not that much considering the government is claiming we need to spend $185Bn on water infrastructure over the next 30 years.
Most councils wouldn't be able to afford it without massive rates increases and asset sales, which they won't do.
I did hear of a council that needs almost zero infrastructure upgrades because they did a deal with fonterra who did it for them (guesses as to what the return side of that non-transaction might be), but this isn't like power poles where you can red-tag the worst and replace them one by one over years.
There's infrastructure that has been ignored because it was buried, infrastructure that should have been expanded with population and surface development but wasn't, and almost all of it is buried under other infrastructure so that you have to dig through/past/around them to reach what you want to repair/upgrade. And half the time it only comes to light with a burst or a sinkhole.
We’re not to bad in Queenstown now, there’s a long line of developers Council can bend over and rape and pillage.
A quite recent occurrence, 30 years ago some really scary shit going down. Generally into the lake or rivers. Arrowtown came close to being shut down in early 90’s. Untreated sewage being discharged from sewage ponds (not working at all) into river
Dr Te Maire Tau is chair of Te Kura Taka Pini (the Ngāi Tahu freshwater group)
"OPINION: When you get past the noise on all sides around the Government’s proposed reform of Three Waters services (drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater) the issues are simple. How do we ensure equitable, affordable, high-quality water services for everyone, while protecting human health and community assets?”
Government is proposing to take a huge future liability off councils.
Hardly an ,"assets grab".
But the storm of bad faith right wing opposition will prevent that, and we will end up with another, camel. “Ask yourself why National is so against the three waters policy. It is not to keep three waters under public control. National don’t even agree with public ownership. It is because with central Government under much greater scrutiny than council’s, makes future privatisation, subcontracting to their mates, polluting rivers and dodgy irrigation schemes much harder in future”.
Something that has arisen because so many councils, run by inept old boys clubs, have stuffed it up.
Not sure if the structure proposed is the answer, but business as usual is not working.
National's objections mostly consist of inaccurate memes and Mis information as usual.
As they cannot state their real reasons without the public seeing right through them.
Two minor additions which have caused some complaining – technically the infrastructure counts as assets, so removing them from the books may affect a council's borrowing ability, and the few places that arguably don't need to chlorinate e.g. Christchurch will lose the ability to make that decision themselves.
Longer term, there is always the possibility that National will change the deal and just sell the new entities.
On the other hand, professionally-managed water and funding and removing the arguments from long term planning.
Yeah, I dont get this big rush to centralization of public assets more localization with a firm govt structure to work within and ability to apply for and recieve funding from a fund for infrastructure is a far better answer better answer in my opinion…
Making these big entities is all fun and games until one day the National/Act partly or fully privatize it perhaps on the pretense of 'paying for covid' or decide to monetize it some other way.
Could see the Nats for example do something similar to Bradford reforms… keep the 'three waters' intact but then add another layer of 'retailers' who then charge for water at a local level and sell those off like the power companies.
Due to years of local government failures and resultant illness in their communities, central government is proposing removing council control of these three water systems. Instead, four regional authorities will be developed. Ownership/ control of these is being discussed with some heat and little light. Details are a bit thin on the ground. Ownership of the water itself rather than the distribution systems is a particularly fraught issue, but not directly part of the proposal as I understand it, at this time.
It is one of those hypocritical things that right wing politicians say and then act otherwise. Councils should only do drinking water, sewerage, stormwater and roads.
Libraries, gardens, pensioner housing, electricity, holiday parks etc all should be done by the private sector.
Yet as these assets got sold off by those right wing politicians and businessmen who got themselves elected to councils did they move the money from selling those assets or from revenue generated if they kept them into maintaining and upgrading those essential systems.
Lots of projects to support private businesses – Hamilton's motor racing cost tens of millions of dollars, Napier Art Deco buses 1.3 million, sister sister projects to encourage trade such as Invercargills Chinese Gardens. I've never ever seen any of these projects that were actually originally instigated by councils themselves – they have always been proposed and driven by "business people" (sometimes elected and sometimes not) and the councils have to implement them.
So the councils have sold off many of their assets previously – or been forced to by wanky governments in the interests of privatisation) and don't have many assets left or income streams other than rates.
Meanwhile their under-investment in infrastructure – and often the removal of the more highly paid infrastructure knowing staff for lower paid newbies) is bringing them problems that they had every chance to prevent occurring but chose not to – despite saying that that is all councils should do.
I find it difficult to blame the council staff who fought many of these things and pointed out the need for them. Quite a few lost their jobs for standing up for this stuff.
3 Waters is about transferring control of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater (the 3 waters) from the democratically elected councils to four regional water entities.
It's essentially based on the 'economies of scale' argument, and is being promoted via a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and a $2.5bn compensation offer to Councils.
The plan has been roundly rejected by the vast majority of Councils (only 7 of he 67 are in support), and as the plan has failed to gain support, the government funded hyperbole has grown to a point of misinformation.
Councils elected by the minority of people who vote. Three waters reminds me of the Priorities piece earlier today.
"Indeed, the Māori way of viewing things is to see the inter-relationships, i.e. the links rather than the nodes of networks. An integrated way of mātauranga Māori and Western science and of seeing both together could be the way forward"
If this is what Mahuta is up to I'll stay interested.
That's a terrific sentiment. But a number of aspects of 3 Waters rings alarm bells with me, including the 'we know best' approach being adopted by Mahuta etc to public opposition, the propaganda and misinformation campaign, and the idea that somehow centralising the management of these services will deliver a better result.
Three waters could cost individual households heaps a new tax outside rates and income tax.
Councils who have already got high quality water will subsidise those councils who haven't invested in good water care.
Labour are now in big trouble with Covid not brought under control Labour's honeymoon is over.If National find a new leader who connects with people the next election is going to be a close run thing.
So now Labour's under real pressure this 3 waters has been widely rejected as unworkable.
Seems just about everyday there's another case popping up with someone going to hospital for unrelated reasons… seems Covid is pretty well embedded in some parts of Auckland seem to be asymptomatic or cases with minor symptoms for the most part.
Must be some much sickier people floating around surely… some of the negative quarantine hotel stories have probably made some very reluctant to seek help or get a test…
Anyone living on the proceeds of crime has to keep on getting out there and doing the crime.No wage subsidies for them .And along with that they would be very averse to getting tested and being questioned about their movements and contacts.
Yeah, I read that apperently he had a gun because he had suffered a 'home invasion' fucking ridiculous the guy is unhinged enough to carry it around in his car… take the time to assemble and load it then lean out the window and fire it at a car to 'scare' them… I'll bet P is involved somewhere along the line…
“Simpson appealed, saying his jail sentence was not the least restrictive outcome in the circumstances and he also should have received home detention.”
…
“Justice Gault said Judge Wharepouri … gave too much priority, when sentencing the brothers, to the fact Dekota Simpson fired the shot. ‘In the circumstances, and having regard to the further evidence on appeal, I consider that was an error’…”
“The actions of Mr Simpson and his brother put the victims and public in considerable danger, and had significant victim impact,” Justice Gault added. “But the Judge accepted that Mr Simpson did not intend to hurt the victims. The lead charge was commission of intentional damage.”
Justice Gault said Simpson’s firing of the shot was not the only relevant factor, but there was a marked difference in sentences for the Simpson brothers. “The further evidence on appeal adds weight to the importance of Mr Simpson’s rehabilitation and reintegration, and of avoiding imprisonment as far as possible.”
He said 19 months’ imprisonment was manifestly excessive. “A sentence of home detention also better reflects parity between Mr Simpson and his brother.”
………………………………
What could have gone wrong? He hit the car’s bumper. He could have disabled the driver & caused the family to crash. I think this sounds like a case where “the least restrictive outcome” perhaps shouldn’t be available as grounds for an appeal.
My pick was 25-50 a day in Auckland at Level 3, after last weeks decision.
By the time it goes to 100 a day later this month it will have spread around New Zealand and thus Auckland borders will end. And we will all have community spread at Level 2.
When hospitals cannot cope (sometime in Nov/Dec) we will go to Level 3 nationwide in December and allow Kiwis to come in for Christmas (as Victoria and NSW are doing from November 1).
Another day, another press conference, another whole lot of nothing about what the government is going to do to get through to the reluctants that are making it difficult to get to 90% vaccination among the eligibles (or even 95% plus of eligibles like Portugal has achieved).
Hardly, let it spread (and maxed out ICU capacity) is more effective than gift tokens and vaccine passports (if they can be obtained without proof of vaccination).
If the strategy is going to be let it rip goin' fowwud, I'm actually not hugely bothered about the effect that's going to have on the unvaccinated.
But it's going to awesomely fkn brutal on our medical staff, and on anyone in need of medical care while the letting it rip is actually ripping. So if that's the plan, I'd like to know what is going to be done to protect the staff and the other patients over that brutal time.
The only thing I can think of for that situation is the government issuing legislative instructions that when triaging needs to happen, unvaccinated covid patients are first on the list be triaged out.
Unfortunate news on your good cop/bad cop strategy for revitalising National. Gareth Morgan was contacted about proposing a vaccine segregated health system during the next election. But he said he doesn't want such an unpopular idea cast beside with his most logical proposal to euthanise everybodies household feline.
Yesterday Winston Peters focussed his attention on the important matter at hand. Tweeting. Like the former, and quite possibly next, orange POTUS, from whom he takes much of his political strategy, Winston is an avid X’er.His message didn’t resemble an historic address this time. In fact it was more reminiscent ...
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
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. ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, today released his decision on twenty recommendations referred to him by the Wellington City Council relating to its Intensification Planning Instrument, after the Council rejected those recommendations of the Independent Hearings Panel and made alternative recommendations. “Wellington notified its District Plan on ...
Rape Awareness Week (6-10 May) is an important opportunity to acknowledge the continued effort required by government and communities to ensure that all New Zealanders can live free from violence, say Ministers Karen Chhour and Louise Upston. “With 1 in 3 women and 1 in 8 men experiencing sexual violence ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards – Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. “Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
With funding set to be scrapped for the Hamilton-Auckland commuter train, Te Huia enthusiast Georgie Dansey argues for it to be thrown a lifeline. It’s 5.45am and the chain of my crappy old bike falls off slugging up the one hill in Hamilton. I contemplate yeeting the bike into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
Productivity apps now make up a big chunk of the software market. But do they work? And why do they all have AI integrations?Despite being firmly on the record as a physical planner fan, I sometimes dream of something better than my pretty diary and its scrawled, ugly, interior ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A,DIV,A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 8 May appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Light but steady rain at Pookden Manor when this was taken. A Flight of the local Sparrow Squadron flies in for lunch.
https://i.imgur.com/huFd7ZM.gif
More of a Sunday morning post (20 min long).
But my kind of influencers…
https://youtu.be/MgKugytvhk8
Roast the roots for tea. good coffee ersatz in times of hardship, but also nice tea and good for the liver. Small leaves are good in salad and bigger ones can be used in a boil up (if nothing else better is there). In Europe dandylions got patches on which they were planted for harvesting.
I am considering actually 'planting' some in a spot so that i can harvest the roots for tea.
I've always loved the cheeriness of dandelions, even when as a child we were digging out of the lawn with a butter knife.
My partner and I are more relaxed in our own. On the list to plant is chicory – the blue dandelion.
(But oh, the amount of sugar going in @ 5.10!)
Sugar is a natural preservative. You can not make jam/marmalade without sugar.
Unless you are happy to set it with a gelling agent such as gelatin, agar agar, quinoa seeds, yellow pectin / apple core, pear core or the skins thereof but then you have a shelf life of 3 days max, which is not what they are doing, they are stocking up the larder with preserves. Sugar binds water and thus prevents mold. Sugar and salt are the two natural preservatives that are easy to find and easy to use.
Also, it is jam, so how much would you put on a slice of toast?
I know. It's just been a while since I made jam, or cooked with sugar.
Also, have been without an oven for three years. Very impressed by all the cooking equipment shown, and somewhat envious.
One day, you come to the shop and we make jam 🙂
Whereabouts is this Molly?
looks east European or Turkey
I would think it is Turkey.
Sent by a friend, watched with my first coffee before hitting the news sites.
Azerbaijan appears at the beginning...I had to look it up on Wikipedia. More closely aligned with Turkey, as Sabine suggests.
Azerbaijan
The Pandora Papers:
A week ago John Key's opinions about Covid were all over the media. Relevant experience and expertise: none.
So this week the same media should be banging on his door and asking the tough questions about the Pandora papers and international finance. Something he actually does know about.
They won't, of course.
John Key was mentioned in the Panama Papers, a simlar huge leak of the criminal activities of wealthy politicians and financiers. (John Key is both).
I wouldn't be surprised if John Key's name pops up in the Pandora Papers, as well.
Even if the newshounds do try to sniff him out, they will probably find he has gone to ground.
John Key only politician directly named in Panama Papers …
https://thestandard.org.nz/why-was-john-key-singled-out-by-panama-papers-hacker/
Our financial regulations were under the control of former money-trader Key for nearly a decade, in which time the Cook Islands finally abandoned the ghost of an independent currency and fully adopted the NZ$. I seem to recall the NZ$ was at one time during the Key regime, the 6th most traded in the world (though don't know from where to trawl out a link for that).
http://www.paclii.org/ck/legis/num_act/caa2005200/
So it was with some interest that I read this BusinessDesk piece (unfortunately directly quoting violates their website policy). Paraphrasing; the Cook Islands, Samoa, & Vanuatu are specifically mentioned as tax havens or "soft regimes". NZ, and not Australia, is mentioned 4 times as a "venue for a country office"
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/policy/nz-in-a-rogues-gallery-in-pandora-papers-disclosures
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/oct/03/offshore-provider-accused-of-failing-to-follow-money-laundering-rules
Being PM of NZ would be a great opportunity for some insider trading (via suitable untraceable third parties of course)
Depending on the character of the incumbent.
From a folder in the attic, so to speak, which contains things that seemed to shed a little beam upon the lean and hungry look of yonder Cassius – and still do perhaps. Article by Tom Pullar-Strecker.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/78614536/qa-panama-papers-fallout-has-only-just-begun?rm=m
I find it hard to see what these Pandora papers have to do with John Key. The main point of the "businessdesk" article is that the activities are going on in New Zealand today. You may like to consider the fact that Key retired as PM about 5 years ago and that we have had a Labour led Government for the last four years.
You really should be asking why they haven't done anything about it shouldn't you?
When I followed that link I happened to notice a reference to another of their stories. This was on Little's re-organisation of the Health system to centralise everything with the abolition of the DHBs.
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/health/health-systems-ships-passing-in-the-night
The author of the article, Dr Powell, regards the proposal as an unmitigated disaster as far as I can see. It is a new organisation that is being promoted without any reason for it being promulgated. Oh well, what is another shambles to add to the current Governments record?
"You may like to consider the fact that Key retired as PM about 5 years ago"
This was also true a week ago.
The Herald appears to be paying a price for encouraging its columnists to white-ant the Covid response.
The sooner it goes belly-up and is replaced by something with a soupçon of actual journalism, the better.
Much better to follow the science rather than read the Herald.
Having said that Michael Plank has just been interviewed on RadioNZ's Nine to Noon. He is not an epidemiologist, but is a mathematical modeller so his views need to be looked at in that light. The key point he made was that there is a great deal of difference in the outcomes between 80% and 90% vaccinated. 80% sounds like a waste of time. (I am assuming Plank's percentages are of the population over 12 years old-Ryan did not ask).
Portugal has vaccinated 88% of its ENTIRE population, and rising.
Assuming Portugal can achieve 90% of the entire population, why can't NZ? I think NZ should look at gradually opening the borders once we have achieved this, and NOT before.
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon
Yeah, it's the effect of each person who gets it infecting, on average, X number of other people within say 2 weeks.
Reff of 3 means that starting with 1, then 1+3, then 1+3+9, then 1+3+9+27 (total 40) can have it within a couple of months.
Reff of 6 means 1, 1+6, 1+6+36, 1+6+36+216 (total 259) in the same period.
80% isn't a waste of time as such (the people will still get lower effects and infections), but we would need to stamp it out much harder and faster than if we were at 90+ vax of total population.
" I think NZ should look at gradually opening the borders once we have achieved this, and NOT before."
Are you seriously suggesting that you want to remain locked up forever? The chance of us reaching that percentage of the population, including our Maori communities, is only infinitesimally different from zero, at least in my opinion.
Opening up means thousands of deaths. Unless you want thousands of deaths, we must remain closed. It's really that simple.
Closed borders are not the same as lockdowns, of course.
NZ has had arguably the world's best Covid response to date.
I think we can get over 90% using carrot and stick.
A must read on the Spinoff.
Time to do something about the tech giants.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/03-10-2021/we-regulate-big-oil-and-big-tobacco-its-time-to-do-the-same-for-big-tech/
Is it legally possible to tax turnover, not profit?
How would other business cope with that? Because that would be a huge change, and it would affect anyone else too, not just tech companies.
Maybe can we just start giving these guys such as Bezos from Amazon big tax write offs and other tax gifts to come here and create nothing much? that would be a good start.
of course, not give them free money or rebates. 🙂
need moar coffee.
It's certainly possible, but would work better as a minimum tax e.g. tax on profits but not less than 5% of turnover (to pick a random number out of the air), than as a replacement for income tax on profits, not least because that would incentivise industries with low or no wages if labour costs couldn't be offset against income before taxes were calculated/paid.
We do, its called GST.
You could look at local (NZ) turnover versus local costs and tax the difference – but it has the obvious flaw of not taking into account costs incurred outside NZ that the local operation depends on to generate turnover. These are things like IT systems, R&D, manufacturing plants, etc.
Instead you could try splitting corporate tax into two components – a tax on profits and a social infrastructure contribution. The social infrastructure contribution recognises that no business in NZ can operate without education and healthcare systems for its workers, a viable police force and justice system, roads, energy distribution, etc, etc, etc.. You could set this contribution as a percentage of turnover – then adjust the tax on profits down accordingly so that most businesses aren't paying any more. And genuine start-up businesses might be able to get relief from making this contribution for a period of a few years.
Such a scheme would at least partially catch the big cheats who have the resources to pretend they make no profit here. A name like "social infrastructure contribution" sounds naff, but is actually important, because it is a piece of truth-telling that bypasses the unpleasant connotations of the word "tax".
Not really workable. There are huge variations in turnover/profit ratio with different businesses.
For example, a law firm will have most of their turnover going to earnings, while a building company could have less than 10%.
It works for comparing diferent businesses, in the same industry to detect tax evasion, however
Don't listen to Mike Hosking, but interested to hear if he comments on his admiration for the now resigned Gladys Berijklian today. Or John Keys's defence of secret trusts.
Unlikely, that's what a journalist would do not captain rant.
He's on holiday this week. The guy standing in for him is much better to listen to.
More importantly, same ads though, I would assume.
“Hoskins on holiday this week.”
A planned holiday, or a "managed retreat?"
I think from memory he usually has the school holidays off.
Oh shit ,does that mean that him and her have kids, ??
Shouldn't be allowed
Mustn’t visit the sins of the parents on the offspring.
Sometimes kids turn out ok no matter what their parents are like.
Neve, for example, many NEVER crash a tractor.
And this shameful practice is still happening.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300418067/the-mothers-struggling-to-feed-their-babies-while-the-state-keeps-all-their-child-support
oh well, it is in the News, so maybe it gets discussed for a moment or two and then forgotten again.
There is a reason why our poor people, and their poor kids are poor. This is one of them.
That policy is shameful and needs to be removed faster than "medium term work programme".
Bloody with you on this one.
It's why back in the day people used to make private child support arrangements if they could, although I'd imagine they've cracked down on these.
The entire family break-up industry is a disgrace, it rips everyone off and leaves the kids vulnerable and worse off as a rule.
An absolute travesty. Andrew Becroft has got to be one of the best Children's Commissioners that understands the way the State suffocates potential through abject poverty.
Oh come on!! Labour and Sepoloni, you need to remove this!! I have been a Labour supporter for Life, but that is shameful poverty caused by the State. Dickensian punitive rules for the poor and struggling need to end!! Just sent off a critical email!!
There was a bloke on the radio this morn imagining that some people might have to give the money back depending on the outcome of Peter Ellis,s appeal .Fat chance !! Alive or dead the likelihood of him getting any real justice is slim indeed .Still making legal history by appealing from the grave is something i guess .
The convictions of Peter Ellis never felt safe or convincing to me.
This was reinforced by 'A City Possessed', Lynley Hood's disturbingly good book on the subject.
The relationship between the investigation officer and a complainant's mum, the severe editing of children's evidence and the social environment the trial occurred in were all against a just trial.
I’m quite excited – or at least very pleased – that the Court has determined that a deceased person’s mana, or reputation – together with that of his whanau, continues to have standing following the death of someone who may have suffered a gross miscarriage of Justice. 🌴
Some good news on the self-contained saliva SARS-CoV-2 front!
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/saliva-test-developed-dunedin-quick-and-simple-use
Removing the saliva testing from needing PCR lab time is a major advance, as it frees up those resources. Especially if the processing time can be shortened to 5 (theoretically, or even 10 practically) minutes as "The Boss" suggests in the accompanying South Today video.
However the need for manufactured units is a bit of of a downside, especially with NZ being near the end of the world's supply chain. SHERLOCK was announced back in August and has already gained FDA approval – miSHERLOCK can be 3D printed in reusable handheld units which are cheaper and (apart from the necessary chemicals/ biologicals) don't rely so much on international shipping. There are also two other CRISPR based tests that were announced in September; DETECTR, and FELUDA, which may also have a place in rapidly-processed SARS-CoV-2 testing. But that will come down to the cost/ effectiveness calculations after independent testing which are not yet publicly available.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8450312/
Thanks – very encouraging developments for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
My sinuses say thankyou
Would be nice to get, my essential worker at home has been getting tested once a week now for weeks on end, and he feels like his brain is shrinking. He coveres a huge territory and cold potentially by himself infect the half of the north island should he become a carrier. It would be so lovely to have these available – and affordable.
September 1: "A man has been charged with filing false candidate donations and obtaining a total of $15,000 by deception.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300396557/man-accused-of-filing-false-electoral-donations-obtaining-by-deception
October 4: Billy Te Kahika Jr to have jury trial for fraud, Electoral Act charges
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/billy-te-kahika-jr-to-have-jury-trial-for-fraud-electoral-act-charges/NYIIR5KZGAXB6VRO2QAEBWXRJI/
If found guilty, since he has been one of those most responsible for promoting the conspiracy theories, and undermining public health, he should be sentenced to being breathed on by a Covid patient until he gets it.
"until he gets it."
I don't think he'll ever "get it". He's too impervious to logic……….. Is that what you meant?
The issue here (ww.stuff.co.nz/national/300418067/the-mothers-struggling-to-feed-their-babies-while-the-state-keeps-all-their-child-support) starts with "Why is the State involved?"
Wasn't it because breadwinners left their families destitute and without any support at all. It seems those who had custody of the children became supported by the State via the DPB and that this was to be recovered from the non-custodial parent. Any the excess was then to be paid to the custodial parent. Where both parents have a financially supportive income, the State is not required to be involved but binding agreements should be reached between the relevant parties.
The next question then might be be, "Why is the State not recovering maintenance payments from so many non-custodial parents?"
Ode to FJK.
https://twitter.com/NewsroomNZ/status/1444376929239511044?s=20
😀 👍🏼
Can someone please explain three waters to me in two paragraphs. No links (I know how to google), and preferably keep the satire and sarcasm until after there’s a decent explanation.
Citizens and Ratepayers loose the ability to not spend money on water and sewage infrastructure.
Done by combining Council infrastructure into regional entities with professional management and board structures but with the minimum of elected representative control
Kind of like Watercare in Auckland
so they're taking management and infrastructure out of council control? Who is appointing managers and boards?
Don't know what Watercare is.
Yep, but really most of the management and control hasn’t been that flash, hence we had Havelock North and the one just north of Dunedin. Also a very bad thing in Queenstown in 80’s. And a huge wave of issues coming up from Councils that have kicked the can down the road with maintenance over the last 40 years plus
Boards will be appointed by panels comprising Council and Iwi appointees.
Under the new Water Services Act the professional boards and management will be accountable, elected representatives won’t be for some reason
Watercare is the entity that manages the 3 Waters infrastructure of the combined Auckland City
Wellington leaky pipes, Auckland's ongoing problems with shortages, and Environment Canterbury (ECan) becoming a political football, nitrates leaching into Chch water supply.
Poor management/ cost-cutting mentality/ capture by special interests, is endemic.
The main problem we have had in Wellington is that our Mayor(s) and Councillors have, since about the 1986 election, been devoted to building glamorous White Elephants rather than worrying about the infrastructure of the City.
There isn't anything glamourous about the waste water system. Let's build enormously expensive cycleways for a few lycra- clad idiots. They are much more fun to waste the ratepayers money on. Well they are all collapsing.
Same in Auckland.
same everywhere.
Got it in one there, alwyn.
Although I spotted a probably leak in a water main on the road outside my neighbour’s place last week. I meant to report it but got busy at home & forgot.
Driving in from the supermarket the next day (I exit via a different driveway to the entrance by our letterboxes) I noticed that the leak had quickly progressed to a very large puddle, with water gushing up in a plume about an inch higher than the water surface, & the road surface was collapsing into a hole.
I put the groceries away, went straight online to the Council website, & reported this.
Got an acknowledgement that it had been referred to water services, & a “ticket number”, within an hour, by email, which sayeth thusly:
………………………
“Your ticket has now been passed through for the attention of our Wellington Water team.
If you need to follow up with us please reply to this email or phone us on 04 499 4444 and quote reference number “SR-123456 etc.”
……………………..
A temporary patch job was done by the end of the same day. Next morning a truck crew was back on site at 8.30am. By early afternoon the problem had been permanently fixed, the hole filled in, & a professional-looking asphalt surface laid over top.
So, big ups WCC Water Team. 👍🏼 🐧
There’s also some issues around how the change will affect Councils balance sheets. At present these are underpinned by the valuation of the Councils infrastructure ‘assets’. Take them away and Council finances could get a bit wobbly. Government has wheeled out buckets of cash to solve the problem but there’s a bit of a gap between what Government is offering and Council valuations.
why not instead fix the Local Government Act so that local authorities are required to meet specific standards and be responsive to local needs?
What are the regional boundaries being proposed?
I mean, isn't the Havelock North fuck up a function of values and who was on council?
Labour's response is to centralise and semi-privatise, instead of taking the opportunity to improve democracy.
Semi-privatise?! I hope not.
One problem with local democracy is chronic shortage of funds. There was a small Council somewhere north of Auckland that buried itself in debt with water supply problems. And the tales of council incompetence are endless
those problems still need solving.
I think you are referring to Mangawhai WW "… the Mangawhai wastewater system with an estimated cost in October 2005 of $26.26 million that ballooned to a total cost of $63.2 million in July 2009."
https://www.interest.co.nz/bonds/60974/heavily-indebted-and-disgraced-kaipara-district-council-raises-fears-over-bailing-out
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/council-takes-former-ceo-to-court-over-wastewater-scheme-6064764
They are improving democracy by proposing getting Maori represented to 50% on water for the first time in NZ.
It’s certainly looking like corporatisation. But there are plenty of successful variants of this in operation already.
Long way to go on this one, but status quo isn't an option.
"But there are plenty of successful variants of this in operation already."
What would be some examples?
Yes, improvement for Māori, this is really good. Still doesn't fix the LGA or sort out the wider democratic issues there including what happens when there is poor management. Local govt really is the lowest form of democracy.
Just off the top of my head some successfully corporatised entities are:
– All of Christchurch Holdings and its entities
– All of Dunedin Holdings and its entities
– Auckland Airport
– Auckland Film Studios
– Kainga Ora's development entities
– Airports which are half Crown and half local Government owned eg Dunedin.
And yes they have all had major dramas in their 20+year existence. And there are also plenty of failues.
You may not know that Watercare's remit already looks after northern Waikato's water beyond Auckland. It's made plenty of mistakes but since metering and regular pricing tweaks we are far more efficient users of water than we used to be. They are required by law only to charge what is required to produce safe water services.
To me what is missing from the reforms is a national water price regulator. They are after all forming a system at least as powerful as the supermarket duopoly or as powerful as AIAL and CIAL.
Indeed. The super-city model in Auckland is deeply flawed, and it has been made so much worse by the way some of the elected officers operate., however I refuse to believe it cannot be improved.
No, that wasn't what caused it. There was a long government investigtion.
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/environmental-health/drinking-water/government-inquiry-havelock-north-drinking-water-outbreak/government-inquiry-havelock-north-drinking-water-outbreak-implemented-recommendations
are you saying it was on the MoH?
The reports, and resultant reform and legislative actions are available to you. No need to speculate.
You are always going to have those people, and their values on councils, and dominating councils.
No one gets elected to local government saying they are going to put the rates up and dig up the streets for the next 10 years. Even an infrastructure focus is hard, voters want things they cam see, like street works and rec centres, not pipes in the ground
that's two failures of democracy. That needs fixing and centralising water infrastructure won't do that. Wasted opportunity. We could be improving democracy.
The last local government reform we had nationwide was in 2002, which softened the terrible 1989 reforms with tonnes of democratic consultative requirements resulting in lots of promises and no funding to do them.
The last regional reform we had was in Auckland in 2010 which under Labour promised better representation for Maori but under National-Act was turned into a deeply undemocratic beast.
We had a little reform last year which made it easier for Councils to make Maori wards
We are also due for very large reform by proxy with the three replacement acts to the Resource Management Act. Coming to a Parliament near you.
None of the above is going to rescue our rivers, guarantee well priced and quality drinking water, or stop it being wasted by agribusiness on its astonishing scale. Just check out the mess in Otago Regional Council.
It cost around $80m to fix those issues, which is not that much considering the government is claiming we need to spend $185Bn on water infrastructure over the next 30 years.
Most councils wouldn't be able to afford it without massive rates increases and asset sales, which they won't do.
I did hear of a council that needs almost zero infrastructure upgrades because they did a deal with fonterra who did it for them (guesses as to what the return side of that non-transaction might be), but this isn't like power poles where you can red-tag the worst and replace them one by one over years.
There's infrastructure that has been ignored because it was buried, infrastructure that should have been expanded with population and surface development but wasn't, and almost all of it is buried under other infrastructure so that you have to dig through/past/around them to reach what you want to repair/upgrade. And half the time it only comes to light with a burst or a sinkhole.
if the money is there via three waters why can't that money be there via another system?
Funnelling central govt money to the councils who neglected their water supplies for decades?
Watch that lolly scramble.
We’re not to bad in Queenstown now, there’s a long line of developers Council can bend over and rape and pillage.
A quite recent occurrence, 30 years ago some really scary shit going down. Generally into the lake or rivers. Arrowtown came close to being shut down in early 90’s. Untreated sewage being discharged from sewage ponds (not working at all) into river
bonusses to having a huge tourist industry on your waterways, I guess. Chamber of commerce incentive to sort it.
Na. Ngai Tahu sitting across the table with arms folded and a stern look
🙂
Dr Te Maire Tau is chair of Te Kura Taka Pini (the Ngāi Tahu freshwater group)
"OPINION: When you get past the noise on all sides around the Government’s proposed reform of Three Waters services (drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater) the issues are simple. How do we ensure equitable, affordable, high-quality water services for everyone, while protecting human health and community assets?”
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/126548058/three-waters-reforms-are-an-opportunity-to-share-our-strengths-working-together
Government is proposing to take a huge future liability off councils.
Hardly an ,"assets grab".
But the storm of bad faith right wing opposition will prevent that, and we will end up with another, camel. “Ask yourself why National is so against the three waters policy. It is not to keep three waters under public control. National don’t even agree with public ownership. It is because with central Government under much greater scrutiny than council’s, makes future privatisation, subcontracting to their mates, polluting rivers and dodgy irrigation schemes much harder in future”.
Something that has arisen because so many councils, run by inept old boys clubs, have stuffed it up.
Not sure if the structure proposed is the answer, but business as usual is not working.
National's objections mostly consist of inaccurate memes and Mis information as usual.
As they cannot state their real reasons without the public seeing right through them.
+1
This is an excellent summary.
Two minor additions which have caused some complaining – technically the infrastructure counts as assets, so removing them from the books may affect a council's borrowing ability, and the few places that arguably don't need to chlorinate e.g. Christchurch will lose the ability to make that decision themselves.
Longer term, there is always the possibility that National will change the deal and just sell the new entities.
On the other hand, professionally-managed water and funding and removing the arguments from long term planning.
jfc. Longer term as in next time National are in power? So short term really if we are talking about water.
Yeah, I dont get this big rush to centralization of public assets more localization with a firm govt structure to work within and ability to apply for and recieve funding from a fund for infrastructure is a far better answer better answer in my opinion…
Making these big entities is all fun and games until one day the National/Act partly or fully privatize it perhaps on the pretense of 'paying for covid' or decide to monetize it some other way.
Its a daft idea for a bunch of reasons.
Could see the Nats for example do something similar to Bradford reforms… keep the 'three waters' intact but then add another layer of 'retailers' who then charge for water at a local level and sell those off like the power companies.
The three waters are:
Due to years of local government failures and resultant illness in their communities, central government is proposing removing council control of these three water systems. Instead, four regional authorities will be developed. Ownership/ control of these is being discussed with some heat and little light. Details are a bit thin on the ground. Ownership of the water itself rather than the distribution systems is a particularly fraught issue, but not directly part of the proposal as I understand it, at this time.
Everyone wants brilliant drinking water and great systems for dealing with storm and waste water so they don't impact on waterways, lakes and ocean.
But no-one wants to pay.
It is one of those hypocritical things that right wing politicians say and then act otherwise. Councils should only do drinking water, sewerage, stormwater and roads.
Libraries, gardens, pensioner housing, electricity, holiday parks etc all should be done by the private sector.
Yet as these assets got sold off by those right wing politicians and businessmen who got themselves elected to councils did they move the money from selling those assets or from revenue generated if they kept them into maintaining and upgrading those essential systems.
Lots of projects to support private businesses – Hamilton's motor racing cost tens of millions of dollars, Napier Art Deco buses 1.3 million, sister sister projects to encourage trade such as Invercargills Chinese Gardens. I've never ever seen any of these projects that were actually originally instigated by councils themselves – they have always been proposed and driven by "business people" (sometimes elected and sometimes not) and the councils have to implement them.
So the councils have sold off many of their assets previously – or been forced to by wanky governments in the interests of privatisation) and don't have many assets left or income streams other than rates.
Meanwhile their under-investment in infrastructure – and often the removal of the more highly paid infrastructure knowing staff for lower paid newbies) is bringing them problems that they had every chance to prevent occurring but chose not to – despite saying that that is all councils should do.
I find it difficult to blame the council staff who fought many of these things and pointed out the need for them. Quite a few lost their jobs for standing up for this stuff.
3 Waters is about transferring control of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater (the 3 waters) from the democratically elected councils to four regional water entities.
It's essentially based on the 'economies of scale' argument, and is being promoted via a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and a $2.5bn compensation offer to Councils.
The plan has been roundly rejected by the vast majority of Councils (only 7 of he 67 are in support), and as the plan has failed to gain support, the government funded hyperbole has grown to a point of misinformation.
It's a dog of an idea.
Councils elected by the minority of people who vote. Three waters reminds me of the Priorities piece earlier today.
"Indeed, the Māori way of viewing things is to see the inter-relationships, i.e. the links rather than the nodes of networks. An integrated way of mātauranga Māori and Western science and of seeing both together could be the way forward"
If this is what Mahuta is up to I'll stay interested.
That's a terrific sentiment. But a number of aspects of 3 Waters rings alarm bells with me, including the 'we know best' approach being adopted by Mahuta etc to public opposition, the propaganda and misinformation campaign, and the idea that somehow centralising the management of these services will deliver a better result.
Three waters could cost individual households heaps a new tax outside rates and income tax.
Councils who have already got high quality water will subsidise those councils who haven't invested in good water care.
Labour are now in big trouble with Covid not brought under control Labour's honeymoon is over.If National find a new leader who connects with people the next election is going to be a close run thing.
So now Labour's under real pressure this 3 waters has been widely rejected as unworkable.
The Charge Brian Tamaki petition at https://www.change.org/p/nz-police-commissioner-charge-brian-tamaki-over-the-illegal-protest?redirect=false has topped 40,000 signatures.
Signatures pouring in. With a bit of luck they will be at 100,000 by end of day.
97,444 by 7pm tonight.
The prejudice and fear of people who can count beyond ten will decide the final number, not "luck".
Freedom, Freedom, Freedom,
Shout the angry anti vacs',
Sick of signs of Freedom fools,
With misinformation cracks.
Well here's a Freedom sign,
It will help you for your breath,
Go you and get vaccinated,
That is Freedom from your death.
Seems just about everyday there's another case popping up with someone going to hospital for unrelated reasons… seems Covid is pretty well embedded in some parts of Auckland seem to be asymptomatic or cases with minor symptoms for the most part.
Must be some much sickier people floating around surely… some of the negative quarantine hotel stories have probably made some very reluctant to seek help or get a test…
Gang members and transients find it hard to participate in "civilised" society. Contact tracers and cops have their work cut out for sure.
Anyone living on the proceeds of crime has to keep on getting out there and doing the crime.No wage subsidies for them .And along with that they would be very averse to getting tested and being questioned about their movements and contacts.
What the hell is going on in the heads of our judges? A guy fires a shotgun at a family in a car and gets home detention?
NZ is going to get like that movie "The Purge" shortly.
Auckland motorway road rage shooter's jail term thrown out, gets home detention instead – NZ Herald
Yeah, I read that apperently he had a gun because he had suffered a 'home invasion' fucking ridiculous the guy is unhinged enough to carry it around in his car… take the time to assemble and load it then lean out the window and fire it at a car to 'scare' them… I'll bet P is involved somewhere along the line…
“Simpson appealed, saying his jail sentence was not the least restrictive outcome in the circumstances and he also should have received home detention.”
…
“Justice Gault said Judge Wharepouri … gave too much priority, when sentencing the brothers, to the fact Dekota Simpson fired the shot. ‘In the circumstances, and having regard to the further evidence on appeal, I consider that was an error’…”
“The actions of Mr Simpson and his brother put the victims and public in considerable danger, and had significant victim impact,” Justice Gault added. “But the Judge accepted that Mr Simpson did not intend to hurt the victims. The lead charge was commission of intentional damage.”
Justice Gault said Simpson’s firing of the shot was not the only relevant factor, but there was a marked difference in sentences for the Simpson brothers. “The further evidence on appeal adds weight to the importance of Mr Simpson’s rehabilitation and reintegration, and of avoiding imprisonment as far as possible.”
He said 19 months’ imprisonment was manifestly excessive. “A sentence of home detention also better reflects parity between Mr Simpson and his brother.”
………………………………
What could have gone wrong? He hit the car’s bumper. He could have disabled the driver & caused the family to crash. I think this sounds like a case where “the least restrictive outcome” perhaps shouldn’t be available as grounds for an appeal.
My pick was 25-50 a day in Auckland at Level 3, after last weeks decision.
By the time it goes to 100 a day later this month it will have spread around New Zealand and thus Auckland borders will end. And we will all have community spread at Level 2.
When hospitals cannot cope (sometime in Nov/Dec) we will go to Level 3 nationwide in December and allow Kiwis to come in for Christmas (as Victoria and NSW are doing from November 1).
Key has got his way.
pardon? Key has not been in power fora very long time, the current government has made this determination.
Elimination was important.
Sounds to me like like the government's thrown in the towel.
Another day, another press conference, another whole lot of nothing about what the government is going to do to get through to the reluctants that are making it difficult to get to 90% vaccination among the eligibles (or even 95% plus of eligibles like Portugal has achieved).
Suggestion: Don't watch the press conferences.
I don't. I just check the written live blogs every now and then in between doing other stuff on my confuser.
Hardly, let it spread (and maxed out ICU capacity) is more effective than gift tokens and vaccine passports (if they can be obtained without proof of vaccination).
If the strategy is going to be let it rip goin' fowwud, I'm actually not hugely bothered about the effect that's going to have on the unvaccinated.
But it's going to awesomely fkn brutal on our medical staff, and on anyone in need of medical care while the letting it rip is actually ripping. So if that's the plan, I'd like to know what is going to be done to protect the staff and the other patients over that brutal time.
The only thing I can think of for that situation is the government issuing legislative instructions that when triaging needs to happen, unvaccinated covid patients are first on the list be triaged out.
Unfortunate news on your good cop/bad cop strategy for revitalising National. Gareth Morgan was contacted about proposing a vaccine segregated health system during the next election. But he said he doesn't want such an unpopular idea cast beside with his most logical proposal to euthanise everybodies household feline.
Thankfully New Zealand hasn't instituted an apartheid system yet, but the ugly way some smart people are talking, perhaps we're not far off..