Open mike 05/08/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, August 5th, 2024 - 81 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

81 comments on “Open mike 05/08/2024 ”

  1. SPC 1

    For decades women get fobbed off because it required surgery to verify a diagnosis …

    Wynn-Williams said that international recommendations encourage more ultrasounds and MRIs – instead of surgery – for a quicker diagnosis. Meanwhile, many endometriosis sufferers are hoping for more recognition and research into the condition.

    https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/08/04/decade-to-diagnosis-endometriosis-sufferers-agonising-wait/

    Can Health New Zealand deliver, or do younger women have less political clout than older people – cancer drugs, hip and knee repalcements …

    • Belladonna 1.1

      Getting even an ultrasound or MRI is seriously challenging in the health system ATM.

      I have both friends and family members with Endo – and it can be a crippling condition, affecting quality of life (and, sometimes the ability to have children), but also (more importantly from the Government perspective), the ability to hold a job, and progress a career.

      But, the same can be said, with equal justification for knee and hip replacements (although, possibly not affecting the ability to have children 🙂 )

      • Kay 1.1.1

        Most surgeries can be justified on those grounds. I detest the use of the word 'elective', since no-one chooses to go through the process of a surgery with all the associated risks if it wasn't necessary (except perhaps, self-absorbed celebrities and their cosmetic surgeries).

        Now, your ability to receive surgery in the public system seems to more depend on how quickly you'll be dead without it. Appendix, yep. Cataracts, they won't kill you.

        • Belladonna 1.1.1.1

          Guess that there's still a post-code lottery going then – because my experience (in Auckland) differs. Cataracts – yep, you can get on the list for a publicly funded one (just one eye) – it might take 9 months or so to get to the top of the list. Knee replacement surgery – not a chance, sunshine. It's either private or not at all.

          • Jilly Bee 1.1.1.1.1

            I was assessed at Waikato Hospital in March last year for knee replacement surgery. I was told that it needed to happen and that I would go onto the waiting list. I half expected that to be the end of the saga for months if not years, but it all happened in September – I was operated on at Southern Cross Hospital, Hamilton, after having been advised I may well be transfered to a private hospital in Rotoroa, Hamilton or even Auckland. Of course this all happened before the General Election last year, so I have no idea what would happen now.

            • Belladonna 1.1.1.1.1.1

              Guess that it is an example of different 'rules' in different geographical areas.

            • Drowsy M. Kram 1.1.1.1.1.2

              Guess Dr Levy will attempt to 'fix' regional inequities in public health services.

        • Visubversa 1.1.1.2

          Cataracts won't kill you – but they can stop you doing your job. They can stop you driving, they can stop you from reading, they can make using a computer very difficult. Mine also stopped my voluntary work.

          My eyes are complex – it took 6 months to get all the calculations done for my last surgery. I operated on one and a half eyes for about 8 months. I spend a lot of my $$ on health insurance because of the difficulties with my eyes. I have a corneal graft in one eye, and a very expensive bit of plastic in the other eye.

          After the last surgery which also cleared up a cataract, I can actually see to get safely to the bathroom at night without my contact lenses. I cannot have corrective glasses because the irregularities of my corneas require the use of hard contact lenses.

          My first surgery took nearly 3 years to get right. Corneal grafts are very hard to do – I got very used to seeing someone coming at my eye with a scalpel and a pair of tweezers as they took out the various stitches.

  2. Descendant Of Smith 3

    Good to see the punks taking on the racist right wing fascists in the UK (once again).

    Punks – in town for the annual Rebellion festival – squared off against men in football shirts, separated only by police.

    “England ‘till I die” and “We want our country back,” crowds chanted, alongside: “Oh, Tommy Robinson,” and “Protect our kids.”

    “Where the f*** were you in Leeds?” Others shouted.

    Counter-protesters returned verbal volleys of: “Nazi scum off our streets” as bottles were thrown and minor skirmishes broke out.

    One woman holding a placard saying “Thugs (and) racists not welcome” had it torn from her hands as crowds pushed from the town hall to the Metropole and as sirens filled the summer air.

    https://thelead.uk/skirmishes-and-simmering-tensions-blackpool-protest-wake-southport-attacks-takes-place

    10,000 anti fascist punks are in Blackpool for Rebellion Festival. Safe to say the little Tommy lads misjudged this, like most of their pitiful life decisions. They ran away. Moral of the story: Don’t fuck with punks, they hate the far right.

    https://x.com/supertanskiii/status/1819880615853859318

    Some things remain constant.

    Dead Kennedys – Nazi Punks Fuck Off

    • Barfly 3.1

      Tommy Robinson? oh you mean Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon who is skulking in Cyprus hiding from his court case.

      • Descendant Of Smith 3.1.1

        Well technically I don't mean that. The right wing fascists chanting it do though.

        His plea to Trump was pretty pathetic though. Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, Paul Gosar amongst his supporters. Noting he also has supporters in New Zealand including some who petitioned for his release from jail.

        I feel like I'm two days away from being sentenced to death in the U.K. for journalism. Today, I am calling on the help of Donald Trump, his administration and the Republican Party to grant me and my family political asylum in the United States of America. … I beg Donald Trump, I beg the American government, to look at my case. I need evacuation from this country because dark forces are at work. … This is a direct appeal on behalf of my family – we love the United States, I have no future here [in Britain]. The country has fallen.

      • joe90 3.1.2

        All roads lead to Farage.

        1/ 🧵Just did a network analysis of the "far right thugs unite" hashtag. It largely seems to be a simulated scandal/outrage to promote the Reform Party and Nigel Farage and – while also being an attack on Keir Starmer.

        https://x.com/marcowenjones/status/1820114563469127841

        https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1820114563469127841.html

        Farage was also described on Wednesday as “nothing better than a Tommy Robinson in a suit” by Brendan Cox, the campaigner and husband of the murdered Labour MP, Jo Cox. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, founded the EDL in 2009.

        There was a rapid spread online of misinformation after the attack, with inflammatory far-right narratives rife on the comment threads under posts by Farage and another Reform MP, Rupert Lowe, on their official Facebook pages.

        Under posts by Farage and Lowe, who echoed Farage by saying there was “more to this than we’re being told”, comments ranged from predictions of a coming race war, sharing of misinformation, antisemitic tropes and claims of a cover-up.

        “This is clearly not a case of accidental mischaracterisation. This is Reform and Farage in particular actively spreading disinformation and actively using insinuation to incite anxiety, concern and inflame emotions,” Cox said.

        Farage was described as “utterly shameful” by the Tory peer Lord Barwell, the former MP who served as Theresa May’s Downing Street chief of staff.

        He said: “He is an MP. If he has questions, he could have asked them in the House of Commons yesterday – but he wasn’t there. Instead he prefers to encourage those spreading misinformation on here [social media]. Utterly shameful.”

        https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/31/farage-accused-of-inciting-southport-violence-by-former-counter-terror-chief

        • Descendant Of Smith 3.1.2.1

          Indeed.

          10/ Another interesting element is that the account with the most impressions on this hashtag is ReformUK member, @TalkTV Host, and former employee of Cambridge Analytica's parent company SCL Group @ThatAlexWoman (Alexandra Philips)

          I assume the massive copy and paste (as opposed to retweet) is to make it look like more people re individually supporting the right – even if some accounts have shiny new AI generated photos.

          • joe90 3.1.2.1.1

            Carole Cadwalladr on the amplification of outright lies and fueling the ensuing outrage.

            .

            Algorithms that send the most outrageous comments viral and a chain reaction of anger and disinformation made the riots that followed the Southport killings inevitable

            […]

            “It feels like it was only a matter of time before we saw something like this in the UK,” said Julia Ebner, the leader of the Violent Extremism Lab at the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion at Oxford University. “This alternative information ecosystem is fuelling these narratives. We saw it in Germany in the 2018 Chemnitz riots, which this strongly reminded me of. And we saw [it] in the US with the January 6 insurrection.

            “You see this chain reaction in these alternative news channels, where disinformation can spread so quickly and can mobilise people to take the streets – who are then prone to using violence because there’s this anger and these really deep emotions that are, of course, being amplified. And then, from these alternative outlets, it’s carried on to X or on to the mainstream social media platforms.”

            https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/aug/03/a-polarisation-engine-how-social-media-has-created-a-perfect-storm-for-uks-far-right-riots

  3. Sanctuary 4

    I have to say it has been disgusting to see the hysteria around Imane khelif.

    A reprise of the facts.

    Imane Khelif was born female in Algeria, a deeply conservative Islamic country that doesn't recognise trans people as even existing, let alone allowing people to transition.

    She has lost nine times to date to other female fighters.

    The IBA is a discredited, Russian dominated organisation banned from the Olympics because of it's corruption and doping scandals.

    The IBF has an axe to grind with the IOC.

    The IBA has not published any of it's so-called testing results relating to Imane Khelif.

    People merely believed what the IB said because it suited their own agenda to make common cause with a fascist front organisation bent on discrediting the Olympics.

    The IBA is little more than another branch of the vast Russian disinformation campaign aimed at disrupting the Olympics because the Russian have been kicked out for rampant doping and cheating.

    When will all the useful idiots on here who enthusiastically joined the pre-formed narrative pile on to vilify Imane Khelif publicly confess their idiocy and draw the appropriate lesson and show the appropriate level of humility for their gullibility and credulity when manipulated by obvious Russian black propaganda & misinformation?

    Big claims require proper evidence it is to the great discredit of this site that a content creator has jumped on the bandwagon to publish an item attacking someone based entirely on how she looks because it suits her raid culture war agenda. Imane Khelif is a hero in Algeria, where her life story is an inspiration – she is a UNICEF ambassador and walked ten kilometres a day to training when she was a youngster because she was too poor to get there any other way.

    No issue has more exposed the mickey mouse logic and gullibility of the online culture war pseudo-commentariat style than this ever became an issue.

    • People will be more than happy to "withdraw and apologise" as soon as we see the karyotype results from an an accredited laboratory. A simple cheek swab will settle this argument for once and for all.

      • Sanctuary 4.1.1

        So you've reached the guilty until proven innocent state of affairs have you?

        • Visubversa 4.1.1.1

          So you have reached the "made up my mind and no evidence is allowed to be produced" state of affairs? You are denying a person the ability to produce evidence to counteract the statements made by the IBA which have produced this controversy?

          One would think that a reasonable person – when faced with the expression of such concerns – would have no problem submitting to a non-invasive test which would conclusively show the facts of the matter.

          They said much the same things about Caster Semenya until the CAS decision came out – and then they didn't.

          • Sanctuary 4.1.1.1.1

            I am astonished at the level of stupidity a stubborn refusal to simply admit you were wrong can reach. The IBA made the claim Imane Khelif failed a DNA test.

            Common sense tells us extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. You've produced no fucking evidence that Imane Khelif isn't anything but a woman.

            I read on a random website that you were arrested for fucking a pig six month ago, the police don't have any record of this but I'm predisposed to believe you have a porcine festish so until you produce a statement from the pig denying it and a cast iron alibi backed up by your employer I'll choose to believe a random website over the police.

            See how that works?

            • Nic the NZer 4.1.1.1.1.1

              Maybe address that the IOC doesn't think 46 XY DSD competitors are disqualified from women's boxing (while the IBA did), rather than throwing random allegations at other commentators. Because unless you agree on that the evidence presented by such a test is irrelevant, as is what the IBA has claimed.

              If its ok for the IOC to include 46 XY DSD competitors in women's boxing then we can ignore the IBA statements entirely.

              • tWig

                As some 46XY DSD women have naturally given birth to children, as I referenced previously, I say Adult, female, whatever.

                GC commentators at TS may be heating this debate up to prop up NZ First in government who threatened to cut off funding to NZ sports bodies with inclusive trans participation policies. This, despite it NOT being an issue in the majority of NZ sports, after considered community debate and policy setting.

                Interstingly, boxing is one sport where they have created ‘open’ categories to address the issue of trans participation.

                And this policy to relate to all levels of participation, not just elite competition level, a US RW weapons-grade ban.

                "Sport NZ advocates for flexibility and bespoke policies suited to each sport, opposing a “one-size-fits-all” solution."

                • Nic the NZer

                  Lol, I doubt any commentators on TS are motivated by propping up NZ first.

                  • tWig

                    And yet I saw enough comments at TS before the election of those who were not going to vote Labour/Greens any more because of those parties’ anti-GC political decisions. Who did they decide to vote for, on finding Tanya Unkovich 8th on the NZ First Party list?

                    Any surprise that Tanya has introduced a private Members' bill to make it an offense for any person found using a toilet "who is not of the sex for which that toilet has been designated."?

                    • Nic the NZer

                      You're saying supporting some policies of a political party makes one a propagandist for that political party?

                    • tWig []

                      If someone voted for NZ First in 2023 on the basis of their GC platform, and helped them get enough party votes to be a member of the Coalition; then yes, in a broader sense, I consider that person to continue to support NZF in general.

                      Can't remember any posts (vs comments) here at TS on either Unkovich's toilet criminalisation bill or on NZF's threatened sports policy, opening things up for maybe an uncomfortable debate. Funny, that. That is why I suggested the Khalif controversy is a proxy here for debate on NZFs sports policy threat.

                      Note the Coalition only backed down on the proposed funding threats once Sports NZ and many individual sports associations basically told the government to get fucked, we've had this discussion with our particular sports community and are happy that our own solutions are fair and inclusive.

                    • Nic the NZer

                      I'll take that as a retraction, as your original allegation appeared to be that posts were being put up on TS in propagandistic support of some NZ first policy (which is frankly clearly nonsense).

                      I'm happy to assume you miss-spoke and only meant that NZ first policy sometimes takes the same side as GC positions on certain issues and some commenters here may have even supported NZ first policy choices.

                    • tWig []

                      No. Instead of debating the pros and cons of NZF anti-trans policies, which I would expect from TS, given that, apparently, it's the only safe commentary site for kiwi GC advocates, there is a resounding silence here.

                      And so it looks to me like the Khelif story becomes the proxy for re-airing GC views on just who is entitled to participate in NZ boxing (but we can't talk about that!).

                    • weka []

                      Instead of debating the pros and cons of NZF anti-trans policies, which I would expect from TS, given that, apparently, it’s the only safe commentary site for kiwi GC advocates, there is a resounding silence here.

                      It’s probably because most of the GC people here atm are feminists and lefties and we don’t have much in common with NZF policy apart from superficially.

                    • Nic the NZer

                      Pretty sure the official site policy is if its worth mentioning you can raise a post about it (or just complain all passive aggressive that nobody wrote one for you instead).

                    • tWig []

                      Sure thing. Might take TS up on that post.

                • weka

                  As some 46XY DSD women have naturally given birth to children, as I referenced previously, I say Adult, female, whatever.

                  Why are you talking about 46XY DSD? Every biologist and sports writer I've seen in the past week is talking about 5-ARD, a DSD that only affects males (who can't give birth).

                • weka

                  GC commentators at TS may be heating this debate up to prop up NZ First in government who threatened to cut off funding to NZ sports bodies with inclusive trans participation policies.

                  Nearly all the comments have been under my post, and most of the people who think there is an issue are left wing feminists and leftie men. I count one person who might be a NZF supporter, and another whose voting preferences I don't know.

                  You appear to be running genderist talking points that don't hold up to scrutiny.

                  • tWig

                    Please define for me what specifically is 'genderist' in my comments? Is that even a word?

                    • weka

                      liberal leftie support for gender identity ideology above material reality.

                    • tWig []

                      Thanks, I can tick off lots of boxes on my culture wars Bingo card. Please define genderism for me, though.

                      And there is much less real-world data provided by the GC lobby, as far as my extensive reading has shown, starting with trans women are a danger in womens’ public toilets, if we are discussing ‘material reality’

                    • weka []

                      genderism is the term I use to short hand gender identity ideology. GII is a philosophy based in a range of overlapping beliefs: sex isn’t binary, humans can change biological sex, gender identity trumps biological sex, sex is a social construct, trans women are literally women, and so on.

                      And there is much less real-world data provided by the GC lobby, as far as my extensive reading has shown, starting with trans women are a danger in womens’ public toilets, if we are discussing ‘material reality’

                      Honestly tWig, I think that is the result of two things: the places you choose to engage with, and No Debate. If it weren’t for No Debate, all the evidence would be in the MSM instead of disappearing down everyone’s twitter timeline.

                    • tWig []

                      You might want to tighten up your use of the word in trying to dodge the CW Bingo card.

                      Wiki has a grab-bag of definitions for genderism.

                    • weka []

                      You might want to tighten up your use of the word in trying to dodge the CW Bingo card.

                      Wiki has a grab-bag of definitions for genderism.

                      You asked for a definition and I gave you one so you could understand what I am meaning. I’m more interested here in effective communication than random wiki definitions. I can use GII instead from now on.

                    • tWig []

                      Please define No Debate for me, your in-house lexicon is opaque.

                      I don’t do twitter or social media, never have. Most of the references I have read are articles in ‘print’ media, science papers, and excellent rebuttals put up by pro-trans writers.

                    • weka []

                      that’s a pretty big hole in your knowledge then,

                      No Debate is a strategy developed over the last decade by lobby groups like Stonewall UK, it was designed to stop the public debating the GII agenda they were rolling out. The idea was that instead of putting out ideas and policy change and convincing the public to accept them, debate would not be tolerated and should be blocked and shut down.

                      It was incredibly effective, and has affected MSM and many public institutions like universities, government departments and NGOs.

                      That means that many of the rapid societal changes around GII have happened without public scrutiny. Turns how that is an own goal, because now there is a growing backlash as people start to understand what has happened and what it means.

                      No Debate was broken by a number of key actions, largely by left gender critical feminists in the UK, but also whistleblowers eg at Tavistock. Grass roots feminism and resistance, along with GI activist basically breaking societal boundaries and safeguarding, eventually got through to the MSM, first the conservative press and then eventually the liberal press.

                      Now MSM are more willing to cover the stories. But No Debate still has a strong influence, especially in places like NZ.

                    • weka []

                      Material reality is a term used to refer to nature/the physical world, that exists independently from human perception.

                      For Marx and Engels, materialism meant that the material world, perceptible to the senses, has objective reality independent of mind or spirit. They did not deny the reality of mental or spiritual processes but affirmed that ideas could arise, therefore, only as products and reflections of material conditions.

                      https://www.britannica.com/topic/dialectical-materialism

                      I’m not a marxist, but read and engage with socialist feminists, radical feminists and gender critical feminists who understand Marx, which is where I get my own understanding of the concept of material reality from.

                      And there is much less real-world data provided by the GC lobby, as far as my extensive reading has shown, starting with trans women are a danger in womens’ public toilets, if we are discussing ‘material reality’

                      This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the gender critical feminist position. The argument isn’t that TW are a danger in women’s toilets, it’s that male people as a class are. This is one of the reasons why why we have female spaces and services in the first place. Not all men, but enough of them and we can’t predict which ones, are dangerous to women.

                      TW are a subset of males, and appear to have the same patterns of male socialisation and violence against women as other men.

                      I will post some examples of TW and male violence against women. There’s plenty of it about if you don’t block it.

                    • tWig []

                      But wait, wouldn't that all have come out in Parliamentary debates and select committes on NZ transgender policy and legislation, if there was such incontrovertable evidence that trans people are somehow more violent/evil/nasty than the rest of society? There were plenty of GC submissions weren't there? Must have missed all that evidence.

                    • weka []

                      But wait, wouldn’t that all have come out in Parliamentary debates and select committes on NZ transgender policy and legislation, if there was such incontrovertable evidence that trans people are somehow more violent/evil/nasty than the rest of society? There were plenty of GC submissions weren’t there? Must have missed all that evidence.

                      who has said that trans people are somehow more violent/evil/nasty than the rest of society? Did you just make that up?

                      what makes you think evidence wasn’t presented?

                    • weka []

                      some real world data.

                      https://terfisaslur.com/

                      That’s a website that pulled together examples of the harassment women were getting online for talking about women’s sex based rights. Lots of violent rhetoric. Twitter eventually shut that down after they got hauled before the UK parliament and asked to account for why they were allowing this. So you don’t see it as much now, but the website is a very good example of the kinds of MVAW that is embedded in GII. GII lefties/liberals stood by and let that happen, I spent a lot of time reporting tweets like that to twitter and almost never saw a leftist trans ally condemn them.

                    • tWig []

                      But both sides are 'armed' in that particular culture war, and 'TERFs' and their supporters give as good as they get, if not more, like actually murdering a trans girl in the UK. Or inciting men to go armed into womens toilets, good one, KJ whassaname.

                    • weka []

                      feel free to link to the evidence that gender critical feminists are using online violence and threats against trans people.

                      KJK isn’t a feminist. She’s a right wing populist.

                      I’m not seeing anything gender critical about Brianna Ghey’s murderers.

                      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Brianna_Ghey

                    • tWig []

                      ‘And spporters’ was the key. Splashback for the GC brigade, who may not have committed the violence, but who built up the heat in society to a boil.

                      Perhaps Farage and the EDL riots give a similar analogy.

                    • weka []

                      Evidence and Data on Trans Women’s Offending Rates

                      Written evidence submitted by Professor Rosa Freedman, Professor Kathleen Stock and Professor Alice Sullivan [GRA2021]

                      https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/18973/pdf/

                    • tWig []

                      What a sad piece of evidence that is. I was expecting pages and pages, full of breakdowns by crime, etc. But 2-3 pages, one of which misquotes and misinterprets the conclusions 'Swedish study', which I read myself last year, and the rest on the UK trans prison sexual assault data, which, frankly, was a mess (eg, no differentiation between trans men and trans women in that study, just for starters).

                      Here's a submission to the same committe (twice as long, and more readable than the original submission) that challenges, in the politest possible way, the barely-there claims in Freedman, Stock and Sullivan's submission. Honestly, you wouldn't get a pass mark for their one if you wrote a stage 2 criminolgy essay.

                    • Psycho Milt

                      'TERFs' and their supporters give as good as they get, if not more, like actually murdering a trans girl in the UK.

                      OK, so you're not a serious person. Good to know.

                      [Please fix the typo in your email address, thanks – Incognito]

                    • Incognito []

                      Mod note

            • Visubversa 4.1.1.1.1.2

              The IBA supplied the results of the tests to the IOC. There were two tests – done at two different laboratories. As I said – Khalif could allow the publication of those tests, or get another one done and publish that.

              The pig says you never paid him when you pimped him out!

    • Anker 4.2

      https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-real-science-of-sport-podcast/id1461719225?i=1000664021676

      I think this podcast featuring Professor Ross Tucker, a sports scientist is outstanding on the subject of these two boxers. Thoroughly recomend you listen to it Sanctuary if you want unbiased scientific evidence on this situation.

      BTW the IBA can't release the tests undertaken by these two boxers it is confidential information. But both boxers had the opportunity to appeal to the Swiss based Court of Arbitration for Sport and chose not to.

      As to the Italian woman boxer who stated she withdrew from the match because she feared for her life? Well who cares about her or believes her anyway (sarc)

      • tWig 4.2.1

        Reference, please for Italian boxer withdrawl.

        • weka 4.2.1.1

          reference for what?

          • tWig 4.2.1.1.1

            A citation for your Italian boxer. I presume you don’t mean the boxer who took part in the bout, and who apologised for her comments?

            • tWig 4.2.1.1.1.1

              Her apology included the words " I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,"

              “Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”

              • weka

                are you trying to imply that Carini didn't say she ended the fight to preserve her life?

                • tWig

                  No, read Casini's full comments in her post-match statement in the article I cited. Vsub is creating a victim where there is a boxer who says she quit the bout because it was too difficult for her, her words immediately on pulling out were driven by anger at losing her Olympic opportunity, and does not 'blame' Khelif, where many here are.

                  That is as valid an interpolation of Casini’s state of mind as that postulated bu Visub, and one tjat grants Casini considerably more agency than a victim frame.

                  • weka

                    he was in tears in the ring and as she faced the media after the bout.

                    “I wasn’t able to finish the match. I felt a strong pain to my nose and I said [to myself] for the experience that I have and the maturity as a woman that I have, I said I hope my nation won’t take it badly, I hope my dad won’t take it badly – but I stopped, I said stop for myself,” Carini told BBC Sport.

                    “It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.

                    “I didn’t have fear, I don’t fear the ring. I don’t fear taking the blows. But this time there’s an end for everything, and I put an end to this match, because I wasn’t able to [continue].”

                    https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/cw0yvln9z00o

                  • weka

                    maybe slow down, because you seem to be confusing anker, visub and myself.

          • weka 4.2.1.2.1

            please provide the supporting quote, so people don't have to read a whole article to parse your meaning.

            • Anker 4.2.1.2.1.1

              “After the second punch, after years of experience, I felt a strong pain in the nose. I said enough, because I didn’t want. I couldn’t finish the fight after the punch to the nose. So it was better to put an end to it.“

              the quote from the article as requested

    • I Feel Love 4.3

      Thanks Sanctuary, brilliant comment, appreciated.

    • SPC 4.4

      The IBA is to make a statement later today.

      The body that oversaw that 2023 event is the International Boxing Association (IBA) and it says both fighters failed gender eligibility tests.

      On Monday the IBA will hold a news conference to give a “detailed explanation of the reasons for the disqualification”.

      They oppose the newly formed WBO being recognised by the IOC as their replacement.

      The IBA, formerly known as AIBA, was formed in 1946 as a worldwide governing body for amateur boxing. The IOC recognised the IBA as the sport’s governing body until 2019.

      https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/cnk4427vvd2o

    • weka 4.5

      'I can't be bothered learning about DSDs, femaleness is an assignment, not biology, I hate the Russians therefore anyone associated with them is tainted beyond redemption and handily it means I don't have to consider how my politics might fuck over women, but who cares, let's just pretend they're all bigots anyway, or culture war dupes'

      Fwiw, Khelif could have been an amazing ambassador for sports people with DSDs. But who cares about them eh.

    • Psycho Milt 4.6

      A reprise of the facts.

      Immediately followed by:

      Imane Khelif was born female…

      Please be a bit more discerning in splashing the word "facts" about. There's strong evidence Khelif is male and so far no evidence beyond "Trust me bro it says so right there in her passport" or "But she was raised as a girl" that Khelif is female.

      If you are wrong in your claim, and I believe you are wrong, you are advocating for male athletes to punch female athletes in the face as a public spectacle and be rewarded for doing so. Given what's at stake, some consideration of the possibility you may be wrong would be well advised here.

      • SPC 4.6.1

        There is also evidence that legal cisgender female identity and biological XX sex may be different.

        • Psycho Milt 4.6.1.1

          I agree, there's a huge amount of evidence that identity claims about sex can be different from a person's actual sex. This is why identity claims are worthless when the stakes are as high as "If we're wrong about this, a man will get rewarded for punching women in the face as public entertainment." Actual sex can be tested for and, in this context, absolutely should be.

      • Visubversa 4.6.2

        It is interesting that the Gender Idealogues who up till now have been saying that sex is "assigned at birth" presumably by the appearance of the genitalia, and can be assigned wrongly, are now all sex absolutists saying that the boxers were female at birth, were raised as female, and are female now.

        The "assigned at birth" mantra which was stolen from the language which was used in relations to persons with a DSD in the times and places where chromosome tests were not available, is very applicable in the current circumstances but the words have conveniently vanished from the lexicon.

        • weka 4.6.2.1

          and 'born female', as if sex development in the womb doesn't exist.

          Such a lost opportunity for us all to learn about how human biology works and how we establish cultural meaning from that.

  4. SPC 5

    Is it because the landlord class have health insurance?

    “Under-investment in general practice is a false economy that will result in delayed diagnoses, greater ED attendance and hospital admissions, all of which will cost a lot more than the investment needed to adequately fund a sustainable GP service.”

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350363007/skyrocketing-family-gp-fees-quite-sickening-doctors-say-its-last-resort

  5. SPC 7

    Another component in the health care system in crisis.

    No pay rise offer and no government funding commitment.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/524201/thousands-of-ambulance-officers-to-strike-as-sector-in-worst-state-ever-seen

CommentsOpinions

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

FeedsPartyGovtMedia

  • What it is

    I liked what Kieran McAnulty had to say about the Treaty Principles bill this morning so much I've written it down and copied it out for you. He was saying that rather than let this piece of ordure spend six months in Select Committee, the Prime Minister could stop making such ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 hours ago
  • A government-funded hate campaign

    Cabinet discussed National's constitutionally and historically illiterate "Treaty Principles Bill" this week, and decided to push on with it. The bill will apparently receive a full six month select committee process - unlike practically every other policy this government has pushed, and despite the fact that if the government is ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 hours ago
  • How Substack works to take (some) craziness out of America’s elections

    I spoke with Substack co-founder yesterday, just before the Trump-Harris debate, about how Substack is doing its thing during the US elections. He talks in particular about how Substack’s focus on paid subscriptions rather than ads has made political debate on the platform calmer, simpler, deeper and more satisfying ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 hours ago
  • Kamala Harris Did Something Unthinkable

    Hi,Yesterday me and a bunch of friends gathered in front of the TV, ate tortillas, drank wine, and watched the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.Some of you may have joined in on the live Webworm chat where we shared thoughts, jokes and memes — and a basic glee ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 hours ago
  • David Seymour is such a loser

    For paid subscribersNot content with siphoning off $230,000,000 of taxpayers money for his hobby projects - and telling everyone his passion is education and early childcare - an intersection painfully coincidental to the interests of wealthy private families like Sean Plunkett’s1 backers, the Wright Family, Seymour is back in the ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    7 hours ago
  • Cross-party consensus: there’s no pipeline without good faith

    There’s been a lot of talk recently about a cross-party agreement to develop a pipeline for infrastructure, including transport. Last month, outgoing CRL boss Sean Sweeney talked about the importance of securing an enduring infrastructure programme. He outlined the high costs of the relentless political flip-flopping of priorities, which drives ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    11 hours ago
  • ACC wants to administer inflation at more than double the RBNZ’s target rate

    ACC levies are set to rise at more than double the inflation rate targeted by the RBNZ. Photo: Lynn GrievesonKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 12:The state-owned monopoly for accident insurance wants ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    12 hours ago
  • Harris vs Trump

    We’ve been selected to rock your asses 'til midnightThis is my term, I've shaved off my perm, but it's alrightI solemnly swear to uphold the ConstitutionGot a rock 'n' roll problem? Well we got a solutionLet us be who we am, and let us kick out the jams, yeahKick out ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    12 hours ago
  • Treaty Bill “a political stunt”

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appears to have given ACT Leader David Seymour more than he has been admitting in the proposals to go forward with a Treaty Principles Bill.All along, Luxon has maintained that the Government is proceeding with the Bill to honour the coalition agreement.But that is quite specific.It ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    14 hours ago
  • An average 219 NZers migrated each day in July

    Kia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, September 11:Annual migration of New Zealanders rose to a record-high 80,963 in the year to the end of July, which is more than double its pre-Covid levels.Two ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • What you’re wanting to win more than anything is The Narrative

    Hubris is sitting down on election day 2016 to watch that pig Trump get his ass handed to him, and watching the New York Times needle hover for a while over Hillary and then move across to Trump where it remains all night to your gathering horror and dismay. You're ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • National’s automated lie machine

    The government has a problem: lots of people want information from it all the time. Information about benefits, about superannuation, ACC coverage and healthcare, taxes, jury service, immigration - and that's just the routine stuff. Responding to all of those queries takes a lot of time and costs a lot ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Christopher Luxon: A Man of “Faith” and “Compassion” Speaks on the Treaty Pr...

    Synopsis: Today - we explore two different realities. One where National lost. And another - which is the one we are living with here. Note: the footnote on increased fees/taxes may be of interest to some readers.Article open.Subscribe nowIt’s an alternate timeline.Yesterday as news broke that the central North Island ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Member’s Day

    Today is a Member's Day. First up is the third reading of Dan Bidois' Fair Trading (Gift Card Expiry) Amendment Bill, which will be followed by the committee stage of Deborah Russell's Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill. This will be followed by the second readings of Katie ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Northern Expressway Boondoggle

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has been soaring high with his hubris of getting on and building motorways but some uncomfortable realities are starting to creep in. Back in July he announced that the government was pushing on with a Northland Expressway using an “accelerated delivery strategy” The Coalition Government is ...
    1 day ago
  • Never Enough

    However much I'm falling downNever enoughHowever much I'm falling outNever, never enough!Whatever smile I smile the mostNever enoughHowever I smile I smile the mostSongwriters: Robert James Smith / Simon Gallup / Boris Williams / Porl ThompsonToday in Nick’s Kōrero:A death in the Emergency Department at Rotorua Hospital.A sad homecoming and ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • Question Two of The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50)

    Kia ora.Last month I proposed restarting The Kākā Project work done before the 2023 election as The Kākā Project of 2026 for 2050 (TKP 26/50), aiming to be up and running before the 2025 Local Government elections, and then in a finalised form by the 2026 General Elections.A couple of ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Why is God Obsessed with Spanking?

    Hi,If you’ve read Webworm for a while, you’ll be aware that I’ve spent a lot of time writing about horrific, corrupt megachurches and the shitty men who lead them.And in all of this writing, I think some people have this idea that I hate Christians or Christianity. As I explain ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Inside the public service

    In 2023, there were 63,117 full-time public servants earning, on average, $97,200 a year each. All up, that is a cost to the Government of $6.1 billion a year. It’s little wonder, then, that the public service has become a political whipping boy castigated by the Prime Minister and members ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago
  • New Models Show Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes, and More of Them

    This is a re-post from This is Not Cool Here’s an example of some of the best kind of climate reporting, especially in that it relates to impacts that will directly affect the audience. WFLA in Tampa conducted a study in collaboration with the Department of Energy, analyzing trends in ...
    2 days ago
  • Where ever do they find these people?

    A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, is how Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union in 1939.  How might the great man have described the 2024 government of New Zealand, do we think? I can't imagine he would have thought them all that mysterious or enigmatic. I think ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • Motorway madness

    How mad is National's obsession with roads? One of their pet projects - a truck highway to Whangārei - is going to eat 10% of our total infrastructure budget for the next 25 years: Official advice from the Infrastructure Commission shows the government could be set to spend 10 ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago
  • Our transport planning system is fundamentally broken

    Ever since Wayne Brown became mayor (nearly two years ago now) he’s been wanting to progress an “integrated transport plan” with the government – which sounded a lot like the previous Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) with just a different name. It seems like a fair bit of work progressed ...
    2 days ago
  • Thou Shalt Not Steal

    And they taught usWhoa-oh, black woman, thou shalt not stealI said, hey, yeah, black man, thou shalt not stealWe're gonna civilise your black barbaric livesAnd we teach you how to kneelBut your history couldn't hide the genocideThe hypocrisy to us was realFor your Jesus said you're supposed to giveThe oppressed ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • How mismanagement, not wind and solar energy, causes blackouts

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections In February 2021, several severe storms swept across the United States, culminating with one that the Weather Channel unofficially named Winter Storm Uri. In Texas, Uri knocked out power to over 4.5 million homes and 10 million people. Hundreds of Texans died as a ...
    2 days ago
  • The ‘Infra Boys’ Highway to Budget Hell

    Chris Bishop has enthusiastically dubbed himself and Simeon Brown “the Infra Boys”, but they need to take note of the sums around their roading dreams. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short, here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Media Link: “AVFA” on the politics of desperation.

    In this podcast Selwyn Manning and I talk about what appears to be a particular type of end-game in the long transition to systemic realignment in international affairs, in which the move to a new multipolar order with different characteristics … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    3 days ago
  • The cost of flying blind

    Just over two years ago, when worries about immediate mass-death from covid had waned, and people started to talk about covid becoming "endemic", I asked various government agencies what work they'd done on the costs of that - and particularly, on the cost of Long Covid. The answer was that ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • Seymour vs The Clergy

    For paid subscribers“Aotearoa is not as malleable as they think,” Lynette wrote last week on Homage to Simeon Brown:In my heart/mind, that phrase ricocheted over the next days, translating out to “We are not so malleable.”It gave me comfort. I always felt that we were given an advantage in New ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Unstoppable Minister McKee

    All smiles, I know what it takes to fool this townI'll do it 'til the sun goes downAnd all through the nighttimeOh, yeahOh, yeah, I'll tell you what you wanna hearLeave my sunglasses on while I shed a tearIt's never the right timeYeah, yeahSong by SiaLast night there was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Could outdoor dining revitalise Queen Street?

    This is a guest post by Ben van Bruggen of The Urban Room,.An earlier version of this post appeared on LinkedIn. All images are by Ben. Have you noticed that there’s almost nowhere on Queen Street that invites you to stop, sit outside and enjoy a coffee, let alone ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    3 days ago
  • Hipkins challenges long-held Labour view Government must stay below 30% of GDP

    Hipkins says when considering tax settings and the size of government, the big question mark is over what happens with the balance between the size of the working-age population and the growing number of Kiwis over the age of 65. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Your invite to Webworm Chat (a bit like Reddit)

    Hi,One of the things I love the most about Webworm is, well, you. The community that’s gathered around this lil’ newsletter isn’t something I ever expected when I started writing it four years ago — now the comments section is one of my favourite places on the internet. The comments ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    4 days ago
  • Seymour’s Treaty bill making Nats nervous

    A delay in reappointing a top civil servant may indicate a growing nervousness within the National Party about the potential consequences of David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. Dave Samuels is waiting for reappointment as the Chief Executive of Te Puni Kokiri, but POLITIK understands that what should have been a ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #36

    A listing of 34 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, September 1, 2024 thru Sat, September 7, 2024. Story of the week Our Story of the Week is about how peopele are not born stupid but can be fooled ...
    4 days ago
  • Time for a Change

    You act as thoughYou are a blind manWho's crying, crying 'boutAll the virgins that are dyingIn your habitual dreams, you knowSeems you need more sleepBut like a parrot in a flaming treeI know it's pretty hard to seeI'm beginning to wonderIf it's time for a changeSong: Phil JuddThe next line ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Six.

    The “double shocks” in post Cold War international affairs. The end of the Cold War fundamentally altered the global geostrategic context. In particular, the end of the nuclear “balance of terror” between the USA and USSR, coupled with the relaxation … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    4 days ago
  • Buried deep

    Here's a bike on Manchester St, Feilding. I took this photo on Friday night after a very nice dinner at the very nice Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, on Manchester Street.I thought to myself, Manchester Street? Bicycle? This could be the very spot.To recap from an earlier edition: on a February night ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies, Excerpt Five.

    Military politics as a distinct “partial regime.” Notwithstanding their peripheral status, national defense offers the raison d’être of the combat function, which their relative vulnerability makes apparent, so military forces in small peripheral democracies must be very conscious of events … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago
  • Leadership for Dummies

    If you’re going somewhere, do you maybe take a bit of an interest in the place? Read up a bit on the history, current events, places to see - that sort of thing? Presumably, if you’re taking a trip somewhere, it’s for a reason. But what if you’re going somewhere ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • Home again

    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on anything you may have missed. Share Read more ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Dead even tie for hottest August ever

    Long stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer:The month of August was 1.49˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels, tying with 2023 for the warmest August ever, according ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • The Hoon around the week to Sept 7

    The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts and talking about the week’s news with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on the latest climate science on rising temperatures and the debate about how to responde to climate disinformation; and special guest ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Have We an Infrastructure Deficit?

    An Infrastructure New Zealand report says we are keeping up with infrastructure better than we might have thought from the grumbling. But the challenge of providing for the future remains.I was astonished to learn that the quantity of our infrastructure has been keeping up with economic growth. Your paper almost ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    6 days ago
  • Councils reject racism

    Last month, National passed a racist law requiring local councils to remove their Māori wards, or hold a referendum on them at the 2025 local body election. The final councils voted today, and the verdict is in: an overwhelming rejection. Only two councils out of 45 supported National's racist agenda ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • Homage to Simeon Brown

    Open to all - happy weekend ahead, friends.Today I just want to be petty. It’s the way I imagine this chap is -Not only as a political persona. But his real-deal inner personality, in all its glory - appears to be pure pettiness & populist driven.Sometimes I wonder if Simeon ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • Government of deceit

    When National cut health spending and imposed a commissioner on Te Whatu Ora, they claimed that it was necessary because the organisation was bloated and inefficient, with "14 layers of management between the CEO and the patient". But it turns out they were simply lying: Health Minister Shane Reti’s ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    6 days ago
  • The professionals actually think and act like our Government has no fiscal crisis at all

    Treasury staff at work: The demand for a new 12-year Government bond was so strong, Treasury decided to double the amount of bonds it sold. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, September ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • Weekly Roundup 6-September-2024

    Welcome to another Friday and another roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. As always, this and every post is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew. If you like our work and you’d like to see more of it, we invite you to join our regular ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    6 days ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies; Excerpt Four.

    Internal versus external security. Regardless of who rules, large countries can afford to separate external and internal security functions (even if internal control functions predominate under authoritarian regimes). In fact, given the logic of power concentration and institutional centralization of … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    6 days ago
  • A Hole In The River

    There's a hole in the river where her memory liesFrom the land of the living to the air and skyShe was coming to see him, but something changed her mindDrove her down to the riverThere is no returnSongwriters: Neil Finn/Eddie RaynerThe king is dead; long live the queen!Yesterday was a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • Bright Blue His Jacket Ain’t But I Love This Fellow: A Review and Analysis of The Rings of Power E...

    My conclusion last week was that The Rings of Power season two represented a major improvement in the series. The writing’s just so much better, and honestly, its major problems are less the result of the current episodes and more creatures arising from season one plot-holes. I found episode three ...
    7 days ago
  • Who should we thank for the defeat of the Nazis

    As a child in the 1950s, I thought the British had won the Second World War because that’s what all our comics said. Later on, the films and comics told me that the Americans won the war. In my late teens, I found out that the Soviet Union ...
    7 days ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #36 2024

    Open access notables Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Differ Below and Above the Melting Point, Pithan & Schatt, Geophysical Research Letters: The globally averaged diurnal temperature range (DTR) has shrunk since the mid-20th century, and climate models project further shrinking. Observations indicate a slowdown or reversal of this trend in recent decades. ...
    1 week ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live at 5pm

    Photo by Jenny Bess on UnsplashCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm - 5.10 pm - Bernard and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Media Link: Discussing the NZSIS Security Threat Report.

    I was interviewed by Mike Hosking at NewstalkZB and a few other media outlets about the NZSIS Security Threat Report released recently. I have long advocated for more transparency, accountability and oversight of the NZ Intelligence Community, and although the … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • How do I make this better for people who drive Ford Rangers?

    Home, home again to a long warm embrace. Plenty of reasons to be glad to be back.But also, reasons for dejection.You, yes you, Simeon Brown, you odious little oik, you bible thumping petrol-pandering ratfucker weasel. You would be Reason Number One. Well, maybe first among equals with Seymour and Of-Seymour ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • A missed opportunity

    The government introduced a pretty big piece of constitutional legislation today: the Parliament Bill. But rather than the contentious constitutional change (four year terms) pushed by Labour, this merely consolidates the existing legislation covering Parliament - currently scattered across four different Acts - into one piece of legislation. While I ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis Seeks New Sidekick To Help Fix NZ’s Economy

    Synopsis:Nicola Willis is seeking a new Treasury Boss after Dr Caralee McLiesh’s tenure ends this month. She didn’t listen to McLiesh. Will she listen to the new one?And why is Atlas Network’s Taxpayers Union chiming in?Please consider subscribing or supporting my work. Thanks, Tui.About CaraleeAt the beginning of July, Newsroom ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Inflation alive and kicking in our land of the long white monopolies

    The golden days of profit continue for the the Foodstuffs (Pak’n’Save and New World) and Woolworths supermarket duopoly. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short; here’s my top six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, September 5:The Groceries Commissioner has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The thermodynamics of electric vs. internal combustion cars

    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler I love thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is like your mom: it may not tell you what you can do, but it damn well tells you what you can’t do. I’ve written a few previous posts that include thermodynamics, like one on air capture of ...
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Three.

    The notion of geopolitical  “periphery.” The concept of periphery used here refers strictly to what can be called the geopolitical periphery. Being on the geopolitical periphery is an analytic virtue because it makes for more visible policy reform in response … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Venus Hum

    Fill me up with soundThe world sings with me a million smiles an hourI can see me dancing on my radioI can hear you singing in the blades of grassYellow dandelions on my way to schoolBig Beautiful Sky!Song: Venus Hum.Good morning, all you lovely people, and welcome to the 700th ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • I Went to a Creed Concert

    Note: The audio attached to this Webworm compliments today’s newsletter. I collected it as I met people attending a Creed concert. Their opinions may differ to mine. Read more ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Government migration policy backfires; thousands of unemployed nurses

    The country has imported literally thousands of nurses over the past few months yet whether they are being employed as nurses is another matter. Just what is going on with HealthNZ and it nurses is, at best, opaque, in that it will not release anything but broad general statistics and ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 week ago
  • A Time For Unity.

    Emotional Response: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addresses mourners at the tangi of King Tuheitia on Turangawaewae Marae on Saturday, 31 August 2024.THE DEATH OF KING TUHEITIA could hardly have come at a worse time for Maoridom. The power of the Kingitanga to unify te iwi Māori was demonstrated powerfully at January’s ...
    1 week ago
  • Climate Change: Failed again

    National's tax cut policies relied on stealing revenue from the ETS (previously used to fund emissions reduction) to fund tax cuts to landlords. So how's that going? Badly. Today's auction failed again, with zero units (of a possible 7.6 million) sold. Which means they have a $456 million hole in ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago
  • Security Politics in Peripheral Democracies: Excerpt Two.

    A question of size. Small size generally means large vulnerability. The perception of threat is broader and often more immediate for small countries. The feeling of comparative weakness, of exposure to risk, and of potential intimidation by larger powers often … Continue reading ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    1 week ago
  • Nicola Willis’s Very Unserious Bungling of the Kiwirail Interislander Cancellation

    Open to all with kind thanks to all subscribers and supporters.Today, RNZ revealed that despite MFAT advice to Nicola Willis to be very “careful and deliberate” in her communications with the South Korean government, prior to any public announcement on cancelling Kiwirail’s i-Rex, Willis instead told South Korea 26 minutes ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Satisfying the Minister’s Speed Obsession

    The Minister of Transport’s speed obsession has this week resulted in two new consultations for 110km/h speed limits, one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. There has also been final approval of the Kapiti Expressway to move to 110km/h following an earlier consultation. While the changes will almost certainly see ...
    1 week ago
  • What if we freed up our streets, again?

    This guest post is by Tommy de Silva, a local rangatahi and freelance writer who is passionate about making the urban fabric of Tāmaki Makaurau-Auckland more people-focused and sustainable. New Zealand’s March-April 2020 Level 4 Covid response (aka “lockdown”) was somehow both the best and worst six weeks of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    1 week ago
  • No Alarms And No Surprises

    A heart that's full up like a landfillA job that slowly kills youBruises that won't healYou look so tired, unhappyBring down the governmentThey don't, they don't speak for usI'll take a quiet lifeA handshake of carbon monoxideAnd no alarms and no surprisesThe fabulous English comedian Stewart Lee once wrote a ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Five ingenious ways people could beat the heat without cranking the AC

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons Every summer brings a new spate of headlines about record-breaking heat – for good reason: 2023 was the hottest year on record, in keeping with the upward trend scientists have been clocking for decades. With climate forecasts suggesting that heat waves ...
    1 week ago

  • New Bill to crack down on youth vaping

    The coalition Government has introduced legislation to tackle youth vaping, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello announced today. “The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) is aimed at preventing youth vaping.  “While vaping has contributed to a significant fall in our smoking rates, the rise in youth vaping ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 hours ago
  • Interest in agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review welcomed

    Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have welcomed interest in the agricultural and horticultural products regulatory review. The review by the Ministry for Regulation is looking at how to speed up the process to get farmers and growers access to the safe, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Bill to allow online charity lotteries passes first reading

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government is moving at pace to ensure lotteries for charitable purposes are allowed to operate online permanently. Charities fundraising online, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and local hospices will continue to do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Tax exempt threshold changes to benefit startups

    Technology companies are among the startups which will benefit from increases to current thresholds of exempt employee share schemes, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Revenue Minister Simon Watts say. Tax exempt thresholds for the schemes are increasing as part of the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2024-25, Emergency ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 hours ago
  • Getting the healthcare you need, when you need it

    The path to faster cancer treatment, an increase in immunisation rates, shorter stays in emergency departments and quick assessment and treatments when you are sick has been laid out today. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has revealed details of how the ambitious health targets the Government has set will be ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Targeted supports to accelerate reading

    The coalition Government is delivering targeted and structured literacy supports to accelerate learning for struggling readers. From Term 1 2025, $33 million of funding for Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Support will be reprioritised to interventions which align with structured approaches to teaching. “Structured literacy will change the way children ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 hours ago
  • Survivors invited to Abuse in Care national apology

    With two months until the national apology to survivors of abuse in care, expressions of interest have opened for survivors wanting to attend. “The Prime Minister will deliver a national apology on Tuesday 12 November in Parliament. It will be a very significant day for survivors, their families, whānau and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Rangatahi inspire at Ngā Manu Kōrero final

    Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini kē - My success is not mine alone but is the from the strength of the many. Aotearoa New Zealand’s top young speakers are an inspiration for all New Zealanders to learn more about the depth and beauty conveyed ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    10 hours ago
  • Driving structured literacy in schools

    The coalition Government is driving confidence in reading and writing in the first years of schooling. “From the first time children step into the classroom, we’re equipping them and teachers with the tools they need to be brilliant in literacy. “From 1 October, schools and kura with Years 0-3 will receive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Labour’s misleading information is disappointing

    Labour’s misinformation about firearms law is dangerous and disappointing, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says.   “Labour and Ginny Andersen have repeatedly said over the past few days that the previous Labour Government completely banned semi-automatic firearms in 2019 and that the Coalition Government is planning to ‘reintroduce’ them.   ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Govt takes action on mpox response, widens access to vaccine

    The Government is taking immediate action on a number of steps around New Zealand’s response to mpox, including improving access to vaccine availability so people who need it can do so more easily, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti and Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. “Mpox is obviously a ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Next steps agreed for Treaty Principles Bill

    Associate Justice Minister David Seymour says Cabinet has agreed to the next steps for the Treaty Principles Bill. “The Treaty Principles Bill provides an opportunity for Parliament, rather than the courts, to define the principles of the Treaty, including establishing that every person is equal before the law,” says Mr Seymour. “Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government unlocking potential of AI

    Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced a programme to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) uptake among New Zealand businesses. “The AI Activator will unlock the potential of AI for New Zealand businesses through a range of support, including access to AI research experts, technical assistance, AI tools and resources, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Government releases Wairoa flood review findings

    The independent rapid review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has been released, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced today. “We welcome the review’s findings and recommendations to strengthen Wairoa's resilience against future events,” Ms ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Promoting faster payment times for government

    The Government is sending a clear message to central government agencies that they must prioritise paying invoices in a timely manner, Small Business and Manufacturing Minister Andrew Bayly says. Data released today promotes transparency by publishing the payment times of each central government agency. This data will be published quarterly ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Acknowledgement to Kīngi Tuheitia speech

    E te māngai o te Whare Pāremata, kua riro māku te whakaputa i te waka ki waho moana. E te Pirimia tēnā koe.Mr Speaker, it is my privilege to take this adjournment kōrero forward.  Prime Minister – thank you for your leadership. Taupiri te maunga Waikato te awa Te Wherowhero ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Interim fix to GST adjustment rules to support businesses

    Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Strong uptake for cervical screening self-test

    More than 80 per cent of New Zealand women being tested have opted for a world-leading self-test for cervical screening since it became available a year ago. Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti and Associate Minister Casey Costello, in her responsibility for Women’s Health, say it’s fantastic to have such ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document sets ambitious direction

    Regulation Minister David Seymour welcomes the Ministry for Regulation’s first Strategic Intentions document, which sets out how the Ministry will carry out its work and deliver on its purpose. “I have set up the Ministry for Regulation with three tasks. One, to cut existing red tape with sector reviews. Two, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Māori Education Advisory Group established

    The Education Minister has established a Māori Education Ministerial Advisory Group made up of experienced practitioners to help improve outcomes for Māori learners. “This group will provide independent advice on all matters related to Māori education in both English medium and Māori medium settings. It will focus on the most impactful ways we can lift ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government welcomes findings of NZ Superannuation Fund review

    The Government has welcomed the findings of the recent statutory review into the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Minister of Finance Nicola Willis says. The 5-yearly review, conducted on behalf of Treasury and tabled in Parliament today, found the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • First of five new Hercules aircraft takes flight

    Defence Minister Judith Collins today welcomed the first of five new C-130J-30 Hercules to arrive in New Zealand at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland, Whenuapai. “This is an historic day for our New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and our nation. The new Hercules fleet ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Have your say on suicide prevention

    Today, September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day, a time to reflect on New Zealand’s confronting suicide statistics, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “Every death by suicide is a tragedy – a tragedy that affects far too many of our families and communities in New Zealand. We must do ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Action to grow the rural health workforce

    Scholarships awarded to 27 health care students is another positive step forward to boost the future rural health workforce, Associate Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “All New Zealanders deserve timely access to quality health care and this Government is committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for the one in five ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Pharmac delivering more for Kiwis following major funding boost

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed the increased availability of medicines for Kiwis resulting from the Government’s increased investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. “When our Government assumed office, New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Sport Minister congratulates NZ’s Paralympians

    Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop has congratulated New Zealand's Paralympic Team at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games in Paris.  “The NZ Paralympic Team's success in Paris included fantastic performances, personal best times, New Zealand records and Oceania records all being smashed - and of course, many Kiwis on ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government progresses response to Abuse in Care recommendations

    A Crown Response Office is being established within the Public Service Commission to drive the Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care. “The creation of an Office within a central Government agency was a key recommendation by the Royal Commission’s final report.  “It will have the mandate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Passport wait times back on-track

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says passport processing has returned to normal, and the Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is now advising customers to allow up to two weeks to receive their passport. “I am pleased that passport processing is back at target service levels and the Department ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New appointments to the FMA board

    Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister has today announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) board. Tracey Berry, Nicholas Hegan and Mariette van Ryn have been appointed for a five-year term ending in August 2029, while Chris Swasbrook, who has served as a board member ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • District Court judges appointed

    Attorney-General Hon Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new District Court judges. The appointees, who will take up their roles at the Manukau Court and the Auckland Court in the Accident Compensation Appeal Jurisdiction, are: Jacqui Clark Judge Clark was admitted to the bar in 1988 after graduating ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • Government makes it faster and easier to invest in New Zealand

    Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged by significant improvements to overseas investment decision timeframes, and the enhanced interest from investors as the Government continues to reform overseas investment. “There were about as many foreign direct investment applications in July and August as there was across the six months ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago
  • New Zealand to join Operation Olympic Defender

    New Zealand has accepted an invitation to join US-led multi-national space initiative Operation Olympic Defender, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today. Operation Olympic Defender is designed to coordinate the space capabilities of member nations, enhance the resilience of space-based systems, deter hostile actions in space and reduce the spread of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Government commits to ‘stamping out’ foot and mouth disease

    Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says that a new economic impact analysis report reinforces this government’s commitment to ‘stamp out’ any New Zealand foot and mouth disease incursion. “The new analysis, produced by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, shows an incursion of the disease in New Zealand would have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Improving access to finance for Kiwis

    5 September 2024  The Government is progressing further reforms to financial services to make it easier for Kiwis to access finance when they need it, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.  “Financial services are foundational for economic success and are woven throughout our lives. Without access to finance our ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Prime Minister pays tribute to Kiingi Tuheitia

    As Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII is laid to rest today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has paid tribute to a leader whose commitment to Kotahitanga will have a lasting impact on our country. “Kiingi Tuheitia was a humble leader who served his people with wisdom, mana and an unwavering ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Resource Management reform to make forestry rules clearer

    Forestry Minister Todd McClay today announced proposals to reform the resource management system that will provide greater certainty for the forestry sector and help them meet environmental obligations.   “The Government has committed to restoring confidence and certainty across the sector by removing unworkable regulatory burden created by the previous ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • More choice and competition in building products

    A major shake-up of building products which will make it easier and more affordable to build is on the way, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Today we have introduced legislation that will improve access to a wider variety of quality building products from overseas, giving Kiwis more choice and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Joint Statement between the Republic of Korea and New Zealand 4 September 2024, Seoul

    On the occasion of the official visit by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand to the Republic of Korea from 4 to 5 September 2024, a summit meeting was held between His Excellency President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred to as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the goal for New Zealand and Korea

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol. “Korea and New Zealand are likeminded democracies and natural partners in the Indo Pacific. As such, we have decided to advance discussions on elevating the bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • International tourism continuing to bounce back

    Results released today from the International Visitor Survey (IVS) confirm international tourism is continuing to bounce back, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey says. The IVS results show that in the June quarter, international tourism contributed $2.6 billion to New Zealand’s economy, an increase of 17 per cent on last ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2024-09-12T06:57:56+00:00