COVID response is now entering “everyone for themselves” territory.
For months media channels have been filled with the whingers No Right Turn blog describes–the “state support is s-s-socialism” brigade have often been the first to put their hands out during COVID. From Taxpayers Union to Destiny Church, to corporates, to NZ’s sprawling petit bourgeoisie, the dog eat dog model they usually espouse faded, and saw numbers of them become “dirty, filthy, beneficiaries” soon enough. You can check on MSD site which employers have received wage subsidies and the amounts.
Meanwhile working class people’s stories have remained largely untold–when it would have been easy enough to pay every citizen a basic income through IRD rather than complicated scenarios via employers. Thousands of cases relating to forced use of leave and other anomalies remain before Employment Tribunals, Courts and Mediators. “Time out” payments while waiting for test results etc. were not widely publicised–and I am an avid media consumer.
The PM has absolutely done a great job up till now on COVID but that ended yesterday.
All anger should be pointed at the the fuckwits that couldn't follow the tried and proven lockdown road map that worked the in the first outbreak.
Blaming gangs and other criminal elements and the minority of lockdown breakers, ignores the fact that the Level 4 lockdown was working.
The proven lockdown road map that worked in the first outbreak was the hard Level 4 lockdown.
Level 4 lockdowns work.
Because of the greater transmissibility of the Delta varient compared to the original, it was just taking longer.
Those at the bottom of society are the scapegoats for every government failure and loss of nerve in history.
If there is any blaming to be done it should be aimed at the top of society, those business leaders and economists and financiers that pressured the government to lift the Level 4 lockdown while the virus was still circulating in the Auckland region.
Here in Papakura same story, it has been pretty much been Level 1 here as well.
The road traffic in our street is back to normal levels.
The neighbour at the back of us had two vans of workmen, sans-masks at his house installing a heat pump.
Across the road the house has just been bought by a young couple, who before moving in had three vans of painters doing up the place. Again sans-masks.
It seems that people have been taking the drop in levels as a message to push it to the limit.
The commentariat have done their best to reinforce this message. Almost all commentators, (as far as I can tell), are saying the government has abandoned their world beating elimination strategy.
Chris Hipkins said yesterday that we have to live with the virus, confirming what the pundits are saying.
Covid response minister Chris Hipkins admits zero Covid cases are a thing of the past
NZ Herald – 4 Oct, 2021 06:07 PM
Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins has admitted New Zealand may not eliminate the virus after today's alert level announcement….
…Speaking to Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan, Hipkins accepted New Zealand may not return to days of zero Covid cases.
"We have been trending in that direction for the past few weeks and I think people won't be too surprised by that," he said….
…..Asked whether Auckland's boundary would still be in place by Christmas if mystery cases were still being found, Hipkins said it would be unlikely the boundary would be in place then.
Bwagjorn if you know anything about science and closed ecosystems.
You will know that they have tipping points ie like yeast in making alcohol in a bottle the yeast eats the sugar producing alcohol which when it gets to a point the alcohol kills the yeast.
The planet is a closed ecosystem humans are overpopulating he planet using up the resources leaving poisons those poisons are getting to a tipping point that we can't reverse.
How do you know that " those poisons are getting to a tipping point that we can't reverse."
After all far worse things have happened to earth over the last few billion years and life on earth is still flourishing. It might be different forms of life but it still goes on.
There has been nothing at all that mankind has done that can compare to the meteorite (or asteroid, or comet) that hit about 65 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs. Indeed without that it is probable that we would never have developed to become the dominant lifeform.
Even smaller events usually end up having much fewer long term effects than we at first think. The Rena sinking for example. The Environment Ministry says, in 2021, "Today, the environment is recovering well. Experts expect that this shipwreck shouldn't have any long-lasting effects on Bay of Plenty beaches and coastal fisheries.",
Anyway back to the point. What are the tipping points that concern you and how do you decide that a tipping point is nigh?
Alwyn you are providing a very small disaster as a false equivalence. Have you ever travelled .We are isolated on a small island with plenty of wind to blow most of our pollution away making NZ look clean.But where we have big populations ie China people live in very small apartments in tall buildings most days/daze people can't even see the neighbouring building less than 100 metres away the pollution is that bad. Most of Europe you can't see the Horizon on most days except when there is a strong wind.
The NZ govt the Key govt spent $32 million on a combined $400 million ice drilling project on the Antarctic. I know the scientist's who worked on this.
They found the last time CO2 levels reached the levels that are present today the Antarctic melted.
Even the Oil companies agree that global warming is caused by fossil fuel burning and overpopulation.
Looking at the whistle blowers at Facebook and Pandoras show the fossil fuel industry is pushing the same slippery lies you are promoting without question.
You are a bigoted psychophant.
As with your unyielding belief in corporate claptrap.
"They found the last time CO2 levels reached the levels that are present today the Antarctic melted.".
There are a couple of things that come to mind. If the ice had all melted there would be none left from that era for them to drill into. What were they looking at then?
What was it that caused the high CO2 levels in the past, if it wasn't human beings burning fossil fuels?
Why do you feel such a desperate need to abuse people you have never met? Do you have a raving inferiority complex
I'm not disputing the fact that we've possible cooked our goose, I'm saying people who think this great big old rock were on is sentient are daft as a very daft thing.
Earth can behave somewhat as if it were sentient – if one clears all the scrub off steep land for example, Nature may be offended enough to punish you with slips.
You are aware that "the planet" cant think or act aren't you?
Humans giving the matter any thought mostly agree that only creatures with conventional nervous systems can 'think' as we understand it, which is an unsurprising consensus – when you think about it.
Even if ‘our’ planet can't think (as we understand it), (re)acting is another matter.
For myself, I admire 'our' planet's abiding patience and stoicism, but then it's had a lot longer to mull over events, in its own way.
Book review – Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape
The book’s subtitle captures its spirit perfectly. Devoid of self-indulgence or decadent ruin porn, I instead found Islands of Abandonment a thoughtfully written and utterly spellbinding book. Flyn wields the pen of a poet but never loses sight of the importance of getting the biological details right. What a fantastically haunting book!
The purpose was to allow us to"open up" and avoid strict lockdown, when! enough are vaccinated to make that a viable option.
Not! To "open up" to soon pushed by self interested fools who ignore the lessons from overseas, ending up with a deadly fuckup, with hospitals overwhelmed and people dying in the thousands. And a lot more than just a few tourist and hospitality businesses failing, because Covid has taken off.
I doubt if the perpetrators of the concentrated moaning and bullshit from the media, and the supporter's of "let her rip and damn the consequences" will take any responsibility for the results.
Hard to see how the vaccine rollout could have happened faster.
Given the constraints, of safety, seeing which vaccines work, testing, supply, logistics, organisation and training required.
Of course if you are one of the right wing children, who think these things can be done instantly……..
Portugal is a country that isn't famous for bureaucratic competency, they screamed out to 85%.
Most of the OECD got it's act together before New Zealand. We were last / second last for a very long time until it became apparent we actually would need vaccines.
Of course, if you are an apologist for state sector incompetence, long time frames to get anything done are acceptable.
So you think we should have been vaccing more people at the same time the surrendertariate were claiming we were running out of jabs? Doom in June, wasn't it?
We vaxed according to our supply. As Jenny points out below, Pfizer has outright denied claims that we could have gotten more and quicker deliveries if we'd cut them a bigger cheque.
EU producers prioritised EU members for EU vaccine production. that's how Portugal could vax so quickly. They also seem to have plateau'd at 86%. I hope you don't expect us to copy that?
It's not the only one in existence, but were others available at the same schedule with the same evidence base at the same time the govt was negotiating for vaccines before they even passed their trials?
Portugal has, in fact done rather well recently in many metrics, as it becomes more Socialist. However we have still done better to date with combating Covid.
The media continue to undermine and misrepresent.
Listening to ardern yesterday handling the gotcha mob again with their pre-determined narrative bolted on regardless of anything that's presented.
Well said TM. The Liberals ( the spoiled narcissistic hedonistic adult children) have won again. We need more Socialism, not this greedy neoliberalist Individualism that we are collectively suffering from.
“the opportunity to cleanly end elimination has been taken out of our hands. Instead, we are messily transitioning to a suppression strategy while vaccination rates remain too low to, on their own, prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.”
The elimination strategy arose because our health system would be quickly overwhelmed with runaway covid. The same thoughts were behind the quick lockdown for Auckland this time. I cannot see how the health and contact tracing systems have been bolstered with enough resources to manage an outbreak in an under-vaccinated population.
I have been reading various reports from people & sectors of society worried about the government ending the elimination phase – Maori leaders, Pasifika leaders, the disabled. Our government did a great job of elimination, our health system did a great job of elimination. That phase has ended. It's over. What the government and the state apparatus can do has reached it's limits. The solution now rests with people, people taking responsibility to do the right thing and being vaccinated.
Whether you see that as individual responsibility or a collective action isn't so much the issue, essentially it's both. Taking personal responsibility for your own safety and being part of the collective response and doing it for all of us. So far 80% of eligible NZers have or are on track to be double dosed.
The pretty blunt message from here on in for those populations who are worried about the elimination stage – covid is coming, get prepared, get vaccinated. There are opportunities to be vaccinated, take them. If of course the opportunity to be vaccinated has not yet been given to people in Te Kaha or Marokopa or Lewis Pass or where ever then that IS the responsibility of the health system to make it so. It's the responsibility of the local population to get people to attend. If it means an inhouse visit for someone disabled to be vaccinated, that's the way to go. It means vaccinations set up in some high school, eg parts of South Auckland.
However there will be a time, and it's not too far off (albeit frustratingly not immediate) when the country gets to 90% vaccination and the brakes will come off. If someone has not taken advantage of that opportunity to be vaccinated then prepare to meet covid-19. Yes I can see how people are worried about the appearance of covid-19 in communities. They should be and hopefully that is the incentive for them to go and get jabbed.
“ What the government and the state apparatus can do has reached it's limits. The solution now rests with people, people taking responsibility to do the right thing and being vaccinated.”
So true and I think the government has done a brilliant job of Covid control on the run. They have managed each stage on the known facts before them at each stage and they clearly have worked closely with our highly qualified professionals and academic to bring forth well nuanced strategy.
I was fully vaccinated by mid August.
The people who have compromised the latest Lockdown in Auckland and those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in.
“ What the government and the state apparatus can do has reached it's limits. The solution now rests with people, people taking responsibility to do the right thing and being vaccinated.”
So true and I think the government has done a brilliant job of Covid control on the run. They have managed each stage on the known facts before them at each stage and they clearly have worked closely with our highly qualified professionals and academic to bring forth well nuanced strategy.
I was fully vaccinated by mid August.
The people who have compromised the latest Lockdown in Auckland and those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in.
The people who have compromised the latest Lockdown in Auckland and those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in.
Touché
I'm getting sick of the excuses being made on behalf of those who have made no effort to be vaccinated. Of course there is a small element who are hard to reach for whatever reason, but the bulk of the unvaccinated are too lazy, or are listening to false prophets. Well, more fool them. They reap what they sow.
"They reap what they sow". Careful Anne . Thirty five years of neoliberalism has left an "underclass" who have had nothing to sow because of the system's deliberate treatment of them. Little wonder they end up making, what a certain John Key called, poor choices.
If you think I am calling out Maori or Pacific peoples… I am not. It is my humble opinion that, in terms of numbers, there are just as many Pakeha who are unvaccinated. Unlike some Maori and Pacific Islanders, they have virtually no mitigating circumstances whatsoever. Stupidity is their guiding light and I have nothing but contempt for them.
vaccine passports for anyone who presents in ED or ICU with covid symptoms? If vaccinated immediate access to ICU or HDU of needed. If not vaccinated, a triage tent in the car park. There is a principle in law that 'ignorance is no defence'
"…those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in."
Harsh but fair. But it's not the prioritisation of the vaccinated over non-vaccinated that worries me. It's the competition for healthcare between covid and other health conditions. E.g. how is our measles vaccination programme going with the concentration covid? Who gets the ICU bed – a covid patient or someone with a heart attack? Who gets a bed in the general ward – a person needing "elective" surgery or a covid patient?
And until the magic 90% vaccination level is reached, what are the options for those who are at serious risk of a bad outcome who cannot be vaccinated? Home detention?
This game of covid whack-a-mole feels way too soon.
Anecdotally, yes, delivering measles and other childhood vaccinations to hesitant populations has gotten harder with all the publicity around covid vaccinations. Hesitants have become more hesitant, needing a lot more skilled practitioner time to overcome the hesitancy, and failures to overcome the hesitancy have become more frequent. As well as covid vaccination demand for the general population taking up a lot of that skilled practitioner time.
From what I'm hearing from my contacts on the frontline, the amount of effort needed to get some people to accept basic health care services is appalling. Various people make careers out of whining that services to their special interest groups are under-resourced, but what I'm hearing makes it look much more like it's a case of people choosing to be difficult so that vastly more resources are needed to achieve a given result. It's less an under-resourcing issue than it is a case of difficult arseholes choosing to be resource-wasteful.
As for alternatives to Pfizer for those at risk of anaphylaxis from the PEG in the Pfizer, or males aged 12-35ish with histories of heart problems, the Janssen/J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are approved by Medsafe. But I haven't heard of any arriving here and being made available.
They also have the option of looking at the data and seeing that almost all cases of the severe and scary reactions can be treated safely and don't cause long-term harms. That would be an awfully brave call on their part, and I salute those that make that choice knowing they could be in for a rough few days to months if they win the bad-luck lotto.
Immunocompromised people (who are commonly contraindicated for other vaccines) can safely get the Pfizer vaccine. It's just much less likely to do them much good. That's because they're immunocompromised, ie their immune aren't working at all, or just not very well. So sadly, while covid is ripping through a population, yes they will need to protect themselves by whatever other means they can, including home detention.
Certainly there's a chunk of people who aren't keen on an mrna vaccine, offering alternates like Sinofarm etc would I suspect would be worth a few percent… seems odd we havent done that…
Wonder if govt signed up to an 'exclusive' period with Pfizer to get a better price…
" but what I'm hearing makes it look much more like it's a case of people choosing to be difficult so that vastly more resources are needed to achieve a given result." I think so too. The Asian population in NZ has the highest vaccination rate they did not need "pandering" to. Lets hope our lowest vaccinated ethnic group is not hanging out for what they are doing in Switzerland . Paying each person who comes forward for vaccination SF50.00 now to lift the overall rate.
"I'm hearing makes it look much more like it's a case of people choosing to be difficult so that vastly more resources are needed to achieve a given result."
This reads like you've never had to deal with health practitioners who've ever treated you like sh*t, or simply not understood your needs due to such things as language barriers or preconceived notions about who you are and what your values are as soon as you walk in the door, or lived in a family with not a lot of resources to devote to healthcare, or have been brought up to leave the option of seeking healthcare until it's a last resort, or who have restrictions on movement due to coercion and control in the family, etc., etc.
And that's not even counting the people who have been misled about health solutions by charlatans (often people more susceptible to such things by the issues above).
And yes, immune-compromised people (like myself) must take more precautions, which is one of the reasons I would prefer leaving lowering alert levels until vaccination levels.
There have not been many reassurances that the health system will be able to cope with a large outbreak, which is my main objection to this so-called plan.
This exiting of the elimination strategy feels rushed and haphazard to me.
As for alternatives to Pfizer for those at risk of anaphylaxis from the PEG in the Pfizer, or males aged 12-35ish with histories of heart problems, the Janssen/J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are approved by Medsafe. But I haven't heard of any arriving here and being made available.
similar question I have had. Looks like AZ won't be coming to NZ anytime soon, my pick is we will divert our orders across pacific countries et al to assist with their vaccination struggles. J&J is slated to arrive between now and christmas. My own view is as well as those who cannot or do not want to take a pfizer dose getting it, also make it quite widely available for the harder to reach populations – remote, homeless, itinerant, the yeah/nahers etc. Give people the option of pfizer of J&J, explain J&J is a good vaccine but offers lower overall protection. If they choose to commit to 2 shots get pfizer. If they are a bit yeah/nah about it and are happy with J&J job done. They have a good level of protection, are unlikely to end up in hospital and count toward the 90%.
Argentina are using the Cansino vaccine (1 shot) for harder to reach populations. The US did the same with J&J.
…what are the options for those who are at serious risk of a bad outcome who cannot be vaccinated? Home detention?
All the more reason why everyone who can be vaccinated is vaccinated to safeguard the immunocompromised and make it possible for them to move about freely without fear of infection. If they are unfortunate enough to become infected they would be given priority treatment. That is a given.
Immune-compromised people can often be vaccinated. The problem is the vaccine doesn't necessarily work so well. People with some allergies are possibly more at risk of not being able to be vaccinated.
My issue is not whether people should just go and get vaccinated. It's that we're dropping down the alert levels now – before there has even been a chance for everyone who can be vaccinated to get vaccinated. So, as an fully-vaccinated immune-compromised person with a vaccination that is possibly not adequate, I'd feel much safer if we left the opening up until the vaccination levels were up.
I thought it was a shrewd move to allow some of the steam out of the lock down kettle.
Grandchildren able to see Grandparents in a picnic situation. Lone people allowed to meet with family etc. It is all outside, but would be a life line for those locked down on their todd 7 weeks is a long time.
The levels in all other ways have not changed except more children may attend day care where it is physically possible.
It is a terrifying realization that we need to transition, but depending where you live most services are available on line, and also now one other bubble can help someone and meet on the outdoor furniture, or steps for a distanced catch-up.
As Bloomfield says 4 to 8 weeks more of the L3 depending on variables, and that they will be guided by vaccination levels. This is so much better than Australia where it was announced one week and implemented the next. Now that was awful, and lives are being lost every day and health systems pressured in NSW and Victoria.
We went to buy a piece of electronic equipment this morning. The shop was set up brilliantly, and the staff were great. A Kiwi business. Everyone was wearing masks. I thought those people are at risk every day, but if we are fully vaccinated and masked up, chances are reduced significantly.
It will never be as it was except for the risk takers….. and they have been warned the virus will eventually find them. However I think the PM could get all Sector Leaders MPs and influencers to front up bit at a time and do a sell on platforms which reach the people in their areas.
Being judgemental and lifestyle critical just divides us when we need more strategies to connect and convince. Most Gang people I met when teaching wanted a better future for their children. Everyone thrives on hope, and endless lockdowns kill hope for some. Naming and blaming divides us and goes against a common goal. imo.
I am not starry eyed, and know reaching the black economy and the lawless will be extra difficult, but we need to keep reaching out through their trusted people. Even vaccinating half of them would be an improvement in the odds.
I understand what you're saying. My concerns go back to the decision to step down to Level 3. We all have reckons and mine is that another week or two in L4 would have had us through this outbreak. As it is now, we have that really tricky situation for people who are vulnerable with not a high enough level of vaccinations. Hopefully we'll all live with the decision and the cases will go down and we'll get 90% vaccinations within weeks. But I struggle to see it.
New Zealand gives in: How international media sees the Covid-19 strategy
RNZ – 3 hrs ago
New Zealand gave in on Monday, the government finally acknowledging it could not stop the spread of Delta, as others did long ago, according to international media coverage…..
….Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's announcement of a three-stage roadmap to ease level 3 restrictions in Auckland marked a move away from the elimination strategy.
….Much of the overseas reporting on New Zealand's easing of Covid-19 restrictions despite community cases said the government had finally acknowledged something most others had done long ago.
….For a year and a half, New Zealand had pursued a strategy of "Covid zero," closing its borders and quickly enforcing lockdowns to keep the coronavirus in check, a policy it maintained even as other Asia-Pacific countries transitioned to coexisting with the viral threat, it said.
So what is the actual easing? Some bubble-mixing is allowed. How does that impact the current outbreak?
The MSM can fuck off with their "gives in" editorialising without actually explaining how this thing puts us on the path of NSW-level infections, and that's what "giving in" really is.
This is why media takes can go get fucked. What are the odds that the media outlets screaming "surrender" include the one actively touting the Mental Health Foundation to make statements against lockdowns because they harm people's mental health.
Today we had a media outlet on the phone encouraging us to speak out and say lockdown needed to end, suggesting we say it should end because of the toll they felt it was taking on people’s mental health. We declined.
The border was always going to be how the Delta strain entered the country. Had it been mandatory that being double vaccinated when entering NZ this probably would not have stopped an outbreak. It was always going to be when and not if.
So glad to see the end of plastic supermarket shopping bags, dv.
After every really solid-rainy wet day or two, when the stream gets into flood (the catchment area includes farmed & forested hills to my East, South, & West) the foliage on both stream banks would get covered in bloody shredded plastic bags, spoiling my pristine views.
Even now, after we had two days of rain & the stream rose by 4 m into a roaring brown torrent one might not have survived if one accidentally fell in, the bushes are once again covered in shredded blimmin bags.
God knows where they all come from. Waiting for a nice sunny day when the stream’s gone down enuf that it’s safe to wade to get in there again with my trusty rake to reach up & pull the bags out of the blackberry & other bushes.
No. The nearest official dump site's at Spicer Valley, in Porirua – north of here. It's a helluva long way west from my stream.
I really think these are just bags blown along the streets and/or left in the forest, that have found their way into tributaries. Lots of rain probably just washes them into the stream.
I check that site most days and also the Herman Cain Award site. The memes used are universal. The sites are confronting both from the incredible naivety shown by the anti vaxxers and also the comments from pro-vaxxers can be tough as well.
There are common themes in the US: Southern states, Bible Belt locations, fundamentalist Christian, pro Trump, etc etc.
Very sad some of the stories. Ivermectin use is rife, also zinc and Vit C. Many are overweight and strangely many of the men sport beards or goatees though that is probably a 'down-home in the US' feature though some commenters have wondered if beards can trap aerosolised Covid particles? These people are not mask wearers.
There is a very powerful article by an Edmonton ICU specialist about the progression of Covid through the body. Usually by the time there is trouble breathing the virus has left and so all the Ivermectin in the world will not help. The trouble breathing is a later stage. This may be useful if we are now looking at a run on hospitals and increased use of ventilators.
PS We had a post from a TSer that staff of a catering firm here in NZ have exhibited anti vaxx sentiments and mentions a few of the memes/themes. As said these are universal and show up in the lists on FB etc of fervent anti vaxxers who later die from Covid.
Yes, sadly. I check the sites as I used to respond to counter anti vaxx bull kaka where I saw it (taking a break from it for a couple of days as it is mind numbing/dumbing)
I am hopeful that:
if the likes of AirNZ hold the line for overseas travel, and
vaccination passports are able to happen, despite M_S knowledge of 50 lawyers waiting to take them down.
Perhaps these 'mandates' may encourage more to vaccinate.
I dont think it's going to be overly effective so long as other airlines only require a negative test prior to travel leaving options for the no vax group and lets face it people that can afford international holidays arnt in the hard to reach categories
yup, good luck to that bloke and his staff acquiring natural immunity. heck of a silly way to get immunity I think, a bit risky. But oh well. It's almost 2 hours by ambulance from Takaka to Nelson hospital.
On the subject of anyone who subscribes to the views of the Self Reverent brian tamaki. There is a saying amongst christians "there are no unbelievers in a rubber life raft". Likewise, there are no covid deniers or anti vaxxers in a covid-19 ICU bed.
Best take steps to minimise your chance of not getting to that point.
You can tell by the way they use their waddle… nice clear image, and stream.
Never thought of them as feral – escapees often appear relatively unwary of humans.
They’re a rail, like the pūkeko. Much bigger-boned than the pooks tho.
Dunno why, I just assumed it’s a “she”. Seems to be an exceptionally placid type of waterbird.
……………………………………
“Behaviour and ecology
Most common moorhen populations are sedentary, but northern populations exposed to severe winter conditions are migratory. They breed as territorial pairs during the spring, nesting in reedbeds on rivers and ponds. They are largely solitary throughout the year, but form feeding groups of up to 30 during the winter.
Food
Common moorhens are omnivorous, consuming a wide variety of plants and small water creatures.” – NZ Birds Online
……………………………………
Appears they are like nga pūkeko in that cocks & hens have the same colour plumage, so you can’t tell the sexes apart easily by their feather colour patterns – as you can with mallard drakes & hens, and with, say paradise shelducks, blackbird cocks & hens etc. .
Probably hardy like our pukeko. Hope we don't get Ibis here though.. they are the rats of the bird world like pigeons in the park . Aussie horror poos everywhere is not afraid and dirty as.
Hey Patricia, I just clicked on Drowsy’s NZ Birds link above.
I’m wrong. It’s not an unusual coloured moorhen – it’s very DEFINITELY a Muscovy Duck. And it’s twice as big as nearby Mallard drakes, so it’s a placid male.
…………………………………..
Extract:
“Identification:
Muscovy ducks are large, goose-like ducks with highly variable plumage. Most New Zealand birds are either plain white or pied. Pied birds have a green sheen on their dark feathers. Birds with grey and brown colouring may also be present. A small crest may be raised when birds are alarmed. The bill is either pink-and-blackish, or entirely pink, and the base is surrounded by bright red caruncles. They have relatively short legs, [my specimen above had very pale orange legs, seen paddling away – Gez] & are less mobile on land than other ducks.
The legs and feet are partially or entirely pale orange in colour, and the toes have long, sharp claws. The male is much larger than the female, and can weigh over twice as much.
Voice: Generally silent or quiet. The female makes a soft quacking sound; the male makes puffing and hissing noises.
Similar species: Entirely white birds bear some resemblance to white domestic forms of mallards, and to male greylag geese, but are distinguishable by the red caruncles and body shape. Pied birds are unmistakable. Muscovy ducks can hybridise with mallards; hybrids are highly variable in plumage and have features of both parent species.”
2) The findings, reported in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, highlight yet another pernicious burden of the pandemic. ➡️ Kidney damage is painless and silent, and it’s the latest ailment afflicting a large swath of Covid survivors.https://t.co/Z1gWmzechG
So tired of moaning and whining from media, hospitality, businesses. The enormous pressure from these sectors has been constant for 18 months. The Government had been under huge pressure to open up our bubble to Australia. That didn't last long. Even more pressure lately so they are now loosening a little and they still complain. Act wants an end goal (as if anything like that can be predicted accurately with Delta – it's not like a broken leg that can mostly be healed in 6-8 weeks). Businesses don't seem to grasp that if hundreds or thousands of people contract the virus their businesses will be even more precarious. Businesses fail even in normal times.
Everyone is finding it hard. But public health surely must be the first priority. If people are unable to show common sense and effort and get vaccinated life will be even harder if the virus takes off and is rampant everywhere.
All praise to Jacinda for doing the very best she can in very difficult times. And she still came on Seven Sharp with a smile. Rather her than Judith Collins sniping and snarling.
Fair and balanced commentary is fine but all whining and carping is worse than the actual restrictions.
Aye – it's enough to turn anyone into a misanthrope watching this circus of collective derangement. People demanding under pandemic conditions that they have three contradictory things at the same time: freedom, safety and certainty.
I can't decide if the MSM is just mischief making or really are so thick, they can't follow what the PM was saying. Hopefully, for all our sakes, the former.
There are two things I want to see from the government right now, and both are issues that it's been obvious for a long time that they would need addressing:
What is the actual plan to lift vaccination rates to the levels needed to not have widespread needless suffering and deaths? (the rate being tossed around is 90% of eligibles, which is a long long way from the under 80% of eligibles we're at right now)
What is the actual plan for when our health system gets overwhelmed by (mostly unvaccinated) covid patients?
Mr Robertson, your glib mealy mouthed pabulum that vaccine mandates are not the New Zealand way is fkn pathetic when you don't immediately offer an alternative credible plan. But you didn't even offer a plan completely lacking in credibility, you offered nothing, nada , zip, bupkis, just some really vague indefinite muttering about maybe vaccine certificates. Details are needed now, actually, three weeks ago at least. Just saying we desperately need people to get vaccinated without also announcing measures to help make that happen isn't reassuring, it's fkn infuriating.
Mr Robertson, a glib assurance that New Zealand has hospital capacity to handle the outbreak now is frankly fkn infuriating, when it's obvious to a blind man with his Airpods turned up to 11 that we are very likely facing a flood of (mostly unvaccinated) covid patients. It's not reassuring, it makes you look like you're suffering a truly frightening degree of cluelessness.
I would enact legislation making it clear that it's totally legitimate and expected to add "no jab, no job" policies to existing employment contracts. On health and safety grounds. And mandate "no jab, no job" policies for all employees funded by the government, such as teachers, healthcare workers, government departments such as WINZ …
I would write legislation making it clear that "no jab, no entry" policies are legal and expected for all private businesses and events that may have random Kim Public entering. Pubs, restaurants, theatres, concerts, supermarkets, petrol station shops, hardware stores, gyms, the lot.
I would write legislation for healthcare providers that when resources are overloaded and triaging is needed, unvaccinated covid patients are at the top of the list to be triaged out. This situation is well outside of what's anticipated in developing normal triaging guidelines, and the appropriate response is a community political consideration, not a routine medical ethics one.
It's just non-courageous of this government to curtail so many broad human rights, but then not mandate vaccinations as a specific further human right discrimination.
It is also non-courageous not to specifically praise some regions and towns putting their vaccination rates close to 90%, yet not specifically chastise those DHB's with low numbers. This is already well and truly a regional approach to disease control. Time to do the same with prevention.
So that handles the working people. What about the people in emergency housing, or out of the regular economy?
Because that's the problem we seem to have at the moment: people poorly-served or abused by the state are suddenly expected to not beware the state bearing gifts?
I suspect the true path to 90% is to do similar to what statsnz used to do with the census prior to 2018: physically reach out to folk like the people under bridges, in random places, the often overlooked.
edit: plus start throwing the OSH violations around at ~85%, just to clean up the working “hesitant”
Getting all the working people and those that want to participate in other stuff like events is a useful start. Since all the people whose attitudes and opinions I know anything about fall into that broad group, there's a teeny-tiny chance my reckons about what might move them is worth just slightly more than jack-shit.
When it comes to those outside the regular economy and other special cases, I'd leave that to those whose job it is. Hopefully they have some actual expertise to come up with good workable ideas. All I'd come up with is stuff like blowguns and spring-loaded syringes with GPS trackers attached and bounties paid for every successful darting.
This pandemic really does seem to have highlighted why folks have been banging on about equity for decades: we essentially have two populations, one generally well served by the health system, (albeit with some biases and wait times), andthe other basically rarely interacts with the state once they leave school, and those interactions are usually bad for the person.
And frankly, the bigger group yet to be fully included in the anti-covid effort is the latter group, from what I can see.
I consider that we have a six year term now. 3 plus 3, sort of a right of renewal like a lease. A govt only lasting 3 years would be pretty awful and deserving to be thrown out. Another year in that case would be more detrimental to the country.
Would like to see funding limited to named individuals only and set at a fairly low percentage of the median wage – with political parties' shortfalls in operating budgets made up from state funding via some performance-based formula. Won't happen though – it would draw heavy media and establishment fire as Helen Clark found out. Plus Labour is riding pretty high, the large donations are probably coming, and they may be happy to be the party of the more moderate business sector, thereby squatting in National's territory.
In other areas – coat-tailing needs to go, plus cautiously drop the threshold to 4% because 5% is anti-democratic but the system also needs to be crank-proof. I can't think of a simple way to prevent large parties gifting safe seats to a sub-threshold coalition partner. Removing coat-tailing minimises the harm caused by such cheating and preferential voting within electorates might help also. Getting rid of electorates altogether would solve the problem but is probably considered too radical to fly.
This man Osnos has written a book about usa called Wildlands…
One point: The reason that happened is partly because the parties themselves and the people who are running for office began to put themselves above anything else.
“And so, they're willing to take really horrifying steps against the country's overall interest in order to advance their position.
The alarming statistic in this article is the one about trust in government. Osnos says that in 1964 77% trusted the US government. In 2014 that had dropped to 18%. That must impact on Americans in so many ways.
Does anyone have a link to the NZ survey/research on who isn't vaccinated with breakdown by a lot of factors? Need it for a post. I saw it sometime in the past month, but don't know when the research was done.
thanks joe. That's good. Not the one I was looking for, which had a better breakdown for disabled people. Don't think it was from the MoH, or maybe it was just more indepth reporting.
With the vaccine certificate coming out next month and the PM stating the country will not mandate vaccination certificates for supermarkets and pharmacies would it be too much to ask that they mandate days where the vaccinated can frequent these premises and provide a day a week which is available for non-vaccinated people to be able to do their food and pharmacy shopping.
This way everybody is going to feel safer doing essential shopping. The vaccinated will have a better chance if they do get infected that it won't be too severe and the unvaccinated will not be doing any damage to the vaccinated who will be at home.
Nice idea. I'd also like to know what should be done with the one hillbilly in my workplace who won't see sence and get himself vaccinated. All other staff (about 10 of us) are either fully vaccinated or awaiting our second shots.
I'm vaccinated and am not really worried about hanging around with non vaccinated people which is the reason I got vaccinated. They will be the one's that get sick surely and at worse case I will get mildly sick?
Third worst case is either of you gets severely ill and has chronic long term harm.
Let me put it another way: back in the old days when infantry lined up against each other with spikes, the front rank had the highest mortality rate. The third rank had a much lower mortality rate. You're the dude going "I'm in the third rank, what do I care if there's a battle?"
Lower risk does not equal zero risk, and from a population level 100% vax and no controls still might mean an overloaded healthcare system – so you if you or your unvaxed mate doesn't kill the other, you still die when there are no ventilators free after you have a car crash.
I'm sure getting covid because someone thinks triaging and vaccine passports in a pandemic is "apartheid" would be nastier than the pretty mild term I used.
Political and personal are not always different things.
Mauī makes a political point, without the personalised nasty. You may not like the political point and you may personally feel offended or angry etc, but it's still different from using inflammatory language directed at the person you are talking to.
Feelings are running high. We're here for the long haul, and my thinking currently is that this is different from any other conversation we've had on TS. As you say, it is very personal. For all of us.
tl;dr, the moderation was basically to avert flamming.
taking my mod hat off, I'm more concerned currently about the widening gap in NZ around belief than I am about covid. This is because I still trust Labour's plan and think it's largely on track. We need to focus on getting as many people vaccinated as possible, and that's what we are in fact doing.
That we might also create irreparable sociopolitical damage seems like a massive blindspot. Even if you don't care about the people you are hating on, strategically it's dumb. Think the next public health initiative that needs social cohesion at the 5m level, or even the next election. Or the waves of social, economic and political disruption that are coming with climate change and the eco crises. It's really not a good time for us to be upping the ante on ostracisation.
The dirty secret of "team of 5 million" is that it's never really been true.
Do we really think all act and national party supporters are on the elimination bandwagon? Hell no. Even if most of them are, that's still ~15% who don't believe or care that covid will kill people and will grudgingly (at best) comply with the dominant mood of the community.
Then there are the folks (who are hopefully only single-digit %) who believe the chip-level theories and actively work to spread that harm.
If we need >90-95% to do something for the survival of significant numbers of people in the community, ostracism will be the last step before the necessary outright coercion. Not vax passport "coercion", real coercion.
I don't think covid will get us to that point, but it might be close.
The team of 5 million stuff is more "team of 3 million, with another million and a bit following along because it's easier, a few hundred thousand people who might not be enthusiastic about a plague but who are not to bothered about the concept (especially if it disproportionately hits poor, urban, and other euphemismed people), and another few thousand delusional fools".
Because getting a breakthrough covid case after vaccination is still a fucking nasty disease. Basically like the worst flu you've ever had.
Mild, moderate and severe when referring to covid mean something different than normal usage. "Mild covid" means you weren't hospitalised. Moderate means you really need hospitalisation. Severe means intensive care, you'll be lucky to survive it and even luckier to not get long covid.
I take it Jimmy you are not vaccinated. Vaccinated folk generally do not need to be hospitalised if they are infected which is a good thing. The virus is only seeking out the non-vaccinated and they will take up the most ICU valuable space, sparse as it is. Keeping the two separated is keeping the vaccinated hopefully free of becoming sick. The unvaccinated will only be infecting their own. Pretty obvious don't you think.
Two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine are “highly effective” at preventing hospitalisations for at least six months, a large-scale study shows, but protection against infection nearly halves over the same period.
Effectiveness against all Covid infections fell from 88% within a month of having two doses to 47% after six months, according to the research. However, effectiveness against hospitalisations remained high at 90% overall – and crucially across all variants, including delta.
Yes I am vaccinated….which is why I cant understand why people are treating the non vaxed as leppers?
As I've said above now that I'm vaccinated it doesn't worry me if I am next to a person that is not vaccinated. As you state: "The unvaccinated will only be infecting their own. Pretty obvious don't you think." …..so I don't need to worry?
There are still enough unvaccinated that when covid really gets loose, the sheer numbers of covid patients will break our medical system.
Now, I'm really not bothered about the outcome for those unvaccinated covid patients. Y’know, consequences of choices and all that.
But I am really concerned about the effect that will have on the staff in our medical system. I have a cousin and her husband that are hospital doctors in the US. It'll be a miracle if they come out of what they're going through more or less psychologically and physically intact.
I am also really concerned about the effect on other people with medical needs when our medical system is broken by unvaccinated covid patients. The effects on them are going to be fkn brutal.
That's why our government takes a cup of cement and harden right up to wilfully unvaccinated covid patients in order to protect our medical staff and our other people with involuntary medical needs
John Key keeps this up, he may have to join that other failed head of state to get himself banned from Facebook for making false and misleading claims.
It's not Surrender, but I do think it is Dicing With Death.
The root problem is that alert levels don't work when the disease is circulating among criminal gangs – who don't obey lockdown, and who lie to contact tracers. The alert levels are really about trying to keep everyone else safe.
The Government needs to be aggressively pushing vaccine mandates, and I'm worried things are starting to drift, but there's nothing in the current line that suggests we still aren't aiming to (eventually) mop up this outbreak. We certainly aren't tending towards NSW or Victoria, at least not yet. So long as we keep Auckland isolated and the international border closed, we can do this.
(Also, **** the media. Bunch of ****ing Lord Haw Haws).
I do not see a problem with vaccinated Kiwis returning to home isolation in Auckland (close to zero risk of needing hospitalisation and it will be at Level 3), what we have left to protect is the wider Level 2 area.
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Budget 2022 support to reduce homelessness delivers on the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Bespoke support for rangatahi with higher, more complex needs The Green Party welcomes the additional investment in Budget 2022 for kaupapa Māori support services, homelessness outreach services, the expansion of transitional housing, and a new ...
Green Party reaffirms call for liveable incomes and wealth tax Calls on Government to cancel debt owed to MSD for hardship assistance such as benefit advances, and for over-payments The Green Party welcomes the support for people on low incomes Budget 2022 but says more must be done ...
Our Government has just released this year’s Budget, which sets out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. It’s full of initiatives that speed up our economic recovery and ease cost pressures for ...
A stronger democracy is on the horizon, as Golriz Ghahraman’s Electoral (Strengthening Democracy) Amendment Bill was pulled from the biscuit tin today. ...
Tomorrow, the Government will release this year’s Budget, setting out the next steps in our plan to build a high wage, low carbon economy that gives economic security in good times and in bad. While the full details will be kept under wraps until Thursday afternoon, we’ve announced a few ...
As a Government, we made it clear to New Zealanders that we’d take meaningful action on climate change, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Earlier today, we released our next steps with our Emissions Reduction Plan – which will meet the Climate Commission’s independent science-based emissions reduction targets, and new ...
Emissions Reduction Plan prepares New Zealand for the future, ensuring country is on track to meet first emissions budget, securing jobs, and unlocking new investment ...
The Greens are calling for the Government to reconsider the immigration reset so that it better reflects our relationship with our Pacific neighbours. ...
Hamilton City Council and Whanganui District Council have both joined a growing list of Local Authorities to pass a motion in support of Green Party Drug Reform Spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick’s Members’ bill to minimise alcohol harm. ...
Today, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a major package of reforms to address the immediate skill shortages in New Zealand and speed up our economic growth. These include an early reopening to the world, a major milestone for international education, and a simplification of immigration settings to ensure New Zealand ...
Proposed immigration changes by the Government fail to guarantee pathways to residency to workers in the types of jobs deemed essential throughout the pandemic, by prioritising high income earners - instead of focusing on the wellbeing of workers and enabling migrants to put down roots. ...
Ehara taku toa i te toa takatahi, engari taku toa he toa takimano – my strength is not mine alone but the strength of many (working together to ensure safe, caring respectful responses). We are striving for change. We want all people in Aotearoa New Zealand thriving; their wellbeing enhanced ...
The Green Party is throwing its support behind the 10,000 allied health workers taking work-to-rule industrial action today because of unfair pay and working conditions. ...
Since the day we came into Government, we’ve worked hard to lift wages and reduce cost pressures facing New Zealanders. But we know the rising cost of living, driven by worldwide inflation and the war in Ukraine, is making things particularly tough right now. That’s why we’ve stepped up our ...
An independent review of New Zealand’s detention regime for asylum seekers has found arbitrary and abusive practices in Aotearoa’s immigration law, policy, and practice. ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party on winning the Australian Federal election, and has acknowledged outgoing Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "I spoke to Anthony Albanese early this morning as he was preparing to address his supporters. It was a warm conversation and I’m ...
Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Tiwhatiwha te pō, tiwhatiwha te ao. Matariki Tapuapua, He roimata ua, he roimata tangata. He roimata e wairurutu nei, e wairurutu nei. Te Māreikura mārohirohi o Ihoa o ngā Mano, takoto Te ringa mākohakoha o Rongo, takoto. Te mātauranga o Tūāhuriri o Ngai Tahu ...
Three core networks within the tourism sector are receiving new investment to gear up for the return of international tourists and business travellers, as the country fully reconnects to the world. “Our wider tourism sector is on the way to recovery. As visitor numbers scale up, our established tourism networks ...
The Government is contributing $100,000 to a Mayoral Relief Fund to help the Levin community following this morning’s tornado, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan says. “My thoughts are with everyone who has been impacted by severe weather events in Levin and across the country. “I know the tornado has ...
The Quintet of Attorneys General have issued the following statement of support for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and investigations and prosecutions for crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “The Attorneys General of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand join in ...
Morena tatou katoa. Kua tae mai i runga i te kaupapa o te rā. Thank you all for being here today. Yesterday my colleague, the Minister of Finance Grant Robertson, delivered the Wellbeing Budget 2022 – for a secure future for New Zealand. I’m the Minister of Health, and this was ...
Urgent Budget night legislation to stop major supermarkets blocking competitors from accessing land for new stores has been introduced today, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark said. The Commerce (Grocery Sector Covenants) Amendment Bill amends the Commerce Act 1986, banning restrictive covenants on land, and exclusive covenants ...
It is a pleasure to speak to this Budget. The 5th we have had the privilege of delivering, and in no less extraordinary circumstances. Mr Speaker, the business and cycle of Government is, in some ways, no different to life itself. Navigating difficult times, while also making necessary progress. Dealing ...
Budget 2022 provides funding to implement the new resource management system, building on progress made since the reform was announced just over a year ago. The inadequate funding for the implementation of the Resource Management Act in 1992 almost guaranteed its failure. There was a lack of national direction about ...
The Government is substantially increasing the amount of funding for public media to ensure New Zealanders can continue to access quality local content and trusted news. “Our decision to create a new independent and future-focused public media entity is about achieving this objective, and we will support it with a ...
$662.5 million to maintain existing defence capabilities NZDF lower-paid staff will receive a salary increase to help meet cost-of living pressures. Budget 2022 sees significant resources made available for the Defence Force to maintain existing defence capabilities as it looks to the future delivery of these new investments. “Since ...
More than $185 million to help build a resilient cultural sector as it continues to adapt to the challenges coming out of COVID-19. Support cultural sector agencies to continue to offer their important services to New Zealanders. Strengthen support for Māori arts, culture and heritage. The Government is investing in a ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
It is my great pleasure to present New Zealand’s fourth Wellbeing Budget. In each of this Government’s three previous Wellbeing Budgets we have not only considered the performance of our economy and finances, but also the wellbeing of our people, the health of our environment and the strength of our communities. In Budget ...
Four new permanent Coroners to be appointed Seven Coronial Registrar roles and four Clinical Advisor roles are planned to ease workload pressures Budget 2022 delivers a package of investment to improve the coronial system and reduce delays for grieving families and whānau. “Operating funding of $28.5 million over four ...
Establishment of Ministry for Disabled People Progressing the rollout of the Enabling Good Lives approach to Disability Support Services to provide self-determination for disabled people Extra funding for disability support services “Budget 2022 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to deliver change for the disability community with the establishment of a ...
Fairer Equity Funding system to replace school deciles The largest step yet towards Pay Parity in early learning Local support for schools to improve teaching and learning A unified funding system to underpin the Reform of Vocational Education Boost for schools and early learning centres to help with cost ...
$118.4 million for advisory services to support farmers, foresters, growers and whenua Māori owners to accelerate sustainable land use changes and lift productivity $40 million to help transformation in the forestry, wood processing, food and beverage and fisheries sectors $31.6 million to help maintain and lift animal welfare practices across Aotearoa New Zealand A total food and ...
House price caps for First Home Grants increased in many parts of the country House price caps for First Home Loans removed entirely Kāinga Whenua Loan cap will also be increased from $200,000 to $500,000 The Affordable Housing Fund to initially provide support for not-for-profit rental providers Significant additional ...
Child Support rules to be reformed lifting an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 children out of poverty Support for immediate and essential dental care lifted from $300 to $1,000 per year Increased income levels for hardship assistance to extend eligibility Budget 2022 takes further action to reduce child poverty and ...
More support for RNA research through to pilot manufacturing RNA technology platform to be created to facilitate engagement between research and industry partners Researchers and businesses working in the rapidly developing field of RNA technology will benefit from a new research and development platform, funded in Budget 2022. “RNA ...
A new Business Growth Fund to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow Fully funding the Regional Strategic Partnership Fund to unleash regional economic development opportunities Tourism Innovation Programme to promote sustainable recovery Eight Industry Transformation Plans progressed to work with industries, workers and iwi to transition ...
Budget 2022 further strengthens the economic foundations and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa, as the recovery from COVID-19 continues. “The priorities we set for Budget 2022 will support the continued delivery of our commitments for Pacific peoples through the Pacific Wellbeing Strategy, a 2020 manifesto commitment for Pacific ...
Boost for Māori economic and employment initiatives. More funding for Māori health and wellbeing initiatives Further support towards growing language, culture and identity initiatives to deliver on our commitment to Te Reo Māori in Education Funding for natural environment and climate change initiatives to help farmers, growers and whenua ...
New hospital funding for Whangārei, Nelson and Hillmorton 280 more classrooms over 40 schools, and money for new kura $349 million for more rolling stock and rail network investment The completion of feasibility studies for a Northland dry dock and a new port in the Manukau Harbour Increased infrastructure ...
$168 million to the Māori Health Authority for direct commissioning of services $20.1 million to support Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards $30 million to support Māori primary and community care providers $39 million for Māori health workforce development Budget 2022 invests in resetting our health system and gives economic security in ...
Biggest-ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget Provision for 61 new emergency vehicles including 48 ambulances, along with 248 more paramedics and other frontline staff New emergency helicopter and crew, and replacement of some older choppers $100 million investment in specialist mental health and addiction services 195,000 primary and intermediate aged ...
Landmark reform: new multi-year budgets for better planning and more consistent health services Record ongoing annual funding boost for Health NZ to meet cost pressures and start with a clean slate as it replaces fragmented DHB system ($1.8 billion year one, as well as additional $1.3 billion in year ...
Fuel Excise Duty and Road User Charges cut to be extended for two months Half price public transport extended for a further two months New temporary cost of living payment for people earning up to $70,000 who are not eligible to receive the Winter Energy Payment Estimated 2.1 million New ...
A return to surplus in 2024/2025 Unemployment rate projected to remain at record lows Net debt forecast to peak at 19.9 percent of GDP in 2024, lower than Australia, US, UK and Canada Economic growth to hit 4.2 percent in 2023 and average 2.1 percent over the forecast period A ...
Cost of living payment to cushion impact of inflation for 2.1 million Kiwis Record health investment including biggest ever increase to Pharmac’s medicines budget First allocations from Climate Emergency Response Fund contribute to achieving the goals in the first Emissions Reduction Plan Government actions deliver one of the strongest ...
Budget 2022 will help build a high wage, low emissions economy that provides greater economic security, while providing support to households affected by cost of living pressures. Our economy has come through the COVID-19 shock better than almost anywhere else in the world, but other challenges, both long-term and more ...
Health Minister Andrew Little will represent New Zealand at the first in-person World Health Assembly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday 22 – Wednesday 25 May (New Zealand time). “COVID-19 has affected people all around the world, and health continues to ...
New Zealand is committing to trade only in legally harvested timber with the Forests (Legal Harvest Assurance) Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament today. Under the Bill, timber harvested in New Zealand and overseas, and used in products made here or imported, will have to be verified as being legally harvested. ...
The Government has welcomed the release today of StatsNZ data showing the rate at which New Zealanders died from all causes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been lower than expected. The new StatsNZ figures provide a measure of the overall rate of deaths in New Zealand during the pandemic compared ...
Legislation that will help prevent serious criminal offending at sea, including trafficking of humans, drugs, wildlife and arms, has passed its third reading in Parliament today, Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta announced. “Today is a milestone in allowing us to respond to the increasingly dynamic and complex maritime security environment facing ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor is set to travel to Thailand this week to represent New Zealand at the annual APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in Bangkok. “I’m very much looking forward to meeting my trade counterparts at APEC 2022 and building on the achievements we ...
Settlement of the first pay-equity agreement in the health sector is hugely significant, delivering pay rises of thousands of dollars for many hospital administration and clerical workers, Health Minister Andrew Little says. “There is no place in 21st century Aotearoa New Zealand for 1950s attitudes to work predominantly carried out ...
Health Minister Andrew Little opened a new intensive care space for up to 12 ICU-capable beds at Christchurch Hospital today, funded from the Government’s Rapid Hospital Improvement Programme. “I’m pleased to help mark this milestone. This new space will provide additional critical care support for the people of Canterbury and ...
Budget 2022 will continue to deliver on Labour’s commitment to better services and support for mental wellbeing. The upcoming Budget will include a $100-million investment over four years for a specialist mental health and addiction package, including: $27m for community-based crisis services that will deliver a variety of intensive supports ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Mick Tsikas/AAP Public concern over climate change was a clear factor in the election of Australia’s new Labor government. Incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to action on the issue, declaring on Saturday night: ...
Community Law Centres O Aotearoa is urging the New Zealand Government to prioritise the treatment of Kiwis who have made Australia their home high on the agenda when Prime Minister Ardern meets with freshly-elected Australian Prime Minister Anthony ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Skarbek, CEO, Climateworks Centre Mick Tsikas/AAP Public concern over climate change was a clear factor in the election of Australia’s new Labor government. Incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to action on the issue, declaring on Saturday night: ...
Australia’s election, thrusting the ALP and its leader Anthony Albanese back into a governing role, offers the Ardern government a fresh opportunity to blow the cobwebs off the Anzac partnership. During the last years of the Liberal era, the once-strong Trans-Tasman relationship appeared to cool. Australia’s deportation policy under the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney An Albanese government in Canberra means an improved trajectory in Australia-China relations is a real possibility. Sure, there will be no “re-set” like we saw in the heady ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yee-Fui Ng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Monash University The election results are in and Labor has won enough seats to form government, either as a majority or with the support of independents. What will this mean for political integrity? The main ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor and Director of the Policy Innovation Hub, Griffith Business School, Griffith University The Australian Labor Party will form government either outright or in a minority government. The ALP has so far gained a small 2.8% two-party preferred national ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Morrison government has been resoundingly defeated, with Labor headed for office, although whether in a minority or majority was unclear late Saturday night. The election has been a triumph for the teal independents, with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amy Nethery, Senior Lecturer in Politics and Policy Studies, Deakin University Joel Carrett/AAP One of the most stunning features of the 2022 election has been the challenge from teal independents in Liberal seats. At the close of counting on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne AAP/Lukas Coch With 53% counted at Saturday’s federal election, the ABC is calling 72 of the 151 House of Representatives seats for Labor, 52 for the Coalition, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne It really started unravelling for Scott Morrison on All Saints Day, November 1 2021, when French President Emmanuel Macron branded him a liar. Asked by Bevan Shields, who is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marija Taflaga, Lecturer, School of Political Science and International Relations, Australian National University It is incredible the government that led Australia through the pandemic with one of the highest vaccination rates, some of the lowest per capita death rates and, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Labor’s successful bid for government – only its fifth victory from opposition since the first world war – was based ...
Auckland Central Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick has revealed an alarming failure by the Department of Conservation to live up to its name and protect native kororā (penguins) at Pūtiki Bay on Waiheke Island. “DOC was asked to submit on the Kennedy Point ...
Policy failure over the last eight years — including a massive cut to the ABC’s international funding — has weakened Australia’s voice in the Pacific to its lowest ebb since the Menzies government established the first radio shortwave service across the region more than 80 years ago. Now, with China’s ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern early in March insisted there was no cost-of-living “crisis” in New Zealand. Now her right-hand man, Grant Robertson, has presented a budget which he proudly claims deals with that very same “crisis”, giving away $1 billion in an emergency cost-of-living package. About 2.1 million New Zealanders ...
Podcast - This Budget needed to tackle health and climate while delivering cost-of-living relief. Deputy Political Editor Craig McCulloch assesses the implications. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne AAP/Lukas Coch The federal election is on Saturday. Polls close at 6pm local time; that means 6pm AEST in the eastern states, 6:30pm in SA and the ...
Analysis - It was the government's biggest week of the year with the Budget and the Emissions Reduction Plan coming out, and neither was given much of a welcome, Peter Wilson writes. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ataus Samad, Lecturer, Western Sydney University Mick Tsikas/AAP With the election almost upon us, thoughts are more than ever turned to political survival. While getting pre-selected and winning elections are the initial, difficult challenges of a political career, a major ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Chart by Keith Rankin. We know that New Zealand has one of the world’s lowest mortality outcomes, so far, in the Covid19 pandemic. (So has North Korea.) It’s still far too early to access the costs incurred – loss of utility enjoyed by actual and ‘would-have-been’ ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Lillie Eiger/ Sony You’ve probably heard the name Harry Styles. He is the current “real big thing” in popular music. But how did a former boy band star become ...
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty managing director Mark Harris is advocating for a stamp duty on foreign buyers of residential property. Following yesterday’s Budget 2022 announcement, Harris believes that a stamp duty would help increase the ...
And how did the people react to the boost in spending announced in this year’s Budget to promote our wellbeing? In some cases by pleading for more; in other cases, by grouching they got nothing. But Budget spending is never enough. Two lots of bleating came from the Human Rights ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and Emma La Rouche, from the University of Canberra’s Media and Communications team, look at the last week of the campaign as Australians head to the polls. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Hurlimann, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock It will be impossible to tackle climate change unless we transform the way we build and plan cities, which are responsible for a staggering 70% of global emissions. ...
Military spending allocated in the 2022 Wellbeing Budget is $6,077,484,000 - an average of more than $116.8 million every week, and a 10.4% increase on actual spending in 2021. [1] This year’s increase illustrates yet again that the government remains ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Tingay, John Curtin Distinguished Professor (Radio Astronomy), Curtin University JIM LO SCALZO/EPA The United States Congress recently held a hearing into US government information pertaining to “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAPs). The last investigation of this kind happened ...
Bank shareholders, speculators, investors, and ticket clippers will be partying for days over the enormous profits they’ll be expecting following Labour’s budget reveal yesterday. After a 48 percent increase in profits in 2021, banks in particular ...
Budget 2022 has a relatively small amount of new cash allocated to science, research and innovation. This budget comes ahead of what could become a major overhaul of the research, science, and innovation sector in the coming years, with MBIE now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Curtin, Professor of Politics and Policy, University of Auckland Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks to parliament via video link from COVID isolation during budget day.Getty Images All budgets are about economics and politics, and 2022’s was no different. The Labour ...
Early this Sunday evening there will be a phone alert you can’t ignore – but don’t worry, it’s just a test. This year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system will take place on Sunday 22 May between 6-7pm It is expected ...
It was announced today that the inaugural Chinese Medicine Council of New Zealand (CMCNZ) has been appointed by the Minister of Health, Hon. Andrew Little. This brings the Chinese medicine profession in under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peggy Kern, Associate professor, The University of Melbourne Shutterstock It’s been a big week and you feel exhausted, and suddenly you find yourself crying at a nice nappy commercial. Or maybe you are struck with a cold or the coronavirus ...
No, we haven’t fully analysed Budget 2022, but we did listen to Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s speech. He took great pride in announcing his fifth Budget invests $5.9 billion a year in net new operating spending, while introducing multi-year funding packages that also draw from Budget 2023 and Budget 2024 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hassan Vally, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University Victor Grabarczyk/unsplash Dogs have an exceptional sense of smell. We take advantage of this ability in many ways, including by training them to find illicit drugs, dangerous goods and even people. In ...
The Government is using dirty tactics as it pushes through enabling legislation to increase PAYE revenue by 10% under the cover of yesterday’s Budget, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union in response to the Income Insurance Scheme (Enabling ...
RNZ Pacific A total of NZ$196 million has been set aside for Pacific services in Aotearoa New Zealand in this year’s Budget. A big chunk of that — $76 million will go on Pacific health services. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the cash injection would be used to support Pacific ...
By George Heagney of Stuff A group of students from West Papua, the Melanesian Pacific region in Indonesia, are fearful about their futures in New Zealand after their scholarships were cut off. A group of about 40 students have been studying at different tertiary institutions in New Zealand, but in ...
By Craig McCulloch, RNZ News deputy political editor More than two million New Zealanders will get a one-off $350 sweetener as part of the Budget’s centrepiece $1 billion cost-of-living relief package. The temporary short-term support is counterbalanced by a record $11.1 billion for the health system as the government scraps ...
Asia Pacific Report newsdesk A movement dedicated to peaceful self-determination among indigenous groups in the Pacific is the latest group in Aotearoa to add support for struggling Papuan students caught in Aotearoa New Zealand after an abrupt cancellation of their scholarships. About 70 Papuan students are currently in New Zealand ...
RNZ Pacific The pro-independence coalition parties of Kanaky New Caledonia have selected their candidates for the French Legislative elections next month. Wali Wahetra from the Palika Party is standing in one electoral district, and Gerard Reignier from Union Caledonienne is standing in the other. Speaking with La Premiere, Wahetra explained ...
COMMENTARY:By Nina Santos in AucklandOn May 9, the Philippines went to the polls in what has been called “by far the most divisive and consequential electoral contest” in the Philippines.The electoral race had boiled down to two frontrunners: one was the current Vice-President Leni Robredo, running on ...
PNG Post-Courier Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae has described Papua New Guinea’s late Deputy Prime Minister Sam Basil as a vibrant and visionary leader who was passionate about his people and the electorate. He said Basil loved and dedicated his life to the people of Bulolo until his unexpected ...
Are you receiving NZ Superannuation? If you are, then no, you are not one of the 2.1 million Kiwi’s getting the $350 cost of living supplement announced in the 2022 Budget. If you hold a Gold card the extension of the half priced public ...
On May 19th, the Government released its 2022 Budget which included a number of initiatives to help vulnerable whānau in our communities. Many of these initiatives focus on a proactive strategy to recover from the effects of COVID. Within the community ...
Budget 2022 has been a disappointment for New Zealand’s leading advocate for older people. Although the Grey Power Federation is pleased to note that the Government is investing $3.103 million over four years to continue implementing the Better Later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Ukraine’s sea port of Mariupol, blockaded and now fallen to Russian forces.Getty Images Trying to gauge the worst aspect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is difficult. For some, it will be the ...
The Government has committed $37.485m to continue the work of achieving a thriving, fair and sustainable construction sector. The funding will support the Construction Sector Accord to deliver its Construction Sector Transformation Plan 2022-2025. “This ...
The Commission commends the Government’s Budget 2022 investment in specialist mental health and addiction, particularly the investment in community-based crisis services, specialist child and adolescent mental health and addiction services, and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Kenny, Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University You first have to lose an election on principle if you want to win one on principle. This was how Labor rationalised the miscalculations that led to its “Don’s Party” disappointment in 1969, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Hoyos, Research Fellow, University of Sydney Shutterstock There is increasing recognition of the important role sleep plays in our brain health. Growing evidence suggests disturbed sleep may increase the risk of developing dementia. I and University of Sydney ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Wilson, Associate Professor of Leadership, Swinburne University of Technology Shutterstock Whatever the result of the 2022 election, one thing is clear: many Australians are losing faith that their social institutions serve their interests. Our annual survey of 4,000 Australians ...
National Party leader Christopher Luxon has labelled the Budget a "backwards Budget" and with "bandaid" solutions. Watch his post-Budget speech here ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The text arrived on Thursday morning, from a woman who helps me with my horses. “And now I have to do that voting thing. Recommendations please? Who is best?” Well Margaret, after an unedifying ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Margaret Hellard, Deputy Director (Programs), Burnet Institute Australia’s COVID death toll is rising, yet public health measures to reduce transmission such as mask mandates are largely a thing of the past. It’s time for governments and the community to consider what ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society and NATSEM, University of Canberra Shutterstock Early in the election campaign, on April 14, we learned that Australia’s unemployment rate had slipped below 4% in March, to 3.95% – ...
The sum includes about $1.8 billion to wipe out DHB deficits, while Pharmac will receive $191m over two years to fund new drugs - with a particular focus on cancer care. ...
E tū welcomes Budget 2022, which includes a range of measures that will help E tū members and their communities during a time of increased hardship coming out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. E tū Assistant National Secretary Annie Newman ...
The 2022 Budget was delivered against a gloomier backdrop. The latest forecasts suggest more subdued growth, more persistent inflation, and further tightening in the labour market. The headline numbers provided little surprise. The Government ...
No need for a long post when Idiot Savant puts it so succinctly…
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2021/10/surrendering-to-virus.html
COVID response is now entering “everyone for themselves” territory.
For months media channels have been filled with the whingers No Right Turn blog describes–the “state support is s-s-socialism” brigade have often been the first to put their hands out during COVID. From Taxpayers Union to Destiny Church, to corporates, to NZ’s sprawling petit bourgeoisie, the dog eat dog model they usually espouse faded, and saw numbers of them become “dirty, filthy, beneficiaries” soon enough. You can check on MSD site which employers have received wage subsidies and the amounts.
Meanwhile working class people’s stories have remained largely untold–when it would have been easy enough to pay every citizen a basic income through IRD rather than complicated scenarios via employers. Thousands of cases relating to forced use of leave and other anomalies remain before Employment Tribunals, Courts and Mediators. “Time out” payments while waiting for test results etc. were not widely publicised–and I am an avid media consumer.
The PM has absolutely done a great job up till now on COVID but that ended yesterday.
All anger should be pointed at the the fuckwits that couldn't follow the tried and proven lockdown road map that worked the in the first outbreak.
It is just a managed retreat for nz now so it's going to be a make it up as you go situation
Blaming gangs and other criminal elements and the minority of lockdown breakers, ignores the fact that the Level 4 lockdown was working.
The proven lockdown road map that worked in the first outbreak was the hard Level 4 lockdown.
Level 4 lockdowns work.
Because of the greater transmissibility of the Delta varient compared to the original, it was just taking longer.
Those at the bottom of society are the scapegoats for every government failure and loss of nerve in history.
If there is any blaming to be done it should be aimed at the top of society, those business leaders and economists and financiers that pressured the government to lift the Level 4 lockdown while the virus was still circulating in the Auckland region.
It's basically been level one down at Okahu Bay over the last month!
Here in Papakura same story, it has been pretty much been Level 1 here as well.
The road traffic in our street is back to normal levels.
The neighbour at the back of us had two vans of workmen, sans-masks at his house installing a heat pump.
Across the road the house has just been bought by a young couple, who before moving in had three vans of painters doing up the place. Again sans-masks.
It seems that people have been taking the drop in levels as a message to push it to the limit.
The commentariat have done their best to reinforce this message. Almost all commentators, (as far as I can tell), are saying the government has abandoned their world beating elimination strategy.
Chris Hipkins said yesterday that we have to live with the virus, confirming what the pundits are saying.
The Claytons lockdown. The lockdown you have when you are not having a lockdown.
NZ joins the ranks of failed states in containing the virus.
L4 works in severing transmission. L3 hardly. L2.78 probably not a bit.
Delta bwaghorn is a far more contagious variant while in the first outbreak lockdown worked and we had a good run.
Delta outsmarted a much more rigorous regime to stop it.
This is nature fighting back humans are fucking the planet and this is a forewarning of more disasters coming.
You are aware that "the planet " cant think or act aren't you?
Oh yes She can!
Your saying Medea has rational intention?
https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691165806/the-medea-hypothesis
Yes, Her systems are much more balanced and cohesive and much less destructive than ours.
Bwagjorn if you know anything about science and closed ecosystems.
You will know that they have tipping points ie like yeast in making alcohol in a bottle the yeast eats the sugar producing alcohol which when it gets to a point the alcohol kills the yeast.
The planet is a closed ecosystem humans are overpopulating he planet using up the resources leaving poisons those poisons are getting to a tipping point that we can't reverse.
How do you know that " those poisons are getting to a tipping point that we can't reverse."
After all far worse things have happened to earth over the last few billion years and life on earth is still flourishing. It might be different forms of life but it still goes on.
There has been nothing at all that mankind has done that can compare to the meteorite (or asteroid, or comet) that hit about 65 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs. Indeed without that it is probable that we would never have developed to become the dominant lifeform.
Even smaller events usually end up having much fewer long term effects than we at first think. The Rena sinking for example. The Environment Ministry says, in 2021, "Today, the environment is recovering well. Experts expect that this shipwreck shouldn't have any long-lasting effects on Bay of Plenty beaches and coastal fisheries.",
Anyway back to the point. What are the tipping points that concern you and how do you decide that a tipping point is nigh?
Alwyn you are providing a very small disaster as a false equivalence. Have you ever travelled .We are isolated on a small island with plenty of wind to blow most of our pollution away making NZ look clean.But where we have big populations ie China people live in very small apartments in tall buildings most days/daze people can't even see the neighbouring building less than 100 metres away the pollution is that bad. Most of Europe you can't see the Horizon on most days except when there is a strong wind.
The NZ govt the Key govt spent $32 million on a combined $400 million ice drilling project on the Antarctic. I know the scientist's who worked on this.
They found the last time CO2 levels reached the levels that are present today the Antarctic melted.
Even the Oil companies agree that global warming is caused by fossil fuel burning and overpopulation.
Looking at the whistle blowers at Facebook and Pandoras show the fossil fuel industry is pushing the same slippery lies you are promoting without question.
You are a bigoted psychophant.
As with your unyielding belief in corporate claptrap.
"They found the last time CO2 levels reached the levels that are present today the Antarctic melted.".
There are a couple of things that come to mind. If the ice had all melted there would be none left from that era for them to drill into. What were they looking at then?
What was it that caused the high CO2 levels in the past, if it wasn't human beings burning fossil fuels?
Why do you feel such a desperate need to abuse people you have never met? Do you have a raving inferiority complex
I called you out for your anti science Pro big oil Pro propaganda cult like following.
Bigot and sycophant describe your behaviour .
It's not abuse telling you the truth something unknown to you.
I'm not disputing the fact that we've possible cooked our goose, I'm saying people who think this great big old rock were on is sentient are daft as a very daft thing.
Earth can behave somewhat as if it were sentient – if one clears all the scrub off steep land for example, Nature may be offended enough to punish you with slips.
Humans giving the matter any thought mostly agree that only creatures with conventional nervous systems can 'think' as we understand it, which is an unsurprising consensus – when you think about it.
Even if ‘our’ planet can't think (as we understand it), (re)acting is another matter.
For myself, I admire 'our' planet's abiding patience and stoicism, but then it's had a lot longer to mull over events, in its own way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaster_than_Empires_and_More_Slow
What was the purpose of the vaccination programme if we weren't eventually going to open up and learn to live with the virus?
The purpose was to allow us to"open up" and avoid strict lockdown, when! enough are vaccinated to make that a viable option.
Not! To "open up" to soon pushed by self interested fools who ignore the lessons from overseas, ending up with a deadly fuckup, with hospitals overwhelmed and people dying in the thousands. And a lot more than just a few tourist and hospitality businesses failing, because Covid has taken off.
I doubt if the perpetrators of the concentrated moaning and bullshit from the media, and the supporter's of "let her rip and damn the consequences" will take any responsibility for the results.
Damn straight ! 👍🏼 🐧
Why wasn’t it given the highest priority then? Seems to have been a lot of oopsies and it took a crises to really get the vaccine roll out moving.
proper ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff
Please fix your email address at next comment. Typos in Name and Email fields mean your comment gets held up by the filter.
Yes, apologies. my phone doesn't store my details
Hard to see how the vaccine rollout could have happened faster.
Given the constraints, of safety, seeing which vaccines work, testing, supply, logistics, organisation and training required.
Of course if you are one of the right wing children, who think these things can be done instantly……..
Portugal is a country that isn't famous for bureaucratic competency, they screamed out to 85%.
Most of the OECD got it's act together before New Zealand. We were last / second last for a very long time until it became apparent we actually would need vaccines.
Of course, if you are an apologist for state sector incompetence, long time frames to get anything done are acceptable.
Portugal is a part of the EU which prioritized member states vaccine rollout.As Europe can make its own vaccines.
So we were lucky to get any vaccines.
Then we have only had 3,000 cases <30 deaths. Only 2 in this outbreak.
Portugal 1.25 million cases 18000 deaths. Currently 200 odd daily cases 7 deaths a day.
DukeELL you are putting false equivalences out there,ie lies.
My point was that Portugal got to 85% with startling rapidity, in a country whose public service makes kiwibuild look fast.
That's not false equivalency, it's fact. except the parable, that's hyperbole
So you think we should have been vaccing more people at the same time the surrendertariate were claiming we were running out of jabs? Doom in June, wasn't it?
We vaxed according to our supply. As Jenny points out below, Pfizer has outright denied claims that we could have gotten more and quicker deliveries if we'd cut them a bigger cheque.
EU producers prioritised EU members for EU vaccine production. that's how Portugal could vax so quickly. They also seem to have plateau'd at 86%. I hope you don't expect us to copy that?
I don’t expect us to copy that. I do expect this government to completely fail to hit their targets, so the poor and disposed will suffer more.
is Pfizer the only vaccine available?
It's not the only one in existence, but were others available at the same schedule with the same evidence base at the same time the govt was negotiating for vaccines before they even passed their trials?
Oh, we also bought those, too?
Portugal has, in fact done rather well recently in many metrics, as it becomes more Socialist. However we have still done better to date with combating Covid.
More Blairite third way than socialist, unfortunately.
https://jacobinmag.com/2018/06/portugal-left-bloc-socialist-party-austerity
I assume you have had both Jabs.
If so when?
I had mine as soon as I could. In September.
I was supposed to be able to get all of mine done by July at the latest if I wanted them originally.
Do we know how many Group 1's are still unvaccinated at this point?
Us too. Found it easy and efficient.
Gchild got second yesterday, booked in last Sat
Link to data re jabs on herald
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-delta-outbreak-the-90-project-how-close-is-your-age-group-to-90/5GCQZMAJ7ABKQTDV4RNVL4QGRM/
The media continue to undermine and misrepresent.
Listening to ardern yesterday handling the gotcha mob again with their pre-determined narrative bolted on regardless of anything that's presented.
The media have such a lot to answer for. Even RNZ was, for all intents and purposes, inciting students to go to school without masks.
Gosman that's correct it is now up to everyone who can get vaccinated .
A point that most seem to have missed!
Well said TM. The Liberals ( the spoiled narcissistic hedonistic adult children) have won again. We need more Socialism, not this greedy neoliberalist Individualism that we are collectively suffering from.
Marc Daalder over on Newsroom fills in the detail…
“the opportunity to cleanly end elimination has been taken out of our hands. Instead, we are messily transitioning to a suppression strategy while vaccination rates remain too low to, on their own, prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients.”
The elimination strategy arose because our health system would be quickly overwhelmed with runaway covid. The same thoughts were behind the quick lockdown for Auckland this time. I cannot see how the health and contact tracing systems have been bolstered with enough resources to manage an outbreak in an under-vaccinated population.
I have been reading various reports from people & sectors of society worried about the government ending the elimination phase – Maori leaders, Pasifika leaders, the disabled. Our government did a great job of elimination, our health system did a great job of elimination. That phase has ended. It's over. What the government and the state apparatus can do has reached it's limits. The solution now rests with people, people taking responsibility to do the right thing and being vaccinated.
Whether you see that as individual responsibility or a collective action isn't so much the issue, essentially it's both. Taking personal responsibility for your own safety and being part of the collective response and doing it for all of us. So far 80% of eligible NZers have or are on track to be double dosed.
The pretty blunt message from here on in for those populations who are worried about the elimination stage – covid is coming, get prepared, get vaccinated. There are opportunities to be vaccinated, take them. If of course the opportunity to be vaccinated has not yet been given to people in Te Kaha or Marokopa or Lewis Pass or where ever then that IS the responsibility of the health system to make it so. It's the responsibility of the local population to get people to attend. If it means an inhouse visit for someone disabled to be vaccinated, that's the way to go. It means vaccinations set up in some high school, eg parts of South Auckland.
However there will be a time, and it's not too far off (albeit frustratingly not immediate) when the country gets to 90% vaccination and the brakes will come off. If someone has not taken advantage of that opportunity to be vaccinated then prepare to meet covid-19. Yes I can see how people are worried about the appearance of covid-19 in communities. They should be and hopefully that is the incentive for them to go and get jabbed.
“ What the government and the state apparatus can do has reached it's limits. The solution now rests with people, people taking responsibility to do the right thing and being vaccinated.”
So true and I think the government has done a brilliant job of Covid control on the run. They have managed each stage on the known facts before them at each stage and they clearly have worked closely with our highly qualified professionals and academic to bring forth well nuanced strategy.
I was fully vaccinated by mid August.
The people who have compromised the latest Lockdown in Auckland and those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in.
“ What the government and the state apparatus can do has reached it's limits. The solution now rests with people, people taking responsibility to do the right thing and being vaccinated.”
So true and I think the government has done a brilliant job of Covid control on the run. They have managed each stage on the known facts before them at each stage and they clearly have worked closely with our highly qualified professionals and academic to bring forth well nuanced strategy.
I was fully vaccinated by mid August.
The people who have compromised the latest Lockdown in Auckland and those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in.
Woops , doubled up – too late too edit out !
Touché
I'm getting sick of the excuses being made on behalf of those who have made no effort to be vaccinated. Of course there is a small element who are hard to reach for whatever reason, but the bulk of the unvaccinated are too lazy, or are listening to false prophets. Well, more fool them. They reap what they sow.
"They reap what they sow". Careful Anne . Thirty five years of neoliberalism has left an "underclass" who have had nothing to sow because of the system's deliberate treatment of them. Little wonder they end up making, what a certain John Key called, poor choices.
If they even view those "choices" as viable options from the hand that hits them.
They reap what got sown on top of them.
If you think I am calling out Maori or Pacific peoples… I am not. It is my humble opinion that, in terms of numbers, there are just as many Pakeha who are unvaccinated. Unlike some Maori and Pacific Islanders, they have virtually no mitigating circumstances whatsoever. Stupidity is their guiding light and I have nothing but contempt for them.
vaccine passports for anyone who presents in ED or ICU with covid symptoms? If vaccinated immediate access to ICU or HDU of needed. If not vaccinated, a triage tent in the car park. There is a principle in law that 'ignorance is no defence'
"…those who are still unvaccinated can reap what they sow and when it comes to prioritising ICU beds pick the vaccinated ones first – should one come in."
Harsh but fair. But it's not the prioritisation of the vaccinated over non-vaccinated that worries me. It's the competition for healthcare between covid and other health conditions. E.g. how is our measles vaccination programme going with the concentration covid? Who gets the ICU bed – a covid patient or someone with a heart attack? Who gets a bed in the general ward – a person needing "elective" surgery or a covid patient?
And until the magic 90% vaccination level is reached, what are the options for those who are at serious risk of a bad outcome who cannot be vaccinated? Home detention?
This game of covid whack-a-mole feels way too soon.
Anecdotally, yes, delivering measles and other childhood vaccinations to hesitant populations has gotten harder with all the publicity around covid vaccinations. Hesitants have become more hesitant, needing a lot more skilled practitioner time to overcome the hesitancy, and failures to overcome the hesitancy have become more frequent. As well as covid vaccination demand for the general population taking up a lot of that skilled practitioner time.
From what I'm hearing from my contacts on the frontline, the amount of effort needed to get some people to accept basic health care services is appalling. Various people make careers out of whining that services to their special interest groups are under-resourced, but what I'm hearing makes it look much more like it's a case of people choosing to be difficult so that vastly more resources are needed to achieve a given result. It's less an under-resourcing issue than it is a case of difficult arseholes choosing to be resource-wasteful.
As for alternatives to Pfizer for those at risk of anaphylaxis from the PEG in the Pfizer, or males aged 12-35ish with histories of heart problems, the Janssen/J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines are approved by Medsafe. But I haven't heard of any arriving here and being made available.
They also have the option of looking at the data and seeing that almost all cases of the severe and scary reactions can be treated safely and don't cause long-term harms. That would be an awfully brave call on their part, and I salute those that make that choice knowing they could be in for a rough few days to months if they win the bad-luck lotto.
Immunocompromised people (who are commonly contraindicated for other vaccines) can safely get the Pfizer vaccine. It's just much less likely to do them much good. That's because they're immunocompromised, ie their immune aren't working at all, or just not very well. So sadly, while covid is ripping through a population, yes they will need to protect themselves by whatever other means they can, including home detention.
Certainly there's a chunk of people who aren't keen on an mrna vaccine, offering alternates like Sinofarm etc would I suspect would be worth a few percent… seems odd we havent done that…
Wonder if govt signed up to an 'exclusive' period with Pfizer to get a better price…
" but what I'm hearing makes it look much more like it's a case of people choosing to be difficult so that vastly more resources are needed to achieve a given result." I think so too. The Asian population in NZ has the highest vaccination rate they did not need "pandering" to. Lets hope our lowest vaccinated ethnic group is not hanging out for what they are doing in Switzerland . Paying each person who comes forward for vaccination SF50.00 now to lift the overall rate.
"I'm hearing makes it look much more like it's a case of people choosing to be difficult so that vastly more resources are needed to achieve a given result."
This reads like you've never had to deal with health practitioners who've ever treated you like sh*t, or simply not understood your needs due to such things as language barriers or preconceived notions about who you are and what your values are as soon as you walk in the door, or lived in a family with not a lot of resources to devote to healthcare, or have been brought up to leave the option of seeking healthcare until it's a last resort, or who have restrictions on movement due to coercion and control in the family, etc., etc.
And that's not even counting the people who have been misled about health solutions by charlatans (often people more susceptible to such things by the issues above).
And yes, immune-compromised people (like myself) must take more precautions, which is one of the reasons I would prefer leaving lowering alert levels until vaccination levels.
There have not been many reassurances that the health system will be able to cope with a large outbreak, which is my main objection to this so-called plan.
This exiting of the elimination strategy feels rushed and haphazard to me.
similar question I have had. Looks like AZ won't be coming to NZ anytime soon, my pick is we will divert our orders across pacific countries et al to assist with their vaccination struggles. J&J is slated to arrive between now and christmas. My own view is as well as those who cannot or do not want to take a pfizer dose getting it, also make it quite widely available for the harder to reach populations – remote, homeless, itinerant, the yeah/nahers etc. Give people the option of pfizer of J&J, explain J&J is a good vaccine but offers lower overall protection. If they choose to commit to 2 shots get pfizer. If they are a bit yeah/nah about it and are happy with J&J job done. They have a good level of protection, are unlikely to end up in hospital and count toward the 90%.
Argentina are using the Cansino vaccine (1 shot) for harder to reach populations. The US did the same with J&J.
All the more reason why everyone who can be vaccinated is vaccinated to safeguard the immunocompromised and make it possible for them to move about freely without fear of infection. If they are unfortunate enough to become infected they would be given priority treatment. That is a given.
Immune-compromised people can often be vaccinated. The problem is the vaccine doesn't necessarily work so well. People with some allergies are possibly more at risk of not being able to be vaccinated.
My issue is not whether people should just go and get vaccinated. It's that we're dropping down the alert levels now – before there has even been a chance for everyone who can be vaccinated to get vaccinated. So, as an fully-vaccinated immune-compromised person with a vaccination that is possibly not adequate, I'd feel much safer if we left the opening up until the vaccination levels were up.
I thought it was a shrewd move to allow some of the steam out of the lock down kettle.
Grandchildren able to see Grandparents in a picnic situation. Lone people allowed to meet with family etc. It is all outside, but would be a life line for those locked down on their todd 7 weeks is a long time.
The levels in all other ways have not changed except more children may attend day care where it is physically possible.
It is a terrifying realization that we need to transition, but depending where you live most services are available on line, and also now one other bubble can help someone and meet on the outdoor furniture, or steps for a distanced catch-up.
As Bloomfield says 4 to 8 weeks more of the L3 depending on variables, and that they will be guided by vaccination levels. This is so much better than Australia where it was announced one week and implemented the next. Now that was awful, and lives are being lost every day and health systems pressured in NSW and Victoria.
We went to buy a piece of electronic equipment this morning. The shop was set up brilliantly, and the staff were great. A Kiwi business. Everyone was wearing masks. I thought those people are at risk every day, but if we are fully vaccinated and masked up, chances are reduced significantly.
It will never be as it was except for the risk takers….. and they have been warned the virus will eventually find them. However I think the PM could get all Sector Leaders MPs and influencers to front up bit at a time and do a sell on platforms which reach the people in their areas.
Being judgemental and lifestyle critical just divides us when we need more strategies to connect and convince. Most Gang people I met when teaching wanted a better future for their children. Everyone thrives on hope, and endless lockdowns kill hope for some. Naming and blaming divides us and goes against a common goal. imo.
I am not starry eyed, and know reaching the black economy and the lawless will be extra difficult, but we need to keep reaching out through their trusted people. Even vaccinating half of them would be an improvement in the odds.
Thank you for your lovely reply.
I understand what you're saying. My concerns go back to the decision to step down to Level 3. We all have reckons and mine is that another week or two in L4 would have had us through this outbreak. As it is now, we have that really tricky situation for people who are vulnerable with not a high enough level of vaccinations. Hopefully we'll all live with the decision and the cases will go down and we'll get 90% vaccinations within weeks. But I struggle to see it.
Thanks for reading it
I haven't seen much change in the L3 conditions or circumstances for application. The area under L3 seems to have expanded. Where's the surrender?
Wiles 'gutted' COVID restrictions being eased
Mark Quinlivan – Newshub, 4 hrs ago
An infectious diseases expert says she's "gutted" COVID-19 restrictions are going to ease, with community transmission still evident in Auckland.
…..suppress the virus rather than get to zero-COVID is disappointing.
'We've lost level 1 now': Wiles 'gutted' COVID restrictions being eased (msn.com)
Red Alert:
Surrendering to the virus
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2021/10/surrendering-to-virus.html
So what is the actual easing? Some bubble-mixing is allowed. How does that impact the current outbreak?
The MSM can fuck off with their "gives in" editorialising without actually explaining how this thing puts us on the path of NSW-level infections, and that's what "giving in" really is.
This is why media takes can go get fucked. What are the odds that the media outlets screaming "surrender" include the one actively touting the Mental Health Foundation to make statements against lockdowns because they harm people's mental health.
The border was always going to be how the Delta strain entered the country. Had it been mandatory that being double vaccinated when entering NZ this probably would not have stopped an outbreak. It was always going to be when and not if.
User-testing the new stream-clearing waders
So glad to see the end of plastic supermarket shopping bags, dv.
After every really solid-rainy wet day or two, when the stream gets into flood (the catchment area includes farmed & forested hills to my East, South, & West) the foliage on both stream banks would get covered in bloody shredded plastic bags, spoiling my pristine views.
Even now, after we had two days of rain & the stream rose by 4 m into a roaring brown torrent one might not have survived if one accidentally fell in, the bushes are once again covered in shredded blimmin bags.
God knows where they all come from. Waiting for a nice sunny day when the stream’s gone down enuf that it’s safe to wade to get in there again with my trusty rake to reach up & pull the bags out of the blackberry & other bushes.
There's not an official or unofficial dump site upstream, maybe? Like the one on the West Coast that had to get the army to clean up?
But yeah, I'm a city boy and am still glad to see the back of those damned supermarket bags. Such a blight.
No. The nearest official dump site's at Spicer Valley, in Porirua – north of here. It's a helluva long way west from my stream.
I really think these are just bags blown along the streets and/or left in the forest, that have found their way into tributaries. Lots of rain probably just washes them into the stream.
Dedication

There is a D-G.
https://www.sorryantivaxxer.com/post/roosh-valizadeh-42-washington-dc-professional-misogynist-anti-vaxxer-sick-with-covid
I check that site most days and also the Herman Cain Award site. The memes used are universal. The sites are confronting both from the incredible naivety shown by the anti vaxxers and also the comments from pro-vaxxers can be tough as well.
There are common themes in the US: Southern states, Bible Belt locations, fundamentalist Christian, pro Trump, etc etc.
Very sad some of the stories. Ivermectin use is rife, also zinc and Vit C. Many are overweight and strangely many of the men sport beards or goatees though that is probably a 'down-home in the US' feature though some commenters have wondered if beards can trap aerosolised Covid particles? These people are not mask wearers.
There is a very powerful article by an Edmonton ICU specialist about the progression of Covid through the body. Usually by the time there is trouble breathing the virus has left and so all the Ivermectin in the world will not help. The trouble breathing is a later stage. This may be useful if we are now looking at a run on hospitals and increased use of ventilators.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1443577158023073796.html
PS We had a post from a TSer that staff of a catering firm here in NZ have exhibited anti vaxx sentiments and mentions a few of the memes/themes. As said these are universal and show up in the lists on FB etc of fervent anti vaxxers who later die from Covid.
A cafe in Collingwood, Takaka is hiring ONLY unvaxed, and making Vaxed customers sit out side.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/126572618/golden-bay-cafe-hiring-only-unvaccinated-workers-makes-vaccinated-customers-sit-outside
Yes, sadly. I check the sites as I used to respond to counter anti vaxx bull kaka where I saw it (taking a break from it for a couple of days as it is mind numbing/dumbing)
I am hopeful that:
if the likes of AirNZ hold the line for overseas travel, and
vaccination passports are able to happen, despite M_S knowledge of 50 lawyers waiting to take them down.
Perhaps these 'mandates' may encourage more to vaccinate.
I dont think it's going to be overly effective so long as other airlines only require a negative test prior to travel leaving options for the no vax group and lets face it people that can afford international holidays arnt in the hard to reach categories
How dumb is that it looks like the antivax brigade are going to wipe themselves out.
yup, good luck to that bloke and his staff acquiring natural immunity. heck of a silly way to get immunity I think, a bit risky. But oh well. It's almost 2 hours by ambulance from Takaka to Nelson hospital.
On the subject of anyone who subscribes to the views of the Self Reverent brian tamaki. There is a saying amongst christians "there are no unbelievers in a rubber life raft". Likewise, there are no covid deniers or anti vaxxers in a covid-19 ICU bed.
Best take steps to minimise your chance of not getting to that point.
Someone's hoping to get oppressed by the state, by the look. Won't work with the cops. Might be an OSH issue though…
Hey, Patricia
She's back this morning. Definitely an (uncommon) Common Moorhen.
Looks like she likes my area of the stream. Cool.
You can tell by the way they use their waddle… nice clear image, and stream.
Never thought of them as feral – escapees often appear relatively unwary of humans.
Good spotting, Drowsy. 👍🏼
Only just clicked on your link.
Have now corrected my misidentification to Patricia below.
Cheers
Gezza
She? is beautiful and a very healthy morehen.
The word is out in birdville, "There is a great stream with a great guardian…" Cheers Gezza.
Aww, shucks. ❤️ 👍🏼
They’re a rail, like the pūkeko. Much bigger-boned than the pooks tho.
Dunno why, I just assumed it’s a “she”. Seems to be an exceptionally placid type of waterbird.
……………………………………
“Behaviour and ecology
Most common moorhen populations are sedentary, but northern populations exposed to severe winter conditions are migratory. They breed as territorial pairs during the spring, nesting in reedbeds on rivers and ponds. They are largely solitary throughout the year, but form feeding groups of up to 30 during the winter.
Food
Common moorhens are omnivorous, consuming a wide variety of plants and small water creatures.” – NZ Birds Online
……………………………………
Appears they are like nga pūkeko in that cocks & hens have the same colour plumage, so you can’t tell the sexes apart easily by their feather colour patterns – as you can with mallard drakes & hens, and with, say paradise shelducks, blackbird cocks & hens etc. .
Probably hardy like our pukeko. Hope we don't get Ibis here though.. they are the rats of the bird world like pigeons in the park . Aussie horror poos everywhere is not afraid and dirty as.
Whoopsie. 😰
Hey Patricia, I just clicked on Drowsy’s NZ Birds link above.
I’m wrong. It’s not an unusual coloured moorhen – it’s very DEFINITELY a Muscovy Duck. And it’s twice as big as nearby Mallard drakes, so it’s a placid male.
…………………………………..
Extract:
“Identification:
Muscovy ducks are large, goose-like ducks with highly variable plumage. Most New Zealand birds are either plain white or pied. Pied birds have a green sheen on their dark feathers. Birds with grey and brown colouring may also be present. A small crest may be raised when birds are alarmed. The bill is either pink-and-blackish, or entirely pink, and the base is surrounded by bright red caruncles. They have relatively short legs, [my specimen above had very pale orange legs, seen paddling away – Gez] & are less mobile on land than other ducks.
The legs and feet are partially or entirely pale orange in colour, and the toes have long, sharp claws. The male is much larger than the female, and can weigh over twice as much.
Voice: Generally silent or quiet. The female makes a soft quacking sound; the male makes puffing and hissing noises.
Similar species: Entirely white birds bear some resemblance to white domestic forms of mallards, and to male greylag geese, but are distinguishable by the red caruncles and body shape. Pied birds are unmistakable. Muscovy ducks can hybridise with mallards; hybrids are highly variable in plumage and have features of both parent species.”
twitter, and everyone, trolling FB (there’s a major FB and WhatsApp outage globally)
Vaccinated – Unvaccinated.
But NZ has long rationed health care.
/
Yep, and rationing healthcare is moronic because it increases costs in the long run, never mind the human suffering.
Great heads up on the latest on Covid vs Kidneys – thanks, sounds terrible though!
So tired of moaning and whining from media, hospitality, businesses. The enormous pressure from these sectors has been constant for 18 months. The Government had been under huge pressure to open up our bubble to Australia. That didn't last long. Even more pressure lately so they are now loosening a little and they still complain. Act wants an end goal (as if anything like that can be predicted accurately with Delta – it's not like a broken leg that can mostly be healed in 6-8 weeks). Businesses don't seem to grasp that if hundreds or thousands of people contract the virus their businesses will be even more precarious. Businesses fail even in normal times.
Everyone is finding it hard. But public health surely must be the first priority. If people are unable to show common sense and effort and get vaccinated life will be even harder if the virus takes off and is rampant everywhere.
All praise to Jacinda for doing the very best she can in very difficult times. And she still came on Seven Sharp with a smile. Rather her than Judith Collins sniping and snarling.
Fair and balanced commentary is fine but all whining and carping is worse than the actual restrictions.
Aye – it's enough to turn anyone into a misanthrope watching this circus of collective derangement. People demanding under pandemic conditions that they have three contradictory things at the same time: freedom, safety and certainty.
Spot on R.
I can't decide if the MSM is just mischief making or really are so thick, they can't follow what the PM was saying. Hopefully, for all our sakes, the former.
Paid shit stirrers as mr and Mrs soper demonstrate.
They've got a narrative they stick to regardless of reality.
Many are openly snarky and even belittling.
The government have looked at Covid from every angle. Just heard on RNZ that lockdowns would occur if the vaccine did not respond to a new variant.
There is no calendar date for the path way out of Covid because the path way out cannot be determined by any political party.
FBook back!!
Not quite, can’t post!!
Hopefully now those hesitant take up the free vaccination. Except Tamaki and Billy tk.
There are two things I want to see from the government right now, and both are issues that it's been obvious for a long time that they would need addressing:
What is the actual plan to lift vaccination rates to the levels needed to not have widespread needless suffering and deaths? (the rate being tossed around is 90% of eligibles, which is a long long way from the under 80% of eligibles we're at right now)
What is the actual plan for when our health system gets overwhelmed by (mostly unvaccinated) covid patients?
Mr Robertson, your glib mealy mouthed pabulum that vaccine mandates are not the New Zealand way is fkn pathetic when you don't immediately offer an alternative credible plan. But you didn't even offer a plan completely lacking in credibility, you offered nothing, nada , zip, bupkis, just some really vague indefinite muttering about maybe vaccine certificates. Details are needed now, actually, three weeks ago at least. Just saying we desperately need people to get vaccinated without also announcing measures to help make that happen isn't reassuring, it's fkn infuriating.
Mr Robertson, a glib assurance that New Zealand has hospital capacity to handle the outbreak now is frankly fkn infuriating, when it's obvious to a blind man with his Airpods turned up to 11 that we are very likely facing a flood of (mostly unvaccinated) covid patients. It's not reassuring, it makes you look like you're suffering a truly frightening degree of cluelessness.
And if you were the boss of everything what would you do?
I would enact legislation making it clear that it's totally legitimate and expected to add "no jab, no job" policies to existing employment contracts. On health and safety grounds. And mandate "no jab, no job" policies for all employees funded by the government, such as teachers, healthcare workers, government departments such as WINZ …
I would write legislation making it clear that "no jab, no entry" policies are legal and expected for all private businesses and events that may have random Kim Public entering. Pubs, restaurants, theatres, concerts, supermarkets, petrol station shops, hardware stores, gyms, the lot.
I would write legislation for healthcare providers that when resources are overloaded and triaging is needed, unvaccinated covid patients are at the top of the list to be triaged out. This situation is well outside of what's anticipated in developing normal triaging guidelines, and the appropriate response is a community political consideration, not a routine medical ethics one.
It's just non-courageous of this government to curtail so many broad human rights, but then not mandate vaccinations as a specific further human right discrimination.
It is also non-courageous not to specifically praise some regions and towns putting their vaccination rates close to 90%, yet not specifically chastise those DHB's with low numbers. This is already well and truly a regional approach to disease control. Time to do the same with prevention.
So that handles the working people. What about the people in emergency housing, or out of the regular economy?
Because that's the problem we seem to have at the moment: people poorly-served or abused by the state are suddenly expected to not beware the state bearing gifts?
I suspect the true path to 90% is to do similar to what statsnz used to do with the census prior to 2018: physically reach out to folk like the people under bridges, in random places, the often overlooked.
edit: plus start throwing the OSH violations around at ~85%, just to clean up the working “hesitant”
Getting all the working people and those that want to participate in other stuff like events is a useful start. Since all the people whose attitudes and opinions I know anything about fall into that broad group, there's a teeny-tiny chance my reckons about what might move them is worth just slightly more than jack-shit.
When it comes to those outside the regular economy and other special cases, I'd leave that to those whose job it is. Hopefully they have some actual expertise to come up with good workable ideas. All I'd come up with is stuff like blowguns and spring-loaded syringes with GPS trackers attached and bounties paid for every successful darting.
Fair call.
This pandemic really does seem to have highlighted why folks have been banging on about equity for decades: we essentially have two populations, one generally well served by the health system, (albeit with some biases and wait times), andthe other basically rarely interacts with the state once they leave school, and those interactions are usually bad for the person.
And frankly, the bigger group yet to be fully included in the anti-covid effort is the latter group, from what I can see.
young dude beating up a young women outside my shop.
took down rego/car called the police.
i am so over this shit. so very much over it.
Are they there yet ?
For all those whiners who complain that the government isn’t governing, just dealing with COVID, here’s something else to complain about.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/126581083/government-launches-major-review-of-electoral-law-to-include-voting-age-and-party-funding
Love to see a 4 year term, 3/4% for a seat , and get rid of the overhang.
.75% or 3 to 4%?
It's a review. Due out some time in 2023 – election year.
A few ideas may get into party manifestos, but that's it.
This government are generating a biomass factory of reviews. Very little else occurs beyond that.
Very little else occurs beyond that.
Translation: "I can't remember or be bothered to look it up, so it never happened."
It's an absurd claim, not even close to reality, You could start with this year's Budget. Anything happen?
Let's see. Budget 2021. Such as they were.
More cochlear implants. Fail.
$200 million tourism sector support. Got worse instead of better. Still no plan. Maybe next budget.
$300 million New Zealand Green Investment Finance. One useful project which was the Fletchers' tyres-burnt-for-cement plant. Little else.
Main benefit rates increasing by between $32 and $55. First part has happened.
$44 million digital training for small businesses. Small though it was, not yet spent.
$1.3 billion vaccine rollout. Going fine.
$3.8 billion for Housing Acceleration Fund. Medium term as projects evolve.
$225 million for Māori Health Authority. Not yet formed beyond what their Board members are. No scope.
Social Unemployment Insurance Scheme. Inert after 2 terms.
Then apart from Budget 2021 you have the bigger ones:
Re-nationalising health boards. No scope, only Boards have been named. Several more years to land, let alone make improvements to citizens.
Resource Management Act replacement bills. Working drafts out. Maybe June 2022?
Climate carbon budget. Maybe going into Treasury for Budget 2022.
Water reforms. Life support.
Transport. Amounts to gradual network improvements.
Public media reform. Dead.
Immigration reform. An urgent fix announced recently, which will still take years to process tens of thousands. Otherwise nah.
Farming sustainability initiatives. Moribund.
Control of organised crime. Going backwards.
International affairs. Nothing not even an effort to rebuild PIF.
Never mind Ad – in 2023 you'll have an ACT government so we'll see which of their policies they implement immediately
He will undo the gun laws and not have a register because that is easy.
I consider that we have a six year term now. 3 plus 3, sort of a right of renewal like a lease. A govt only lasting 3 years would be pretty awful and deserving to be thrown out. Another year in that case would be more detrimental to the country.
Would like to see funding limited to named individuals only and set at a fairly low percentage of the median wage – with political parties' shortfalls in operating budgets made up from state funding via some performance-based formula. Won't happen though – it would draw heavy media and establishment fire as Helen Clark found out. Plus Labour is riding pretty high, the large donations are probably coming, and they may be happy to be the party of the more moderate business sector, thereby squatting in National's territory.
In other areas – coat-tailing needs to go, plus cautiously drop the threshold to 4% because 5% is anti-democratic but the system also needs to be crank-proof. I can't think of a simple way to prevent large parties gifting safe seats to a sub-threshold coalition partner. Removing coat-tailing minimises the harm caused by such cheating and preferential voting within electorates might help also. Getting rid of electorates altogether would solve the problem but is probably considered too radical to fly.
5% is too many. We do need to encourage participation in democracy. Whether 3% or 4% I haven't decided.
There is the chance that at 3% the likes of Colin Craig or Winston Peters might make it into Parliament. If the people speak, then so be it.
Comment on USA and its paths to plenty and prosperity for all ….
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/2018814819/evan-osnos-greed-has-always-been-part-of-america-s-formula
This man Osnos has written a book about usa called Wildlands…
One point: The reason that happened is partly because the parties themselves and the people who are running for office began to put themselves above anything else.
“And so, they're willing to take really horrifying steps against the country's overall interest in order to advance their position.
The alarming statistic in this article is the one about trust in government. Osnos says that in 1964 77% trusted the US government. In 2014 that had dropped to 18%. That must impact on Americans in so many ways.
… and are they any different anywhere else in this World of Woe?
Not difficult to run a parallel history of New Zealand using the same framing.
Does anyone have a link to the NZ survey/research on who isn't vaccinated with breakdown by a lot of factors? Need it for a post. I saw it sometime in the past month, but don't know when the research was done.
First result.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=NZ+survey%2Fresearch+on+who+isn%27t+vaccinated+with+breakdown+by+a+lot+of+factors
thanks joe. That's good. Not the one I was looking for, which had a better breakdown for disabled people. Don't think it was from the MoH, or maybe it was just more indepth reporting.
Was one of the factors, "doomed" 🙂
Reports of our doom have been greatly exaggerated. Thus far.
With the vaccine certificate coming out next month and the PM stating the country will not mandate vaccination certificates for supermarkets and pharmacies would it be too much to ask that they mandate days where the vaccinated can frequent these premises and provide a day a week which is available for non-vaccinated people to be able to do their food and pharmacy shopping.
This way everybody is going to feel safer doing essential shopping. The vaccinated will have a better chance if they do get infected that it won't be too severe and the unvaccinated will not be doing any damage to the vaccinated who will be at home.
Just my tuppence worth.
Nice idea. I'd also like to know what should be done with the one hillbilly in my workplace who won't see sence and get himself vaccinated. All other staff (about 10 of us) are either fully vaccinated or awaiting our second shots.
If you are vaccinated, why would you worry about mixing with non vaccinated? It is the non vaccinated that are more likely to get sick or sicker?
Because it can still be transmitted to them from a barely-affected me.
And because there's still a non-trivial chance I could catch it off them, and even die.
I'm vaccinated and am not really worried about hanging around with non vaccinated people which is the reason I got vaccinated. They will be the one's that get sick surely and at worse case I will get mildly sick?
Well, no, "worst case" is you die.
Second worst case is they die.
Third worst case is either of you gets severely ill and has chronic long term harm.
Let me put it another way: back in the old days when infantry lined up against each other with spikes, the front rank had the highest mortality rate. The third rank had a much lower mortality rate. You're the dude going "I'm in the third rank, what do I care if there's a battle?"
Lower risk does not equal zero risk, and from a population level 100% vax and no controls still might mean an overloaded healthcare system – so you if you or your unvaxed mate doesn't kill the other, you still die when there are no ventilators free after you have a car crash.
Exactly, and this was the general perception of vaccination pre-2020. The unvaccinated were scorned upon, but they didn't affect your life.
Today they are still scorned upon, but now we have the insanity of their personal medical choices somehow affecting your life.
Yeah, it's almost like people have figured out that your personal choices [deleted] can endanger them, too.
[a step too far McFlock. Please make the political point without the nasty – weka]
mod note McFlock.
I'm sure getting covid because someone thinks triaging and vaccine passports in a pandemic is "apartheid" would be nastier than the pretty mild term I used.
Political and personal are not always different things.
Mauī makes a political point, without the personalised nasty. You may not like the political point and you may personally feel offended or angry etc, but it's still different from using inflammatory language directed at the person you are talking to.
Feelings are running high. We're here for the long haul, and my thinking currently is that this is different from any other conversation we've had on TS. As you say, it is very personal. For all of us.
tl;dr, the moderation was basically to avert flamming.
taking my mod hat off, I'm more concerned currently about the widening gap in NZ around belief than I am about covid. This is because I still trust Labour's plan and think it's largely on track. We need to focus on getting as many people vaccinated as possible, and that's what we are in fact doing.
That we might also create irreparable sociopolitical damage seems like a massive blindspot. Even if you don't care about the people you are hating on, strategically it's dumb. Think the next public health initiative that needs social cohesion at the 5m level, or even the next election. Or the waves of social, economic and political disruption that are coming with climate change and the eco crises. It's really not a good time for us to be upping the ante on ostracisation.
The dirty secret of "team of 5 million" is that it's never really been true.
Do we really think all act and national party supporters are on the elimination bandwagon? Hell no. Even if most of them are, that's still ~15% who don't believe or care that covid will kill people and will grudgingly (at best) comply with the dominant mood of the community.
Then there are the folks (who are hopefully only single-digit %) who believe the chip-level theories and actively work to spread that harm.
If we need >90-95% to do something for the survival of significant numbers of people in the community, ostracism will be the last step before the necessary outright coercion. Not vax passport "coercion", real coercion.
I don't think covid will get us to that point, but it might be close.
The team of 5 million stuff is more "team of 3 million, with another million and a bit following along because it's easier, a few hundred thousand people who might not be enthusiastic about a plague but who are not to bothered about the concept (especially if it disproportionately hits poor, urban, and other euphemismed people), and another few thousand delusional fools".
Because getting a breakthrough covid case after vaccination is still a fucking nasty disease. Basically like the worst flu you've ever had.
Mild, moderate and severe when referring to covid mean something different than normal usage. "Mild covid" means you weren't hospitalised. Moderate means you really need hospitalisation. Severe means intensive care, you'll be lucky to survive it and even luckier to not get long covid.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/09/12/1036356773/i-got-a-mild-breakthrough-case-heres-what-i-wish-id-known
I take it Jimmy you are not vaccinated. Vaccinated folk generally do not need to be hospitalised if they are infected which is a good thing. The virus is only seeking out the non-vaccinated and they will take up the most ICU valuable space, sparse as it is. Keeping the two separated is keeping the vaccinated hopefully free of becoming sick. The unvaccinated will only be infecting their own. Pretty obvious don't you think.
Just released report:
So the people vaxxed at the start have waning immunity now?
First two paras of the link above
my bold
thanks Macro, very interesting. Don't suppose you've come across long covid stats in that regard?
Yes I am vaccinated….which is why I cant understand why people are treating the non vaxed as leppers?
As I've said above now that I'm vaccinated it doesn't worry me if I am next to a person that is not vaccinated. As you state: "The unvaccinated will only be infecting their own. Pretty obvious don't you think." …..so I don't need to worry?
There are still enough unvaccinated that when covid really gets loose, the sheer numbers of covid patients will break our medical system.
Now, I'm really not bothered about the outcome for those unvaccinated covid patients. Y’know, consequences of choices and all that.
But I am really concerned about the effect that will have on the staff in our medical system. I have a cousin and her husband that are hospital doctors in the US. It'll be a miracle if they come out of what they're going through more or less psychologically and physically intact.
I am also really concerned about the effect on other people with medical needs when our medical system is broken by unvaccinated covid patients. The effects on them are going to be fkn brutal.
That's why our government takes a cup of cement and harden right up to wilfully unvaccinated covid patients in order to protect our medical staff and our other people with involuntary medical needs
Should we be training medical volunteers to take up the slack if there's a crunch?
I know they can't just rock in and do everything, but in a crisis they might do some good.
A 63 year old man is facing court on Tuesday, over the gathering in the Domain. Others may also face charges.
Good!
And hopefully a few other nincompoops will join him in the dock as well.
Brian Tamaki gets a Court summons for his rally.
It will be pretty hard for Brian Tamaki to get out of this as a conviction since he specifically met with the Police before the rally:
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/content/tvnz/onenews/story/2021/10/05/arrest-protest.html
Love to see him put up a BORA defence, and then appeal it. Someone has to.
John Key keeps this up, he may have to join that other failed head of state to get himself banned from Facebook for making false and misleading claims.
COVID-19: Pfizer shuts down Sir John Key's claim Government could have bought vaccines earlier 'for $40 million more' (newshub.co.nz)
No doubt he can pull his Panama hat out of pandoras box.
He should have his knighthood removed for telling lies.
He shouldn't have been knighted in the first place just for his GCSB lies.
Key thinks he is a vaccine broker.
It's not Surrender, but I do think it is Dicing With Death.
The root problem is that alert levels don't work when the disease is circulating among criminal gangs – who don't obey lockdown, and who lie to contact tracers. The alert levels are really about trying to keep everyone else safe.
The Government needs to be aggressively pushing vaccine mandates, and I'm worried things are starting to drift, but there's nothing in the current line that suggests we still aren't aiming to (eventually) mop up this outbreak. We certainly aren't tending towards NSW or Victoria, at least not yet. So long as we keep Auckland isolated and the international border closed, we can do this.
(Also, **** the media. Bunch of ****ing Lord Haw Haws).
Could we Aucklanders please be allowed to go to the barbers and hairdressers.
Since it's now fairly warm, I'm seriously thinking full chrome-dome. That should be fairly easy to do at home.
I do not see a problem with vaccinated Kiwis returning to home isolation in Auckland (close to zero risk of needing hospitalisation and it will be at Level 3), what we have left to protect is the wider Level 2 area.
Falsifying being vaccinated could be a problem.
Not just those from overseas … (at least airlines have some experience managing this).