Open mike 05/11/2020
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6:00 am, November 5th, 2020 - 39 comments
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- Cutting Through An Inundation of Dipshit Racists
Hi,Watching New Zealand from afar offers a strange perspective. It can be a good thing — distance from Aotearoa helped keep me sane while I reported on abuse at New Zealand’s biggest megachurch over the course of a year. It helps fuel my silly podcast. But it can also be ...25 minutes ago - This is bad news
The speech yesterday by Treasury’s Chief Economic Advisor warning that the books are in worse shape than forecasted looks like it’s part of a softening-up process for either more cuts or a longer wait to get back into surplus. The speech was a highly unusual public preview of Treasury’s Half-Yearly ...2 hours ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2024
Open access notables Projected increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons, Lopez et al., Science Advances: Future changes to the year-to-year swings between active and inactive North Atlantic tropical cyclone (TC) seasons have received little attention, yet may have great societal implications in areas prone to hurricane ...11 hours ago - Chicken Kiev
Chatting in the supermarket this morning, I found I needed to lunge for the chicken drumsticks.Coping mechanisms: who hasn’t felt a greater need for them lately?When it all gets too much, I turn to demonstrating handy butchery hacks.It wasn’t that she’d said anything wrong, our friend, not at all. We ...14 hours ago - The year is 2024 and it’s 1984
This is written in response to the highly significant open letter from a group of economists that was today addressed to Christopher Luxon. The year is 2024, and it’s 1984. The country is reeling from a record Olympic medal gold haul, while the globe grapples with the choice of the ...15 hours ago - The IPCA has failed
Back in 2022, RNZ took an in-depth look at the "Independent" Police Conduct Authority and its handling of killings by police. These are the most serious test of oversight, and you would expect the police's use of lethal force to receive the most severe scrutiny. But despite the police regularly ...19 hours ago - Thursday 21 November 2024
The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti arrived at Parliament on Tuesday – the size is being debated but estimates range from 42,000 to 100,000. The Prime Minister is defending not attending due to some of the organisers being affiliated with Te Pāti Māori. The national gang patch ban came into force ...19 hours ago - ‘These budget cuts are counter-productive and make no sense’
I spoke to former Productivity Chair Nana this morning about the letter he and a group of other economists sent to PM Christopher Luxon to urge the Government to urgently suspend cuts to spending and investment for the sake of the economy, struggling businesses and the wellbeing of vulnerable ...21 hours ago - ACT’s Astroturfing & A Co-ordinated Attack on Te Pati Māori
Unity on the Streets / Unity at the TableAfter the Hīkoi, all three right wing Coalition leaders came together to push the idea that the 42,000 - 50,000 + strong Hikoi was somehow less potent and brave, and more illegitimate than the energy and crowd displayed.Prime Minister Christopher Luxon 20-November: ...22 hours ago - Durability of carbon dioxide removal is critical for stabilizing temperatures
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink The world is emitting over 40 gigatons of CO2 per year, contributing to an accelerating warming of the planet. The world needs to cut emissions rapidly to be remotely on track to meet our Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to well-below 2C, and we ...22 hours ago
- I Love My Leather Jacket
I wear my leather jacket like a great big hugRadiating charm - a living cloak of luckIt's the only concrete link with an absent friendIt's a symbol I can wear 'till we meet againOr it's a weight around my neck while the owner's freeBoth protector and reminder of mortalityIt's a ...23 hours ago - Throwback Thursday: Will “Auckland Transport” Survive?
With Auckland Transport’s future up in the air under Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed CCO reform, we’ve dug way back into the archives, to unearth this post originally published in March 2010. As you’ll see, many of the debates that were being had when AT was first proposed continue to ...23 hours ago - Economists call on PM to suspend budget cuts for the sake of the economy
Nicola Willis’ budget cuts are under fire from economists for having no clear rationale and worsening the recession. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 21: The news at ...23 hours ago
- The end of policing by consent
National has appointed a new police commissioner. And he explicitly rejects policing by consent: Asked if he subscribed to policing by consent, he said he did not. “I don’t talk about policing by consent. I talk about trust and confidence, and it is fundamentally important that the police have ...2 days ago
- The Treaty Principles Bill: A Who’s Who
David Horatio Waterbed SeymourFringe politician and dweeb transformed successfully by ThinkTank money into a well-oiled soundbite robot.Currently programmed to say: Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Equal rights for all New Zealanders Was previously programmed to say:I am a proud libertarian andI am a ...2 days ago - Kinleith mill closure shows need for industrial strategy
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff is calling on the Government to deliver an economic and industrial strategy for regional manufacturing, rather than just expressing sympathy for job losses, following the announced closure of Kinleith mill in Tokoroa. “The closure Kinleith mill in Tokoroa is not just devastating for ...2 days ago
- 27% of kids going hungry, up from 21% in a year
One in four Kiwi children live in households where food runs out often or sometimes. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, November 20: The lead: The official annual Health Survey found sharp ...2 days ago - Transport modelling is an illusion
This guest post by Tim Adriaansen, an advocate for accessibility and sustainable transport, originally published on LinkedIn and cross posted here with permission. People prefer cars, right? Probably not. Here’s why. Granted, most people in English-speaking countries use a car to get around. This simple reality underpins our transport ...2 days ago
- Young Maori take over
Neither Wellington nor Parliament has ever seen anything like it before. The Police said there were more than 40,000 but however many there were, yesterday’s Hikoi to Parliament was a monumental event. It was almost three times the Foreshore and Seabed martch of 2004 and many,many times bigger than ...2 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Aftermath
The euphoria from yesterday’s hikoi may be transitory, but is no less valuable for that. It is pretty rare for the left to feel itself to be in the overwhelming majority, and speaking as the voice of the people. Lest that momentum be lost, the organisers will no doubt be ...2 days ago - Sabin 33 #3 – Solar panels generate too much waste and will overwhelm landfills
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...3 days ago
- What’s the time Mr Seymour?
Mr David Seymour crawling up to the ceilingThe sun don't shine the sun don't shine the sun don't shine at allMamma Pappa say you should go to school, I don't know what forNow that I've grown up and seen the world and all its liesSong: Southside of Bombay"Ake, ake, ake" ...3 days ago - Submit to defend te Tiriti!
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on National's racist and constitutionally radical Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. Submissions can be made at the link above or by post, and are due by Tuesday, 7 January 2025. But I'd get in quick, in case National grows a spine ...3 days ago
- We need to talk about Kevin
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family has a Drunk Uncle Kevin in there somewhere. If your Kevin is anything like the ones I know, he was getting along happily enough without having to think too much about the Treaty Principles Bill apart from bloody good job, onya guys ...3 days ago - The hikoi
Like everyone else (everyone who wasn't there, anyway), I've spent the morning watching the hikoi march on Parliament. The pictures are astounding: parliament grounds and the surrounding streets are full, and there are still people backed up along Lambton Quay. The police are estimating 35,000 people, and that's a floor ...3 days ago
- Why Govt & NZ Inc should boycott & regulate Facebook
3 days ago - How should we talk about change?
A better world isn’t just possible, it’s desirable. And that’s how we should frame a lot of our conversations around making a greater Auckland. As an example take urban climate action. A climate friendly Auckland: Is free from congestion Enables people to travel how they choose Is filled with ...3 days ago
- AMA + Holiday Webworm Merch!
3 days ago - Discount Code for Webworm Merch!
Hi,So there’s a bunch of new stuff on the Webworm store (www.webworm.store) — just in time for the Holidays. Read more ...3 days ago - Trying to defuse the tension
There were urgent moves yesterday at Parliament to try and defuse the tension building up over ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill. The Bill’s author, ACT leader David Seymour, told reporters that he understood the Justice Select Committee met yesterday to discuss how long it should take to consider submissions on the ...3 days ago
- An Irritable NZ Pawn – David Seymour Admits Treaty Principles Bill will clear the way for deve...
3 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Hikoi Arrival, And Tyler Childers
Politicians like to bang on all about the need to heal society’s racial/economic divisions, but in their actions they’re more keen on stoking those divisions, with the Treaty Principles Bill being the classic example. The Bill seeks to dilute the Crown’s responsibilities to Māori at the same time as it ...3 days ago
- Socially Backwards and Fiscally Forwards: the False Ideological Divide and the “Conservative” Li...
3 days ago - Kaamos: Accepted
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- Unstoppable.
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The NZNO have announced a nationwide strike for December over its pay dispute with Health NZ, who have put a 1 per cent cap on pay rises. The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti and Treaty Principles Bill remain front and centre in the media, with the impacts of the Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke-led ...4 days ago
- Shipley warns Seymour’s bill is ‘inviting civil war’
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This post was originally published on Linked In by Nicolas Reid. It is republished here with permission. Auckland is now just a year or so away from having the keystone of its urban rail network complete. As I wrote about here, the City Rail Link will be a literal game changer for ...4 days ago
- National’s support base is wobbling
If ACT leader David Seymour intended the Treaty Principles Bill to drive a wedge into National’s support base, he may well already be succeeding. By midnight on Thursday after the Maori Party haka in Parliament, National MPs were being deluged with emails and messages from their members calling them out ...4 days ago
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- Grifter Eftpos Tamaki at it again
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Self-appointed “Bishop” and proto-fascist, Brian Tamaki was at it again on 16 November, blocking Auckland’s southern motorway, SH1.This time, the target of his ire wasn’t the Civil Unions Act; covid lock-downs; mask mandates; or ...5 days ago - Rip up a bill, lead a haka are words to live by
I cannot stop grabbing people by the lapels, or shoulders, or similar, and raving at them about the tiny miracles in my ears.I can hear again! There could not be a more satisfied customer in all the world.In a noisy cafe I am even catching words that Karren cannot, she ...5 days ago - Unintended Consequences
Take the baitYou pay the priceIt's much too lateFor good adviceYou know and I know that our good things' throughBecause there's consequences for what we doConsequences for me and youWriters: Kevin Robert Hayes, David Nagier, Bonnie Adele Hayes.Fallout from the first readingOne News began last night by saying that tens ...6 days ago - Thank you, driver!
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Hi,If I was to accurately sum up my mental state over the week, I’d just say that I got a huge fright from my own shadow.I’d nipped out for an 11pm neighborhood stroll, just to calm down after a day of stress and screens. The Cure and Fazerdaze’s new record ...6 days ago - We Are Not Listening
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7 days ago - More lawlessness from National
On Tuesday, sick of government stonewalling, the Waitangi Tribunal issued a rare court order, ordering the Minister of Health to release unredacted documents within 48 hours showing its reasoning for disestablishing Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority. The government's response to the lawful order of a court? Yeah, ...7 days ago
- National’s tyrannical “foreign interference” law
Yesterday, under cover the the biggest political fight of the year, National quietly - covertly, even - introduced anti-foreign interference legislation. The bill is the product of a years-long work-program aimed at countering shit like this and this, and there's unquestionably a need to do something to counter foreign states' ...7 days ago
- The Haka Represents The Best Of Us
A few months ago, I was in an audience watching a Haka-Kapa and as I watched children dance and sing and sway and shout and beat, I couldn’t help but think “The Haka represents the best of us.”Yes, yes - there will be a thousand voices that rush forth to ...7 days ago
- Adding up the climate cost
St Mary’s Bay housing left hanging: Climate risk is systemically underestimated in the climate scenarios used by central banks, and a new report warns 10,000 houses are set to become uninsurable in Aotearoa. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, here’s the top six news items of note in ...7 days ago
- Auckland chafing at Bishop’s housing intensification orders
One of the major problems the Government has in implementing its ‘going for housing growth’ strategy is that it isn’t giving much funding help to councils. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and ...7 days ago - Friday 15 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dominate political news, with it passing its first reading in the House. Parliament was briefly suspended and Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke suspended for 24 hours after leading a haka that was joined by opposition MPs and the public in the gallery. Willie ...7 days ago
- Weekly Roundup 15-November-2024
Happy Friday, welcome to another round-up of interesting stories about what’s happening in Auckland and other cities. Feel free to add your links in the comments! This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers ...7 days ago
- Are We The Waiting?
And screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingAnd screamingAre we we are, are we we are the waitingForget me nots, second thoughts live in isolationHeads or tails and fairy tales in my mindAre we we are, are we we are the waiting unknownThe rage and love, the ...7 days ago - The Hoon around the week to November 15
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- First Tea and Toast, now Milo — why do NZ’s best beverages need so much defending?
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Day One of the Treaty Principles Bill…and everyone got what they wanted, and did what they liked. Heated words were exchanged. Culturally appropriate acts of outrage were performed. David Seymour got to play the victim card. Willie Jackson got kicked out of class. A comically red-faced Mr Speaker bellowed “Order, ...1 week ago
- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #46 2024
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You can pay a great deal of money for the services of a KC. So just what would some peerless legal writing from 40 or so of them be worth, do you reckon?Priceless, that’s what. It’s not even the half of it, but this is my favourite part of the ...1 week ago - D-day for the government
The government's Treaty Principles Bill is up for its first reading today - bought forward in a rush in a desperate effort to avoid the hikoi which is currently marching on Wellington. But the Prime Minister won’t be there for it – he’s literally running away to Peru! But he ...1 week ago
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Good morning, and I’m sorry I’ve been away for a couple of days.I’ve been focusing on the Hikoi, and also testing out sentiment on the Treaty Principles Bill. It’s complicated, and the Treaty Principles Bill will be debated in the House today. The Government’s own lawyers have told them the ...1 week ago - Government must vote down ACT Members Bill that would undermine workers’ rights
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- Seymour causes thousands of unjustified absences by forcing kids to fight for their rights instead o...
The State would like to remind you that they are in control. They manage your employment prospects, and can destroy the job market you and yours rely on by mass-cancelling construction projects, cutting funding, and firing a good chunk of our public servants. They wield the mechanisms that provide scrutiny ...1 week ago - The Weight of the World
As the weight of the world Hangs on your shoulders The weight of the world Starts to take over again And over again All that you once loved, now you hate So slowly relearn how to meditate To have and to hold And never let go Can you feel it ...1 week ago - Thursday 14 November 2024
The Treaty Principles Bill is set to have its First Reading in the House today, as the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti continues. More than 40 KCs have written to the Prime Minister and Attorney-General outlining their “grave concerns” about the substance of the Treaty Principles Bill, while an academic and ...1 week ago
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- An opportunity for a pro-growth tax switch
As the Hikoi against it swells into the tens of thousands, KCs call on National to kill off ACT’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. Photo: Getty ImagesKia ora. Long stories short, here’s my top things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, November 14: The ...1 week ago - Dealing to the big Aussie banks
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- Instead of axing the HRC, ACT corruptly installed a racist, transphobic “Gay Human Rights Commissi...
On November 5th, the Spinoff published a very interesting article on Stephen Rainbow, the Human Rights Commission’s latest recruitment, and how he came to get the controversial appointment. Naturally because of the excitement of the US election, it’s flown a little below the radar. https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-11-2024/i-didnt-get-the-hrc-job-stephen-rainbows-human-rights-commission-appointment-just-got-weirderThe article details evidence of the ...1 week ago - Injustice for torture
Between 1950 and 1993 the New Zealand government tortured and abused up to 250,000 children in residential care facilities. Yesterday, following formal findings from a royal commission, it finally apologised for that abuse. The next step is redress and restitution - compensating the surviving victims for the appalling harm they ...1 week ago
- NZ’s global climate rankings plummet as Govt removes agriculture from ETS
The Government has passed legislation to remove agriculture from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) while Aotearoa’s reputation on climate action plummets. ...13 hours ago - Failed boot camp experiment must end
As legislation to set up boot camps passed its first reading, the Green Party urged the Government to abandon this failed policy experiment for the good of our rangatahi. ...14 hours ago
- Gender-affirming care must centre evidence and health needs, not political posturing
The Ministry of Health has today released an evidence brief regarding the use of puberty blockers in gender-affirming healthcare, amid moves by the government to limit access. ...15 hours ago
- Release: National doesn’t care about manufacturing
The National Government is walking away from our manufacturing sector with constant reports of closures and job losses. ...16 hours ago - Release: David Parker speech – Piketty, Inequality and Climate Change
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- Release: Youth mental wellbeing no longer a priority for Child Poverty Minister
Louise Upston has revealed her diminished vision for vulnerable youth against a backdrop of snubbed advice, scrapped priorities, shifted goal posts and thousands more children projected to fall into poverty. ...18 hours ago
- Release: National’s lack of climate action taking NZ backwards
National Government’s backward-looking climate policy has seen New Zealand fall seven places on the Climate Change Performance Index to 41 out of 63 countries measured. ...18 hours ago
- Release: Simple reason for drop in emergency housing
When the Government says it has reduced the number of people in emergency housing, what it means is it is stopping people from accessing it in the first place. ...21 hours ago
- Govt’s child wellbeing strategy ‘shallow and shameful’
The Government is turning its back on children by not only weakening child poverty reduction targets, but also removing child mental wellbeing as a priority focus in their Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy. ...21 hours ago
- Release: A historic win for Samoan communities
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- Government plan to reinstate live animal exports a “national disgrace”
The Government has taken a giant step backwards by reinstating live animal exports. ...2 days ago
- Pasifika justice as Member’s Bill passes final reading
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- Release: Minister of Education thinks New Zealand ends at the Bombay Hills
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- Economists sound alarm on Government’s slash-and-burn approach
A group of prominent economists has released an open letter to the Government, raising grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences of its fiscal policy. ...2 days ago
- Release: Smoking numbers up under Costello’s watch
National’s repeal of Labour’s smokefree legislation has taken New Zealand further away from achieving a Smokefree 2025 and a smokefree generation. ...2 days ago
- Release: Call for Palestine recognition by NZ, Australian and Canadian MPs
Parliamentarians from Australia, Canada and New Zealand have written an open letter to their respective Prime Ministers calling on them to recognise Palestine. ...2 days ago
- Justice Select Committee opens floor for Treaty Principles submissions
Today, the Justice Select Committee has decided to officially open submissions for the controversial Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Power of the people on full display as hīkoi approaches Parliament
Today, Hīkoi mō te Tiriti arrived in Wellington, with thousands gathering to march in unity against the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...3 days ago
- Hypocrisy as Te Whatu Ora contractor bill balloons
Te Whatu Ora’s bill for contracting and consulting staff has ballooned by nearly 20 percent under the National Government, breaking a promise they made during the election campaign to cut contractors. ...4 days ago
- Release: Growing pressure to scrap Section 7AA Repeal Bill
The newly released Section 7AA Repeal Bill's select committee report is further evidence that the Government should scrap it. ...5 days ago
- Government’s move to monetise access to nature a slippery slope
The Green Party is voicing serious concerns over the Government’s proposal to charge for access to public conservation land, released today. ...7 days ago
- Green Party condemns the passage of Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party condemns the passing of the Treaty Principles Bill at first reading, and is clear that the fight is not over. ...1 week ago
- Stand Up for Te Tiriti
Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our country’s founding document. It forms the basis of the relationship between Māori and the Crown – and the Aotearoa New Zealand we live in today. ...1 week ago
- Release: Over 15,000 sign Labour’s open letter to Luxon
As the hīkoi to Parliament continues, Labour has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in a last-ditch attempt to get him to kill the Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Fast Track Bill threatens environment, climate and reputation
The fast-track legislation passing its second reading in Parliament is another step towards environmental ruin. ...1 week ago
- Greens join King’s Counsel in calling for Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned
The Prime Minister must answer the call from a group of senior lawyers of the King’s Counsel to abandon the divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins’ apology statement to state and faith-based care survivors
...1 week ago
- Release: Labour formally apologises to state and faith-based care survivors
Labour joins with the Government in unreservedly apologising for the abuse, neglect and trauma including torture in state and faith-based care and for ignoring the voices of survivors for too long. ...1 week ago
- Green Party stands in support of survivors of abuse in care
Today, the Green Party stands alongside the survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based care as the Government issues an historic apology. ...1 week ago
- Green Party calls for conscience vote on Treaty Principles Bill
The Green Party has written to the Speaker of the House requesting he enable a personal vote on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Govt move to exclude journalist risks chilling effect
The Green Party is alarmed by the Government’s move to exclude a journalist from covering this week’s apology for the survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care. ...2 weeks ago
- Without action, an apology will be empty air
For tomorrow’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care to hold any water, the Government must not pursue the same policies that drove the abuse in the first place. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Concerns remain over tobacco interference
Concerns about the tobacco industry’s ability to interfere in government policy making remain, despite the inability of the Office of the Auditor-General to investigate the Government’s decision to halve the excise tax on heated tobacco products. ...2 weeks ago
- Urgent wake-up call on climate
The Climate Change Commission’s latest advice indicates Aotearoa needs to be stepping up on climate action. ...2 weeks ago
- Green MP’s Meme-ber’s Bill set to save the world
Break out the punchlines and dust off your meme folder: Green Party MP Kahurangi Carter’s Copyright (Parody and Satire) Amendment Bill was pulled from the Ballot yesterday. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Poroporoaki: Ta Robert (Bom) Gillies
Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
- Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principles Bill
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori call on the Prime Minister to block the Treaty Principle...
The opposition parties stand united for an Aotearoa that honours Te Tiriti, rather than seeking to rewrite it. Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori are working together against the Government’s divisive Treaty Principles Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ must pursue independent foreign policy
The Green Party says the need is greater than ever for Aotearoa New Zealand to pursue an independent foreign policy. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Winston Peters must apologise
The Deputy Prime Minister should apologise to the public servant he named and blamed for something they did not do, and for misusing the rules of Parliament. ...2 weeks ago
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Kia ora koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai. Ki te mihi atu ahau, ki te manwhenua nei, Te Atiawa, Ngāti toa rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you, Andy, for your introduction. Let me acknowledge you as the new Chief Executive of the Social Investment ...7 days ago
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"Climate change: US formally withdraws from Paris agreement"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/429881/climate-change-us-formally-withdraws-from-paris-agreement
Bad news. For Our Earth…. NZ step up !
Any other country than NZ have a climate act anywhere near as comprehensive as ours?
We are well stepped up.
Oh really…doesnt matter how "comprehensive"…the Climate Act needs ACTION.
So Step Up NZ Govt. Show the World. You mean it.
Getting people to force a cough might turn out to be a better screening tool for covid than temperature checking. (That's a low bar, temperature testing is just about useless for covid screening)
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/artificial-intelligence/medical-ai/ai-recognizes-covid-19-in-the-sound-of-a-cough
That's run under an advertisement notice.
In June, a team at the University of Oklahoma showed it was possible to distinguish a COVID-19 cough from coughs due to other infections, and now a paper out of MIT, using the largest cough dataset yet, identifies asymptomatic people with a remarkable 100 percent detection rate.
I remember an old joke, 'It's not the cough that carries you off, It's the coffin they carry you off in.' Macabre and tasteless eh. Laughing in the face of death and mayhem is the only way to live these days, especially after the USA election and its aaaftermath.
Ahem! The advertisement refers to summat else.
The article also confirmed my thought that covid-19 is no longer capable of having asymptomatic sufferers if there is a signature covid cough. They become symptomatic automatically………
Its certainly an interesting concept. Even in NZ where we have 0 cases in the community, we still can't be sure as the situation might have changed in a short time. So when I cough I wonder if I'm okay, is it a 'pollen' cough or what. If it can be tested then good.
People in the UK must be at their wit's end. They might like to have something life this from the USA. Is the Uni of Oklahoma a good one? I see in the paper that our mental stress went up and the helping agency was much busier than usual. How much worse in the UK and they have Boris to put up with and the changes that Brexit will bring, and who will suffer most under them. I saw the other day that Farage is agitating to not have lockdowns. They are like lambs to the slaughter over there.
Certainly the shepherds are useless. A relative likened their leadership to the Fuhrer bunkered in Berlin waiting to be saved by the wonder weapons of vaccines and non-existent armies……
Yes you get drawn to examples like that as the times get more extreme.
And could be done through a smart phone app.
Headline in today's Herald;
Mike Hosking: Two weeks in and new Govt is missing in action.
Three more years, and hopefully more, of this twerps ravings.
Good grief, Cabinet hasn't even been sworn in yet.
Perhaps we should club together and offer him a one way ticket to Trump's America.
A headline has it:
"So where is the evidence of urgency from this new Government?
Earlier on there was line on there about sitting around having teas and biscuits.
I like how regularly that in the shallows of any intellectual and rationality paddle pool Hosking continually shows he is out of his depth.
Wouldn't it be good if when the new govt is sworn in, Hoskings would be sworn out. We could help with that process for the good of the mental health of the country.
Amen to that.
If you don't read The Herald or listen to Newstalk ZB, or TV3 in the morning, Hoskins, Garner, Richardson, Soper et al don't exist.
Simple remedy really.
(Stopped reading the Herald when it went behind the paywall.) In fact the list goes on, O'Sullivan, Young…) Haven't missed them at all.
totally agree logie97. morning tv, dorktalk radio and grainy harold dont feature in my world. the first two rely on shockjocks for clicks i.e. lowest form of life. harold wants to sell you biased bullshit, not a good business plan, would like to know how few are sucked into paying, harold wont say, so it must be embarrassing.
As I say, outright lying such as this needs to come with an at least $1 million dollar fine for the publisher.
The More Hoskings opens his narcissistic mouth the more right wingers turn to Labour .Trump like tactics have the opposite effect in NZ.
Hooton has found out he is now up their with Boag constrictor despised even within the National Party.
I say let him keep his job he is sabotaging the right with out realizing it,sycophantic narcissism does not go well in NZ.
Hysterical Trump supporter being interviewed on rnz..madder than a sack of ferrets..!…heh..!
I am pretty cranky about RNZ being totally taken over by this farce. It's been all the same speculation and hot air repeated over and over. More heat than light. For goodness sake – can we just have the result and some rational, intelligent analysis when it happens.
And we all know what repeated bursts of hot air are called.
edit
RadioNZ is focussed on the USA, been so for ages. All the new residents that have come to this country, they hardly hear anything about their areas, from our national radio. If it’s outside the 5 eyes and English speaking, then its Too Hard.
And the USA has such lovely dramatic news about shootings, mass shootings, school shootings, street drug bust shootings, and protest shootings. Also a panorama of the winding back of modern societal culture to that similar to the late medieval period to the 1800’s.
Also the USA is trying to buy us up, they've tied us up with egregious trade agreements that have resulted in a decimated local enterprise economy, and replaced some with funds for rocket launchings, and a planned robotic airplane etc. We can moan but the evil empire is siphoning money in and we have opened our gates and invited in anybody with money at top gate, and anyone who is trying to escape poverty or depredations from fighting of some sort through the bottom gate.
Agree 200%
RNZ are still doing good work RosieLee (though I am more likely to listen to Concert, and even that is rare):
“It lists more than a dozen investigative tech tools, including drones that can send live footage to patrols, a superfast system to spot suspects in CCTV feeds and a cellphone scourer with facial recognition capability.
“The stocktake has been released under the Official Information Act. Police tried and failed at the last minute to have it deleted… The police released the stocktake to former RNZ reporter Mackenzie Smith, who had lodged the OIA.
“They then asked him two days ago to delete it. He refused.”
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429896/audit-reveals-new-tech-tools-in-police-s-digital-armoury
Also love the way the cops were exploring everything and anything, except for deciding to stop looking into body cameras…
Will be nothing compared to the epic meltdown from Trump.
Love the description Phillip. Having heard the representative of Women for Trump in full cry, it is very apt.
To me, this is the best day and night of the year. Guy Fawkes night
Really looking forward to our lovely animals being petrified AGAIN. Fortunately, we have safe hiding places for them
After tonight, we can look forward to weeks of every little creep letting fireworks off in the evening until they get bored and go and do some wheelies somewhere.
Why are we are celebrating this medieval religious shit down here in NZ? I suspect very few people know the significance of Guy Fawkes and as Ardern is all for embracing all cultures, what about a bit of thought for our Catholic friends who despise this so-called celebration
BAN THE BLOODY. SHIT. Hang on can't do that there's a dollar to be made.
The fact that government can't bring themselves to ban private fireworks and private sales is an indication of how gutless they have become. Let them prove me wrong and I'll eat my chocolate fish. I'd love that. We would still have fireworks quite often every year at special venues.
They are a health and safety obvious target. Do you know that you can't dry dishes in a public venue, with even a fresh and clean teatowel for fear of spreading bugs. They must be left to air-dry, the air being sterile of course! Hah. Yet you can burn, injure,hurt someone, some animal with fireworks – yet they are a weapon. They can start fires in vegetation, burn houses, cause fire crew call outs. Time to act Labour, you're the man (or woman) here – ACT will never ban loutish behaviour.
I've wondered how poor refugees from war-torn countries feel about the very loud bangs that erupt throughout the year when the young males like to indulge themselves. Loud bangs are such fun, you never grow out of enjoying loud bangs! In fireworks place I suggest the old D-i-y method of blowing into a brown bag, twisting the top hard and bashing it. Very satisfactory.
Agreed. Been banned in Oz for decades, grow a pair govt.
The whining goes away, people move on. Leadership required.
What Oz banned it? That's one in the eye for us, a great big mud pie.
Catholics tend to think, better luck next time.
I agree that there has to be some control over speech when broadcast in a public forum. How can anyone expect their opinion to be respected when such negative slang language is used as here. When thinking about how to deal with OTT speech that is on its way to hate speech, it would be helpful to have some examples of how flexible rules should be while still imposing strictures.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/429901/veteran-nurse-who-complained-of-racism-it-exists-it-s-rampant
The woman who blew the whistle on a New Plymouth nurse for making comments online about her Māori colleagues, including that they 'sit on their fat asses all day', were thieves, and lazy is urging others to be brave and speak out….
After a two-day hearing in Taranaki, the case was closed, and the nurse received a penalty of suspension for two years and set conditions, including undertaking training in cultural competency, if she ever wants to work in the sector again.
That person has denied that they are racist and that they were just telling it like it is considering the words were giving a factual account and I suppose claimed that it was fair comment. Learning restraint and consideration for others when speaking should be things that schools teach as part of anti-bullying programs. If parents are so rough in their ways that they can't pass on important human values to their children, schools will have to step up, as they have with breakfasts and lunches. There needs to be good food for the mind as well as the body.
Further about the above case, an important point to note, is that such behaviours and attitudes are entrenched. How can this sort of bitchy put-down from females or males come to be definitely seen as mean behaviour by the perpetrator? This had happened before with this nurse, who was able to continue working when ordered to be suspended!
...The New Plymouth nurse was stood down for similar offences in 2018, but continued working against the rules of her suspension…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429896/audit-reveals-new-tech-tools-in-police-s-digital-armoury
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/429877/wall-street-frets-as-us-election-too-close-to-call
The item says that US sharemarkets are fretting as they are wondering whether Trump will throw a spanner in the works.
I was wondering if some business people there will consider the election being held for the people's choice of pollie as a nuisance and a restraint to trade as housing rentiers here blame people wanting a first house as a nuisance and a barrier to them conducting their regular business.
Ahh no, markets priced in a biden win and months of gridlock till a stimulus in 2021.
Rnz copy paste should dig deeper. Volatility is expected as normal as the dow isn’t the economy just a selected group of companies.
Eucalypts – this article seems to be extolling them. Yet what about fire resistant trees for the future? Eucs don't seem to fill the bill. I just noticed this and thought I'd put it here for possible future discussion when Trump is not dominating the scene.
https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/eucalypts-trees-of-the-future/
Eucalypts have an interesting history. Prior to humans arriving in Australia they were relatively uncommon, with a fairly limited range. However once people started using fire to clear the landscape, the eucalypt had a distinct evolutionary advantage and now totally dominants the continent.
Indeed once they reach a certain density they completely suppress all competitors because they literally burn them out on a regular basis.
Here is an example of how the Brits did it Mr Biden – addressing the peeps. Perhaps you could use it and the anglo-lovers would be so bowled over that they would regard you as the best thing since sliced bacon and eggs.
Peter Sellers with 'the' parliamentary speech:
.
Final Vote Prediction (New Zealand … not the Failed State south of Canada):
I'll almost certainly regret this … but my prediction (which is a little more Lab-friendly than most):
–Lab: …… 50.4%
–Nat: …… 25.2%
–Green: … 8.0%
–ACT: ……. 7.9%
–NZF: ……. 2.5%
–Other: …. 6.0%
–
Meanwhile, my Cannabis Referendum prediction is a little more conservative than most … I suspect the swing towards Yes from the Specials will be milder than many are predicting … but could well fall flat on my face (as with the Party-Vote prediction above … still, nil desperandum … in for a penny in for a pound … damn those freaking torpedoes):
Cannabis Referendum
(excluding Informals)
NO: 52.6%
YES: 47.4%
(including Informals)
NO: 52.2%
YES: 47.0%
Informal: 0.8%
.