Unbelievable. What is this LINO government thinking? Where did this public sector pay freeze come from? Are they also going to abolish all the committees and consultants they seem to rely on these days? I really hope this is a spur for all workers to join their unions and get involved in some real action. Deafening silence of any meaningful reporting or analysis the press this morning.
i understand the pay freeze is for those that make 100.000 plus and there will still be increases for those on the lower end"?
Senior leaders and those on more than $100,000 have had their pay frozen entirely.
The government wants pay increases to be targeted to lower-paid public servants, those earning below $60,000, who make up about 25 percent of the public sector.
Public Service Minister Chris Hipkins said the sector had done an exceptional job responding to Covid-19, but it needed to show restraint as other private sectors continue to feel the effects of the pandemic.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the modesty was necessary given the high levels of debt in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
"Our priority are the people who earn less than $60,000 they are, relatively speaking in the public sector, low paid, bear in mind … if you're under 60, you're still around the average overall. We think that is the correct focus in a restrained environment," Robertson said.
If one is over 100.000NZD than that person is doing much better then most. There are actually people in this country that are really doing it hard. I guess its a mixed bag of goods.
The question about Covid frontline staff and their wages is a different one imo as they should have already be given some generous hazard payments, stress payments, overtime, and some recompensation for still living in a sort of lockdown level 4 specifically the workers that clean the plague hotels.
I imagine that oncologists, and other health professionals (see comment@10 for why that came to mind first), have large student debts to pay off, with $100,000+/ year opportunities (and importantly; better working conditions) in the private sector. So this pay freeze is effectively a death sentence for some NZers trapped in the labyrinth of the public health system.
Because the Labour government does not want to be seen to raise taxes.
it has been proposed a few times now that the government could set up a trade aka, no studentloans or huge write offs for every year worked in NZ after they finish studying. I think that would be something a lot of people could get behind.
The main reason for people leaving is the fact that their income full time does not allow them to live in the towns they work in. And it seems that no one wants to address this.
The issue is not so much income as that the incomes can't keep up with rising housing costs. And we have seen nothing that would change that really, specifically in the rental market.
I think that those who stay in Aotearoa get interest free at least, so that is some incentive to remain. Academic family (no one doing their research field in NZ, so have to live) overseas are pretty much stuck there now with interest outstripping the minimum payments they can scrape together each month. Other people I went to university with have just given up on loan repayments altogether and any intention of returning home along with it.
I do support the trade-in of existing student loans for time spent in NZ. But seriously: Fuck that entire scam! While reluctantly accepting that my generation will be burdened by those shackles until we die, surely; present day students can actually be supported in their studies without having to mortgage their futures? Ending student loans entirely, and fully funding students would be my preference.
Trade appenticeships already get the 'first year no fees' lasting 2 years as their courses are a sort of part time.
Much was made of it being 'university students' but of course very large numbers at level 3 and 4 courses before level 5 university level were eligible for 'First year no fees'
Plenty of articles in the NZ media about it. The lowest paid public servants will still get increases and frankly they need it the most, in my view. No one will be losing their job because of this progressive move.
he first emergency housing motel I went into was cold, damp, and just generally unhygienic. Mould grew on the walls, the lighting was dim and faulty, and cockroaches crawled confidently around in the small, cupboard-sized room the two young people shared.
I could not imagine sleeping there let alone living there. I felt sick just being in the building.
And yet, this was where the young people I was trying to support to find housing had been put when they had asked the Ministry of Social Development to support them with emergency accommodation.
One would be to actually build some 1 bedroom flats dedicated to homeless or endangered youth to live in. Include a 'janitor' aka a live in social worker, and a 'house mother' for support and maybe that would actually be a better solution to getting these children back on the track and out of living on the streets.
I know people really don't want to think about this, but eventually it must trickle down even to the last ones that these are the adults of tomorrow and depending on how good or how bad we treat them now we can expect to be treated tomorrow by them once adults. Apart from that these kids should be in training, having a save place to go to, so that they when their turn comes can be fully participating adults in this society, rather then get lost to the streets and all that it entails. A wasteful approach to the human capital of this country.
Sounds so familiar when you google 19th century poor:
For the first half of the 19th century the rural and urban poor had much in common: unsanitary and overcrowded housing, low wages, poor diet, insecure employment and the dreaded effects of sickness and old age. By 1851 the census showed the urban population was larger than that of the rural areas.
Food can always be sourced from overseas. Places like Singapore are incredibly wealthy and have ZERO chance of ever being self sufficient in food supply.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I think you should also move the comments I was responding to then as that had nothing to do with regenerative agriculture as well following your own logic.
Imaging I have a farm of 10 Hectares. It brings in a revenue of $500,000 per year and directly supports me and 4 other people who live and work on the farm. That is $100,000 per person on average.
The farm is subdivided and allows 100 homes to be built. Each home has one person earning $50,000 per year working from home. The same land is generating 5 million dollars worth of economic activity. That is 10 times the amount the land produced when used for agriculture and 20 times the number of people that are able to be supported (at least).
Why would you keep the land as a farm in such a situation?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
This goes to the heart of whether we should build homes on "prime agricultural" land. I was responding to a comment from someone who argued we should not be doing this. If you are moving my comment as being off topic can you explain why you don't move the comments that I am responding to?
Because that comment about food growing land is directly related to the post. It also opened a conversation about land use, which I have no problem with so long as it stays broadly on topic eg regenag and sustainability. People can argue any side of that but they have to have read and understood the post.
Your comments had nothing to do with regenag and were blatantly anti sustainability without making any argument as to why within the context of the post. Commenting is not a free for all.
You are quite wrong. The people on the land ARE producing economic value. If I work from home making software and then sell it to someone I am producing something.
If the land is used as a farm, the cows have to be on the farm for it to be a cattle farm, and the cattle farm is a facility of economic production.
If the land is used for homes, by your analogy the homes have to be used as workplaces for them to be economically productive. So whther they are "homes" is irrelevant: your economic production is from industrial development, not homes for people. Why even build homes in that case? Why not just make an IT business incubator?
Except it isn't as simple as that in a modern economy. Cities are massively more productive than rural areas when you compare them at an average dollar earned per square meter level (The exception may be something like an area where there is a mine or well). Generally it would be better from an economic level to turn as much land in to urban land as possible. From an environmental and social level that may not be desirable however.
You made it as simple as that when you invented a scenario where every single household had a member earning a full-time income from home.
Now you're arguing complexity. Ok. What about the longer term economic resilience of actually producing something tangible as well as moving electrons around? The long term insurance of being able to supply at least the bulk of the nation's food requirements should something affect world trade (disease, a canal blockage, an international confrontation astride a major trade route) is a good thing to have, if you want to include complexity.
Thats very true, bùt in saying that you could generate the same economic benefit from your home sited on relatively poor soils and the grower can continue to deprive an albiet less efficient economic benifit from the productive ground… once a house is on it the grower cant move quite so easily so I guess an economic loss there.
We aren't so populated that we need every inch of ground for housing etc we have options and the decision to build over on our best soils is a poor one…
Fucking hard to grow produce on Silverdale clay for example…
That food will still hve to come from somewhere. So that really can lead to shortages and such.
Fact is that we need to build to rent, heck the government with developpers nad NGO's could start that. Build to rent, rather then build crappy cheap McMansions that fall apart and thus keep the good 'dirt' for food production.
At the moment what we do is build houses no one really can afford on the 'good dirt' needed to grow food. And building on that dirt is just going to poison that earth even more then regular emission are already doing.
So what you are advocating is to sell a good that brings a reliable 500.000 every year (and maybe more) to have a one time profit and then pay huge amounts on food for the rest of your and the 4 workers for ever. So no, Gosman, that sounds like a bit of silly plan the longer you think about it.
And also remember, once you sold the family silver you will never ever get it back at that price, so the question after all remains, can you buy the same thing again with the money you have? Chances are not. So now you have no more land, a crappy house on no land, and you have to import all your food.
How about the government (both central and local) gets out of the way and allows the market to determine what type of houses and where they should build them?
Land issues locally according to the CEO of the Council are primarily caused by the deliberate and controlled release of land by the local land-banking developers at a rate that suits their profitability, not at a rate that meets demand.
This is compounded by the market not building enough 1-2 bedroom units, instead going for the high-end 3-5 BR housing on small sections with multiple garaging.
Further compounded by a lack of tradespeople.
The land is available, zoned and awaiting development.
Profit-taking- it has another suitable financial appellation in those circles- is a principle reason. It's also known as 'the market'.
We need to build to rent. And yes, there i agree with you the government could be a bit more active and councils should maybe revisit some of their rules and regulations, but if really you want to see what happens when government allows you to build without rules look at any town in turkey hit by an earthquake and maybe rethink your position?
Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief has travelled to Damascus to meet his Syrian counterpart in the first known meeting of its kind since the outbreak of the Syrian war a decade ago.
[…]
The Saudi delegation was led by Gen Khalid Humaidan, the head of the country’s General Intelligence Directorate. He was received by Syria’s Gen Ali Mamlouk, the architect of the push to crush the early years of the anti-Assad revolution and the key interlocutor with Russian forces, which took a significant stake in the conflict from September 2015.
Once again the Ardern government gets it right by taking a cautious line on travel to the Pacific Islands.
Fiji is at a worrying stage with Lautoka Hospital now locked down. If even the great nations of the UK and the USA, greatest nations in the world*, can be savaged by this virus and their governments' humiliated, the Pacific Islands will always struggle if it got away.
Best wishes to Fiji and I hope the authoritarian nature of their government will be their saving grace here.
I do hope all business-first, right wing nut jobs in New Zealand will now shut up about their tropical holidays for 5 minutes. For the sake of our Pacific neighbour's lives.
Muttonbird, i know quite few others who are not rightwing nutsjobs that equally want the borders to be open. heck i know a few that still believe that Covid is just a flue, that we don't need vaccinations and that we should open the borders fully. And they come from all walks of life.
And here you have me a 'far left' person who would like hte borders shut until we have a high enough part of the population vaccined before we start letting people in in large masses.
Powerless children and when they spoke out they were betrayed again. To have this acknowledged by the state is an important step to having what that child lived, being exposed. The damage which was done to that child, (now an adult) finally has a voice and has rights.
I am not sure if the state will be addressing the part GPs (the old family doctor or doctor attached to the care home) played in knowing a child was sexually abused. I do know that no mandatory reporting was done.
When it comes to medical records I would like to know if a GP had to write down what the physical injuries were at a general consultation and if they told the parent or social welfare if sexual abuse was the cause?
Many children would have presented with swelling, STDS, anxiety etc. Also the way there were no electronic records.
The terrible shadow which was cast and for some it was a long shadow.
Dr Christopher Longhurst certainly thinks so. He's outraged about how the Catholic Church claims things have all been sorted out. He's also wild about how the Catholic Church is treating people who try to access its complaints process.
This was in the ODT yesterday. The guy interviewed is a distant friend of a friend, so; although I haven't talked to them myself recently, I can confirm the broad outline if not any individual details.
…cancer had spread throughout his tongue and neck.
"They didn’t really go into my survival chances at that point but if it was 10%-15% before, I knew it was going to be less,"…
"They said, we will refer you to palliative care … After not hearing anything from Otago Community Hospice, he contacted it, only to discover his referral had not been received…
"I also found out that the waiting list for palliative oncology is something like seven weeks, not that anyone has told me this officially.
"There are something like 27 people in front of me in the queue apparently, but no-one has actually formally told me that.
"I haven’t had a ‘we’re so sorry this is happening to you’ — all I’ve got is a possible treatment date which is maybe a week out from my initial ‘this is how long you are going to live’ date.
Which by today's piece, doesn't seem like an isolated case of neglecting dying NZ citizens by their supposed public Health providers:
The SDHB is failing to meet both 31-day and 62-day cancer treatment targets and the waiting list for radiation oncology is a record 157 people.
Radiation oncologists were "incredibly frustrated and helpless" that systems and budget issues seemed to be failing their patients, medical specialists union Apex national secretary Deborah Powell said…
The SDHB seemed to be incapable of responding to and dealing effectively with long-running cancer treatment waiting list issues, and that had contributed to staff burnout, Dr Powell said.
She also doubted the SDHB would be able to find a new radiation oncologist it had been trying to recruit.
"There are significant issues because they get paid more in Australia and in the private sector, which is also competing for radiation technologists as well."
"This is particularly evident in oncology, where patients suffer and die due to the poor access our population has to imaging services…
"As an example the majority of the population have access to PET scanning for prostate cancer, the SDHB will not approve such scans. This requires patients to self fund scans, often those in great financial hardship, to access effective publicly-funded treatment.
"A number of publicly funded interventions for prostate cancers in particular can only be accessed if the patient can self fund the necessary imaging. This disgraceful situation exacerbates the existing inequity between those who can and cannot pay for private imaging, affecting our rural, Māori and other disadvantaged groups particularly.
"In summary, despite the best efforts of the radiology service, the SDHB fails our patients at multiple stages leading to poorer outcomes for those who neither have private health insurance or the ability to pay for imaging.
"It would be unusual for me to hold a clinic in which I do not have to enquire if patients can self fund their care."
Obviously predatory sexual offending shouldn't be a barrier to budding flyboy attaining his FPP status.
A Dunedin man who sexually offended against two boys has avoided a conviction.
The 20-year-old, whose name was permanently suppressed this afternoon, appeared in the Dunedin District Court after pleading guilty to four charges of sexual conduct with a person under the age of 16 and one of sending an indecent communication to a person under the age of 18.
Judge Kevin Phillips said giving the defendant a criminal record would “destroy” him.
If a conviction is entered his opportunities in his chosen future career are ended, he said.
No matter what the judge says the "no conviction" does minimise the impact on the complainant. Not a mention of how the actions affected his study and career prospects. Plus training to be a pilot (is anybody even doing this now?) never used to be cheap so the amounts paid are tiny.
Plus and I do find this a serious worry – there looks looks like there has been an attempt to blackmail using social media. If this is so then it is plain nasty and has ongoing consequences. That should not have been brushed aside. Any money or family influence involved?
I did not read the article as carefully as I needed to. Had I done so I would have seen that a person was age under 16 and there was repeated offending against them.
Sick and injured patients are being left in hospital corridors and ambulances are queuing outside Auckland emergency departments as demand continues to skyrocket.
Read More
others with high-risk pregnancies have occasionally been transferred out of the Auckland area to give birth, because no beds are available in the region.
Middlemore, Auckland City and North Shore Hospitals sent an alert to ambulances on Monday night warning that they were nearing maximum capacity, the Herald can reveal.
'Staff are burned out': Emergency doctor
Meanwhile, one Auckland emergency doctor told the Herald he was worried about the impact the increased demand was having on staff and the flow-on impact it could have for patient care.
"Staff are burned out. Without the resources, including time and staff support, it's difficult to work effectively."
The specialist did not want to be named out of fear of losing his job.
There's nothing in the article that says why the numbers are over maximum except to hint at winter issues and Monday issues.
Is there any unforeseen illness or other cause as to why these numbers are so high for so long that burnout is now an issue?
Is it a question of staffing, or actual bed spaces? Are people presenting with issues that don't require hospital treatment? In other words, is it to do with doctor's visit fees? Being on a Monday, is it caused by weekend-related activities causing injury or illness?
My last question, which is a point really, what would this mean if our hospital system also had to cope with Covid-19 illness?
a lot of backlog i would assume. Every time there is a lock out peoples surgeries etc get cancelled, people can't go to the doctor etc.
then costs. Yeah, yeah, the government did something but it still is too expensive for many to go to a GP, so they go to the emergency room.
St. Johns is as always happy for any donations to Ambulances as that service is not funded by government, so on certain days its of no use to call an ambulance.
We have a well documented shortage of staff all across the healthsector. High costs or living and low wages don't help.
If we had to deal with any of the covid variants we would be well and truly buggered, and considering that i doubt much investment has been done in upgrading hospitals with seperate covid wards or the like i think i'd give the system about a week or two.
But don't take my ideas to much to heart, i am not a politician nor a nurse, so i am just summing up what one can find in the news.
Increased population with no accompanying increase in capacity…
Many 1000s of people in shite housing…
Increased housing costs making GP costs a stretch or impossible meaning people wait till they're really ill and presenting to A&E where they need admitting…
ca we just cancel these events until it is safe? Surely the cricket fans, or olympic sports fans, or rugby fans can content themsevles with a bit of 'local' sports only?
Or shall we just file this under : No one could have foreseen this, and who would'ave thought this could happen?
Classic stupidity that these are still going ahead. Does the IOC not read the news of how India went from a managed Covid situation in February to totally losing control by the end of April (religious and political mass gatherings)? For sport we are all potentially being placed at extreme risk.
Agree with you & Sabine – no skin off my nose if sports events such as the Olympic Games are postponed again or cancelled. But there's considerable pressure to demonstrate that 'we' are getting back to BAU – regarding the Olympics that pressure isn't coming from a majority of Japanese citizens, but it's coming from somewhere.
“Normal life. That’s what we want, right? Normal life. Normal life. We just want normal life. It’s happening, very quickly.” Trump (Oct. 2020)
This shows the importance of selecting the right vaccine in the first place, and unfortunately the country from where the vaccine was sourced (troubling since we get so many antibiotics from there).
Seychelles, the world's most Covid-vaccinated nation with more than 60 per cent of its adult population having received two jabs, has reintroduced.
All schools have been closed and sporting activities cancelled for two weeks in the idyllic Indian Ocean archipelago, as infections continue to surge.
…
There are currently 1,068 active Covid cases in the Seychelles, of which a third have been detected in people given two doses of either AstraZeneca's or China's Sinopharm vaccine.
It unclear what has triggered the surge in cases but testing has detected the South African variant spreading on the islands.
No vaccine is the "right" vaccine against a variant that emerges after it was developed. There might be slight differences in the efficacy of AZ versus Sp jabs against the new variant, but they're the spanners we have to hand when we find this new and slightly different bolt. Maybe they work and work equally well, maybe they won't.
Currently the Seychelles have an active case rate of 1%, but they're the size of Dunedin. Fewer degrees of separation to get that rate from a given R0.
60% vaccination/immunity doesn't cut it and has never cut it when it comes to limiting community spread of covid.
Interesting exercise in relative risk math though:
pop = 100k active=1k, activerate=1%
vaxpop = 60k activevax=330 (1/3 of 1k) activevaxrate= 0.55%
So on the face of it the vaccines are demonstrably good (but not bulletproof) for personal safety, but they need more coverage in the population before one can judge their effectiveness as a community protection.
Israel will be the country to watch. They have just "opened" up again after vaccinations. You might need a vaccination pass to get into concerts etc, but essential they try to get back to what ever is normal now as soon as possible.
So it will be interesting to see what happens in about 3 weeks if cases raise again, or if their vaccine drive was successful in getting enough jabs into enough arms to provide some sort of herd immunity.
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This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
“You talking about me?”The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War MemorialAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
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Unbelievable. What is this LINO government thinking? Where did this public sector pay freeze come from? Are they also going to abolish all the committees and consultants they seem to rely on these days? I really hope this is a spur for all workers to join their unions and get involved in some real action. Deafening silence of any meaningful reporting or analysis the press this morning.
Not very nice for the essential workers that worked so hard over the pandemic especially nurses, police etc.
i understand the pay freeze is for those that make 100.000 plus and there will still be increases for those on the lower end"?
If one is over 100.000NZD than that person is doing much better then most. There are actually people in this country that are really doing it hard. I guess its a mixed bag of goods.
The question about Covid frontline staff and their wages is a different one imo as they should have already be given some generous hazard payments, stress payments, overtime, and some recompensation for still living in a sort of lockdown level 4 specifically the workers that clean the plague hotels.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/wage-shame-why-miq-cleaners-have-fallen-through-the-cracks/XW24PKHC7QZI4XZ6ILVFPEVFB4/
I imagine that oncologists, and other health professionals (see comment@10 for why that came to mind first), have large student debts to pay off, with $100,000+/ year opportunities (and importantly; better working conditions) in the private sector. So this pay freeze is effectively a death sentence for some NZers trapped in the labyrinth of the public health system.
Because the Labour government does not want to be seen to raise taxes.
it has been proposed a few times now that the government could set up a trade aka, no studentloans or huge write offs for every year worked in NZ after they finish studying. I think that would be something a lot of people could get behind.
The main reason for people leaving is the fact that their income full time does not allow them to live in the towns they work in. And it seems that no one wants to address this.
The issue is not so much income as that the incomes can't keep up with rising housing costs. And we have seen nothing that would change that really, specifically in the rental market.
I think that those who stay in Aotearoa get interest free at least, so that is some incentive to remain. Academic family (no one doing their research field in NZ, so have to live) overseas are pretty much stuck there now with interest outstripping the minimum payments they can scrape together each month. Other people I went to university with have just given up on loan repayments altogether and any intention of returning home along with it.
I do support the trade-in of existing student loans for time spent in NZ. But seriously: Fuck that entire scam! While reluctantly accepting that my generation will be burdened by those shackles until we die, surely; present day students can actually be supported in their studies without having to mortgage their futures? Ending student loans entirely, and fully funding students would be my preference.
Trade appenticeships already get the 'first year no fees' lasting 2 years as their courses are a sort of part time.
Much was made of it being 'university students' but of course very large numbers at level 3 and 4 courses before level 5 university level were eligible for 'First year no fees'
funny story, i got paid during my three years apprenticeship, and ended up with degree and no debt at all. What a way to go!
Plenty of articles in the NZ media about it. The lowest paid public servants will still get increases and frankly they need it the most, in my view. No one will be losing their job because of this progressive move.
Does this mean our parliamentarians will have a 3 year wage freeze to?
Haha. That's a good one. Does anyone know if they actually ended up taking the decrease to 80% last year over the covid period?
Yes
Thanks. I knew it was happening but wasn't sure when.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-coronavirus-mps-pay-cuts-finally-in-effect-after-jacinda-ardern-promised-them-three-months-ago/WDCQYJTS4UOTTA3AXLMKRPHKA4/
and our homeles kids our youth also gets shoved in to motels for emergency housing and it appears they are not hte five start ones either.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/aaron-hendry-our-wretched-treatment-of-homeless-youth/JDC6ETUK76ZIPZT6L7IJ2LBOUE/
One would be to actually build some 1 bedroom flats dedicated to homeless or endangered youth to live in. Include a 'janitor' aka a live in social worker, and a 'house mother' for support and maybe that would actually be a better solution to getting these children back on the track and out of living on the streets.
I know people really don't want to think about this, but eventually it must trickle down even to the last ones that these are the adults of tomorrow and depending on how good or how bad we treat them now we can expect to be treated tomorrow by them once adults. Apart from that these kids should be in training, having a save place to go to, so that they when their turn comes can be fully participating adults in this society, rather then get lost to the streets and all that it entails. A wasteful approach to the human capital of this country.
This is wishful thinking I am sorry to say.
Sounds so familiar when you google 19th century poor:
For the first half of the 19th century the rural and urban poor had much in common: unsanitary and overcrowded housing, low wages, poor diet, insecure employment and the dreaded effects of sickness and old age. By 1851 the census showed the urban population was larger than that of the rural areas.
we have come full circle.
What a mess.
Slavoj Zizek on the Horror of Tulips….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5yoqjABeBM
hahahashahahahah, and that is why i have planted all my flowers. for the insects to come and ……..lol.
thanks.
Food can always be sourced from overseas. Places like Singapore are incredibly wealthy and have ZERO chance of ever being self sufficient in food supply.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
The post is about sustainability. Don’t derail comments with off topic neolib talking points
I think you should also move the comments I was responding to then as that had nothing to do with regenerative agriculture as well following your own logic.
Please don’t tell Authors & Mods how to moderate here, as it will end badly, for you.
Let me put it to you this way.
Imaging I have a farm of 10 Hectares. It brings in a revenue of $500,000 per year and directly supports me and 4 other people who live and work on the farm. That is $100,000 per person on average.
The farm is subdivided and allows 100 homes to be built. Each home has one person earning $50,000 per year working from home. The same land is generating 5 million dollars worth of economic activity. That is 10 times the amount the land produced when used for agriculture and 20 times the number of people that are able to be supported (at least).
Why would you keep the land as a farm in such a situation?
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Because of what I wrote in the post. Stay out of this discussion if you’re going to ignore the topic. Count this as a second warning.
This goes to the heart of whether we should build homes on "prime agricultural" land. I was responding to a comment from someone who argued we should not be doing this. If you are moving my comment as being off topic can you explain why you don't move the comments that I am responding to?
Because that comment about food growing land is directly related to the post. It also opened a conversation about land use, which I have no problem with so long as it stays broadly on topic eg regenag and sustainability. People can argue any side of that but they have to have read and understood the post.
Your comments had nothing to do with regenag and were blatantly anti sustainability without making any argument as to why within the context of the post. Commenting is not a free for all.
But the land isn't producing anything. It's just where the producers happen to be.
You are quite wrong. The people on the land ARE producing economic value. If I work from home making software and then sell it to someone I am producing something.
Your location is irrelevant. Cows have to be on farms.
Not farms in NZ.
If the land is used as a farm, the cows have to be on the farm for it to be a cattle farm, and the cattle farm is a facility of economic production.
If the land is used for homes, by your analogy the homes have to be used as workplaces for them to be economically productive. So whther they are "homes" is irrelevant: your economic production is from industrial development, not homes for people. Why even build homes in that case? Why not just make an IT business incubator?
Except it isn't as simple as that in a modern economy. Cities are massively more productive than rural areas when you compare them at an average dollar earned per square meter level (The exception may be something like an area where there is a mine or well). Generally it would be better from an economic level to turn as much land in to urban land as possible. From an environmental and social level that may not be desirable however.
You made it as simple as that when you invented a scenario where every single household had a member earning a full-time income from home.
Now you're arguing complexity. Ok. What about the longer term economic resilience of actually producing something tangible as well as moving electrons around? The long term insurance of being able to supply at least the bulk of the nation's food requirements should something affect world trade (disease, a canal blockage, an international confrontation astride a major trade route) is a good thing to have, if you want to include complexity.
Thats very true, bùt in saying that you could generate the same economic benefit from your home sited on relatively poor soils and the grower can continue to deprive an albiet less efficient economic benifit from the productive ground… once a house is on it the grower cant move quite so easily so I guess an economic loss there.
We aren't so populated that we need every inch of ground for housing etc we have options and the decision to build over on our best soils is a poor one…
Fucking hard to grow produce on Silverdale clay for example…
Try eating nothing but economic activity for a month then come back and tell us how it went.
If I make enough money I can but food produced pretty much anywhere on the planet.
That food will still hve to come from somewhere. So that really can lead to shortages and such.
Fact is that we need to build to rent, heck the government with developpers nad NGO's could start that. Build to rent, rather then build crappy cheap McMansions that fall apart and thus keep the good 'dirt' for food production.
At the moment what we do is build houses no one really can afford on the 'good dirt' needed to grow food. And building on that dirt is just going to poison that earth even more then regular emission are already doing.
So what you are advocating is to sell a good that brings a reliable 500.000 every year (and maybe more) to have a one time profit and then pay huge amounts on food for the rest of your and the 4 workers for ever. So no, Gosman, that sounds like a bit of silly plan the longer you think about it.
And also remember, once you sold the family silver you will never ever get it back at that price, so the question after all remains, can you buy the same thing again with the money you have? Chances are not. So now you have no more land, a crappy house on no land, and you have to import all your food.
Yeah, nah nah.
How about the government (both central and local) gets out of the way and allows the market to determine what type of houses and where they should build them?
Because the market's rigged?
Because they have distorted it by their actions.
Tried that in the 1990s.
The market preferred leaky, unhealthy slums
Sapiens fortunam fingit sibi.
The market is blind, and all too often allows short-term greed to trump long-term good.
The market makes a reasonable servant, but a very poor master.
Worship of the market is a blind alley of evolution.
End of story.
And we have only to look back on the 1980s and 1990s (and the results today) to see where the blind faith in 'the market' has led us.
Land issues locally according to the CEO of the Council are primarily caused by the deliberate and controlled release of land by the local land-banking developers at a rate that suits their profitability, not at a rate that meets demand.
This is compounded by the market not building enough 1-2 bedroom units, instead going for the high-end 3-5 BR housing on small sections with multiple garaging.
Further compounded by a lack of tradespeople.
The land is available, zoned and awaiting development.
Profit-taking- it has another suitable financial appellation in those circles- is a principle reason. It's also known as 'the market'.
Gabby asks a fair question here.
Is it rigged?
We need to build to rent. And yes, there i agree with you the government could be a bit more active and councils should maybe revisit some of their rules and regulations, but if really you want to see what happens when government allows you to build without rules look at any town in turkey hit by an earthquake and maybe rethink your position?
You are the true Messiah.
A match made in heaven.
/
Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief has travelled to Damascus to meet his Syrian counterpart in the first known meeting of its kind since the outbreak of the Syrian war a decade ago.
[…]
The Saudi delegation was led by Gen Khalid Humaidan, the head of the country’s General Intelligence Directorate. He was received by Syria’s Gen Ali Mamlouk, the architect of the push to crush the early years of the anti-Assad revolution and the key interlocutor with Russian forces, which took a significant stake in the conflict from September 2015.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/04/meeting-between-saudi-and-syrian-intelligence-chiefs-hints-at-detente
Not nearly as much of a match made in Heaven as the USA…..as we all well know.
U.S. Is Expected to Approve Some Arms Sales to U.A.E. and Saudis
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/us/politics/arms-sales-uae-saudi-arabia.html
Once again the Ardern government gets it right by taking a cautious line on travel to the Pacific Islands.
Fiji is at a worrying stage with Lautoka Hospital now locked down. If even the great nations of the UK and the USA, greatest nations in the world*, can be savaged by this virus and their governments' humiliated, the Pacific Islands will always struggle if it got away.
Best wishes to Fiji and I hope the authoritarian nature of their government will be their saving grace here.
I do hope all business-first, right wing nut jobs in New Zealand will now shut up about their tropical holidays for 5 minutes. For the sake of our Pacific neighbour's lives.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/20 … -case.html
*Not.
Muttonbird, i know quite few others who are not rightwing nutsjobs that equally want the borders to be open. heck i know a few that still believe that Covid is just a flue, that we don't need vaccinations and that we should open the borders fully. And they come from all walks of life.
And here you have me a 'far left' person who would like hte borders shut until we have a high enough part of the population vaccined before we start letting people in in large masses.
Go figure.
So, this was the NZ I grew up in:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/abuse-in-state-care-sexual-abuse-survivor-tells-inquiry-of-being-labelled-a-liar-by-state/2E3UDRUBYNR7VJF53OSEZ6H57Y/
I'm ashamed to be a New Zealander.
Powerless children and when they spoke out they were betrayed again. To have this acknowledged by the state is an important step to having what that child lived, being exposed. The damage which was done to that child, (now an adult) finally has a voice and has rights.
I am not sure if the state will be addressing the part GPs (the old family doctor or doctor attached to the care home) played in knowing a child was sexually abused. I do know that no mandatory reporting was done.
When it comes to medical records I would like to know if a GP had to write down what the physical injuries were at a general consultation and if they told the parent or social welfare if sexual abuse was the cause?
Many children would have presented with swelling, STDS, anxiety etc. Also the way there were no electronic records.
The terrible shadow which was cast and for some it was a long shadow.
Yes Anne, totally agree. The 'good old days' were never good for many of our most vulnerable, that's for sure.
I would venture that it still happens.
Dr Christopher Longhurst certainly thinks so. He's outraged about how the Catholic Church claims things have all been sorted out. He's also wild about how the Catholic Church is treating people who try to access its complaints process.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/433489/survivors-of-abuse-in-care-of-the-catholic-church-say-their-voices-matter
This was in the ODT yesterday. The guy interviewed is a distant friend of a friend, so; although I haven't talked to them myself recently, I can confirm the broad outline if not any individual details.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/treatment-%E2%80%98absolute-disaster%E2%80%99
Which by today's piece, doesn't seem like an isolated case of neglecting dying NZ citizens by their supposed public Health providers:
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/despair-radiation-oncology
Update from an SDHB Oncologist leaked to RNZ:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/441954/southern-dhb-fails-our-patients-at-multiple-stages-oncologist
It would be interesting to know who set this policy.
Government. All of them.
SDHB
Obviously predatory sexual offending shouldn't be a barrier to budding flyboy attaining his FPP status.
A Dunedin man who sexually offended against two boys has avoided a conviction.
The 20-year-old, whose name was permanently suppressed this afternoon, appeared in the Dunedin District Court after pleading guilty to four charges of sexual conduct with a person under the age of 16 and one of sending an indecent communication to a person under the age of 18.
Judge Kevin Phillips said giving the defendant a criminal record would “destroy” him.
If a conviction is entered his opportunities in his chosen future career are ended, he said.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/crime/offenders-life-would-be-totally-ruined-conviction-judge
Speaking of people being destroyed (all the Trigger Warnings!):
Reply to 11.1
Can another judge enter a conviction as the perpetrator pleaded guilty?
Consent was not given, if it had been given the perpetrator would not have pleaded guilty.
The no conviction has a reflection on whether or not a person would make a complaint. The judge has done a disservice to the community.
Were the perpetrators name to be known other people could come forward.
No matter what the judge says the "no conviction" does minimise the impact on the complainant. Not a mention of how the actions affected his study and career prospects. Plus training to be a pilot (is anybody even doing this now?) never used to be cheap so the amounts paid are tiny.
Plus and I do find this a serious worry – there looks looks like there has been an attempt to blackmail using social media. If this is so then it is plain nasty and has ongoing consequences. That should not have been brushed aside. Any money or family influence involved?
Any words on how the actions of this young man will affect the future of his victims?
I guess not.
I did not read the article as carefully as I needed to. Had I done so I would have seen that a person was age under 16 and there was repeated offending against them.
Any day now something will change, right?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/auckland-hospitals-overloaded-patients-waiting-in-corridors-as-demand-skyrockets/NIU26VB3XCSZFHHGASKSXOXP2A/
There's nothing in the article that says why the numbers are over maximum except to hint at winter issues and Monday issues.
Is there any unforeseen illness or other cause as to why these numbers are so high for so long that burnout is now an issue?
Is it a question of staffing, or actual bed spaces? Are people presenting with issues that don't require hospital treatment? In other words, is it to do with doctor's visit fees? Being on a Monday, is it caused by weekend-related activities causing injury or illness?
My last question, which is a point really, what would this mean if our hospital system also had to cope with Covid-19 illness?
a lot of backlog i would assume. Every time there is a lock out peoples surgeries etc get cancelled, people can't go to the doctor etc.
then costs. Yeah, yeah, the government did something but it still is too expensive for many to go to a GP, so they go to the emergency room.
St. Johns is as always happy for any donations to Ambulances as that service is not funded by government, so on certain days its of no use to call an ambulance.
We have a well documented shortage of staff all across the healthsector. High costs or living and low wages don't help.
If we had to deal with any of the covid variants we would be well and truly buggered, and considering that i doubt much investment has been done in upgrading hospitals with seperate covid wards or the like i think i'd give the system about a week or two.
But don't take my ideas to much to heart, i am not a politician nor a nurse, so i am just summing up what one can find in the news.
It'll be a combo…
Increased population with no accompanying increase in capacity…
Many 1000s of people in shite housing…
Increased housing costs making GP costs a stretch or impossible meaning people wait till they're really ill and presenting to A&E where they need admitting…
ca we just cancel these events until it is safe? Surely the cricket fans, or olympic sports fans, or rugby fans can content themsevles with a bit of 'local' sports only?
Or shall we just file this under : No one could have foreseen this, and who would'ave thought this could happen?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/black-caps/125046098/nz-cricket-confirms-plans-for-india-evacuation-of-players-coaches-after-ipl-postponement
And the Tokyo Olympics in July?
Classic stupidity that these are still going ahead. Does the IOC not read the news of how India went from a managed Covid situation in February to totally losing control by the end of April (religious and political mass gatherings)? For sport we are all potentially being placed at extreme risk.
the sponsors demand their pound of flesh?
Bread and Circuses.
Agree with you & Sabine – no skin off my nose if sports events such as the Olympic Games are postponed again or cancelled. But there's considerable pressure to demonstrate that 'we' are getting back to BAU – regarding the Olympics that pressure isn't coming from a majority of Japanese citizens, but it's coming from somewhere.
Wanting something and having it, there is a difference.
The world does not need the Covid Olympics.
Who other than the IOC want the Olympic Games to go ahead?
When it comes to the competitors attending there are going to be gaps. Auction the medals.
This shows the importance of selecting the right vaccine in the first place, and unfortunately the country from where the vaccine was sourced (troubling since we get so many antibiotics from there).
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9544921/Seychelles-reintroduced-Covid-19-measures-despite-vaccinated-nation-world.html
A few points:
No vaccine is the "right" vaccine against a variant that emerges after it was developed. There might be slight differences in the efficacy of AZ versus Sp jabs against the new variant, but they're the spanners we have to hand when we find this new and slightly different bolt. Maybe they work and work equally well, maybe they won't.
Currently the Seychelles have an active case rate of 1%, but they're the size of Dunedin. Fewer degrees of separation to get that rate from a given R0.
60% vaccination/immunity doesn't cut it and has never cut it when it comes to limiting community spread of covid.
Interesting exercise in relative risk math though:
pop = 100k active=1k, activerate=1%
vaxpop = 60k activevax=330 (1/3 of 1k) activevaxrate= 0.55%
unvaxpop= 40k activeunvax=660 activeunvaxrate= 1.65%
So on the face of it the vaccines are demonstrably good (but not bulletproof) for personal safety, but they need more coverage in the population before one can judge their effectiveness as a community protection.
Israel will be the country to watch. They have just "opened" up again after vaccinations. You might need a vaccination pass to get into concerts etc, but essential they try to get back to what ever is normal now as soon as possible.
So it will be interesting to see what happens in about 3 weeks if cases raise again, or if their vaccine drive was successful in getting enough jabs into enough arms to provide some sort of herd immunity.