Let me be the first to say 'this is completely bonkers'.
Transport Minister Michael Wood yesterday confirmed the government wants to build a new separate bridge – at an estimated cost of $785 million – alongside the Auckland Harbour Bridge, specifically for walkers, runners and cyclists.
It wasn't a viable form of commuting either along SH16 until they built a dedicated cycle way there. 2 years and tens of thousands of people a day later …
Same for Tamaki Drive-Quay Street.
When they build it, they will come.
And they get yo work same time or faster than a car.
So where is any evidence to support your claim that this crossing will have any major daily usage ? Take a look at the population close proximity to the bridge and what destinations there are that warrant the pop. to cross to the other side. For a start there is no demand to cross over for schooling.
We hear when it suits the govt on evidence basis decisions, I haven’t seen any compelling evidence by the supporters put forward, just a nice to have and spend what will be close to a $Billion, and we are told commencing construction “hopefully mid 2022.
there is not. but the good people of herne bay and ponsnobby might actually consider voting for a different party next time, say the greens or say some other party. And than labour might actually have to go into a coalition with all the other parties. Its future planning at its finest – for labour. After all these guys need jobs.
Never mind the broken bridge in Ashburton, which is costed at 30 mil give or take a few and which NEEDS to be rebuild. Heck, they could just build a new bridge and leave the old for pedestrians and cyclists for peanuts all things considered.
Thanks , my Excel license no longer works on this desktop, so Ive just put in Google sheets to do so.
The answer is 500 or so for weeks days . The highest 1031 was a easter holiday .
Id happily replace the cycle way with a LR line and then we could say 10s thousands per day'
Why replace, why not have both? What is it with this either-or reasoning? Money? Space? Or just good-old binary thinking that seems to be a hallmark of neo-liberalism, i.e. my gain is your loss.
As we transit to a green economy I would like our public spending to be of the highest quality. I don't see that this government even has an operating framework that it runs these decisions through to give some order of priority. And frankly I don't see this spend which covers largely high income areas of Auckland passing any sort of evidence based tests. Would it be better spent on solar subsidies or insulation in poorer areas.
If I had been sayiing it for days now, that really would make me the first. to say the $785 million pedestrian/cycle bridge was bonkers.
I had started off talking about the bikeway proposal, not the new bridge proposal. And that a fare free bus lane would be far better way than a bike lane in getting thousands of drivers out their cars, better for the climate, better for the environment.
Then the government's new bridge proposal broke,
I had been expecting to see a post on it.
Not seeing one I did my own.
Yes I think a $785 million biking, walking, skate boarding bridge crossing the Waitemata preposterous, ridiculous and quite frankly 'bonkers'.
Maybe when the shock has worn off, anyone who thinks this a good idea, could do a post on it?
With commenters such as you writing another post on this topic is like opening a hornets’ nest. Why don’t you write a Guest Post if you feel so strongly about it instead of thrashing posts and comments by others?
I’m starting to think that English is not your first language, as you seem not to understand the difference between ask, suggest, and demand, for example.
I can’t and won’t ‘thrash’ your submission for a Guest Post for two reasons:
It would be rude and disrespectful to a Guest Author;
I don’t receive anything sent to TS, as it is above my pay-grade, and thus I don’t get to handle your submission.
Good on you for putting your money where your mouth is and I look forward to the final version appearing here on TS in due course, which will hopefully stimulate robust but constructive debate.
Naa thrash it all you like, don't pull your punches I need to see any weaknesses in the argument I put up.
Here's a taster…..
…..A fare free busway with an option for bicycle stowage is a cheaper solution than a new bridge and can be implemented immediately. All of the infrastructure is already there.
On a personal note.
I recently took an intercity bus trip to the East Coast. At Gisbourne the bus was boarded by a number of cyclists who stowed their bikes in the copious luggage compartment for the journey to Taupo. At Taupo they got off the bus, took their bikes out, and continued their journey by bike..
It occurs to me that every bus should have these luggage compartments, for stowing bikes prams etc…
….The government are considering giving one lane possibly even two lanes over to a bikeway as a temporary measure, until the new bike bridge is completed.
As well as, a three month trial of a bikeway.
Howsabout a Three Month Trial of a Fare Free Northern Busway all the way into the City.
So many commuters might choose the bus that, we might find out, we won't need any new bridge or tunnel harbour crossings with multi $billion dollar price tags.
The fare free Northern busway might free up so much traffic on the Harbour Bridge that room could be made for the bikeway. Who knows?
This government is trodding down a track of sound bites and creating noise and lime light instead of looking at the country as a whole. This Government should be making decisions for ALL people which means a bit more thinking a bit less noise. But hey, there is always the phone pic that can make the rounds and populism that needs to be fanned with no less than 4 press secretaries, all curtesy of the taxpayer. Sigh.
Since the current Government took office, the number of communications specialists have ballooned. Each minister has at least two press secretaries. (Ardern has four).
In the year Labour took office, the Ministry for the Environment had 10 PR staff. They now have 18. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade more than doubled their staff – up to 25.
MBIE blew out from 48 staff to 64. None of those five dozen specialists could give me those figures for many weeks – and again I was forced to ask the Ombudsman to intervene.
The super ministry – and its colleagues uptown at the Health Ministry – are notorious for stymieing even the simplest requests. Health’s information gatekeepers are so allergic to journalists they refuse to take phone calls, responding only (and sporadically) to emails.
But it is the New Zealand Transport Agency that take the cake: employing a staggering 72 staff to keep its message, if not its road-building, on track – up from 26 over five years.
well you and i and the resto of the population are not in a 'need to know' position, so we get meaningless pictures and are told to be happy. 🙂 After all, they are pretty pictures.
This year, I have made more complaints to the Ombudsman than in any previous year. So far, every one has been upheld.
its gonna be so funny when in the future Labor will be again sitting on the opposition bench and will shriek about the 'others who don't be transparent'. lol.
Trust your eyes, they will tell you more about what happens in this country then any politician or journalist will ever tell you. And these press secretaries need jobs, what else would these communication specialists do otherwise?
Don't despair, there are many who know and see through this vail of deceptive behaviour and non disclosure. It is worse than I have seen in Europe behind the iron curtain. Pity that NZ has to go through the pain first. Humans don't learn any other way. This is why the Lange Govt and in the end the National Govt have lost. As for this lot, no amount of social media will put food on the table. The greater concern is that there is now a fear connected with the motion that if you don't agree with what this government does, you are ostracized. And this definitely looks very worrying.
As for this lot, no amount of social media will put food on the table.
and the same counts for being able to secure a rental or buy an affordable house. And that in the end will define the next election. Not just some nice vote gathering cycling bridges. And the sad thing about all this is that our issues and problems are real. We are smack dab in the middle of climate change, we have a pandemic in its second of many years to come, we are running out of the resources the Mensch needs to physically survive and we discuss if or not what we see happening is real. Incredible. And such a waste of opportunity and skill.
Good news though, the little Rotorua urchin in need of cleft palate surgery finally got it, after a year on a waiting list. The first smile was incredible and this 1 year old bub will now be able to almost live a normal life.
A moan from Andrea Vance who is just discovering the truth of the old adage
"He who sups with the devil must use a long spoon".
Late on in this piece Andrea tells us that this Government makes it very hard to get information and doesn't give interviews or provide material to journalists. Then she says, as if surprised, "Because the public’s impression of this government is the very opposite."
Well of course it is baby. Why are you surprised? It is you, and your ilk, who chose to sup with the devil. It is you who sold out to them and provided the fawning adulation they want. News? Nah. Tell us that the PM is planning a wedding and that her daughter handed mummy a lovely Mother's Day card.
Well you forgot the basic rule of your profession "News is what somebody does not want you to print. All the rest is advertising." Andrea, you sold out to the advertising. Now you are finding out that, having already sold you soul, you don't have any leverage to demand the truth about what the Government is up to.
Oh well, I suppose you are a member of the public and as Andrea Vance says.
"Because the public’s impression of this government is the very opposite.".
You've been conned, and you love it. With journalism like Vance's you haven't been allowed to see how bad the current lot really are.
I certainly agree the National Party is in rather a mess. Bad as they are they would still be a better Government than would the pack of numpties currently occupying the Beehive.
Agree Stuart….."rather a mess"….a complete and utter shambles that may not survive….would be more accurate.
The problem for the Nats is that there are 3 other parties who are well organised with clear and strong messages and with a strong voter base. National has none of these, and is essentially morally bankrupt.
Appointing Crusher as leader was a disastrous further step towards irrelevance.
Chris Bishop is shifty and not well liked in his electorate so he is not an option….maybe Nicola Willis could stem the tide? Can anyone? Nick Smith?…oh wait…
and is that not the case with all things in life? Parties re-group and rebirth. Same politics different dress. And people will vote for them. See the Grand Ole Party of the US.
Good lord, what a reply. You will be surprised how many out there have it up to the neck with this government. I think the next election will be interesting to say the least.
With all polls it always is a matter of who asks, what is asked, whom is asked.
It was the same under John Key and Helen Clark.
I personally know not one person who was ever asked their opinion about anything a., and b. if the Question were: Did J.A a good job with Covid, i would say yes, Do you approve of her as PM – never did. Now spin this 🙂
I voted for labor the last time in the hope something is getting done about the poorest and the ones living in motels hotels and cars. Oh was I wrong! The only thing that changed is that the people in cars now sleep in motels. It costs the taxpayer 1 Million smackers a week and no plan to build anything is on the table. Yes, talking about the blind. I think there were many of us but we are waking up. The "healthy" margin will soon disappear if enough people are left behind who have believed in all the bs.
both you and sabine seem confused as to what party you are dissing. voting for labor or endlessly moaning about labor would tell me you are in the land of the wrong white crowd.
I happily voted for a losing third party. 🙂 The game is MMP and not some beefed up majority that does what it wants due to a so called 'mandate'. Unless we want to go back to the good two party system of the past.
irrespective of us liking or not some journalists, but this should be an issue.
Or, let me put it this way, in the future no more whinging about National not being open to journalists and questions. What is good for the goose, is then also good for the gander.
In fact we would all benefit from some news, even if they come from people we don't like, There is no such thing as fake news, only news we might not like.
I don’t give a flying fuck about her previous employment or political leanings. Want to know why? Because she just wrote an incredibly important opinion piece on democracy. Take her name off it and read it again and tell me what’s wrong with what she said.
unless of course you are ok with Labour running a massive propaganda machine that is both hypocritical and suppressive of democracy.
Since the current Government took office, the number of communications specialists have ballooned. Each minister has at least two press secretaries. (Ardern has four).
In the year Labour took office, the Ministry for the Environment had 10 PR staff. They now have 18. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade more than doubled their staff – up to 25.
MBIE blew out from 48 staff to 64. None of those five dozen specialists could give me those figures for many weeks – and again I was forced to ask the Ombudsman to intervene.
I'm confused. An increase in the number of communications people in government is reducing communication?
In reality, the media landscape has changed, the demands are ever increasing and in real time, and governments' response to that naturally changes too.
Vance's piece seems like a bit of a moan that she's losing scoops, and are similar to Barry Soper's complaints, ie, that he no longer has priority messaging.
It also keeps journalists distracted and over-burdened with a rolling maul of press conferences and announcements, which are often meaningless or repetitive and prevent sustained or detailed questioning.
Seriously, wants more communication but fewer press conferences and announcements? Looks to me like Andrea just wants the information to herself and no-one else.
I'm confused. An increase in the number of communications people in government is reducing communication?
no in the good old time of East Germany it would have been called 'amplifying the message'. Instead of a few you know have many bleating all the same thing, and more often then not actually not answering any questions, but standing there and like good parrots read some words of a piece of paper. All at an 6 figure expense paid for by the tax payer. We are so generous, aren't we?
It also keeps journalists distracted and over-burdened with a rolling maul of press conferences and announcements, which are often meaningless or repetitive and prevent sustained or detailed questioning.
yes, if that is the only form of communicating then it looks like your bog standard 'all attendance required' corporate meeting where you are told the 'news', while no questions are taken.
So you can pay a whole lot of people to say nothing, which is what this government does – and this is as wrong under National as it is under Labour.
Unless you are only for state controlled media?
I'm confused. An increase in the number of communications people in government is reducing communication?
no in the good old time of East Germany it would have been called 'amplifying the message'
Nothing in this equates the Labour Party to the East Germany. It is just that a communications method, and our dear Leader is a specialist in communications methods, and were you see many people answering friendly questions, others see many people touting the same script -amplifying the governments message.
I find it interesting that you compare the Labour government to East Germany, because i certainly did not. They ain't communist enough, and they ain't socialist enough. Not enough affordable houses, no land reform etc. They are as far removed from communism as they could be.
It’s not an increase in communication because the positions she’s talking about are created to control. More communication officers = less access to the people who actually know what they’re talking about and can answer specific questions. I’m wondering where you’ve been the last 40 years, this isn’t new. Ardern is an expert communicator and that’s a double edged sword in a party that sees their job as primarily about control. As opposed to sharing power, or being transparent, or increasing democracy. It doesn’t hurt the left to critically examine this.
good point muttonbird. as you say all media has changed hugely and is continueing to change. last years daily 1pm standup should have been a wakeup call, not because of the actual standup and journo intereaction, but because it was instantly on facebook twitter etc. hacks like soper are looking at being bypassed . trump ,for all of his faults, has shown how to bypass trad media, and trad media are worried.
Media are quick to promote outrage and dispossession. That's what Vance trained in and it's what she does now. The prime focus is drama reporting for the purposes of promoting the reporter/media outlet, rather than some dispassionate observation of an issue.
Here's an article with amusing links in a similar vein; 'The Nimby photo formula', aka people with their arms folded.
If you’ve ever read a story about a contentious local issue, you’ll have seen the photo.
It could be about a housing development, a cycle path, or a safety upgrade to an intersection, the illustration will always be the same.
In the foreground, a person stands with their arms folded, a stern expression on their face.
There are now more opinion "makers" employed than ever before. If this is needed than the government has an agenda that we have not been told. That much is becoming increasingly clear. It also looks more and more like a textbook case of how to convert a country to a oppressive state. Not many cotton on to this yet but I think its starting to get noticed.
A well-functioning OIA that is fit for purpose is at the core of a well-functioning democracy and the delicate relationship between citizens and government. No wonder people are venting their spleen online only to find that the powers that be also want to ‘manage’ this aspect of our lives. We live in interesting times.
And yet in the recent past they jailed people who failed to pay a licencing fee. At least they seem to have moved on from that now. What a backwards place.
I'm not sure they have moved on at all. All though it is apparently legal to own, or possess, a TV without having a licence it is illegal to watch or to record from it any program that is broadcast.
Oh well, it would still appear that it would be legal to watch the greatest story ever told. I don't know if it works with a digital set but on the old analogue devices you could turn you TV on, tune it to a frequency where no station was broadcasting and you could watch the creation of the Universe. About 1% of the snow you saw on the screen was the background radiation from the Big Bang. Now tell me any other program that could compete with that.
so a 'pending' problem was ignored under Helen Clark, then duly ignored under John Key and then again under Jacinda Ardern, and now the 'pending' problem has become an acute problem. Yet here we discuss the need of a bicycle bridge for well heeled and leisure lycra clad 'bikers', while the broken bridge in Ashburton is………………! Never mind we have priorities, and the government allowed for an initial 500.000 NZD to be made available to all those that have lost their stuff in the floods (surely another few hundred thousands will be made available soon) and heavy transport will just take the 13 hour detour. Right?
It said 24,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day, including 2000 trucks.
Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury president David Clark said successive councils and governments had “kicked the can down the road” when it came to the bridge.
“They have squabbled about it all the time I have been here.”
Clark, who has lived in the area for 27 years, said there had been too many years of poor planning.
“It’s time for central government and the district council to get on with funding a bridge.”
Reports into the feasibility of a second bridge date back to 2006. One said there was significant congestion at the bridge during peak hours and that would only worsen as the town grew.
The bridge has visibly dropped at the northern end.
A 2010 report into the risks and opportunities associated with a second bridge highlighted that there were no viable alternative routes, which presented a serious resilience risk.
“The existing bridge structure is also vulnerable to natural events (such as floods),” it said.
There was another report in 2011, then one in 2013 and another in 2014, when the council designated land in its district plan for the proposed route at the end of Chalmers Ave and across farm land east of Tinwald. It then went about buying land for the bridge connections.
In 2018, the Canterbury Regional Land Transport Plan, which sets regional priorities for future investment, included a second Ashburton bridge, which was likely to cost $30m.
I guess if some lycra clad citydwellers were to storm a police barrier and all took their bicycles on to the bridge – after all light traffic is 'ok', surely the government would throw oodles of money at them for a new 'bridge'. Right?
I hope that the Government comes to its mind, and axes that vanity project for votes in Auckland and gives the people of Ashburton a piece of infrastructure that is actually needed.
When you have made a promise and had a phot opportunity to build a crossing for less than $80m so you cannot be called out for a broken promise you have to allow yourself some wiggle room. Even if the additional cost is over $600m but you get another chance for an announcement and another photo opportunity 🙈🙊🙉
I do hope the govt follows public sentiment and gives graciously in kind, mental support and $$ how those in the Canterbury region have suffered.
And we should really pay no heed to these 'social media outings of the government'.
We should ask where the announcement is for Ashburtons new bridge. Heck, someone could get the PM some stylish gumboots for a we Photo Op with a shovel. It would make for some positive news, actually.
New bridge …. hardly needed except for those in a hurry. Cost benefit is probably the stumbling block and often the local council is biggest roadblock to getting going – like they were at old Kopu bridge at Thames-
Ive checked into this and the Council wants a new bridge not far from the old one and using an existing street – residential Chalmers St- to access it from it from the town side and by pass Tinwald .
Common sense would presume a new state highway bridge and access roads bypasses the town completely, I suppose to the western side, which would reduce through traffic and heavy trucks completely and make the town centre a safer and less fume ridden alley.
Shop keeper hate complete by passes like this and new shopping strip malls open up alongside and draw away customers from 'the town'
I doubt the people of Ashburton really care of all of that, they would just like to be able to not drive 13 hours to the next town, or fall into the river once the current bridge gives up.
But a good deflection from what i actually pointed out, namely that we are really good at ignoring pending problems until they become acute, and then we posture about a cycling bridge for the smallest lobbygroup in NZ. The lycra brigade from Ponsonby and Herne Bay. Who, incidentally can break a police barrier, cause a huge traffic problem for others and get rewarded with 870 million worth of pork.
There was a single day it was out , and it was a really rare event for them. Within the last 5 years theres been other occasions the main highway south has been cut by floodwaters
you are all over the place. two weeks ago, you went on(at length) about needing more cycleways public transport etc, then when a cycleway over harbour is announced, off you go on a tangent about a bridge that WAS FUNCTIONING. perhaps you should have warned the gov that mother nature was going to cut canterbury in half . if you got out from behind your keyboard and talked to engineers, you would find that much infrastructure in NZ is worn out. there are hundreds of bridges etc around the country thats are passed their use-by date. as is much of the water reticulation, sewage etc. too leap up and down and try to link a long planned bridge in one place with another recently washed out is ridiculous.
'The Green Party says Facebook shouldn't be the sole arbiter in breaching New Zealanders' free speech rights, Marc Daalder reports
Nobody has free speech rights on The Standard or any other social media platform..
even weirder
'Ghahraman also said the decision by Facebook during last year's election to remove the page of the Advance New Zealand party, which was a registered political party fairly and legally competing in New Zealand's election, raised questions around the company's involvement in New Zealand democracy."
yeah right. Is Ghahraman doing her gig again – like previously-by arguing for the side of haters and those accused of genocide
Dalder’s opening sentence is an odd construction, I had to read it three times to understand what he is reporting.
I’m not a particular fan of Ghahraman, she’s a bit of a loose unit politically at times, but here I’m just left with questions around what is her actual position. Not the best Newsroom piece.
Rather then leave the moderation solely to private entities she suggest that that rules and regulations are provided by the state as to what falls under these categories and that FB should then follow that legal framework rather then its own, or together with its own.
this comment here i think states it quite clearly
Ghahraman said Facebook's willingness to accede to stringent hate speech laws in Germany, where any symbol from the Third Reich is banned, showed it would follow New Zealand content moderation guidance as well. However, she also criticised the company for potentially failing to follow New Zealand's data privacy laws.
And yes, she should be critisising the company, as the company should follow NZ privacy laws in regards to its "NZ customers".
Yep, got that bit, think it’s a good idea. What I don’t get is where she thinks the lines should be drawn once goby has that power. Also how to stop that power being abused. I’d rather have a Labour in charge rather than FB, but what about NACT? Or a NZ Trump?
So what you must do is legislate, set rules and regulations and then deal with the political changes when they arise – as they will. There will be a NACT or N /Coalition of sorts, and there will be a LGreen or L/Coalition of sorts. So what must be done is to work for rules that pass the muster of all – so that another government don't undo the work of the previous government. And under MMP that actually works quite well.
So she is right, it is now that the government should look at what can be set as 'nevers'. In Germany that is anything to do with Nazi'sm. – You try to salute or shout a Heil Hitler – you will find yourself locked up and fined etc.
It does not prevent people from believing this shit, but it prevents outright promotion of it, which is i guess the best that can be done.
The swastika rules are just a legal requirement in Germany – but only banned when used as symbols or messages for anti constitutional organisations
But they can be used "Swastikas and other banned symbols can, however, be displayed in Germany if they are used for "civic education, countering anti-constitutional activities, art and science, research and education, the coverage of historic and current events, or similar purposes"
Not sure how this about symbols is related to Advance Party or even Facebook and free speech.
"The logo of the banned communist party KPD and symbols associated with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State are also considered anti-constitutional and thus illegal."
The KPD star with hammer and sickle is banned in Germany if used for political purposes
Yes, there are distinction between hate speach and education.And i guess some find this hard to understand and/or to accept.
I guess NZ will find this out when it gets on with teaching history as it happened rather then the white wash mess that is currently thought in NZ.
Anecdotally, Sister Gisela – who was a Student at the University of Munich during the war years – to become a teacher, had a box full of stuff. She took that box to the class room once a year, to show us what method the Nazi Party used to 'brainwash' the population if you so like. It was a very big moving house box full of cards, posters, postcards, playing cards. Sticker books, newspapers, etc full of Hitler and his henchmen. It was articles upon articles about how the people greated him in Austria and what was then the Sudeten Land. And the last thing she showed us was a Flyer from the White Rose, and then we learned about the Siblings Scholl. We were eleven years old. That is called education. Then the box went back into the darkest place in the convent.
I have no issues with people finding these laws so confusing that they stay a way from it if they can't understand the principle, of 'don't be a Nazi, don't promote a Nazi, don't deify Nazism", and if you do, prison and fine.
Maybe start with something simple. The AFD +Alternative for Germany – is a legal party albeit on the extreme right. That is legal and their free speeching is protected by the law, that includes FB. However individual Members are not free to speechify how refugees in Germany are lesser humans and a certain moustached man would have had a solution for it. And if they were to do so, FB would be in its rights to shut them down, and FB would be following certain laws should say Nazi regalia be displayed. Should AFD be posting such things and displaying Nazi regalia or symbolism then FB would also be in its right to shut their site down. Again, German law does actually protect FB should they do that. Start with the obvious and start providing a legal frame work that makes sense.
What gets me more often then not overlooked online, is violence against women , racism, and religious intolerance. Start with the easy.
I can't tell NZ – and will never – how to handle their own past – i am a migrant and really don't have enough knowledge and i also don't have skin in the game as i have no children. But i think the discussion around how to teach NZ History in the future will raise this question more often then not and hopefully some good will come from it.
simple as currently when you review 'violence against women' (and i am talking here about the bog standard biological women who identifies as such and is a she / her in this case) chances are that it will not 'infringe' on community standards.
Maybe we need to define then in this country what really constitutes 'violence against women' and then we give this list to FB and state that if people report these instances you shut down the account.
And then you roll this over to violence against all others. Start with something that we know happens.
and also maybe let FB now that breastfeeding in NZ does not fall under porn, because that is the only time boobs get censored. When a baby is latched on.
But surely Weka, you too could find a sample that could be used? Or else, we do nothing and heck, no harm done?
The problem arises simply because the people promoting 'de-colonising' have always been remarkably coy on the details of exactly what they propose. Into the vacuum rushes all manner speculative ideas – some more palatable than others so to speak.
'We define hate speech as a direct attack against people on the basis of what we call protected characteristics:
race,ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and serious disease.
We define attacks as :
violent or dehumanising speech, harmful stereotypes, statements of inferiority, expressions of contempt, disgust or dismissal, cursing and calls for exclusion or segregation.
We consider age a protected characteristic when referenced along with another protected characteristic.
We also protect refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from the most severe attacks, though we do allow commentary and criticism of immigration policies."
Theres others for Safety, Violence and Criminal behaviour , Bullying and harassment, Human exploitation etc
People get really ‘antsy’ when they believe their online rights have been curbed and their search results and comments are being monitored and possibly ‘managed’.
this is quite cute and very awesome. This we rat actually did five years of mine sniffing and is now retiring. Glasses fogging up stuff. Riveting reading. Honestly.
ast year, Magawa won a British charity's top civilian award for animal bravery — an honour so far exclusively reserved for dogs.
Read More
Giant rat wins animal hero award for sniffing out landmines in Cambodia – NZ Herald
"Although still in good health, he has reached a retirement age and is clearly starting to slow down," Apopo said. "It is time."
Magawa has cleared more than 141,000 square meters of land, the equivalent of some 20 soccer fields, sniffing out 71 land mines and 38 items of unexploded ordnance, according to Apopo.
One of the tutors at Waikato spent a few years with Apopo – a great initiative. There are a few things bio-sensing might be harnessed for, not least of which might be Covid, but also some forms of cancer. It has been used with Tb.
But he said last year there was an 80 percent drop in cases, because of Covid-19 precautions.
"I think it's back to those important public health strategies, washing your hands, coughing and sneezing into your elbow and particularly looking after your babies by keeping away from them young children and old people when you've got respiratory stuff going on.
"It was amazing and particularly great that the disadvantaged kids got a break last year – but it's back."
Dr Trenholme said he is worried because there has already been a rise in RSV cases this year.
It is a matter of when, not if, we have a community outbreak, IMO. The complacency/arrogance/indifference of folk will be our undoing.
I was gobsmacked in a recent exchange here on TS, 'I shouldn't have to upgrade my phone to sign in' or some such piffle. Then the same conceited piece of work is one of the loudest complainers of the vaccine roll-out.
To my mind these two activities are or should be linked. High compliance in registering movements entitles one to complimentary vaccination(s).
My comment was about handwashing etc in relation to limiting the spread of cold and flu.
As for scanning, sorry to break this to you, but no-one here scans. And they won't so long as the perception of risk is low. What we need is systems that can be booted up rapidly if there is community outbreak. I don't think the South Island has had community transmission for a year.
This Government likes to take advice but not to invest in scientific research. Especially early-career and emerging researchers are finding it hard here in NZ. No wonder they’ll disappear overseas once the pandemic has waned. The system is broke(n), but Dr Woods and Dr Verrall are asleep at that particular wheel.
After enjoying Fight for the wild re preditor free 2050
I was wondering if anyone knows if doc are intending to make Stuart Is preditor free ?as think what an is that size would be in providing an amazing lifeboat for many our our native species. I could not find anything on the internet. Many who have been there have commented what a place to visit. And that the wonders it provides in its current state with introduced species is breath taking. I tip my cap to all those volunteers and amazing DOC staff out there.
I’m not a hater so much as frustrated that we can do such clever engineering but can’t figure out how to build low cost housing using that same discipline.
btw, that landscape is where they had to pour concrete into the hills after engineers said this is a dodgy af place to build a dam given quake potential. Damn the science, and the High Court, Muldoon stomped all over both and nature with his big thinking.
And again, what gets me, it seems that this is only for cyclists as as a wanderer/walker i would not like to compete with these guys.
It is that single use that is so wasteful.
Oh we can figure out low cost housing, but 'the market' won't allow for it, and the government won't build it in the place of 'the market'. With all things, we have the money, but we don't spend it wisely. But some well to doer Aucklanders get to travel to there and then they get to bike there. Never mind the homeless or soon to be homeless.
The ironies and classism abound, although I expect high use from locals and Southland and Otago people especially in the first year.
completely agree about the single use. Betting it’s a beloved project for someone or some group, and from pre covid/tourism collapse, but we really have to move past this reductionist thinking to looking at whole systems.
The Lake Dunstan Trail links the townships of Clyde and Cromwell.
The trail offers cyclists and walkers an easy 55km ride (Grade 1-2) through unique and fascinating landscapes so characteristic of Central Otago as it journeys along Lake Dunstan, the Kawarau River and the mighty Clutha River Mata-au.
Spectacular views of a trail and not a single suggestion it was for lycra-wearers only; perception is not reality. In fact, the Stuff article did mentioning walking but was obviously written from a cycling PoV.
I have to say that I find this pitting of cyclists against car drivers or cyclists against walkers symptomatic of many of the ‘debates’ we’re having nowadays, particularly the political ones (which doesn’t leave many others). I thought it was all about sharing, inclusivity, finding common ground and, ideally, consensus, i.e. the opposite of what’s been happening more and more in recent times.
Wasn’t a pitting of cyclists and walkers against each other, but pro tourism leaders against the same who refuse to address climate, ecology, housing, preparing for what’s coming.
As I said not hate so much as frustration. I remember when they ripped up the rail lines in Central to build a bike track. It’s a lack of vision of the bigger picture and urgency of the situation that bothers me.
Apologies, although I replied to you, it was not all (!) about you or your comments in particular, but more of a general moan from a growing general sense of frustration. Sorry, I should have made that more clear.
The Whakatipu trails are heavily used by locals and visitors, both cyclists and walkers, and carry a surprising amount of commuter traffic. Use well in excess of most expectations. During lockdown they were almost too busy.
The CO Rail Trail is well used but it's taken a while for the associated support businesses to get sorted and understand the opportunities. Still a stunning resource, both for biking and walking in whole or parts with some great day walks / rides. Every time I've been on it I've only met New Zealanders, mostly from Central. Want to walk it depths of winter some time, staying in the pubs along the way, there's plenty.
The Southland trail from Kingston through Mavora to Walter Peak is a bit of a fizzer, but that doesn't have much population along it so is tourist only.
The Lake Dunstan trail is a stunner. Only word to describe it. I've been through there before the lake filled on a bike and it was quite an adventure along the farm and hydro tracks. The 'clip-on' section avoids a very steep track over the mountain. I'd say this trail well be very well used.
I did a lot of work on the local trails and it was a hoot watching all the local true blue landowners having meltdowns about the trails coming alongside, and in some cases right through, their properties. They couldn't say much since it was all John Key's idea, but Bill had to do a bit to pacify a few. Amy Adams got her nickers in a right knot about the Dunstan one too, goes right past her place.
The Dunstan trail is 42km from Cromwell to Clyde, but the run out/in through Bannockburn is 13km of that. If you could get across the lake from Old Cromwell it could be a worthwhile alternative to the drive through the gorge. The times I've done it, it was a full day round trip, but that involved a couple of pretty solid climbs following the hydro tracks put in to get drill rigs on site, and a bit of trespass. A good trail along lake level, probably an hour or less at commute pace.
They have little influence over financialised housing 'markets' and councils get funding with strings attached about what they do with it. Tourism infrastructure is not from the same bucket as housing, strangely enough.
Btw, seeing housing as outside of council purview, and not seeing the connections between tourism and housing in that part of the country is a definition of the silo rather than system thinking I mentioned.
Nowadays, people don’t read, they react, to what they think they’d read if they did in fact read it. Too much effort goes into moaning, IMHO; it is 95% of reality.
You should expect a bit of moaning. Bad governance leaves a mighty long tail.
It will take decades to halt the rise of inequality stemming from the Rogergnomic …experiment. Those exposed to its effects need something more substantial than the incremental rises to welfare payments announced thus far, which will like as not be erased by the next ripple of incontinent greed from the rentier set. The government has done many positive things, but it has not set things to rights. Not remotely.
Too much of government action is putting on band aids. They can be helpful in healing if underneath them is prepared. clean and healthy, otherwise they just lead to festering!
I fear that their only option for change is leaps and bounds. They are leaping out of multi-educators bleeding the polytech and training system, so there is going to be one control and one ring will bind them all. Same with hospitals and medicals, and they want one tech system which when it can be effectively hacked will make us all ill. And that sounds like another expensive overblown contraption like the old police Incis system.
Maybe they're in the stranglehold of this neolib smaller government where every man, ambitious woman, and their dogs can sniff out goodly salaries telling us how we are all wrong and they can put us right. And these consultants and CEOs seem to get away with things very close to fraud! Pollies have to pass the work to them, it is the system, and we are the meat going through the grinder and coming out as mince. Perhaps their only option is to change the whole system, throw it out, and start again hoping for better. That is very inefficient as far as using human and other resource and skills go. But efficiency and productivity are just words to wave round like a magician distracting the peeps, while other things get done by sleight of hand.
i know that it is 'intended' for cyclists and for walker /runner
And then i said, I would not want to 'compete' for space. and then It 'seemed' to be only for cyclists, judging on the width of the track. All of it is "MY" opinion. Not what the article said.
So yeah, it can be 'intended' but it ain't 'inclusive'. I can see a whole lot of people not trying to be on there together with some cyclists that want to go at speed and without stopping. Its a bit like the track linking Whakamaru and Mangakino. You do not want to be on certain spots on this bicyle track/walkway as as pedestrian when you have on both sides lycra clad aucklanders / wellingtonians/ and other entitled people on bikes. They will tell you to get outta ways, cause after all they paid to be there.
And generally the track is used mainly by cyclists over summer. Go figure.
I don't care about your fixation in equating cycling to excesses of the middle classes, I disagree with it on the whole as I still see biking for many as a form of transport, whether that be because they don't have cars, access to public transport, or have decided to lose a few carbon emissions as part of the effort to beat climate change.
As part of my job, I plant and maintain areas along the new Kawatiri trail, and have been there many times from very early on to late afternoon. While not as spectacular as the one in the news above, it's also a shared track with narrow choke points, boardwalks and even a swing bridge, I've witnessed no collisions, near misses or anti social behaviour from either walkers or cyclists alike.
Along with the pleasure walkers and gaggle of lycra 'tour de francers', I also see kids riding to and back from school, people going to or back from work, and seniors doing the track for some safe, low impact exercise. What's not to like with that? Fresh air, burning calories and not using petrol.
To finish, I originally replied to your stating "it seems that this is only for cyclists". My comment that the article says it isn't still stands.
'seems'. 🙂 personal opinion. nothing to do with anything else then that.
I don't equate cycling with nothing, and i am not sure this path was even concepted under Labour, i think it was key the king of the mother of all cycle ways up and down the country. so really don't care. so its not even political.
Same with the Harbour Cycling bridge, again not something i would use, but to each their own. My point equating that bridge to the one that needs replacing in Ashburton is simply raising the question of need vs wants, as both bridges made it in to the news virtually the same weekend.
All i said is that I would not use this track as a person who now walks, competing with cyclists. That is literally all i said. To me it seems that this track is not suited for both. Maybe that is more to your liking? And the future will tell how suited it is to its intended dual purpose.
And i live in Rotorua which is as cycle friendly as it gets and its beautiful here for that.
“That scientists coming to the issue from two different angles reach the same conclusions about a given dataset should foster confidence in the scientific process and the conclusions reached by both groups.
Please make sure to use both citations when disseminating.”
"The research conducted so far has studied untrained transgender women."
hmmmmm
and a correction says :
"EH and TL have given talks and engaged in the mainstream media and academic press regarding the biology of sex and how they have concluded that this should impact sporting categories."
We can say they have an agenda
DR E Hilton is research technician at University of Manchester, and not a published researcher in Sports medicine at all
'Division of Infection, Immunity & Respiratory Medicine '
Play the ball not the woman. Not even going to respond beyond that because if your debate is based on marginalising people there's nowhere useful to go.
Got to agree with Weka on this one. Your criticisms of Hilton seem unfair – it's still a peer-reviewed article.
The two articles do leave a lot of questions unanswered, but then the sample-size of transgender athletes who were approaching olympic-level before and after transition is a tad small.
So it turns out labour aren't raising benefits they are just moving money from payments around like musical chairs and deducting payments from other top ups and getting praised for literally doing nothing. Some people will be worse off
The audacity. The shame. Shame on Labour. Shame. I'm so mad and done. This pathetic increase gave people hope and it turns out the pittance is all an illusion and now when someone wants to increase welfare middle nz will go crazy saying they are giving too much to beneficaries because of this bullshit and lies.
How is it so difficult to ring fence funding so people actually get extra. Does labour actually want people to get extra or did they want a nice pr story. NOONES getting anything extra. The yearly inflation increases also get swallowed up and see people getting less.
Honestly. I'm starting to miss the nats because atleast they didn't hide their hatred of beneficiaries labour is worse because it tell us it love us and is giving us $80 extra since they got in. No they arent. The only increase they've done is the $20 covid increase and winter energy and it's funny how they could do that increase last year without it cutting into other top ups but not this grand much praised increase that is taking a legitimate year to implement. Wtaf
What a bullying arrogant lying joke this government has become and I'm a party member. Refusing to do interviews, being forced to court or by the ombudsman to release OIAs, shouting down opposition and journos and turning select committees into a circus when people ask questions they wanna hear. Bugger the tories I hate them but this govt is yuck.
How many goddamn legions of consultants and pr gurus did it take to come up with this lie of a welfare increase!?! Spin spin spin spin
I see the upper middle class get billions and billions for their cycle lanes and get to run around lecturing poor people about how ignorant evil and privlidged we all are and what do the poor get ? An end to ruthensha ? Was that a good spin for the Twitter crowd …. Yeah thanks so much for giving us money we already get and telling us it's new funding
Lies. Spin. Misdirection. Spin.
Who cares who wins next time. It doesn't matter it genuinely doesn't matter. Happy nice sweet lies from labour or insults and abuse from national neither side gives a flying f about the poor.
'So it turns out labour aren't raising benefits they are just moving money from payments around like musical chairs and deducting payments from other top ups"
Any evidence for that ?
Your link is actual increases like this
Sole Parent Support from $386 last year to $406 this year and $434 next year
You misunderstand what 'top ups' or Temporary Additional Support are about.
'Temporary Additional Support is a weekly payment that helps you when you don't have enough money to cover your essential living costs"
Only up to 13 weeks , and clearly the benefit increases will mean 'dont have enough money' will reduce.
That was a rather incensed diatribe – I am a beneficiary and I am both surprised and grateful with the number and amounts of the increases I have received as well as those which I will be receiving. My situation has improved markedly – I regret that yours has not.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said reports of this type were “concerning” and said “if this type of behaviour were to eventuate, employers would be at risk of losing their accreditation and therefore not able to hire any migrants”.
I guess he's trying not to frighten the horses, but systematic criminal exploitation of the kind that was normalised under the Key Kleptocracy, should not only result in loss of accreditation, but massive fines to fund full damages to exploited workers, together with loss of residency status. You want to set up as an employer criminal? Go somewhere else – NZ doesn't need you – we've far too many like that already.
I ran across a recent essay from The Brothers Krynn, which attempts to map common horror monsters onto the Seven Deadly Sins: https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/horror-monsters-and-vice My interest, however, is not in the meat of the piece, but rather the opening paragraph: It is an interesting fact that in recent decades, Vampires have ...
Buzz from the Beehive Transport Minister Simeon Brown dutifully issued advice to all road users to keep safe on our roads during the Easter weekend. He encouraged them to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. ...
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
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New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
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This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
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Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
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For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
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This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
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The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
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Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
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Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
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Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
COMMENTARY:By Ronny Kareni Since the atrocious footage of the suffering of an indigenous Papuan man reverberates in the heart of Puncak by the brute force of Indonesia’s army in early February, shocking tactics deployed by those in power to silence critics has been unfolding. Nowhere is this more evident ...
Analysis - Nicola Willis is holding firm on tax cuts despite the economic outlook being worse than forecast and critics urging her to wait, writes Peter Wilson for The Week In Politics. ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
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Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
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'
Let me be the first to say 'this is completely bonkers'.
Cycling is not a viable form of commuting for the tens of thousands who cross the Bridge every working day.
The government are spending $785 million indulging the leisure-time activity of cycling enthusiasts.
It wasn't a viable form of commuting either along SH16 until they built a dedicated cycle way there. 2 years and tens of thousands of people a day later …
Same for Tamaki Drive-Quay Street.
When they build it, they will come.
And they get yo work same time or faster than a car.
So where is any evidence to support your claim that this crossing will have any major daily usage ? Take a look at the population close proximity to the bridge and what destinations there are that warrant the pop. to cross to the other side. For a start there is no demand to cross over for schooling.
We hear when it suits the govt on evidence basis decisions, I haven’t seen any compelling evidence by the supporters put forward, just a nice to have and spend what will be close to a $Billion, and we are told commencing construction “hopefully mid 2022.
there is not. but the good people of herne bay and ponsnobby might actually consider voting for a different party next time, say the greens or say some other party. And than labour might actually have to go into a coalition with all the other parties. Its future planning at its finest – for labour. After all these guys need jobs.
Never mind the broken bridge in Ashburton, which is costed at 30 mil give or take a few and which NEEDS to be rebuild. Heck, they could just build a new bridge and leave the old for pedestrians and cyclists for peanuts all things considered.
SH16 ' tens of thousands of people a day later …'
They do daily counts and its not 10sK per day for that cycleway. Plus it was just a minor part of the roadway and construction not a special build
For the actual figures: https://at.govt.nz/media/1985751/april-2021-cycle-counts.xlsx
Create the opportunity and they’ll take it or moan about it until the cows come home, on Open Moan.
Thanks , my Excel license no longer works on this desktop, so Ive just put in Google sheets to do so.
The answer is 500 or so for weeks days . The highest 1031 was a easter holiday .
Id happily replace the cycle way with a LR line and then we could say 10s thousands per day'
Why replace, why not have both? What is it with this either-or reasoning? Money? Space? Or just good-old binary thinking that seems to be a hallmark of neo-liberalism, i.e. my gain is your loss.
As we transit to a green economy I would like our public spending to be of the highest quality. I don't see that this government even has an operating framework that it runs these decisions through to give some order of priority. And frankly I don't see this spend which covers largely high income areas of Auckland passing any sort of evidence based tests. Would it be better spent on solar subsidies or insulation in poorer areas.
Since when is $68.50 close to $100? When it suits your narrative, obviously.
Plenty of students cross the Bridge daily. AUT has its North Campus on the ‘wrong’ side of the Bridge.
If you had not already been saying the same thing for days now, you might indeed be 'the first to say'.
What do you want to hear that people have not said yet?
If I had been sayiing it for days now, that really would make me the first. to say the $785 million pedestrian/cycle bridge was bonkers.
I had started off talking about the bikeway proposal, not the new bridge proposal. And that a fare free bus lane would be far better way than a bike lane in getting thousands of drivers out their cars, better for the climate, better for the environment.
Then the government's new bridge proposal broke,
I had been expecting to see a post on it.
Not seeing one I did my own.
Yes I think a $785 million biking, walking, skate boarding bridge crossing the Waitemata preposterous, ridiculous and quite frankly 'bonkers'.
Maybe when the shock has worn off, anyone who thinks this a good idea, could do a post on it?
You were pissing all over the recent post on cycling with 20 mostly negative comments so far: https://thestandard.org.nz/cycling-politics-is-winnable-politics/.
With commenters such as you writing another post on this topic is like opening a hornets’ nest. Why don’t you write a Guest Post if you feel so strongly about it instead of thrashing posts and comments by others?
Incognito1.2.1.1
Why don’t you write a Guest Post if you feel so strongly about it…..
I thought you would never ask.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbZSe6N_BXs
I’m starting to think that English is not your first language, as you seem not to understand the difference between ask, suggest, and demand, for example.
I guess some people will always read 'winnable politics' as 'whineable'..
Done and sent.
P.S. Feel free to thrash it as much as you like
I can’t and won’t ‘thrash’ your submission for a Guest Post for two reasons:
Good on you for putting your money where your mouth is and I look forward to the final version appearing here on TS in due course, which will hopefully stimulate robust but constructive debate.
Naa thrash it all you like, don't pull your punches I need to see any weaknesses in the argument I put up.
Here's a taster…..
I'd suggest trialling bus priority lanes without making it free of charge. Otherwise you are testing two things at once and cannot generalise results.
\shrug
You get paid?!
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/125352433/this-government-promised-to-be-open-and-transparent-but-it-is-an-artfullycrafted-mirage
Show us you're capable of being more than a link whore with an amoeba's braincell.
This government is trodding down a track of sound bites and creating noise and lime light instead of looking at the country as a whole. This Government should be making decisions for ALL people which means a bit more thinking a bit less noise. But hey, there is always the phone pic that can make the rounds and populism that needs to be fanned with no less than 4 press secretaries, all curtesy of the taxpayer. Sigh.
well you and i and the resto of the population are not in a 'need to know' position, so we get meaningless pictures and are told to be happy. 🙂 After all, they are pretty pictures.
its gonna be so funny when in the future Labor will be again sitting on the opposition bench and will shriek about the 'others who don't be transparent'. lol.
Trust your eyes, they will tell you more about what happens in this country then any politician or journalist will ever tell you. And these press secretaries need jobs, what else would these communication specialists do otherwise?
Don't despair, there are many who know and see through this vail of deceptive behaviour and non disclosure. It is worse than I have seen in Europe behind the iron curtain. Pity that NZ has to go through the pain first. Humans don't learn any other way. This is why the Lange Govt and in the end the National Govt have lost. As for this lot, no amount of social media will put food on the table. The greater concern is that there is now a fear connected with the motion that if you don't agree with what this government does, you are ostracized. And this definitely looks very worrying.
and the same counts for being able to secure a rental or buy an affordable house. And that in the end will define the next election. Not just some nice vote gathering cycling bridges. And the sad thing about all this is that our issues and problems are real. We are smack dab in the middle of climate change, we have a pandemic in its second of many years to come, we are running out of the resources the Mensch needs to physically survive and we discuss if or not what we see happening is real. Incredible. And such a waste of opportunity and skill.
Good news though, the little Rotorua urchin in need of cleft palate surgery finally got it, after a year on a waiting list. The first smile was incredible and this 1 year old bub will now be able to almost live a normal life.
Well, well.
A moan from Andrea Vance who is just discovering the truth of the old adage
"He who sups with the devil must use a long spoon".
Late on in this piece Andrea tells us that this Government makes it very hard to get information and doesn't give interviews or provide material to journalists. Then she says, as if surprised, "Because the public’s impression of this government is the very opposite."
Well of course it is baby. Why are you surprised? It is you, and your ilk, who chose to sup with the devil. It is you who sold out to them and provided the fawning adulation they want. News? Nah. Tell us that the PM is planning a wedding and that her daughter handed mummy a lovely Mother's Day card.
Well you forgot the basic rule of your profession "News is what somebody does not want you to print. All the rest is advertising." Andrea, you sold out to the advertising. Now you are finding out that, having already sold you soul, you don't have any leverage to demand the truth about what the Government is up to.
And we, the Public, are left in the dark.
Yeah but they a still a better government than anything the nats are or will be capable of for years to come.
Oh well, I suppose you are a member of the public and as Andrea Vance says.
"Because the public’s impression of this government is the very opposite.".
You've been conned, and you love it. With journalism like Vance's you haven't been allowed to see how bad the current lot really are.
I certainly agree the National Party is in rather a mess. Bad as they are they would still be a better Government than would the pack of numpties currently occupying the Beehive.
rather a mess
Rather an understatement – unfit to be out in public, much less running anything.
Lazy, sleazy, incompetent and dishonest, and given to browbeating anyone who points it out.
Agree Stuart….."rather a mess"….a complete and utter shambles that may not survive….would be more accurate.
The problem for the Nats is that there are 3 other parties who are well organised with clear and strong messages and with a strong voter base. National has none of these, and is essentially morally bankrupt.
Appointing Crusher as leader was a disastrous further step towards irrelevance.
Chris Bishop is shifty and not well liked in his electorate so he is not an option….maybe Nicola Willis could stem the tide? Can anyone? Nick Smith?…oh wait…
and is that not the case with all things in life? Parties re-group and rebirth. Same politics different dress. And people will vote for them. See the Grand Ole Party of the US.
Good lord, what a reply. You will be surprised how many out there have it up to the neck with this government. I think the next election will be interesting to say the least.
Yes. That is what i see. It will be funny to see how many 'friends' labour has left to form a coalition with.
@ Fw
How come then they are leading all the polls by a very healthy margin?
There are none so blind….. 🙄
With all polls it always is a matter of who asks, what is asked, whom is asked.
It was the same under John Key and Helen Clark.
I personally know not one person who was ever asked their opinion about anything a., and b. if the Question were: Did J.A a good job with Covid, i would say yes, Do you approve of her as PM – never did. Now spin this 🙂
I voted for labor the last time in the hope something is getting done about the poorest and the ones living in motels hotels and cars. Oh was I wrong! The only thing that changed is that the people in cars now sleep in motels. It costs the taxpayer 1 Million smackers a week and no plan to build anything is on the table. Yes, talking about the blind. I think there were many of us but we are waking up. The "healthy" margin will soon disappear if enough people are left behind who have believed in all the bs.
both you and sabine seem confused as to what party you are dissing. voting for labor or endlessly moaning about labor would tell me you are in the land of the wrong white crowd.
Don’t let facts get in the way and spoil your internal narrative.
https://www.hud.govt.nz/assets/News-and-Resources/Statistics-and-Research/Housing-Dashboard-2020/Housing-Dashboard-April-2021.pdf
Did you vote for them last time ?
I happily voted for a losing third party. 🙂 The game is MMP and not some beefed up majority that does what it wants due to a so called 'mandate'. Unless we want to go back to the good two party system of the past.
'Former News of the World hack finds it difficult to get interviews in New Zealand'.
What a surprise!
irrespective of us liking or not some journalists, but this should be an issue.
Or, let me put it this way, in the future no more whinging about National not being open to journalists and questions. What is good for the goose, is then also good for the gander.
In fact we would all benefit from some news, even if they come from people we don't like, There is no such thing as fake news, only news we might not like.
I don’t give a flying fuck about her previous employment or political leanings. Want to know why? Because she just wrote an incredibly important opinion piece on democracy. Take her name off it and read it again and tell me what’s wrong with what she said.
unless of course you are ok with Labour running a massive propaganda machine that is both hypocritical and suppressive of democracy.
I'm confused. An increase in the number of communications people in government is reducing communication?
In reality, the media landscape has changed, the demands are ever increasing and in real time, and governments' response to that naturally changes too.
Vance's piece seems like a bit of a moan that she's losing scoops, and are similar to Barry Soper's complaints, ie, that he no longer has priority messaging.
Seriously, wants more communication but fewer press conferences and announcements? Looks to me like Andrea just wants the information to herself and no-one else.
no in the good old time of East Germany it would have been called 'amplifying the message'. Instead of a few you know have many bleating all the same thing, and more often then not actually not answering any questions, but standing there and like good parrots read some words of a piece of paper. All at an 6 figure expense paid for by the tax payer. We are so generous, aren't we?
yes, if that is the only form of communicating then it looks like your bog standard 'all attendance required' corporate meeting where you are told the 'news', while no questions are taken.
So you can pay a whole lot of people to say nothing, which is what this government does – and this is as wrong under National as it is under Labour.
Unless you are only for state controlled media?
You've been teetering on the edge for the the last year but equating labour to east Germany tells me you've gone off the edge .
Get a grip.
Nothing in this equates the Labour Party to the East Germany. It is just that a communications method, and our dear Leader is a specialist in communications methods, and were you see many people answering friendly questions, others see many people touting the same script -amplifying the governments message.
I find it interesting that you compare the Labour government to East Germany, because i certainly did not. They ain't communist enough, and they ain't socialist enough. Not enough affordable houses, no land reform etc. They are as far removed from communism as they could be.
It’s not an increase in communication because the positions she’s talking about are created to control. More communication officers = less access to the people who actually know what they’re talking about and can answer specific questions. I’m wondering where you’ve been the last 40 years, this isn’t new. Ardern is an expert communicator and that’s a double edged sword in a party that sees their job as primarily about control. As opposed to sharing power, or being transparent, or increasing democracy. It doesn’t hurt the left to critically examine this.
good point muttonbird. as you say all media has changed hugely and is continueing to change. last years daily 1pm standup should have been a wakeup call, not because of the actual standup and journo intereaction, but because it was instantly on facebook twitter etc. hacks like soper are looking at being bypassed . trump ,for all of his faults, has shown how to bypass trad media, and trad media are worried.
Media are quick to promote outrage and dispossession. That's what Vance trained in and it's what she does now. The prime focus is drama reporting for the purposes of promoting the reporter/media outlet, rather than some dispassionate observation of an issue.
Here's an article with amusing links in a similar vein; 'The Nimby photo formula', aka people with their arms folded.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018798432/the-nimby-photo-formula
+1
There are now more opinion "makers" employed than ever before. If this is needed than the government has an agenda that we have not been told. That much is becoming increasingly clear. It also looks more and more like a textbook case of how to convert a country to a oppressive state. Not many cotton on to this yet but I think its starting to get noticed.
A well-functioning OIA that is fit for purpose is at the core of a well-functioning democracy and the delicate relationship between citizens and government. No wonder people are venting their spleen online only to find that the powers that be also want to ‘manage’ this aspect of our lives. We live in interesting times.
So..the g7 strikes a deal to tax the tax-avoiding corporate-gougers..
but those two aggregators of click-bait shite…herald and stuff..
don't seem it to be news-worthy..?
You refer to this? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-57368247
or this from the Herald?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/g7-rich-nations-back-global-minimum-corporate-tax-of-at-least-15
or this from Stuff?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/300326263/g7-back-global-minimum-tax-to-deter-dodging-by-multinational-firms
This was on bbc news last nite…
and 10-12 hrs later still nothing on stuff/herald..
yeah…that's what I'm talking about..
and that both stuff and the herald post the most dreadful click-bait shite..
and lot's of fresh shite this morning..
but nothing on the g7 deal..
yeah..that's what I'm talking about..
Mac1 has already given links above.
Posted on stuff at 8.18 am?
G-7 back global minimum tax to deter dodging by multinational firms
The herald posted at 9.04 am?
G7: Rich nations back global minimum corporate tax of at least 15%
There goes the narrative
What are you talking about?
Numpty neoliberalism. For those that missed it at the time, Corbyn campaigned on free broadband.
https://twitter.com/richdsi/status/1400767518902566914
And yet in the recent past they jailed people who failed to pay a licencing fee. At least they seem to have moved on from that now. What a backwards place.
I'm not sure they have moved on at all. All though it is apparently legal to own, or possess, a TV without having a licence it is illegal to watch or to record from it any program that is broadcast.
Oh well, it would still appear that it would be legal to watch the greatest story ever told. I don't know if it works with a digital set but on the old analogue devices you could turn you TV on, tune it to a frequency where no station was broadcasting and you could watch the creation of the Universe. About 1% of the snow you saw on the screen was the background radiation from the Big Bang. Now tell me any other program that could compete with that.
so a 'pending' problem was ignored under Helen Clark, then duly ignored under John Key and then again under Jacinda Ardern, and now the 'pending' problem has become an acute problem. Yet here we discuss the need of a bicycle bridge for well heeled and leisure lycra clad 'bikers', while the broken bridge in Ashburton is………………! Never mind we have priorities, and the government allowed for an initial 500.000 NZD to be made available to all those that have lost their stuff in the floods (surely another few hundred thousands will be made available soon) and heavy transport will just take the 13 hour detour. Right?
I guess if some lycra clad citydwellers were to storm a police barrier and all took their bicycles on to the bridge – after all light traffic is 'ok', surely the government would throw oodles of money at them for a new 'bridge'. Right?
I hope that the Government comes to its mind, and axes that vanity project for votes in Auckland and gives the people of Ashburton a piece of infrastructure that is actually needed.
When you have made a promise and had a phot opportunity to build a crossing for less than $80m so you cannot be called out for a broken promise you have to allow yourself some wiggle room. Even if the additional cost is over $600m but you get another chance for an announcement and another photo opportunity 🙈🙊🙉
I do hope the govt follows public sentiment and gives graciously in kind, mental support and $$ how those in the Canterbury region have suffered.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-fully-fund-skypath-part-390m-investment-walking-and-cycling
And we should really pay no heed to these 'social media outings of the government'.
We should ask where the announcement is for Ashburtons new bridge. Heck, someone could get the PM some stylish gumboots for a we Photo Op with a shovel. It would make for some positive news, actually.
New bridge …. hardly needed except for those in a hurry. Cost benefit is probably the stumbling block and often the local council is biggest roadblock to getting going – like they were at old Kopu bridge at Thames-
Ive checked into this and the Council wants a new bridge not far from the old one and using an existing street – residential Chalmers St- to access it from it from the town side and by pass Tinwald .
Common sense would presume a new state highway bridge and access roads bypasses the town completely, I suppose to the western side, which would reduce through traffic and heavy trucks completely and make the town centre a safer and less fume ridden alley.
Shop keeper hate complete by passes like this and new shopping strip malls open up alongside and draw away customers from 'the town'
I doubt the people of Ashburton really care of all of that, they would just like to be able to not drive 13 hours to the next town, or fall into the river once the current bridge gives up.
But a good deflection from what i actually pointed out, namely that we are really good at ignoring pending problems until they become acute, and then we posture about a cycling bridge for the smallest lobbygroup in NZ. The lycra brigade from Ponsonby and Herne Bay. Who, incidentally can break a police barrier, cause a huge traffic problem for others and get rewarded with 870 million worth of pork.
There was a single day it was out , and it was a really rare event for them. Within the last 5 years theres been other occasions the main highway south has been cut by floodwaters
http://floodlist.com/australia/new-zealand-canterbury-otago-december-2019
Half a dozen similar in other parts of NZ in last couple of years alone
people in Asburton can join the queue…
you are all over the place. two weeks ago, you went on(at length) about needing more cycleways public transport etc, then when a cycleway over harbour is announced, off you go on a tangent about a bridge that WAS FUNCTIONING. perhaps you should have warned the gov that mother nature was going to cut canterbury in half . if you got out from behind your keyboard and talked to engineers, you would find that much infrastructure in NZ is worn out. there are hundreds of bridges etc around the country thats are passed their use-by date. as is much of the water reticulation, sewage etc. too leap up and down and try to link a long planned bridge in one place with another recently washed out is ridiculous.
This is bizzare
'The Green Party says Facebook shouldn't be the sole arbiter in breaching New Zealanders' free speech rights, Marc Daalder reports
Nobody has free speech rights on The Standard or any other social media platform..
even weirder
'Ghahraman also said the decision by Facebook during last year's election to remove the page of the Advance New Zealand party, which was a registered political party fairly and legally competing in New Zealand's election, raised questions around the company's involvement in New Zealand democracy."
yeah right. Is Ghahraman doing her gig again – like previously-by arguing for the side of haters and those accused of genocide
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/greens-want-new-law-for-content-moderation
Which is bizarre?
Dalder’s opening sentence is an odd construction, I had to read it three times to understand what he is reporting.
I’m not a particular fan of Ghahraman, she’s a bit of a loose unit politically at times, but here I’m just left with questions around what is her actual position. Not the best Newsroom piece.
i find it quite simple
Rather then leave the moderation solely to private entities she suggest that that rules and regulations are provided by the state as to what falls under these categories and that FB should then follow that legal framework rather then its own, or together with its own.
this comment here i think states it quite clearly
And yes, she should be critisising the company, as the company should follow NZ privacy laws in regards to its "NZ customers".
Yep, got that bit, think it’s a good idea. What I don’t get is where she thinks the lines should be drawn once goby has that power. Also how to stop that power being abused. I’d rather have a Labour in charge rather than FB, but what about NACT? Or a NZ Trump?
the point is you can't stop that.
So what you must do is legislate, set rules and regulations and then deal with the political changes when they arise – as they will. There will be a NACT or N /Coalition of sorts, and there will be a LGreen or L/Coalition of sorts. So what must be done is to work for rules that pass the muster of all – so that another government don't undo the work of the previous government. And under MMP that actually works quite well.
So she is right, it is now that the government should look at what can be set as 'nevers'. In Germany that is anything to do with Nazi'sm. – You try to salute or shout a Heil Hitler – you will find yourself locked up and fined etc.
It does not prevent people from believing this shit, but it prevents outright promotion of it, which is i guess the best that can be done.
The swastika rules are just a legal requirement in Germany – but only banned when used as symbols or messages for anti constitutional organisations
But they can be used "Swastikas and other banned symbols can, however, be displayed in Germany if they are used for "civic education, countering anti-constitutional activities, art and science, research and education, the coverage of historic and current events, or similar purposes"
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-confusing-rules-on-swastikas-and-nazi-symbols/a-45063547
Not sure how this about symbols is related to Advance Party or even Facebook and free speech.
"The logo of the banned communist party KPD and symbols associated with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State are also considered anti-constitutional and thus illegal."
The KPD star with hammer and sickle is banned in Germany if used for political purposes
[image resized]
Yes, there are distinction between hate speach and education.And i guess some find this hard to understand and/or to accept.
I guess NZ will find this out when it gets on with teaching history as it happened rather then the white wash mess that is currently thought in NZ.
Anecdotally, Sister Gisela – who was a Student at the University of Munich during the war years – to become a teacher, had a box full of stuff. She took that box to the class room once a year, to show us what method the Nazi Party used to 'brainwash' the population if you so like. It was a very big moving house box full of cards, posters, postcards, playing cards. Sticker books, newspapers, etc full of Hitler and his henchmen. It was articles upon articles about how the people greated him in Austria and what was then the Sudeten Land. And the last thing she showed us was a Flyer from the White Rose, and then we learned about the Siblings Scholl. We were eleven years old. That is called education. Then the box went back into the darkest place in the convent.
I have no issues with people finding these laws so confusing that they stay a way from it if they can't understand the principle, of 'don't be a Nazi, don't promote a Nazi, don't deify Nazism", and if you do, prison and fine.
Again, I understand that. What I don’t yet know is where she thinks the line should be.
we know the Greens have suppressed gender critical debate within their own party, so I think it’s an important question
Maybe start with something simple. The AFD +Alternative for Germany – is a legal party albeit on the extreme right. That is legal and their free speeching is protected by the law, that includes FB. However individual Members are not free to speechify how refugees in Germany are lesser humans and a certain moustached man would have had a solution for it. And if they were to do so, FB would be in its rights to shut them down, and FB would be following certain laws should say Nazi regalia be displayed. Should AFD be posting such things and displaying Nazi regalia or symbolism then FB would also be in its right to shut their site down. Again, German law does actually protect FB should they do that. Start with the obvious and start providing a legal frame work that makes sense.
What would be a NZ example?
What gets me more often then not overlooked online, is violence against women , racism, and religious intolerance. Start with the easy.
I can't tell NZ – and will never – how to handle their own past – i am a migrant and really don't have enough knowledge and i also don't have skin in the game as i have no children. But i think the discussion around how to teach NZ History in the future will raise this question more often then not and hopefully some good will come from it.
so violence against women on FB. Where should the setting be?
@ weka
simple as currently when you review 'violence against women' (and i am talking here about the bog standard biological women who identifies as such and is a she / her in this case) chances are that it will not 'infringe' on community standards.
Maybe we need to define then in this country what really constitutes 'violence against women' and then we give this list to FB and state that if people report these instances you shut down the account.
And then you roll this over to violence against all others. Start with something that we know happens.
and also maybe let FB now that breastfeeding in NZ does not fall under porn, because that is the only time boobs get censored. When a baby is latched on.
But surely Weka, you too could find a sample that could be used? Or else, we do nothing and heck, no harm done?
Tiriti-denial seems constitutionally similar.
what would be some examples? Are you thinking of someone running a group on FB and telling lies about the Treaty in the context of overt racism?
Top contender. Still not sure how it would work.
https://twitter.com/tauhenare/status/1401339769020289025
The problem arises simply because the people promoting 'de-colonising' have always been remarkably coy on the details of exactly what they propose. Into the vacuum rushes all manner speculative ideas – some more palatable than others so to speak.
Brash's lot fit the bill, yes.
yes, That one would be an excellent one.
Facebooks hate speech moderation standards ( from the Objectionable Content section)
'We define hate speech as a direct attack against people on the basis of what we call protected characteristics:
race,ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity and serious disease.
We define attacks as :
violent or dehumanising speech, harmful stereotypes, statements of inferiority, expressions of contempt, disgust or dismissal, cursing and calls for exclusion or segregation.
We consider age a protected characteristic when referenced along with another protected characteristic.
We also protect refugees, migrants, immigrants and asylum seekers from the most severe attacks, though we do allow commentary and criticism of immigration policies."
Theres others for Safety, Violence and Criminal behaviour , Bullying and harassment, Human exploitation etc
Orwellian. But many don't even know what that means. Maybe its objectionable.
Well, no, I'm pretty sure many of the broadcasts against Eastasia would have run afoul of Facebook's policy.
Censorship or ‘human error’, the effect is the same.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/04/microsoft-bing-tiananmen-tank-man-results
People get really ‘antsy’ when they believe their online rights have been curbed and their search results and comments are being monitored and possibly ‘managed’.
And even more antsy when they are proven right.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/mine-sniffing-rat-magawa-ends-years-of-hard-work-in-cambodia/IOUEUP5XV4PVLDKXNXSFNKRUSU/
this is quite cute and very awesome. This we rat actually did five years of mine sniffing and is now retiring. Glasses fogging up stuff. Riveting reading. Honestly.
One of the tutors at Waikato spent a few years with Apopo – a great initiative. There are a few things bio-sensing might be harnessed for, not least of which might be Covid, but also some forms of cancer. It has been used with Tb.
Sound, solid advice from South Auckland doctor.
Keep up with the hand-washing, covering coughs an sneezes and maintaining a safe distance when respiratory viruses are around.
Last year, under Covid 'rules' , hospitalisations due to Respiratory Syncytial Viruses fell dramatically.
We've gone back to our sloppy ways…
But he said last year there was an 80 percent drop in cases, because of Covid-19 precautions.
"I think it's back to those important public health strategies, washing your hands, coughing and sneezing into your elbow and particularly looking after your babies by keeping away from them young children and old people when you've got respiratory stuff going on.
"It was amazing and particularly great that the disadvantaged kids got a break last year – but it's back."
Dr Trenholme said he is worried because there has already been a rise in RSV cases this year.
Really wish NZ would put some effort into this.
This and scanning in at premises.
It is a matter of when, not if, we have a community outbreak, IMO. The complacency/arrogance/indifference of folk will be our undoing.
I was gobsmacked in a recent exchange here on TS, 'I shouldn't have to upgrade my phone to sign in' or some such piffle. Then the same conceited piece of work is one of the loudest complainers of the vaccine roll-out.
To my mind these two activities are or should be linked. High compliance in registering movements entitles one to complimentary vaccination(s).
My comment was about handwashing etc in relation to limiting the spread of cold and flu.
As for scanning, sorry to break this to you, but no-one here scans. And they won't so long as the perception of risk is low. What we need is systems that can be booted up rapidly if there is community outbreak. I don't think the South Island has had community transmission for a year.
This Government likes to take advice but not to invest in scientific research. Especially early-career and emerging researchers are finding it hard here in NZ. No wonder they’ll disappear overseas once the pandemic has waned. The system is broke(n), but Dr Woods and Dr Verrall are asleep at that particular wheel.
https://sciblogs.co.nz/news/2021/06/02/new-zealand-relies-on-scientific-research-for-good-policy-its-a-pity-the-budget-didnt-reflect-this/
For a crowd that wants the country to pivot from exporting raw products to higher paid industries, you would think this was a no-brainer.
After enjoying Fight for the wild re preditor free 2050
I was wondering if anyone knows if doc are intending to make Stuart Is preditor free ?as think what an is that size would be in providing an amazing lifeboat for many our our native species. I could not find anything on the internet. Many who have been there have commented what a place to visit. And that the wonders it provides in its current state with introduced species is breath taking. I tip my cap to all those volunteers and amazing DOC staff out there.
It would be amazing. Tricky with the community I think
The haters are gonna hate, the converted will love it. The photos speak volumes.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/cycling-holidays/300324106/lake-dunstan-trail-new-zealands-most-spectacular-bike-ride-has-just-opened
Lol, Aucklanders be very jealous.
I’m not a hater so much as frustrated that we can do such clever engineering but can’t figure out how to build low cost housing using that same discipline.
btw, that landscape is where they had to pour concrete into the hills after engineers said this is a dodgy af place to build a dam given quake potential. Damn the science, and the High Court, Muldoon stomped all over both and nature with his big thinking.
And again, what gets me, it seems that this is only for cyclists as as a wanderer/walker i would not like to compete with these guys.
It is that single use that is so wasteful.
Oh we can figure out low cost housing, but 'the market' won't allow for it, and the government won't build it in the place of 'the market'. With all things, we have the money, but we don't spend it wisely. But some well to doer Aucklanders get to travel to there and then they get to bike there. Never mind the homeless or soon to be homeless.
The ironies and classism abound, although I expect high use from locals and Southland and Otago people especially in the first year.
completely agree about the single use. Betting it’s a beloved project for someone or some group, and from pre covid/tourism collapse, but we really have to move past this reductionist thinking to looking at whole systems.
Some people are so quick to judge.
https://centralotagonz.com/tracks-and-trails/lake-dunstan-trail/
Can you reconcile that with the volume speaking photos?
I can.
Lol, I meant sharing with the rest of us.
Spectacular views of a trail and not a single suggestion it was for lycra-wearers only; perception is not reality. In fact, the Stuff article did mentioning walking but was obviously written from a cycling PoV.
I have to say that I find this pitting of cyclists against car drivers or cyclists against walkers symptomatic of many of the ‘debates’ we’re having nowadays, particularly the political ones (which doesn’t leave many others). I thought it was all about sharing, inclusivity, finding common ground and, ideally, consensus, i.e. the opposite of what’s been happening more and more in recent times.
Work’s calling.
Let the unicycle commute commence!
Wasn’t a pitting of cyclists and walkers against each other, but pro tourism leaders against the same who refuse to address climate, ecology, housing, preparing for what’s coming.
As I said not hate so much as frustration. I remember when they ripped up the rail lines in Central to build a bike track. It’s a lack of vision of the bigger picture and urgency of the situation that bothers me.
Apologies, although I replied to you, it was not all (!) about you or your comments in particular, but more of a general moan from a growing general sense of frustration. Sorry, I should have made that more clear.
all good And yes, agreed about the frustrating nature of polarised and pitted debates.
The Whakatipu trails are heavily used by locals and visitors, both cyclists and walkers, and carry a surprising amount of commuter traffic. Use well in excess of most expectations. During lockdown they were almost too busy.
The CO Rail Trail is well used but it's taken a while for the associated support businesses to get sorted and understand the opportunities. Still a stunning resource, both for biking and walking in whole or parts with some great day walks / rides. Every time I've been on it I've only met New Zealanders, mostly from Central. Want to walk it depths of winter some time, staying in the pubs along the way, there's plenty.
The Southland trail from Kingston through Mavora to Walter Peak is a bit of a fizzer, but that doesn't have much population along it so is tourist only.
The Lake Dunstan trail is a stunner. Only word to describe it. I've been through there before the lake filled on a bike and it was quite an adventure along the farm and hydro tracks. The 'clip-on' section avoids a very steep track over the mountain. I'd say this trail well be very well used.
I did a lot of work on the local trails and it was a hoot watching all the local true blue landowners having meltdowns about the trails coming alongside, and in some cases right through, their properties. They couldn't say much since it was all John Key's idea, but Bill had to do a bit to pacify a few. Amy Adams got her nickers in a right knot about the Dunstan one too, goes right past her place.
Good to hear from a local with first-hand real experience rather than from armchair critics from afar.
Lol the Nats.
How long does it take to bike from Clyde to Cromwell? Is it suitable for commuting? I’d been assuming it was too far.
The Dunstan trail is 42km from Cromwell to Clyde, but the run out/in through Bannockburn is 13km of that. If you could get across the lake from Old Cromwell it could be a worthwhile alternative to the drive through the gorge. The times I've done it, it was a full day round trip, but that involved a couple of pretty solid climbs following the hydro tracks put in to get drill rigs on site, and a bit of trespass. A good trail along lake level, probably an hour or less at commute pace.
On a good day there's people commuting from Gibbston to Frankton or Queenstown along the Queenstown trail, about an hour and arrive at work with a good grin. That's about 40km all the way or 30-35km to Frankton.
Thanks for that insight, Graeme.
The article states it isn't single use with reference to runners and walkers sharing the trail
But where is the housing on it – people want to know!
No houses because trolls live underneath bridges lol
You know there’s a housing crisis locally right?
On our tourist cycle tracks, even!
More like via local council and businesses.
They have little influence over financialised housing 'markets' and councils get funding with strings attached about what they do with it. Tourism infrastructure is not from the same bucket as housing, strangely enough.
Sometimes a cycle track is just a cycle track.
Councils have lots of options for responding to the housing crisis and they choose not to take them.
Let’s see how much CODC is shifting its tourism focus post covid. I will be surprised.
Btw, seeing housing as outside of council purview, and not seeing the connections between tourism and housing in that part of the country is a definition of the silo rather than system thinking I mentioned.
There is seeing the world you want to be true, and what is there. Progress requires acknowledging both.
Of course. Could have done without the mocking and instead talking about that.
Nowadays, people don’t read, they react, to what they think they’d read if they did in fact read it. Too much effort goes into moaning, IMHO; it is 95% of reality.
I 95% agree or +95%
You should expect a bit of moaning. Bad governance leaves a mighty long tail.
It will take decades to halt the rise of inequality stemming from the Rogergnomic …experiment. Those exposed to its effects need something more substantial than the incremental rises to welfare payments announced thus far, which will like as not be erased by the next ripple of incontinent greed from the rentier set. The government has done many positive things, but it has not set things to rights. Not remotely.
Too much of government action is putting on band aids. They can be helpful in healing if underneath them is prepared. clean and healthy, otherwise they just lead to festering!
I fear that their only option for change is leaps and bounds. They are leaping out of multi-educators bleeding the polytech and training system, so there is going to be one control and one ring will bind them all. Same with hospitals and medicals, and they want one tech system which when it can be effectively hacked will make us all ill. And that sounds like another expensive overblown contraption like the old police Incis system.
Maybe they're in the stranglehold of this neolib smaller government where every man, ambitious woman, and their dogs can sniff out goodly salaries telling us how we are all wrong and they can put us right. And these consultants and CEOs seem to get away with things very close to fraud! Pollies have to pass the work to them, it is the system, and we are the meat going through the grinder and coming out as mince. Perhaps their only option is to change the whole system, throw it out, and start again hoping for better. That is very inefficient as far as using human and other resource and skills go. But efficiency and productivity are just words to wave round like a magician distracting the peeps, while other things get done by sleight of hand.
As i said, I would not want to compete against the cyclists and runners as a walker, others might feel more comfortable with it.
You also said…
Which is why I posted it actually isn't.
i know that it is 'intended' for cyclists and for walker /runner
And then i said, I would not want to 'compete' for space. and then It 'seemed' to be only for cyclists, judging on the width of the track. All of it is "MY" opinion. Not what the article said.
So yeah, it can be 'intended' but it ain't 'inclusive'. I can see a whole lot of people not trying to be on there together with some cyclists that want to go at speed and without stopping. Its a bit like the track linking Whakamaru and Mangakino. You do not want to be on certain spots on this bicyle track/walkway as as pedestrian when you have on both sides lycra clad aucklanders / wellingtonians/ and other entitled people on bikes. They will tell you to get outta ways, cause after all they paid to be there.
And generally the track is used mainly by cyclists over summer. Go figure.
I don't care about your fixation in equating cycling to excesses of the middle classes, I disagree with it on the whole as I still see biking for many as a form of transport, whether that be because they don't have cars, access to public transport, or have decided to lose a few carbon emissions as part of the effort to beat climate change.
As part of my job, I plant and maintain areas along the new Kawatiri trail, and have been there many times from very early on to late afternoon. While not as spectacular as the one in the news above, it's also a shared track with narrow choke points, boardwalks and even a swing bridge, I've witnessed no collisions, near misses or anti social behaviour from either walkers or cyclists alike.
Along with the pleasure walkers and gaggle of lycra 'tour de francers', I also see kids riding to and back from school, people going to or back from work, and seniors doing the track for some safe, low impact exercise. What's not to like with that? Fresh air, burning calories and not using petrol.
To finish, I originally replied to your stating "it seems that this is only for cyclists". My comment that the article says it isn't still stands.
'seems'. 🙂 personal opinion. nothing to do with anything else then that.
I don't equate cycling with nothing, and i am not sure this path was even concepted under Labour, i think it was key the king of the mother of all cycle ways up and down the country. so really don't care. so its not even political.
Same with the Harbour Cycling bridge, again not something i would use, but to each their own. My point equating that bridge to the one that needs replacing in Ashburton is simply raising the question of need vs wants, as both bridges made it in to the news virtually the same weekend.
All i said is that I would not use this track as a person who now walks, competing with cyclists. That is literally all i said. To me it seems that this track is not suited for both. Maybe that is more to your liking? And the future will tell how suited it is to its intended dual purpose.
And i live in Rotorua which is as cycle friendly as it gets and its beautiful here for that.
Useful references here.
https://twitter.com/fondofbeetles/status/1368174222992961547
In the conclusions
"The research conducted so far has studied untrained transgender women."
hmmmmm
and a correction says :
"EH and TL have given talks and engaged in the mainstream media and academic press regarding the biology of sex and how they have concluded that this should impact sporting categories."
We can say they have an agenda
DR E Hilton is research technician at University of Manchester, and not a published researcher in Sports medicine at all
'Division of Infection, Immunity & Respiratory Medicine '
https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/emma.hilton.html
So we can say its not worth much at all.
Play the ball not the woman. Not even going to respond beyond that because if your debate is based on marginalising people there's nowhere useful to go.
Shock! Horror!
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2021/06/former-olympians-challenge-sport-nz-draft-guidelines-on-transgender-athletes-want-more-consultation.html
A newspiece questioning the safety and fairness to women of transwomen playing in women's sports teams…. that doesn't utilise the slur Terf.
Aired tonight.
Got to agree with Weka on this one. Your criticisms of Hilton seem unfair – it's still a peer-reviewed article.
The two articles do leave a lot of questions unanswered, but then the sample-size of transgender athletes who were approaching olympic-level before and after transition is a tad small.
So it turns out labour aren't raising benefits they are just moving money from payments around like musical chairs and deducting payments from other top ups and getting praised for literally doing nothing. Some people will be worse off
The audacity. The shame. Shame on Labour. Shame. I'm so mad and done. This pathetic increase gave people hope and it turns out the pittance is all an illusion and now when someone wants to increase welfare middle nz will go crazy saying they are giving too much to beneficaries because of this bullshit and lies.
How is it so difficult to ring fence funding so people actually get extra. Does labour actually want people to get extra or did they want a nice pr story. NOONES getting anything extra. The yearly inflation increases also get swallowed up and see people getting less.
Honestly. I'm starting to miss the nats because atleast they didn't hide their hatred of beneficiaries labour is worse because it tell us it love us and is giving us $80 extra since they got in. No they arent. The only increase they've done is the $20 covid increase and winter energy and it's funny how they could do that increase last year without it cutting into other top ups but not this grand much praised increase that is taking a legitimate year to implement. Wtaf
What a bullying arrogant lying joke this government has become and I'm a party member. Refusing to do interviews, being forced to court or by the ombudsman to release OIAs, shouting down opposition and journos and turning select committees into a circus when people ask questions they wanna hear. Bugger the tories I hate them but this govt is yuck.
How many goddamn legions of consultants and pr gurus did it take to come up with this lie of a welfare increase!?! Spin spin spin spin
I see the upper middle class get billions and billions for their cycle lanes and get to run around lecturing poor people about how ignorant evil and privlidged we all are and what do the poor get ? An end to ruthensha ? Was that a good spin for the Twitter crowd …. Yeah thanks so much for giving us money we already get and telling us it's new funding
Lies. Spin. Misdirection. Spin.
Who cares who wins next time. It doesn't matter it genuinely doesn't matter. Happy nice sweet lies from labour or insults and abuse from national neither side gives a flying f about the poor.
https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/about-work-and-income/news/2021/2021-budget.html#:~:text=On%201%20April%202022,%2425%20per%20adult%20a%20week.
'So it turns out labour aren't raising benefits they are just moving money from payments around like musical chairs and deducting payments from other top ups"
Any evidence for that ?
Your link is actual increases like this
Sole Parent Support from $386 last year to $406 this year and $434 next year
You misunderstand what 'top ups' or Temporary Additional Support are about.
'Temporary Additional Support is a weekly payment that helps you when you don't have enough money to cover your essential living costs"
Only up to 13 weeks , and clearly the benefit increases will mean 'dont have enough money' will reduce.
I suppose this is part of what having 4 press secretaries gets you.
FWIW, my Mum is 80 and each week I hear the gratitude from her with the amount she gets on the pension.
“Never would get that with Judith in charge…”
That was a rather incensed diatribe – I am a beneficiary and I am both surprised and grateful with the number and amounts of the increases I have received as well as those which I will be receiving. My situation has improved markedly – I regret that yours has not.
Barfly, so pleased to hear that. All the best.
Waiting-person (M/F), there’s a fly on my radar!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444165/new-radar-drone-tech-being-developed-to-track-insects
This is so cool.
Edit: there’s a spy on the wall.
Although the object of proposed changes to Immigration monitoring seem well intended, we have had an accreditation system before – in fact we have one now.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said reports of this type were “concerning” and said “if this type of behaviour were to eventuate, employers would be at risk of losing their accreditation and therefore not able to hire any migrants”.
I guess he's trying not to frighten the horses, but systematic criminal exploitation of the kind that was normalised under the Key Kleptocracy, should not only result in loss of accreditation, but massive fines to fund full damages to exploited workers, together with loss of residency status. You want to set up as an employer criminal? Go somewhere else – NZ doesn't need you – we've far too many like that already.