Charlie Kirk has been at war with US colleges, taking the view of the Argentinian President, that an education system that turns out those of the progressive liberal or social democratic left is no good.
His social conservative, pro capitalist line – a form of God and mammon dominionism that requires a censorship of any deviation from orthodoxy, is a revisionist McCarthyism.
The U.S. is built on civic discourse, and the free flow of ideas is how we advance society. If one group holds dominion over ideology, humanity cannot progress.
A person is not educated because they’ve been told what is right and wrong. An educated person is somebody who’s been trained to question, evaluate, and conclude. And true education is critical to a free and democratic society.
I disagree with a lot of what Charlie Kirk has to say. But his argument that US College is scam isn't to far off the mark. Kids are putting themselves into a life time of debt to get a piece of paper they probably don't need and often regret.
Universities are a critical part of every society. But they shouldn't be a prerequisite to having a fulfilling career and cause massive financial distress for so many Americans.
It was the fictional character Will Hunting that summed up Charlie's argument best almost 30 years ago.
See, the sad thing about a guy like you is, in 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're going to come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life: one, don't do that, and two, you dropped 150 grand on a fuckin' education you could have got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library!
Just whizzed through Madeline Pendleton's economic autobiography deconstructing her experience with the US capitalist system at the bottom. She grew up in Fresno in a low-income family with generational poverty, studied and worked at the low end of the US economy for years. She critiques the US education loan system, and exposes the private for-profit college system that cripples low-income students after training with enduring debt.
A great read, and a perceptive personal analysis of the US system from underneath. Madeline finishes by discussing the clothes company she established, where all workers, including herself, gets the same income, and excess profit is used to buy assets like reliable cars and cheap housing for company workers.
Got it from the local library, and up til 2am reading it last night.
Pretty low stuff from Chris Hipkins trying to knife Te Pāti Māori. TPM are providing sterling leadership at the moment, getting communities organised–unlike Labour who you hardly get a squeak from at street level.
The Natzos, Act and NZ First virtually bought the election on media channels with their large donations–aided of course by revenge voters, munters, and the usual suspects like landlords and small business.
Back in the Internet Mana days NZ Labour put significant resources into the West Auckland corner of Te Tai Tokerau to defeat Hone Harawira and stop Laila Harre returning to Parliament.
Chris Hipkins dialled in a Cap’n’s Call on Wealth Tax and CGT which helped Labour lose the election–he should be more concerned about the future implications of that than shafting a flax roots party that is growing support.
In an election when the electorate swung to the right, you think Labour lost because they dropped left policies like Wealth Tax and CGT?
But to your point I think Hipkins has identified that TPM is taking a very extreme position on Maori sovereignty and rights which will likely frighten many kiwis. I can already foresee the tactics of the right at the next election. A Government with TPM in it will be a difficult sell to many Kiwis.
I suspect Hipkins is now on a mission to kill that off before it becomes an issue for him
You can suspect what you like, the fact is Māori numbers are approaching 20% of the population with most under 40. Māori birth rate is at replacement level, pākehā and other tau iwi are around 1.6%, so demographics are changing.
New gens are less likely to be freaked out by Māori power than older folks. So Hipkins has a double bind, TPM will get more organised, while others despair of Labour’s adherence to Rogernomics 40 years on.
Really, if you know Aotearoa NZ history the answer to your question mark is obvious. Māori were traders, entrepreneurs, and there has always been a pro capitalist section since colonisation.
The thing is most Māori are working class and are on the wrong end of all sorts of statistics–as are other working class people. That does not guarantee fight back–but TPM are pushing back so that is why they are under attack from the ruling class and its representatives.
It was binary question directed at you, which you didn't really answer.
On the assumption that you agree that Maori have different political views, why do you think their increasing demographic will benefit TPM, when the vast majority of Maori vote for other parties?
James Simpson your lack of understanding on how MMP works, coupled with your total lack of understanding how Māori voted in the last election makes your statements look weak.
Here is some help, Māori split their vote in every electorate the Te Pāti Māori ran in. With the overwhelming majority of party vote going to Labour. Te Pāti Māori ran a campaign to win electorates, not party vote. Strategically a small percentage of party votes went to Te Pāti Māori to get overhang. Which was achieved.
Te Pāti Māori is not the be all, and end all voice for Māori. No one is arguing that, what Te Pāti Māori is about is giving a voice to Māori who feel/are disposed and disillusioned with the political process which overwhelmingly supports the interest of the few over the many.
The thing is most Māori are working class and are on the wrong end of all sorts of statistics–as are other working class people
Yes. Same in the USA with African Americans, working class, and the poor. It's a class war, but divide and rule tactics are at play here, there, and everywhere.
You maybe right on birth rate levels but non European groups are growing much faster driven by immigration. I think Asian ethnicity is now greater than Maori and it almost double in the time from the last census. European % will decrease but I don’t see Maori growing as a % of the population and considering all birth rate global are dropping it would be a shock if Maori rates dropped below replacement too soon. NZ future is going to continue to be heavily immigrant just not the white kind.
Another broken election promise but where’s the backlash from New Zealanders, MSM, experts and charities to put the gumboot into National and this coalition government?
They, National in this CoC Govt, have caused such financial stress and work uncertainty that responses to outrages are muted by people's worry over food, child care, sick leave and rates and insurances plus the 90 day rot, all leading to mental health issues and the silence of the lambs.
Maori have organised two protests.
We need a leader to organise a day of protests over broken promises.
Sad to see Chris Hipkins falling for a baited hook about stats. Keep your eyes on the goal of changing the Govt Chris.
Where were you Chris Hipkins, when it was revealed there had been a 600% increase in dolphin deaths? Sea bed mining next.
The government revenues are higher than Treasury forecast because they under-estimated the amount of tax liable off interest or PIE income (vehicle for those on higher tax rates). The upside of higher interest rates.
But presumably still not enough money for cancer drugs, support to those with disability in school hours, maintenance of KO homes, abandoned funding for school building, insulation and energy efficient heating subsidy for low income homeowners.
I am wondering why the hell Chris Hipkins is so interested in the (latest) right-wing dirty politics conspiracy against Te Pati Maori over alleged use of personal data for election campaigning.
Shouldn't he be going after National full bore after their horrendous budget which has disillusioned a fair proportion of New Zealanders apart from those who own a lot of property and earn an above average income?
Shouldn't he be demanding the resignation of a constituency MP who admitted he made a "mistake" and vastly overspent his budgetary allowance on campaigning for the previous election?
The CoC must be sitting back and laughing while Hipkins does their job for them, going after TPM.
Agree. ABH–anyone but Hipkins, and that is not to totally demonise him, he like everyone else had a bloody hard time during peak COVID.
As I said at #4…Chris Hipkins dialled in a Cap’n’s Call on Wealth Tax and CGT which helped Labour lose the election–he should be more concerned about the future implications of that than shafting a flax roots party that is growing support on the ground.
I still find it so hard to believe that Labour wimped out on these things. After its unprecedented majority victory in 2020 it could have carried out a strong programme of change with no hindrance. Even some economic and business interest groups were quietly saying that a CGT or wealth tax was almost inevitable in the long run. They were set up ripe and ready to really change the NZ economy for the better and make it more sustainable and equitable, but failed to act.
I have nothing personal against Chris Hipkins, but he is really mostly just Jacinda's successor rather than the vital leader of Labour that they need.
Hipkins got asked what he thought about the accusations and said it needs looking into, that's hardly going after tmp!! It's possible its dp, bit best to check just incase
Chris Hipkins was responding to the media's questions about claims of misused census data, to help Te Pāti Māori's election campaign. If he had commented they were not worth investigating, this would not make sense, and would be ammunition for the Government and the media against Labour.
Recent polls show Labour is gaining popularity, so there seems no reason to replace Hipkins, as some people suggest. He comes across as sincere, down to earth and practical. A change of leader would make Labour look divided and unstable.
My guess is that there is substance to these allegations but Tamahere/TMP may take the National Party defence of blaming an over enthusiastic junior staffer.
Open access notables Climate Change Is Leading to a Convergence of Global Climate Distribution, Li et al., Geophysical Research Letters:The impact of changes in global temperatures and precipitation on climate distribution remains unclear. Taking the annual global average temperatures and precipitation as the origin, this study determined the climate distribution with the ...
Readers keeping count will know it's more than five years since I gave up booze. Some of you get worried on my behalf when I recount a possibly testing moment. Anxious readers: today I got well tested.All the way across France I've been enquiring in my very polite and well-meaning but ...
Turn awayIf you could, get me a drinkOf water 'cause my lips are chapped and fadedCall my Aunt MarieHelp her gather all my thingsAnd bury me in all my favourite coloursMy sisters and my brothers, stillI will not kiss you'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving youI remember the ...
Its not often that one has to agree with Judith Collins, but yes, it would indeed cost “hundreds of millions of dollars” (at least) to buy replacement aircraft to fly the Prime Minister on his overseas missions of diplomacy and trade. And yes, the public might well regard that spending ...
A few weeks ago, Auckland Council took another step in the long-running stadium saga, narrowing its shortlist down to two options for which they will now seek feasibility studies. The recommendation to move forward with a feasibility study was carried twenty to one by the council’s Governing Body for the ...
Social Development Minister Louise Upston has defended the Government’s decision to save money by dumping a programme which tops up the pay of disabled workers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: It has emerged the National-ACT-NZ First Government decided to cut wages for disabled workers from the minimum wage to $2 an hour ...
The new Chief Executive of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) yesterday gave a Select Committee a brutally frank outline of the department’s role as the agency right at the centre of power in Wellington. Ben King, formerly a deputy Chief Executive at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Carbon dioxide is the main culprit behind climate change. But in second place is methane: a greenhouse gas stronger than CO2, ...
Oh, take me, take me, take meTo the dreamer's ballI'll be right on time and I'll dress so fineYou're gonna love me when you see meI won't have to worryTake me, take mePromise not to wake me'Til it's morningIt's all been trueEarly morning yesterday, well before dawn, doom-scrolling.Not intentionally, that’s ...
The first widespread survey of consumers and voters since the Budget on May 30 shows a collapse in confidence. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The belt-tightening and tax-cutting Budget delivered on May 30 has not delivered the boost to confidence in the economy the National-ACT-NZ First Government might have ...
The Air Force 757 that broke down with the Prime Minister on board in Port Moresby on Sunday is considered so unreliable that it carries a substantial stock of spare parts when it travels overseas. And the plane also carries an Air Force maintenance team on board ready to make ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Sometimes you’ll just be so dog-tired, you can only keep yourself awake with a short stab of self-inflicted pain.A quick bite of the lip, for instance.Maybe a slight bite on the tongue or a dig of the nails.But what if you’re needing something a bit more painful?The solution is as ...
After months and months of blocking every attempt by the UN and everyone else to achieve a Gaza ceasefire, US President Joe Biden is now marketing his own three-stage “peace plan” to end the conflict. Like every other contribution by the US since October 7, the Biden initiative is hobbled ...
This is a guest post by Vivian Naylor, who is the Barrier Free Advisor and Educator at CCS Disability Action, Northern Region, the largest disability support and advocacy organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand. She also advises on AT’s Public Transport and Capital Projects Accessibility Groups.Vivian has been advocating and ...
So kiss me and smile for meTell me that you'll wait for meHold me like you'll never let me go'Cause I'm leavin' on a jet planeDon't know when I'll be back againOh babe, I hate to go“The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its ...
The election promises of ‘better economic management’ are now ringing hollow, as NZ appears to be falling into a deeper recession, while other economies are turning the corner. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The economy and the housing market are slumping back into a deep recession this winter, contrasting ...
Parliament’s new “Scrutiny” process, which is supposed to allow Select Committees to interrogate Ministers and officials in much more depth, has got off to a rocky start. Yesterday was the first day of “Scrutiny Week” which is supposed to see the Government grilled on how it spends taxpayers’ money and ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Barbara GradyIllustration by Samantha Harrington. Photo credits: Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images, Win McNamee/Getty Images, European Space Agency. In an empty wind-swept field in Richmond, California, next to the county landfill, a company called RavenSr has plotted out land and won ...
Although NZ readers may not be that interested in the subject and in lieu of US Fathers Day missives (not celebrated in NZ), I thought I would lay out some brief thoughts on a political subject being debated in the … Continue reading → ...
TL;DR:Chris Bishop talks up the use of value capture, congestion charging, PPPs, water meters, tolling and rebating GST on building materials to councils to ramp up infrastructure investment in the absence of the Government simply borrowing more to provide the capital.Meanwhile, Christopher Luxon wants to double the number of ...
When I was invited to come aboard and help with Greater Auckland a few months ago (thanks to Patrick!), it was suggested it might be a good idea to write some sort of autobiographical post by way of an introduction. This post isn’t quite that – although I’m sure I’lll ...
On the turning awayFrom the pale and downtroddenAnd the words they say which we won't understandDon't accept that, what's happeningIs just a case of other's sufferingOr you'll find that you're joining inThe turning awayToday’s guest kōrero is from Author Catherine Lea. So without further ado, over to Catherine…I’m so honoured ...
Hi,Tickled was one of the craziest things that ever happened to me (and I feel like a lot of crazy things have happened to me).So ahead of the Webworm popup and Tickled screening in New Zealand on July 13, I thought I’d write about how we made that film and ...
Hi,I’m doing a Webworm merch popup followed by a Tickled screening in Auckland, New Zealand on July 13th — and I’d love you to come. I got the urge to do this while writing this Webworm piece breaking down how we made Tickled, and talking to all the people who ...
One simple statistic said it all: China Premier Li Qiang asked Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell what percentage of the company’s overall sales were made in China. “Thirty per cent,” said Hurrell. In other words, New Zealand’s largest company is more or less dependent on the Chinese market. But Hurrell is ...
One occasionally runs into the question of what J.R.R. Tolkien would have thought of George R.R. Martin. For years, I had a go-to online answer: we could use a stand-in. Tolkien’s thoughts on E.R. Eddison – that he appreciated the invented world, but thought the invented names were silly, and ...
A listing of 35 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, June 9, 2024 thru Sat, June 15, 2024. Story of the week A glance at this week's inventory of what experts tell us is extreme weather mayhem juiced by ...
After a busy week it’s a good day to relax. Clear blues skies here in Tamaki Makaurau, very peaceful but for my dogs sleeping heavily. In the absence of a full newsletter I thought I’d send out a brief update and share a couple of posts that popped up in ...
Now in the land of Angus beef and the mighty ABsWhere the steaks were juicy and the rivers did run foulIt would often be said,This meal is terrible,andNo, for real this is legit the worst thing I've ever eatenBut this was an thing said only to others at the table,not ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from the Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is ocean acidification from human ...
She's not a girl who misses muchDo do do do do do, oh yeahShe's well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet handLike a lizard on a window paneI wouldn’t associate ACT with warmth, other than a certain fabled, notoriously hot, destination where surely they’re heading and many would like them ...
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past somewhat interrupted week. Still on the move!Share Read more ...
What does Budget 2024 tell us about the current government? Muddle on?Coalition governments are not new. About 50 percent of the time since the first MMP election, there has been a minority government, usually with allied parties holding ministerial portfolios outside cabinets. For 10 percent of the time there was ...
Somewhat surprisingly for what is regarded as a network of professionals, climate science misinformation is getting shared on LinkedIn, joining other channels where this is happening. Several of our recent posts published on LinkedIn have attracted the ire of various commenters who apparently are in denial about human-caused climate change. Based ...
1. On what subject is Paul Henry even remotely worth giving the time of day?a. The state of our nationb. The state of the ACT partyc. How to freak out potential buyers of your gin palace by baking the remains of your deceased parent into its fittings2. Now that New ...
Last time National was in power, they looted the state, privatising public assets and signing hugely wasteful public-private partnership (PPP) contracts which saw foreign consortiums provide substandard infrastructure while gouging us for profits. You only have to look at the ongoing fiasco of Transmission Gully to see how it was ...
The Democratic Façade Of Local Government: Our district and city councillors are democratically elected to govern their communities on one very strict condition – that they never, ever, under any circumstances, attempt to do so.A DISINTEGRATION OF LOYALTIES on the Wellington City Council has left Mayor Tory Whanau without a ...
I can feel the lowlights coming over meI can feel the lowlights, from the state I’m inI can see the light now even thought it’s dimA little glow on the horizonAnother week of lowlights from our government, with the odd bright spot and a glow on the horizon. The light ...
Another week, another roundup of things that caught our eye on our favourite topics of transport, housing and how to make cities a little bit greater. This Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor wrote about Kāinga Ora’s role as an urban development agency Tuesday’s guest post by ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s moves this week to take farming out of the ETS and encourage more mining and oil and ...
In 2019, Shane Jones addressed the “50 Shades of Green” protest at Parliament: Now he is part of a government giving those farmers a pass on becoming part of the ETS, as well as threatening to lock in offshore oil exploration and mining for decades. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the ...
Hi,Today’s newsletter is all about how easy it is to get sucked into “rage bait” online, and how easy it is to get played.But first I wanted to share something that elicited the exact opposite of rage in me — something that made me feel incredibly proud, whilst also making ...
Seymour said lower speed limits “drained the joy from life as people were forced to follow rules they knew made no sense.” File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, June 14 were:The National/ACT/NZ First ...
It sounded like the best word to describe yesterday’s talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his heavyweight delegation of Ministers and officials and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and New Zealand Ministers and officials was “frank.” But it was the kind of frankness that friends can indulge in. It ...
Open access notables Wildfire smoke impacts lake ecosystems, Farruggia et al., Global Change Biology:We introduce the concept of the lake smoke-day, or the number of days any given lake is exposed to smoke in any given fire season, and quantify the total lake smoke-day exposure in North America from 2019 ...
Photo by Mathias Elle on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 ...
Don’t put it all at risk. That’s likely to be the take-home message for New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in his meetings with Li Qiang, the Chinese Premier. Li’s visit to Wellington this week is the highest-ranking visit by a Chinese official since 2017. The trip down under – ...
I know the feelingIt is the real thingThe essence of the soulThe perfect momentThat golden momentI know you feel it tooI know the feelingIt is the real thingYou can't refuse the embraceNo?Sometimes we face the things we most dislike. A phobia or fear that must be confronted so it doesn’t ...
Struth, what a week. Having made sure the rural sector won’t have to pay any time soon for its pollution, PM Christopher Luxon yesterday chose Fieldays 2024 to launch a parliamentary inquiry into rural banking services, to see how the banks have been treating farmers faced with high interest rates. ...
In April, 17,656 people left Aotearoa-NZ to live overseas, averaging 588 a day, with just over half of those likely to have gone to Australia. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, June 13 ...
Auckland’s draft Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP) 2024 is open for feedback – and you only have until Monday 17 June to submit. Do it! Join the thousands of Aucklanders who are speaking up for wise strategic investment that will dig us out of traffic and give us easy and ...
Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Wellington today for a three-day visit to the country. The visit will take place amid uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand-China relationship. Li hosted a formal welcome and then lunch for then-Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in Beijing a year ago. The pair ...
We are still in France, getting from A to B.Possibly for only another week, though; Switzerland and Germany are looming now. On we pedal, towards Budapest, at about 20 km per hour.What are are mostly doing is inhaling a country, loving its ways and its food. Rolling, talking, quietly thinking. ...
The big problem with the last Labour government was that they were chickenshits who did nothing with the absolute majority we had given them. They governed as if they were scared of their own shadows, afraid of making decisions lest it upset someone - usually someone who would never have ...
This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo on the front porch, set it on ...
We have some news on the upcoming War of the Rohirrim anime. It will apparently be two and a half hours in length, with Peter Jackson as Executive Producer, and Helm’s daughter Hera will be the main character. Also, pictures: The bloke in the middle picture is Freca’s ...
The cows will keep burping and farting and climate change will keep accelerating - but farmers can stop worrying about being included in the ETS. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, June 12 were:The ...
This is a guest post by our friend Darren Davis. It originally appeared on his excellent blog, Adventures in Transitland, which features “musings about public transport and other cool stuff in Aotearoa/ New Zealand and around the globe.” With Te Huia now having funding secure through to 2026, now is ...
In some ways, there may be less than meets the eye to the Government announcement yesterday that the He Waka Eke Noa proposal for farmers to pay for greenhouse gas emissions has been scrapped. The spectre of farmers still having to pay at some point in the future remains. That, ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Since entering office, National has unravelled practically every climate policy, leaving us with no effective way of reducing emissions or meeting our emissions budgets beyond magical thinking around the ETS. And today they've announced another step: removing agriculture entirely. At present, following the complete failure of he waka eka noa, ...
The blue billionaireDistraction no interactionOr movement outside these glazed over eyesThe new great divideFew fight the tide to be glorifiedBut will he be satisfied?Can we accept this without zoom?The elephant in the roomNot much happens in politics on a Monday. Bugger all in fact. Although yesterday Christopher Luxon found he ...
What if New Zealand threw a fossil fuel party, and nobody came? On the weekend, Resources Minister Shane Jones sent out the invitations and strung up the balloons, but will anyone really want to invest big time in resuming oil and gas exploration in our corner of the planet? Yes, ...
This is a guest post by Meredith Dale, senior urban designer and strategist at The Urban Advisory.There’s a saying that goes something like: ‘what you measure is what you value’. An RNZ article last week claimed that Auckland was ‘hurting’ because of a more affordable supply of homes, particularly townhouses ...
A Prime Minister directs his public service to inquire into the actions of the opposition political party which is his harshest critic. Something from Orban's Hungary, or Putin's Russia? No, its happening right here in Aotearoa: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Public Service Commission will launch an ...
This is a repost from a Yale Climate Connections article by SueEllen Campbell published on June 3, 2024. The articles listed can help you tell fact from fiction when it comes to solar and wind energy. Some statements you hear about solar and wind energy are just plain false. ...
Politics were going on all around us yesterday, and we barely noticed, rolling along canal paths, eating baguettes. It wasn’t until my mate got to the headlines last night that we learned there had been a dismayingly strong far right result in the EU elections and Macron had called a ...
Respect Existence, Or Expect Resistance? There may well have been 50,000 pairs of feet “Marching For Nature” down Auckland’s Queen Street on Saturday afternoon, but the figure that impresses the Coalition Government is the 1,450,000 pairs of Auckland feet that were somewhere else.IN THE ERA OF DRONES and Artificial Intelligence, ...
Selwyn Manning and I discuss varieties of post colonial blowback and the implications its has for the rise of the Global South. Counties discussed include Palestine/Israel, France/New Caledonia, England/India, apartheid/post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial New Zealand. It is a bit … Continue reading → ...
Victims of family violence could fall through the gaps in New Zealand, as Police stop responding to some call outs and the Government chooses to prioritise other things. ...
The lack of bids at today’s ETS auction is a sad indictment on this Government's staggering indifference to the climate crisis and their lack of a plan. ...
“I am deeply disappointed in the National Party's budget. Their broken promises and cuts to essential services, including health, education, and support for vulnerable groups, will have long-lasting negative impacts” – Raymor, Auckland ...
Today marks the beginning of Schools Pride Week in New Zealand, an important calendar event largely run by rainbow rangitahi to advocate for safer, more inclusive school environments. ...
The Government’s announcement of a roadshow consultation on work health and safety is a smokescreen for its plan to throw out regulations which keep workers safe. ...
The Government has reportedly scrapped a policy that would have gone far to fix gender and ethnic pay gaps and instead is implementing a watered-down voluntary system. ...
The Government knew its changes to the school lunch programme would risk achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing of New Zealand children, as well as having wider impacts on reducing child poverty, and made the changes anyway, new documents show. ...
Two months have passed since the National Government said it was a question of ”when, not if” New Zealand would recognise Palestine, in response to Labour’s call. ...
Today the coalition government has announced that a select committee inquiry into banking competition will be led by the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.New Zealand First campaigned to take on foreign owned banks, and we committed to that in our coalition agreement by ensuring the inquiry has a broad ...
The National Government is doing everything it can to delay taking action on climate as it announces that years of work on agricultural emissions will start from scratch. ...
Tens of thousands of people showed up to have their voices heard and march against National’s unpopular Fast Track Approvals Bill in Auckland over the weekend. ...
The Government deciding to lift the oil and gas ban in the middle of a climate crisis is a severe step backwards that will have serious consequences for our future. ...
This week the Justice Select Committee has heard numerous submissions on the removal of Māori Wards. “I am feeling invigorated by the powerful oral submissions that I have heard throughout the week.” Said Local Government spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “People from all facets of life: whānau Māori, whānau Pākehā, rangatahi, kaumātua, ...
Today’s March for Nature sends a clear message that our country is deeply against the Fast Track Approvals Bill proceeding because the cost to the environment would be unacceptable. ...
The recent attacks on Te Pāti Māori and its MP’s are part of a continuing narrative of attack on all matters Māori. If we could respond to baseless inuendo we would. If there is any evidence then show us so we have a reason to engage in a conversation. The ...
The Government’s move to pour billions into potholes whilst remaining inactive on climate change does nothing to solve our transport system's core problems. ...
“The Government needs to provide leadership for New Zealand’s mental health sector, which appears to have lost out in the Budget despite the promises Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey made on the campaign trail,” said Labour mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Today’s announcement that would see some workers’ entitlement to sick leave reduce flies in the face of yet another promise National made during the election campaign. ...
Cutting a third of the staff at Ministry for the Environment will undermine years of work to clean up our fresh water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and leave us unprepared for a changing climate. ...
School attendance data released today shows an increase in the number of students regularly attending school to 61.7 per cent in term one. This compares to 59.5 per cent in term one last year and 53.6 per cent in term four. “It is encouraging to see more children getting to ...
The Government has announced a record 41 per cent increase in indicative funding for public transport services and operations, and confirmed the rollout of the National Ticketing Solution (NTS) that will enable contactless debit and credit card payments starting this year in Auckland, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This Government is ...
GDP figures for the March quarter reinforce the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows GDP has risen 0.2 per cent for the quarter to March. “While today’s data is technically in ...
Women’s representation on public sector boards and committees has reached 50 per cent or above for the fourth consecutive year, with women holding 53.9 per cent of public sector board roles, Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston says. “This is a fantastic achievement, but the work is not done. To ...
The Coalition Government is supporting Māori to boost development and the Māori economy through investment in projects that benefit the regions, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka say. “As the Regional Development Minister, I am focused on supporting Māori to succeed. The Provincial Growth Fund ...
Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced that the review into better managing the risks of earthquake-prone buildings has commenced. “The terms of reference published today demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ensuring we get the balance right between public safety and costs to building owners,” Mr Penk says. “The Government ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has just finished a successful three-day visit to Japan, where he strengthened political relationships and boosted business links. Mr Luxon’s visit culminated in a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio followed by a state dinner. “It was important for me to meet Prime Minister Kishida in person ...
Significant business deals have been closed during the visit of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Japan this week, including in the areas of space, renewable energy and investment. “Commercial deals like this demonstrate that we don’t just export high-quality agricultural products to Japan, but also our world-class technology, expertise, and ...
Minasan, konnichiwa, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today and thank you to our friends at the Institute for International Socio-Economic Studies and NEC for making this event possible today. It gives me great pleasure to be here today, speaking with ...
The National Infrastructure Pipeline, which provides a national view of current or planned infrastructure projects, from roads, to water infrastructure, to schools, and more, has climbed above $120 billion, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop says. “Our Government is investing a record amount in modern infrastructure that Kiwis can rely on as ...
The Government is modernising the Public Works Act to make it easier to build infrastructure, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk announced today. An independent panel will undertake an eight-week review of the Act and advise on common sense changes to enable large scale public works to be built faster and ...
New Zealand will enhance its defence contributions to monitoring violations of sanctions against North Korea, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. The enhancement will see the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) increase its contributions to North Korea sanctions monitoring, operating out of Japan. “This increase reflects the importance New Zealand ...
Good afternoon everyone. It’s great to be with you all today before we wrap up Day One of the annual Safeguard National Health and Safety Conference. Thank you to the organisers and sponsors of this conference, for the chance to talk to you about the upcoming health and safety consultation. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone for the Ōtaki to north of Levin Road of National Significance (RoNS), following the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) signing interim alliance agreements with two design and construction teams who will develop and ultimately build the new expressway.“The Government’s priority for transport ...
The Department of Internal Affairs [Department] is making a significant upgrade to their Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System, which blocks access to websites known to host child sexual abuse material, says Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden. “The Department will incorporate the up-to-date lists of websites hosting child sexual ...
A vaccine to prevent an infectious disease that costs New Zealand cattle farmers more than $190 million each year could radically improve the health of our cows and boost on-farm productivity, Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says. The Ministry for Primary Industries is backing a project that aims to develop ...
The Government has today announced that it is making it easier for people to build granny flats, Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop say. “Making it easier to build granny flats will make it more affordable for families to live the way that suits them ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Auckland King’s Counsel Gregory Peter Blanchard as a High Court Judge. Justice Blanchard attended the University of Auckland from 1991 to 1995, graduating with an LLB (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts (English). He was a solicitor with the firm that is now Dentons ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says new data released today shows encouraging growth in the health workforce, with a continued increase in the numbers of doctors, nurses and midwives joining Health New Zealand. “Frontline healthcare workers are the beating heart of the healthcare system. Increasing and retaining our health workforce ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has today announced a comprehensive programme to reform New Zealand's outdated and complicated firearms laws. “The Arms Act has been in place for over 40 years. It has been amended several times – in a piecemeal, and sometimes rushed way. This has resulted in outdated ...
The coalition Government is delivering record levels of targeted investment in specialist schools so children with additional needs can thrive. As part of Budget 24, $89 million has been ringfenced to redevelop specialist facilities and increase satellite classrooms for students with high needs. This includes: $63 million in depreciation funding ...
A substantial consultation on work health and safety will begin today with a roadshow across the regions over the coming months, says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. This the first step to deliver on the commitment to reforming health and safety law and regulations, set out in ...
Forestry Minister Todd McClay, today announced the start of the Government’s plan to restore certainty and confidence in the forestry and wood processing sector. “This government will drive investment to unlock the industry’s economic potential for growth,” Mr McClay says. “Forestry’s success is critical to rebuilding New Zealand’s economy, boosting ...
Annual service charges in the forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be cancelled for 2023/24, Forestry Minister Todd McClay says. “The sector has told me the costs imposed on forestry owners by the previous government were excessive and unreasonable and I agree,” Mr McClay says. “They have said that there ...
Introduction Thank you for having me here today and welcome to Wellington, the home of the Hurricanes, the next Super Rugby champions. Infrastructure – the challenge This government has inherited a series of big challenges in infrastructure. I don’t need to tell an audience as smart as this one that ...
Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard welcomed outcomes to boost agricultural and food trade between New Zealand and China. A number of documents were signed today at Government House that will improve the business environment between New Zealand and China, and help reduce barriers, including on infant formula ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay, and China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, today announced the official launch of Negotiations on Services Trade between the two countries. “The Government is focused on opening doors for services exporters to grow the New Zealand’s economy,” Mr McClay says. As part of the 2022 New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Upgrade ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Government House in Wellington today. “I was pleased to welcome Premier Li to Wellington for his first official visit, which marks 10 years since New Zealand and China established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Mr Luxon says. “The Premier and ...
The coalition Government is taking action to reduce the gender pay gap in New Zealand through the development of a voluntary calculation tool. “Gender pay gaps have impacted women for decades, which is why we need to continue to drive change in New Zealand,” Acting Minister for Women Louise Upston ...
The coalition Government is boosting funding for Rural Support Trusts to provide more help to farmers and growers under pressure, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced today. “A strong and thriving agricultural sector is crucial to the New Zealand economy and one of the ways to support it is to ...
Spending on contractors and consultants continues to fall and the size of the Public Service workforce has started to decrease after years of growth, according to the latest data released today by the Public Service Commission. Workforce data for the quarter from 31 December 23 to 31 March 24 shows ...
Thank you to the Law Association for inviting me to speak this morning. As a former president under its previous name — the Auckland District Law Society — I take particular satisfaction in seeing this organisation, and its members, in such good heart. As Attorney-General, I am grateful for these ...
New Zealand is committed to working closely with Timor-Leste to support its prosperity and resilience, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “This year is the 25th anniversary of New Zealand sending peacekeepers to Timor-Leste, who contributed to the country’s stabilisation and ultimately its independence,” Mr Peters says. “A quarter ...
Promoting robust competition in the banking sector is vital to rebuilding the economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “New Zealanders deserve a banking sector that is as competitive as possible. Banking services play an important role in our communities and in the economy. Kiwis rely on access to lending when ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds, and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard have today announced a regulatory sector review on the approval process for new agricultural and horticultural products. “Red tape stops farmers and growers from getting access to products that have been approved by other OECD countries. ...
The Coalition Government will reverse Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions by 1 July 2025 through a new Land Transport Rule released for public consultation today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. The draft speed limit rule will deliver on the National-ACT coalition commitment to reverse the previous government’s blanket speed limit ...
Minister Paul Goldsmith is making major leadership changes within both his Arts and Media portfolios. “I am delighted to announce Carmel Walsh will be officially stepping into the role of Chair of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, having been acting Chair since April,” Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Carmel is ...
Food and fibre export revenue is tipped to reach $54.6 billion this year and hit a record $66.6b in 2028 as the Government focuses on getting better access to markets and cutting red tape, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones say. “This achievement is testament ...
A new export exemption proposal for food businesses demonstrates the coalition Government’s commitment to reducing regulatory barriers for industry and increasing the value of New Zealand exports, which gets safe New Zealand food to more markets, says Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The coalition Government has listened to the concerns ...
New Zealand and Philippines are continuing to elevate our relationship, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The leaders of New Zealand and Philippines agreed in April 2024 to lift our relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership by 2026,” Mr Peters says. “Our visit to Manila this week has been an excellent ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Kirkland, Professor of Geochronology, Curtin University Lukas Gojda / Shutterstock Our planet was born around 4.5 billion years ago. To understand this mind-bendingly long history, we need to study rocks and the minerals they are made of. The oldest rocks ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra No one doubts Peter Dutton has a huge task to sell his radical nuclear plan, with many experts throwing buckets of cold water over it. But on Thursday the opposition leader received some welcome backing. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jordana Hunter, School Education Program Director, Grattan Institute The Victorian Auditor-General has just released an audit of Victoria’s A$1.2 billion tutoring program designed to help struggling students post-COVID. The report found the program “did not significantly improve students’ learning compared to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marta Khomyn, Lecturer, University of Adelaide Jonathan Borba/Pexels The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has just seen the listing of its first bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund – “ETF” for short. Issued by investment management firm VanEck, the new investment product is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alana Lentin, Professor in Cultural and Social Analysis, Western Sydney University Prudence Upton/Sydney Theatre Company Anchuli Felicia King’s new one-performer piece, American Signs, written for the talented Catherine Văn-Davies, thrusts us into the world of a campus hire at “The Firm”, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Parmeter, Research Scholar, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University Among the many sayings attributed to Winston Churchill is, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” This sentiment seems appropriate as Israel potentially appears ...
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) have voiced concerns about Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora restricting the employment of graduate nurses into their workforce due to budget constraints. ...
The NZCTU is slamming a decision by the Government in Budget 2024 to cut a programme which ensured that disabled workers are paid the minimum wage. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University Martin Lisner/Shutterstock It is very difficult to take Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s nuclear announcement seriously. His proposal for seven nuclear power stations is, at present, legally impossible, technically improbable, economically ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney Each year, millions of Muslims from across the world embark on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The mass migration is unparalleled in scale, and pilgrims ...
The Committee has recommended that the Bill be passed with minor amendments. The bill will create 12 new high protection areas, 5 new seafloor protection areas and 2 extensions to existing marine reserves. ...
“The Green Party campaigned on protecting 30 percent of our oceans. We will continue to fight for our marine environment so it can be enjoyed across future generations,” says Marama Davidson. ...
We asked public organisations for an update on their response to the recommendations in our 2022 report Improving value through better Crown entity monitoring. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra After beating a first-term South Australian Liberal government in 2022, Labor premier Peter Malinauskas has gone on to be a reform advocate on issues including social media and politcal donations. His government is looking ...
The economy keeps limping along, and people keep getting poorer. GDP per capita has fallen yet again, and it's now been in freefall for well over a year. ...
Alex Casey and Tara Ward look back at the best and brightest New Zealanders to appear in the greatest reality franchise of all time. It’s the hugely addictive reality show with a little bit of everything. “It’s got the high octane Hell’s Kitchen action in the chef’s galley, the nouveau ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Galloway, Professor of Law and Social Justice, Australian Catholic University Commonwealth Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has announced that the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) would review the Native Title Act to “rectify any inefficacy, inequality or unfairness”. The purpose of the ...
COMMENTARY:By Nick Rockel in Tāmaki Makaurau This morning I did something I seldom do, I looked at the Twitter newsfeed. Normally I take the approach of something that I’m not sure is an American urban legend, or genuinely something kids do over there. The infamous bag of dog poo ...
The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) has issued the government a "letter of demand" for complicity with Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. ...
You might say the best way not to be an arsehole is to avoid leaving any notes on cars, but if you must, here’s the etiquette. A fun fact that never fails to make me laugh is that something like 90% of drivers believe they’re in the top 5% of ...
Criminal justice advocacy group JustSpeak and human rights movement Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand are raising alarm bells about the social justice issues highlighted in this year’s data. ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist All parties, including West Papuan pro-independence fighters who took Phillip Mehrtens hostage, want the New Zealand pilot released but freeing him is “complicated”. In February 2023, Mehrtens, a husband and father from Christchurch, was working for Indonesian airline, Susi Air, when he landed his ...
The current coalition not lasting beyond this parliamentary term is an idea that’s been seized on by its opponents. History suggests it’s unlikely – but not impossible. Gabi Lardies explains.‘We have a very good chance of making this a one-term government,” said Labour leader Chris Hipkins at his party’s ...
FIRST Union members at St John have voted to take further strike action that commences today, with the aim of seeking public support for a fully functioning ambulance service before industrial action intensifies to the point of withdrawing labour. ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk New Caledonia’s security forces have arrested eight people believed to be involved in the organisation of pro-independence-related riots that broke out in the French Pacific territory last month. The eight include leaders of the so-called Field Action Coordinating Cell (CCAT), a ...
New Zealand air traffic controller trainees who previously spent up to 18 months training without being treated or paid as employees will now be considered employees ...
Close to a million artefacts found in post-quake Christchurch are now available to be viewed by the public. Alex Casey speaks to the founder of Museum of Archeology Ōtautahi.Charles Henry Cox would’ve got away with it, if it hadn’t been for those damn meddling archeologists. The talented grifter proudly ...
The director and actor shares what it means to commit to the work.Anapela Polataivao ONZM is an award-winning director and actor. She is a recipient of the Arts Foundation New Generation Award (2014), the Contemporary Pacific Art Award (2019), and Best Director at the Auckland Theatre Awards (2016). Her ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Byrne, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the UK general election outside 10 Downing Street in the pouring rain last month, the ignominy of the moment was compounded ...
I’m a vegan who adores vegetables and he’s a big meat-eater totally suspicious of them. Help me! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzKia ora Hera,I need my partner to eat some vegetables and I don’t know how.I have a lovely partner: he’s caring, supportive and meets me where ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hussein Dia, Professor of Future Urban Mobility, Swinburne University of Technology algre/Shutterstock Just last year, data suggested plug-in hybrid cars were on the way out in Australia. But they’re back. New data shows plug-in hybrids and conventional hybrids combined have overtaken ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Schofield, Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability), The University of Melbourne ESA Communications companies such as Starlink plan to launch tens of thousands of satellites into orbit around Earth over the next decade or so. The growing swarm ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ganna Pogrebna, Executive Director, AI and Cyber Futures Institute, Charles Sturt University Shutterstock In the ever-evolving online gaming landscape, one seemingly simple online game has captivated players. The free-to-play clicker Banana has amassed more than 850,000 concurrent players on the gaming ...
Data this morning will reveal whether or not the country has pulled out of recession, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Have ...
There is no suggestion the contents of Seymour’s messages were inappropriate, but some of his former correspondents say the interactions shouldn’t have happened The post Seymour fronts up on Snapchats with school kids appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Never fear! The rogue Māori is here! To be honest I’m pretty fūcken peeved at having to join the chorus, late, of witless Pākehā who have thoughts on Paul Moon’s book Ans Westra: A Life In Photography. Steve Braunias is all right, we are friends, but I wasn’t happy about ...
A housing minister willing to publicly discuss house price falls is encouraging, but true affordability is likely to remain a long way off, writes Max Rashbrooke. House prices must always rise. For as long as I can recall, this has been one of the core assumptions of Kiwi politics. It ...
Lange and Muldoon clash, two days after the election. Our live updates editor is on the case. In a ranking of the most dramatic, unhinged days in New Zealand politics, July 16, 1984 would be right up there. David Lange would later call the day “perhaps the most extraordinary of ...
Opinion: According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, a record 117.3 million peoples were forcibly displaced at the end of 2023 due to conflict, violence, or climate-related disasters. This is nearly equivalent to the populations of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia combined. Alarmingly, the number of forcibly displaced peoples ...
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Opinion: Most of us know that getting old is not for the faint-hearted, but readers may not know that older New Zealanders who aren’t well-off are better provided for than children growing up in poor families. To our shame, at least 150,000 children live below the lowest poverty line ...
MARTINA SALMON – PULSE From out of the netball wilderness, Martina Salmon has been the unexpected rock at the end of the court for the Pulse – and may prove to be the revelation of the season. The Auckland-born, Australian-raised Salmon took on the goal shoot bib when Silver Fern ...
The Government is trying to incentivise tertiary completion rates by shifting fees free to the final year, but hasn’t based this decision on any hard evidence The post No hard data to back up fees-free final year change appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Nicola Willis has confirmed five agencies were externally reviewed ahead of Budget 2024 due to concerns their efforts to make savings hadn’t gone far enough. She told members of the finance and expenditure select committee “rapid reviews” for education, social development, environment, police (head office) and the Ministry of Business ...
Health and education saw the biggest increases in spending after tax cuts in the Budget, with housing and tertiary education facing the largest cuts The post Who got Budget cash and who lost it appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The debt owed by hundreds of thousands of people to government agencies has soared in recent years but a plan to tackle it has been put on hold. Figures from the Ministry of Social Development show that total debt has climbed by more than $1 billion since 2018 to $2.61 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra New ABC chair Kim Williams has said the public broadcaster should become a reimagined “National Campfire”, fostering a stronger sense of community togetherness and conversation in a world increasingly fragmented by social media. Williams ...
Asia Pacific Report French police and gendarmes force were deployed around the political headquarters of the pro-independence Caledonian Union in Kanaky New Caledonia’s Nouméa suburb of Magenta in a crackdown today. The public prosecutor confirmed that eight protesters had been arrested, including the leader of the CCAT action groups, Christian ...
Charlie Kirk has been at war with US colleges, taking the view of the Argentinian President, that an education system that turns out those of the progressive liberal or social democratic left is no good.
His social conservative, pro capitalist line – a form of God and mammon dominionism that requires a censorship of any deviation from orthodoxy, is a revisionist McCarthyism.
https://medium.com/p/9237594ee0f2
I couldn't read the link, but a quick search of Ol' Charlie……
And yea, Critical Thinking..is Critical : )
I disagree with a lot of what Charlie Kirk has to say. But his argument that US College is scam isn't to far off the mark. Kids are putting themselves into a life time of debt to get a piece of paper they probably don't need and often regret.
Universities are a critical part of every society. But they shouldn't be a prerequisite to having a fulfilling career and cause massive financial distress for so many Americans.
It was the fictional character Will Hunting that summed up Charlie's argument best almost 30 years ago.
Just whizzed through Madeline Pendleton's economic autobiography deconstructing her experience with the US capitalist system at the bottom. She grew up in Fresno in a low-income family with generational poverty, studied and worked at the low end of the US economy for years. She critiques the US education loan system, and exposes the private for-profit college system that cripples low-income students after training with enduring debt.
A great read, and a perceptive personal analysis of the US system from underneath. Madeline finishes by discussing the clothes company she established, where all workers, including herself, gets the same income, and excess profit is used to buy assets like reliable cars and cheap housing for company workers.
Got it from the local library, and up til 2am reading it last night.
Has Britain's hopeless Labour leader apologised for this supporter's violence?
https://x.com/Lowkey0nline/status/1786311986227102159
Could Labour end up winning another seat if this goes bad for the Maori party?
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says Te Pāti Māori allegations very serious – NZ Herald
Pretty low stuff from Chris Hipkins trying to knife Te Pāti Māori. TPM are providing sterling leadership at the moment, getting communities organised–unlike Labour who you hardly get a squeak from at street level.
The Natzos, Act and NZ First virtually bought the election on media channels with their large donations–aided of course by revenge voters, munters, and the usual suspects like landlords and small business.
Back in the Internet Mana days NZ Labour put significant resources into the West Auckland corner of Te Tai Tokerau to defeat Hone Harawira and stop Laila Harre returning to Parliament.
Chris Hipkins dialled in a Cap’n’s Call on Wealth Tax and CGT which helped Labour lose the election–he should be more concerned about the future implications of that than shafting a flax roots party that is growing support.
In an election when the electorate swung to the right, you think Labour lost because they dropped left policies like Wealth Tax and CGT?
But to your point I think Hipkins has identified that TPM is taking a very extreme position on Maori sovereignty and rights which will likely frighten many kiwis. I can already foresee the tactics of the right at the next election. A Government with TPM in it will be a difficult sell to many Kiwis.
I suspect Hipkins is now on a mission to kill that off before it becomes an issue for him
You can suspect what you like, the fact is Māori numbers are approaching 20% of the population with most under 40. Māori birth rate is at replacement level, pākehā and other tau iwi are around 1.6%, so demographics are changing.
New gens are less likely to be freaked out by Māori power than older folks. So Hipkins has a double bind, TPM will get more organised, while others despair of Labour’s adherence to Rogernomics 40 years on.
Do you think Maori all have the same political views?
That is a very arrogant and racist view if you do.
Maori voted on mass for parties other than TPM if you want to ponder that question.
Really, if you know Aotearoa NZ history the answer to your question mark is obvious. Māori were traders, entrepreneurs, and there has always been a pro capitalist section since colonisation.
The thing is most Māori are working class and are on the wrong end of all sorts of statistics–as are other working class people. That does not guarantee fight back–but TPM are pushing back so that is why they are under attack from the ruling class and its representatives.
It was binary question directed at you, which you didn't really answer.
On the assumption that you agree that Maori have different political views, why do you think their increasing demographic will benefit TPM, when the vast majority of Maori vote for other parties?
James Simpson your lack of understanding on how MMP works, coupled with your total lack of understanding how Māori voted in the last election makes your statements look weak.
Here is some help, Māori split their vote in every electorate the Te Pāti Māori ran in. With the overwhelming majority of party vote going to Labour. Te Pāti Māori ran a campaign to win electorates, not party vote. Strategically a small percentage of party votes went to Te Pāti Māori to get overhang. Which was achieved.
Te Pāti Māori is not the be all, and end all voice for Māori. No one is arguing that, what Te Pāti Māori is about is giving a voice to Māori who feel/are disposed and disillusioned with the political process which overwhelmingly supports the interest of the few over the many.
Yes. Same in the USA with African Americans, working class, and the poor. It's a class war, but divide and rule tactics are at play here, there, and everywhere.
You maybe right on birth rate levels but non European groups are growing much faster driven by immigration. I think Asian ethnicity is now greater than Maori and it almost double in the time from the last census. European % will decrease but I don’t see Maori growing as a % of the population and considering all birth rate global are dropping it would be a shock if Maori rates dropped below replacement too soon. NZ future is going to continue to be heavily immigrant just not the white kind.
Another broken election promise but where’s the backlash from New Zealanders, MSM, experts and charities to put the gumboot into National and this coalition government?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/518756/kapiti-coast-s-last-psychiatrist-quits-as-government-fails-to-keep-funding-promise
Working on some kind of plan is not the same as coughing up the funding, as you had promised, Mr Doocey, and you know it.
They, National in this CoC Govt, have caused such financial stress and work uncertainty that responses to outrages are muted by people's worry over food, child care, sick leave and rates and insurances plus the 90 day rot, all leading to mental health issues and the silence of the lambs.
Maori have organised two protests.
We need a leader to organise a day of protests over broken promises.
Sad to see Chris Hipkins falling for a baited hook about stats. Keep your eyes on the goal of changing the Govt Chris.
Where were you Chris Hipkins, when it was revealed there had been a 600% increase in dolphin deaths? Sea bed mining next.
It makes you wonder what Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora have been doing with Little's $1B.
I've often thought some of the anonymous boffins in the Public Service need a lot more accountability.
The government revenues are higher than Treasury forecast because they under-estimated the amount of tax liable off interest or PIE income (vehicle for those on higher tax rates). The upside of higher interest rates.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/06/government-books-get-boost-from-financial-markets-trust-tax-payments.html
But presumably still not enough money for cancer drugs, support to those with disability in school hours, maintenance of KO homes, abandoned funding for school building, insulation and energy efficient heating subsidy for low income homeowners.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/06/budget-2024-labour-attacks-changes-to-housing-policy-says-it-s-catastrophic-for-new-zealand.html
How hard is it to call Chloe?
Forest and Bird and Greepeace and TPM can do it.
Shows Willis was not on top of the figures. What will she call this? A tax wave?
I am wondering why the hell Chris Hipkins is so interested in the (latest) right-wing dirty politics conspiracy against Te Pati Maori over alleged use of personal data for election campaigning.
Shouldn't he be going after National full bore after their horrendous budget which has disillusioned a fair proportion of New Zealanders apart from those who own a lot of property and earn an above average income?
Shouldn't he be demanding the resignation of a constituency MP who admitted he made a "mistake" and vastly overspent his budgetary allowance on campaigning for the previous election?
The CoC must be sitting back and laughing while Hipkins does their job for them, going after TPM.
Labour needs a new leader – soon.
Agree. ABH–anyone but Hipkins, and that is not to totally demonise him, he like everyone else had a bloody hard time during peak COVID.
As I said at #4…Chris Hipkins dialled in a Cap’n’s Call on Wealth Tax and CGT which helped Labour lose the election–he should be more concerned about the future implications of that than shafting a flax roots party that is growing support on the ground.
I still find it so hard to believe that Labour wimped out on these things. After its unprecedented majority victory in 2020 it could have carried out a strong programme of change with no hindrance. Even some economic and business interest groups were quietly saying that a CGT or wealth tax was almost inevitable in the long run. They were set up ripe and ready to really change the NZ economy for the better and make it more sustainable and equitable, but failed to act.
I have nothing personal against Chris Hipkins, but he is really mostly just Jacinda's successor rather than the vital leader of Labour that they need.
It was Jacinda Ardern who announced straight after the 2017 election that there would no CGT.
Hipkins got asked what he thought about the accusations and said it needs looking into, that's hardly going after tmp!! It's possible its dp, bit best to check just incase
And he is 100% correct. It needs looking into. I am not sure why anyone would object to that?
Chris Hipkins was responding to the media's questions about claims of misused census data, to help Te Pāti Māori's election campaign. If he had commented they were not worth investigating, this would not make sense, and would be ammunition for the Government and the media against Labour.
Recent polls show Labour is gaining popularity, so there seems no reason to replace Hipkins, as some people suggest. He comes across as sincere, down to earth and practical. A change of leader would make Labour look divided and unstable.
My thoughts too bwaghorn – I thought his response was quite measured. These accusations need clearing up whichever way they go.
Your right Mike the Lefty its another play from dirty politics hand book.
When in the real world the right thing to do is investigate, then report findings – rather than make a mountain out of a mole hill over accusations.
But no, we get the gaggle of useful idiot lining up to poo poo Te Pāti Māori.
And, you'd think that some people might have half a brain, and get this is the same shit they pulled in the donkey years. But…
My guess is that there is substance to these allegations but Tamahere/TMP may take the National Party defence of blaming an over enthusiastic junior staffer.
Fantastic news to see the Australian ACTU come out of their congress aiming for 5 weeks or 25 days leave gor every union member.
Strongly hope this is the Federal government that can do it.
See the Natz are going to pay 65000$ each to fix and prevent each pothole/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350298087/nz-politics-live-transport-minister-simeon-brown-speaks
Still nothing for the 13 cancer drugs though – I know what I would prioritise.
Luxo is apparently not ruling out a public enquiry into the allegations against TPM concerning misuse of census data. Though he says he will let the current Police enquiry run its course. This is a terrific opportunity to distract from the dumpster fire that is the CoC and the Herald is running the distraction energetically.
But I wonder, what does one call a government that likes to use the power and institutions of the state to discredit its political opponents?