Heard on the radio yesterday that Far North District Council is going ahead with implementing local speed restrictions that are bound to clash with Simeon Brown's pathological desire for speed.
We have seen most councils openly challenging central government by deciding to keep their Maori wards (although ironically not the Far North) and now another comes another challenge to Brown's petrol head king of the road ego.
Well, he must be conflicted much ? Embarrassing for him and his fellow NACT1's. But really…why the fck wouldnt you want Children, Pedestrians, and All to be ..safer?
IMO. Speed bumps are a good for the community type of thing that National idealogically opposes.They prefer the 'rugged individualism' of solo speeding which reflects their 'me me me' attitude and promotes selfishness which is of political benefit to them.
Indeed, which makes Nat MP Tim and his concern for school children (I could say..his school and his children, but surely not?) all the more incongruous…with his NACT1 crew?
Anyway….I hope it gets more, much more, viewing. If at the very least for the..discomfort feeling for a Govt that thinks Children’s (and others) safety…is not worth it !
After the Paris Olympics and onya to our competing NZ Athletes , notwithstanding the dissing of some, by some (easy to criticise from a seat ?)… is the Paralympics.
I have an interest in this, and a great respect and admiration for same. I was watching the swimming….unbelievable. Some with one arm,disabled legs and still going for it, faster than most fully able swimmers !
Agree. I'm also enjoying being able to watch said paralymics on TVNZ streaming. As opposed to the Olympics that are still stuck behind a paywall (or highlights with ads every 5 minutes). One has to wonder why Sky doesn't care about hogging the rights for this- not enough money to be made?
Many countries screen the Olympics for free, including Australia, UK, USA but of course we don't. Can we assume that TVNZ can't afford the rights, or are major sporting events now the preserve of the rich?
Luxon and Co paint the NZ economy as the only one faltering in the world and relentlessly point the finger at Labour, but anyone with half a brain and an ear to the ground knows that most western governments are struggling with similar issues.
One only has to look across the ditch and see that Dutton's liberal party has a real chance at toppling the Albanese government. Wouldn't have picked that a couple of years ago.
If a Federal Election were held now the result would be ‘too close to call’ with the ALP on 50.5% (up 1%) just ahead of the Coalition on 49.5% (down 1%) on a two-party preferred basis, the latest Roy Morgan survey finds.
Most western governments from the right and the left followed the same monetary policies during and post COVID. Almost without exception governments implemented large fiscal stimulus packages to support businesses and individuals. That increased money supply and spending in the economy, was a major contribution to high inflation which resulted in high interest rates that have caused recessions across the globe.
But which government, in the history of the world, didn't blame the previous government for all the issues they were dealing with?
Actually, most inflation was caused by covid related bottlenecks and delays not increased gvmt spending. Supply side caused not demand side. The idea it was all or mostly due to gvmt spending is a tired right wing myth.
Right now, the government could claim that the grass is green – and they'd be decried on TS.
Imho, what our commentariat needs is a 'respectful centrist' – someone who could occasionally bring themselves to critique the claims of our CoC govt.
And so my watch begins
In praise of Jacob Rees-Mogg, the secret centrist [14 Oct 2022]
It’s possible, and should be utterly normal, to agree with someone on some things and disagree with them on others. That is – or should be – an article of centrist faith.
Is there nothing in the "pile on" (critiques) that you agree with?
It’s possible, and should be utterly normal, to agree with someone on some things and disagree with them on others. That is – or should be – an article of centrist faith.
"Yes", critiques of our CoC govt here are overwhelming to centrists?
Or "Yes", there's nothing in those critiques that you agree with?
However, there is little point to 'me too' posts.
Are you suggesting that “there is little point” to many of the posts here? Such a suggestion could be considered a bit arrogant, imho.
If you don't have a different perspective to share, you're just wasting bandwidth.
Consider the possiblity that your main objection to "'me too' posts" here is less about a waste of bandwidth (?), and more to do with the fact that the consensus of these (left-ish) "'me too' posts" is very often at odds with your 'respectful centrist' perspective.
It’s possible, and should be utterly normal, to agree with someone on some things and disagree with them on others. That is – or should be – an article of centrist faith.
I think Luxon is unpopular, Seymour is becoming even more hated, Winston is past it and the economy will still be weak in late 2026.
Cue a win for Lab/Gr/TPM.
As I said yesterday, a Land or Wealth Tax where ALL of the proceeds are committed towards fixing the major issues faced by the public health system would be a good policy to run on.
Luxon is chronically weak on health because he doesn't know anybody who uses the public health system.
Baldrick Luxon, Toy Boy Seymour and Gerry Winston are not very appealing in the general public's eyes, however obviously the white right wing property owing anti Maaori voters are clapping their hands with glee.
Sadly for your analysis – the coalition government has roughly the same popularity as in 2023, when they were elected.
There is currently no sign that their approval ratings are sinking like a stone. The voters can't *all* be "white right wing property owing anti Maaori"
After the historic events of the last week, will this government continue to divide, degrade, and belittle any Māori focussed legislation as they have been doing for the last 10 months? The absolutely amazing thousands and thousands who made the journey to the Waikato will surely not stand by and let Luxon/Peters/Jones/Seymour continue as they have been doing. I felt there was an underlying demonstration of "mess with us at your peril".
FYI in the article linked below, I challenge all the Government's talk about the need for spending cuts because 'the money has run out' and 'times are tough' and we need to 'tighten our belts'.
Actually, the professionals who judge our Government's finances day in and day out think there is no crisis at all. Actually, they tried to lend the Government $22.7 billion last month at an interest rate of 4.25% when our Treasury had only asked to borrow $3 billion.
The wisdom of the crowds in financial markets is literally screaming out to our leaders of both major parties to borrow money from banks and fund managers fir a decade or two to solve our glaringly obvious infrastructure deficits.
The only reason the country issues bonds is to price market confidence in its borrowing. If that confidence is meaningless we may as well just have treasury borrow directly from the RBNZ and save on paying interest to non government institutions. The RBNZ is after all the only originator of $NZ, anyway. As Hickey points out, money markets are not in anyway calling for an austerity program, its just that the govt arrived with many wrong pre-conceptions about what it should do.
First it was the Lincoln Project, but the exodus from the GOP continues.
Naturally there is concern about the emerging consequence of the GOP southern strategy (post Democratic Party move to affirm civil rights in the 1950's-1970's).
A post HUAC move via Moral Majority, Christian Coalition, Promise Keepers to a full on Christian dominionism (nation identity) Project 2025 (political management by the Heritage Foundation policy agenda).
A threat to the March 4 1789 constitutional republic.
The old GOP was a champion of this non democratic regime. They resisted populism, and developed a deep state that would protect this republic from democracy, anarchy and secession and the social democracy of the secular left (the FBI is still dedicated to defend the republic from such threats to capitalism).
But some would now rather support the alternative to Trump.
They have learnt from history (the elite right of Germany went populist to defeat the left using a "strongmans/champion of the people" nativist pseudo religious heritage defence of civilisation playbook – MGGA) which has been reprised by Trump (MAGA). Germany became a tyranny.
PS A few genuinely left wing Germans got caught up in that nationalism, and now a few once on the left, now posing as of an independent media, like Trump's isolationism and are attracted to the dismantling of the "neo-liberal" western regime – calling it "peace" – the Neville Nigel Oswald's of our times).
I see they're looking at a development to stretch it to 6 months (i.e. twice a year). I wonder how supplementary feeding (e.g. feeding out in winter) would affect the results.
Agree that drenching is a big physical job – but being able to integrate with a more general drenching schedule (frequency) would make it more manageable for farmers.
No indication on costs.
Should be relatively easy to police – requirement to purchase the number of doses needed for the size of the herd. That will be the largest part of the cost (if the methane bolus can be administered on the same routine farm drenching schedule). If the farmer has already bought it, there's no cash incentive to not use it.
In the mouth drenching isn’t every 6 month for adults. Depends on what is being targeted.
Most frequent drenching is in food usually about 28 days. And then pour on at about 42 days. Mostly frequently done on calves, especially early weaned calves
More like 12-24 months for squirt drenches for adult cows and steers for the in the back of the mouth squirt. It is also done for stock moving between farms.
It is a a herd health measure – just like a public health measure to keep the parasite load on paddocks low. Specific to particular encysted parasites.
By the sound of the bolus, this is larger ‘calibre’ than what happens in drenching with a requirement to go down the gullet rather than just in the back of the mouth.
It sounds way harder than a drenching. I can’t any incentive for farmers to either do the extra work or to pay for the bolus and gear.
It would if everything worked perfectly. As a person with a science degree and a lot of time working as a engineer, I am extremely sceptical.
This is a trial of a methane reducing technique. So far the past trialling on methane reduction (at least three that I know of) in pasture fed populations of ruminants have been abject failures for NZ conditions. I don't expect this one to be any different.
But even if the trials in Australia succeed, they still won't constitute validation for NZ. The environmental conditions and types of animals used in Aussie aren't that similar. Before anyone, especially farmers, would want to commit themselves to.
Charging for methane will be the incentive. An adjustment to the farm regime by c2030.
However the probability that National will actually do start charging is about 0%. The gutless wonders that are National party MPs haven't managed to stand-up to even mild pressure from farmers once in the last 30 years. That is despite the science on climate changes being well known to even National MPs back to the early 1990s.
What makes you think that these cowards could actually make a decision that affects a noisy part of their own constituency. They only like attacking the weak, ideally the ones on the bread lines who can't fight back.
I doubt it will be done by the farmers themsleves, teams will be hired to do it (and verify).
To do teams would require a significiant workforce wandering around the countryside doing and enforcing the task. This is exactly the kind of organisation that National fucks up on routinely.
Think of it as factory inspectors, or water quality testing or possum control or anything that National tries or is meant to try to organise teams of people to do over decades. That isn't something that National governments are notable for doing. Especially for an industry that is increasingly unprofitable.
A 'fix' for methane-laced cow burps could be a 'game changer' (urgggh) – plenty of researchers/companies in the mix, but who will foot the bill(s)? Gotta stay hopeful.
Feeding livestock a seaweed supplement called FutureFeed could simultaneously help to secure global food security and fight climate change by reducing powerful greenhouse gas emissions.
Where do we go from here? RMI is turning Carbon Mapper, MethaneSAT, and other satellite data into action.
…
Making invisible climate pollutant emissions, visible, is the game changer.
…
We’re waiting again in anticipation of “first light” in the months ahead when Tanager-1 successfully transmits its initial observations. Then the bounty of super-emitting methane and CO2 emissions measurements will follow. With this growing body of climate intelligence, the sky’s the limit to hasten action.
“A game changer” “to hasten action” – in NZ?
“Hasten action” vs “slower to go faster” – time will tell.
Review of methane science and target
The Government has appointed a Ministerial advisory panel to review New Zealand’s biogenic methane science and 2050 target.
What happened to the planned $500Mpa less in baseline spending savings with the change in government.
It was used to afford National's tax cuts.
However, on coming into office, the new Government booked those $500m in savings against Budget 2024, helping to balance the coalition’s tax package and overall Budget rather than using it to reduce the deficit and borrowing.
The papers reignite a debate that has raged since the election about whether the Government could be said to be borrowing for tax cuts. The coalition has always maintained that it was not borrowing for tax cuts because every dollar of lost tax revenue was balanced by a dollar of cutting or additional revenue somewhere else
A Treasury paper released to the Herald under the Official Information Act reveals the intention of those savings was to reduce overall spending levels into the future, and therefore reduce deficits and borrowing.
The papers reignite a debate that has raged since the election about whether the Government could be said to be borrowing for tax cuts. The coalition has always maintained that it was not borrowing for tax cuts because every dollar of lost tax revenue was balanced by a dollar of cutting or additional revenue somewhere else.
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
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 from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
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Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
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AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
Just ten days ago, South Korea's president attempted a self-coup, declaring martial law and attempting to have opposition MPs murdered or arrested in an effort to seize unconstrained power. The attempt was rapidly defeated by the national assembly voting it down and the people flooding the streets to defend democracy. ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
A separate passport, citizenship and membership of the United Nations are only available to fully independent nations, Winston Peters' office says. ...
By Emma Andrews, Henare te Ua Māori Journalism Intern at RNZ News The New Zealand fuel company Z Energy is swapping out street names for “correct” kupu on service stops around the country, with the help of local hapū. When Z took over 226 fuel sites from Shell in 2010, ...
Summer reissue: Was it a false measurement, a full-blown conspiracy or just some mild incompetence? Mad Chapman uncovers the truth of Maddi Wesche’s final throw. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Old, Associate Professor, Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Western Sydney University Dmitry Chulov, Shutterstock At this time of year, images of reindeer are everywhere. I’ve had a soft spot for reindeer ever since I was a little girl. Doesn’t everyone? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grozdana Manalo, Career Services Manager (Education), University of Sydney hedgehog94/Shutterstock Getting casual work over summer, or a part-time job that you might continue once your tertiary course starts, can be a great way to get workplace experience and earn some extra ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ty Ferguson, Research associate in exercise, nutrition and activity, University of South Australia Peera_Stockfoto/Shutterstock It’s never been easier to stay connected to work. Even when we’re on leave, our phones and laptops keep us tethered. Many of us promise ourselves we ...
The NZ Media Council upheld the complaint under principle four: comment and fact On 5 September 2024, The Spinoff published a brief article titled Made in Palestine, found in 1970s Hastings, which highlighted an upcoming art exhibition featuring photographs of vintage cosmetic products labelled “Made in Palestine.” The piece, described ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kasey Symons, Lecturer of Communication, Sports Media, Deakin University We are well and truly in cricket season. The Australian men’s cricket team is taking centre stage against India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series while the Big Bash League is underway, as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Woods, Lecturer, Nursing, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University FTiare/Shutterstock Summer is here and for many that means going to the beach. You grab your swimmers, beach towel and sunscreen then maybe check the weather forecast. Did you think to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Saman Khalesi, Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Nutrition, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity Australia Dean Clarke/Shutterstock The holiday season can be a time of joy, celebration, and indulgence in delicious foods and meals. However, for many, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia Late Night With The Devil. Maslow Entertainment Marketing is critical to the success of commercial films, and companies will often spend half as much again on top of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francisco Jose Testa, Lecturer in Earth Sciences (Mineralogy, Petrology & Geochemistry), University of Tasmania The Conversation As a kid, it was tough for me to grasp the massive time scale of Earth’s history. Now, with nearly two decades of experience as ...
Te Pāti Māori has had to adopt a new way of debating, operating and even thinking in Parliament in response to the Government’s “onslaught” against te ao Māori, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says.In an end-of-year interview with Newsroom, the Te Tai Hauauru MP reflected on how 2024 has differed from her ...
Opinion: The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science report was announced earlier this month, yet it didn’t get the flurry of media attention and political hand-wringing that typically accompanies these announcements. This might be because it presented good news, or you could argue, no news; the results paint a ...
NewsroomBy Dr Lisa Darragh, Dr Raewyn Eden and Dr David Pomeroy
At long last, The Spinoff shells out for a nut ranking. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.It recently came to The Spinoff’s attention ...
I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a ...
Summer reissue: One anxiously attentive passenger pays attention to an in-flight safety video, and wonders ‘Why can’t I pick up my own phone?’ The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...
Summer reissue: Why do those Lange-Douglas years cast such a long shadow 40 years on? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. First published June ...
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The Government’s social housing agency has backed out of a billion-dollar infrastructure alliance that would have built about 6000 new homes in Auckland – less than 18 months after signing a five-year extension.Labour says the decision to rip up the contract and sell off existing state houses could lead to ...
An unrelenting faith in “swift transition” has driven Tauranga Whai to their first Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa championship. At a boisterous Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, the visiting Tokomanawa Queens were blown away 90-71 in the final.Whai led by 20 points at halftime as their urgent movement and unflinching faith in three-point shooting from anywhere ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
It’s a little under two months since the White Ferns shocked the cricketing world, deservedly taking home the T20 World Cup. Since then the trophy has had a tour around the country, five of the squad have played in the WBBL in Australia while most others have returned to domestic ...
Comment: If we say the word ‘dementia’, many will picture an older person struggling to remember the names of their loved ones, maybe a grandparent living out their final years in an aged care facility. Dementia can also occur in people younger than 65, but it can take time before ...
Heard on the radio yesterday that Far North District Council is going ahead with implementing local speed restrictions that are bound to clash with Simeon Brown's pathological desire for speed.
We have seen most councils openly challenging central government by deciding to keep their Maori wards (although ironically not the Far North) and now another comes another challenge to Brown's petrol head king of the road ego.
Good Morn. there was also this (which I had been going to put up : ) Its paywalled at mo, but you get the picture…
Well, he must be conflicted much ? Embarrassing for him and his fellow NACT1's. But really…why the fck wouldnt you want Children, Pedestrians, and All to be ..safer?
IMO. Speed bumps are a good for the community type of thing that National idealogically opposes.They prefer the 'rugged individualism' of solo speeding which reflects their 'me me me' attitude and promotes selfishness which is of political benefit to them.
Indeed, which makes Nat MP Tim and his concern for school children (I could say..his school and his children, but surely not?) all the more incongruous…with his NACT1 crew?
Anyway….I hope it gets more, much more, viewing. If at the very least for the..discomfort feeling for a Govt that thinks Children’s (and others) safety…is not worth it !
After the Paris Olympics and onya to our competing NZ Athletes , notwithstanding the dissing of some, by some (easy to criticise from a seat ?)… is the Paralympics.
I have an interest in this, and a great respect and admiration for same. I was watching the swimming….unbelievable. Some with one arm,disabled legs and still going for it, faster than most fully able swimmers !
also amongst others, Cycling…
Much admiration for you, and all….
Agree. I'm also enjoying being able to watch said paralymics on TVNZ streaming. As opposed to the Olympics that are still stuck behind a paywall (or highlights with ads every 5 minutes). One has to wonder why Sky doesn't care about hogging the rights for this- not enough money to be made?
Many countries screen the Olympics for free, including Australia, UK, USA but of course we don't. Can we assume that TVNZ can't afford the rights, or are major sporting events now the preserve of the rich?
Hi, well, I dont have Sky (never have)..and yea its about the massive money. I watched some on Internet or the TV sport recaps…(admittedly not Live)
Re the other countries you mentioned..they also have Public Broadcasting service….which NZ has lacked and…lagged. IMO much needed !
Anyway, the Kiwis were going for it Live last night. Long jump, kayak, Swimming…was great seeing all Paralympians, esp NZ : )
I again, have huge Admiration for them
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/olympics-2024/527127/paralympics-new-zealand-s-medal-tally-so-far-in-paris
Luxon and Co paint the NZ economy as the only one faltering in the world and relentlessly point the finger at Labour, but anyone with half a brain and an ear to the ground knows that most western governments are struggling with similar issues.
One only has to look across the ditch and see that Dutton's liberal party has a real chance at toppling the Albanese government. Wouldn't have picked that a couple of years ago.
https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/federal-voting-intention-alp-50-5-now-marginally-ahead-of-the-coalition-49-5-after-albanese-governments-strong-stance-on-putting-the-cfmeu-into-administration
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-04/gdp-june-quarter-2024-australia-economic-growth/104305324
Most western governments from the right and the left followed the same monetary policies during and post COVID. Almost without exception governments implemented large fiscal stimulus packages to support businesses and individuals. That increased money supply and spending in the economy, was a major contribution to high inflation which resulted in high interest rates that have caused recessions across the globe.
But which government, in the history of the world, didn't blame the previous government for all the issues they were dealing with?
Its hardly a new attack line that Luxon is using.
Actually, most inflation was caused by covid related bottlenecks and delays not increased gvmt spending. Supply side caused not demand side. The idea it was all or mostly due to gvmt spending is a tired right wing myth.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/covid-19-inflation-was-a-supply-shock/
Which is probably why I didn't use the words "all" or "mostly due to"
Remember the "Nine years of neglect" phrase trotted out at every opportunity….
It's rhetoric. And all political parties do it, in order to serve their own narrative.
The difference is that one narrative has a strong basis in fact, the RW narrative, as Chris76 points out, is bullshit.
And today's example is:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/shane-retis-office-admits-chart-used-to-justify-14b-health-cuts-does-not-exist/NHCTZ3SOVFF6TBGISEXD36L5EA/
seems there are 14 layers between the truth and a National Government statement
…nice one George
Well, left wing blog, and all — of course you'd think that one example of rhetoric has a strong basis of fact.
The fact is that all political parties do it.
Right now, the government could claim that the grass is green – and they'd be decried on TS.
Imho, what our commentariat needs is a 'respectful centrist' – someone who could occasionally bring themselves to critique the claims of our CoC govt.
And so my watch begins
Well, it's hardly needed. The pile on on TS is overwhelming.
Overwhelming to a political centrist?
Is there nothing in the "pile on" (critiques) that you agree with?
Yes. However, there is little point to 'me too' posts. If you don't have a different perspective to share, you're just wasting bandwidth.
"Yes", critiques of our CoC govt here are overwhelming to centrists?
Or "Yes", there's nothing in those critiques that you agree with?
Are you suggesting that “there is little point” to many of the posts here? Such a suggestion could be considered a bit arrogant, imho.
Consider the possiblity that your main objection to "'me too' posts" here is less about a waste of bandwidth (?), and more to do with the fact that the consensus of these (left-ish) "'me too' posts" is very often at odds with your 'respectful centrist' perspective.
So 6 years of the right wing coalition and then what?
Luxon will be replaced soon after the 2026 election . By who I wonder.
When does Labour let Hippy go and who will replace him?
Is Chloe a candidate for PM in 2029?
Ideas on a postcard please.
McNulty will replace Hipkins but it's all in the timing.
I think Luxon is unpopular, Seymour is becoming even more hated, Winston is past it and the economy will still be weak in late 2026.
Cue a win for Lab/Gr/TPM.
As I said yesterday, a Land or Wealth Tax where ALL of the proceeds are committed towards fixing the major issues faced by the public health system would be a good policy to run on.
Luxon is chronically weak on health because he doesn't know anybody who uses the public health system.
Baldrick Luxon, Toy Boy Seymour and Gerry Winston are not very appealing in the general public's eyes, however obviously the white right wing property owing anti Maaori voters are clapping their hands with glee.
Sadly for your analysis – the coalition government has roughly the same popularity as in 2023, when they were elected.
There is currently no sign that their approval ratings are sinking like a stone. The voters can't *all* be "white right wing property owing anti Maaori"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_New_Zealand_general_election
After the historic events of the last week, will this government continue to divide, degrade, and belittle any Māori focussed legislation as they have been doing for the last 10 months? The absolutely amazing thousands and thousands who made the journey to the Waikato will surely not stand by and let Luxon/Peters/Jones/Seymour continue as they have been doing. I felt there was an underlying demonstration of "mess with us at your peril".
Ha, what meds is Mike Hosking on now – he really is a piece of work.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/newstalk-zb-host-mike-hosking-tourism-minister-matt-doocey-and-a-wayward-phone-call-to-rnz-i-have-uncovered-a-scandal/UUEGE3BE5JAJBMLAVLX3OCCIOU/
It's a beat up by Shayne Currie.
Do I (Doocey) have an interview with you tomorrow?
No.
The Minister (and staff) made a mistake and this was an effort to direct blame to RNZ (for one of those things that happen).
Sure the RNZ staffer could have said – you were on here yesterday and were not that interesting. But was too polite.
Bernard Hickey calls the CoC's bullshit.
@bernardchickey
FYI in the article linked below, I challenge all the Government's talk about the need for spending cuts because 'the money has run out' and 'times are tough' and we need to 'tighten our belts'.
Actually, the professionals who judge our Government's finances day in and day out think there is no crisis at all. Actually, they tried to lend the Government $22.7 billion last month at an interest rate of 4.25% when our Treasury had only asked to borrow $3 billion.
The wisdom of the crowds in financial markets is literally screaming out to our leaders of both major parties to borrow money from banks and fund managers fir a decade or two to solve our glaringly obvious infrastructure deficits.
https://thekaka.substack.com/p/the-professionals-actually-think
https://x.com/bernardchickey/status/1831836057366884591
Only 2 more years left for this lot to prove they really are the swaggering dealmakers of the top end of town they claim to be.
Where is this much-vaunted deal pipeline?
Here's a line for Hipkins:
Show Me The Money.
Money lenders wanting to lend more money because they judge the interest payments will be met, quell suprise.
Just because you can doesnt mean you should.
The only reason the country issues bonds is to price market confidence in its borrowing. If that confidence is meaningless we may as well just have treasury borrow directly from the RBNZ and save on paying interest to non government institutions. The RBNZ is after all the only originator of $NZ, anyway. As Hickey points out, money markets are not in anyway calling for an austerity program, its just that the govt arrived with many wrong pre-conceptions about what it should do.
First it was the Lincoln Project, but the exodus from the GOP continues.
Naturally there is concern about the emerging consequence of the GOP southern strategy (post Democratic Party move to affirm civil rights in the 1950's-1970's).
A post HUAC move via Moral Majority, Christian Coalition, Promise Keepers to a full on Christian dominionism (nation identity) Project 2025 (political management by the Heritage Foundation policy agenda).
A threat to the March 4 1789 constitutional republic.
The old GOP was a champion of this non democratic regime. They resisted populism, and developed a deep state that would protect this republic from democracy, anarchy and secession and the social democracy of the secular left (the FBI is still dedicated to defend the republic from such threats to capitalism).
But some would now rather support the alternative to Trump.
They have learnt from history (the elite right of Germany went populist to defeat the left using a "strongmans/champion of the people" nativist pseudo religious heritage defence of civilisation playbook – MGGA) which has been reprised by Trump (MAGA). Germany became a tyranny.
PS A few genuinely left wing Germans got caught up in that nationalism, and now a few once on the left, now posing as of an independent media, like Trump's isolationism and are attracted to the dismantling of the "neo-liberal" western regime – calling it "peace" – the Neville Nigel Oswald's of our times).
The Daily Show covered the DNC.
Dodge elmo's site by replacing x dot com with xcancel dot com and you get a clean link that doesn’t go to X and includes the whole thread:
eg; https://xcancel.com/Acyn
https://xcancel.com/about
Methane reducing drench gun on its way.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527216/australian-farmers-to-get-fix-for-methane-laced-cow-burps-before-nz
Related to
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/520877/new-zealand-s-new-look-approach-to-methane-problematic-top-climate-scientist-says
Interesting cheers .
Random thoughts are, it's not that easy bolusing large cattle , 3 and a half times a year is a big ask .
It'll need to be policed if there's financial gain from using it as not all farmers are honest ,😉
I see they're looking at a development to stretch it to 6 months (i.e. twice a year). I wonder how supplementary feeding (e.g. feeding out in winter) would affect the results.
Agree that drenching is a big physical job – but being able to integrate with a more general drenching schedule (frequency) would make it more manageable for farmers.
No indication on costs.
Should be relatively easy to police – requirement to purchase the number of doses needed for the size of the herd. That will be the largest part of the cost (if the methane bolus can be administered on the same routine farm drenching schedule). If the farmer has already bought it, there's no cash incentive to not use it.
Unless there's a fart tax applied at some point and treating cows cuts your bill.
Most cattle arnt drenched after about 18 months , in the beef world
In the mouth drenching isn’t every 6 month for adults. Depends on what is being targeted.
Most frequent drenching is in food usually about 28 days. And then pour on at about 42 days. Mostly frequently done on calves, especially early weaned calves
More like 12-24 months for squirt drenches for adult cows and steers for the in the back of the mouth squirt. It is also done for stock moving between farms.
It is a a herd health measure – just like a public health measure to keep the parasite load on paddocks low. Specific to particular encysted parasites.
By the sound of the bolus, this is larger ‘calibre’ than what happens in drenching with a requirement to go down the gullet rather than just in the back of the mouth.
It sounds way harder than a drenching. I can’t any incentive for farmers to either do the extra work or to pay for the bolus and gear.
It will be available by 2027.
Charging for methane will be the incentive. An adjustment to the farm regime by c2030.
I doubt it will be done by the farmers themsleves, teams will be hired to do it (and verify).
It would if everything worked perfectly. As a person with a science degree and a lot of time working as a engineer, I am extremely sceptical.
This is a trial of a methane reducing technique. So far the past trialling on methane reduction (at least three that I know of) in pasture fed populations of ruminants have been abject failures for NZ conditions. I don't expect this one to be any different.
But even if the trials in Australia succeed, they still won't constitute validation for NZ. The environmental conditions and types of animals used in Aussie aren't that similar. Before anyone, especially farmers, would want to commit themselves to.
However the probability that National will actually do start charging is about 0%. The gutless wonders that are National party MPs haven't managed to stand-up to even mild pressure from farmers once in the last 30 years. That is despite the science on climate changes being well known to even National MPs back to the early 1990s.
What makes you think that these cowards could actually make a decision that affects a noisy part of their own constituency. They only like attacking the weak, ideally the ones on the bread lines who can't fight back.
To do teams would require a significiant workforce wandering around the countryside doing and enforcing the task. This is exactly the kind of organisation that National fucks up on routinely.
Think of it as factory inspectors, or water quality testing or possum control or anything that National tries or is meant to try to organise teams of people to do over decades. That isn't something that National governments are notable for doing. Especially for an industry that is increasingly unprofitable.
A 'fix' for methane-laced cow burps could be a 'game changer' (urgggh) – plenty of researchers/companies in the mix, but who will foot the bill(s)? Gotta stay hopeful.
There was an interesting (and reasonably informative, with NZ local) about Red seaweed for cow Methane on the recent Patrick Gower doco episode 2
And apparently there was a green light..4 years ago ?
And Sweden too….
Australia
No time like the present aye, and seems to make sense…But, those spanners at NACT1.
Mind boggling
Must be a nutcase
“A game changer” “to hasten action” – in NZ?
“Hasten action” vs “slower to go faster” – time will tell.
What happened to the planned $500Mpa less in baseline spending savings with the change in government.
It was used to afford National's tax cuts.
https://archive.li/cLC04#selection-3949.0-3949.201