Open mike 07/03/2025
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6:00 am, March 7th, 2025 - 96 comments
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- Bullying a Chess Bot: More Martinian Shenanigans
In recent months, I have garnered copious amusement playing Martin, chess.com’s infamously terrible Chess AI. Alas, it is not how it once was, when he would cheerfully ignore freely offered material. Martin has grown better since I first stumbled upon him. I still remain frustrated at his capture-happy determination to ...2 hours ago - Indian Summer
Every time that I see ya,A lightning bolt fills the room,The underbelly of Paris,She sings her favourite tune,She'll drink you under the table,She'll show you a trick or two,But every time that I left her,I missed the things she would doSongwriters: Kelly JonesThis morning, I posted - Are you excited ...8 hours ago - Bernard’s Soliloquy for the week to March 23
Long stories shortest this week in our political economy: Standard & Poor’s judged the Government’s council finance reforms a failure. Professional investors showed the Government they want it to borrow more, not less. GDP bounced out of recession by more than forecast in the December quarter, but data for the ...10 hours ago - Making sense of it all
Each day at 4:30 my brother calls in at the rest home to see Dad. My visits can be months apart. Five minutes after you've left, he’ll have forgotten you were there, but every time, his face lights up and it’s a warm happy visit.Tim takes care of almost everything ...14 hours ago - A Response to ACT’s MRA-Style Rant
On the 19th of March, ACT announced they would be running candidates in this year’s local government elections. Accompanying that call for “common-sense kiwis” was an anti-woke essay typifying the views they expect their candidates to hold. I have included that part of their mailer, Free Press, in its entirety. ...1 day ago - Spread a Little Happiness
Even when the darkest clouds are in the skyYou mustn't sigh and you mustn't crySpread a little happiness as you go byPlease tryWhat's the use of worrying and feeling blue?When days are long keep on smiling throughSpread a little happiness 'til dreams come trueSongwriters: Vivian Ellis / Clifford Grey / ...1 day ago - Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Saturday, March 22
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...2 days ago - Siding with the Right Of the Right
ACT up the game on division politicsEmmerson’s take on David Seymour’s claim Jesus would have supported ACTACT’s announcement it is moving into local politics is a logical next step for a party that is waging its battle on picking up the aggrieved.It’s a numbers game, and as long as the ...2 days ago - Jam tomorrow, butter next week
1. What will be the slogan of the next butter ad campaign?a. You’re worth itb. Once it hits $20, we can do something about the riversc. I can’t believe it’s the price of butter d. None of the above Read more ...2 days ago - Why Do Cryptocurrencies Appear to Be So Valuable?
It is said that economists know the price of everything and the value of nothing. That may be an exaggeration but an even better response is to point out economists do know the difference. They did not at first. Classical economics thought that the price of something reflected the objective ...2 days ago - Awful optics: political fighting in Taiwan stalls part of defence budget rise
Political fighting in Taiwan is delaying some of an increase in defence spending and creating an appearance of lack of national resolve that can only damage the island’s relationship with the Trump administration. The main ...2 days ago - The Independent Intelligence Review is finally out, and it’s a worthy sequel
The unclassified version of the 2024 Independent Intelligence Review (IIR) was released today. It’s a welcome and worthy sequel to its 2017 predecessor, with an ambitious set of recommendations for enhancements to Australia’s national intelligence ...2 days ago
- Law, culture, and the OIA
Yesterday outgoing Ombudsman Peter Boshier published a report, Reflections on the Official Information Act, on his way out the door. The report repeated his favoured mantra that the Act was "fundamentally sound", all problems were issues of culture, and that no legislative change was needed (and especially no changes to ...2 days ago - A new US humanitarian agency must operate without political blinders
The United States government is considering replacing USAID with a new agency, the US Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance (USIHA), according to documents published by POLITICO. Under the proposed design, the agency will fail its ...2 days ago
- Worming Through Dangerous Times
2 days ago - Why is the Govt so afraid of borrowing?
Mōrena. Long stories shortest: Professional investors who are paid a lot of money to be careful about lending to the New Zealand Government think it is wonderful place to put their money. Yet the Government itself is so afraid of borrowing more that it is happy to kill its own ...2 days ago - The future of the Combined Space Operations initiative
As space becomes more contested, Australia should play a key role with its partners in the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) initiative to safeguard the space domain. Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States signed the ...2 days ago
- Dave’s Cats
Ooh you're a cool catComing on strong with all the chit chatOoh you're alrightHanging out and stealing all the limelightOoh messing with the beat of my heart yeah!Songwriters: Freddie Mercury / John Deacon.It would be a tad ironic; I can see it now. “Yeah, I didn’t unsubscribe when he said ...2 days ago - Friday 21 March
The PSA are calling the Prime Minister a hypocrite for committing to increase defence spending while hundreds of more civilian New Zealand Defence Force jobs are set to be cut as part of a major restructure. The number of companies being investigated for people trafficking in New Zealand has skyrocketed ...2 days ago - Weekly Roundup 21-March-2025
Another Friday, hope everyone’s enjoyed their week as we head toward the autumn equinox. Here’s another roundup of stories that caught our eye on the subject of cities and what makes them even better. This week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Connor took a look at how Auckland ...2 days ago - A special Hoon with Michael Wolff, author of four books on Donald Trump
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking with special guest author Michael Wolff, who has just published his fourth book about Donald Trump: ‘All or Nothing’.Here’s Peter’s writeup of the interview. Hoon: Trumpism ...2 days ago - Hoon: Trumpism dies with Trump says Wolff
2 days ago
- The ADF reserve system is obsolete. We need a dramatically expanded force
Australia needs to radically reorganise its reserves system to create a latent military force that is much larger, better trained and equipped and deployable within days—not decades. Our current reserve system is not fit for ...3 days ago
- Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Friday, March 21
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, Washington Post/$, Wired/$, ...3 days ago - Against All Reason: William Blake and the Private Fantasy Mythology
I have argued before that one ought to be careful in retrospectively allocating texts into genres. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) only looks like science-fiction because a science-fiction genre subsequently developed. Without H.G. Wells, would Frankenstein be considered science-fiction? No, it probably wouldn’t. Viewed in the context of its time, Frankenstein ...3 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #12 2025
Open access notables The severe 2020 coral bleaching event in the tropical Atlantic linked to marine heatwaves, Rodrigues et al., Communications Earth & Environment: Marine heatwaves can amplify the vulnerabilities of regional marine ecosystems and jeopardise local economies and food resources. Here, we show that marine heatwaves in the tropical ...3 days ago - Elbridge Colby’s vision: blocking China
Elbridge Colby’s senate confirmation hearing in early March holds more important implications for US partners than most observers in Canberra, Wellington or Suva realise. As President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defence for ...3 days ago
- China’s military spending rises should prompt regional budget responses
China’s defence budget is rising heftily yet again. The 2025 rise will be 7.2 percent, the same as in 2024, the government said on 5 March. But the allocation, officially US$245 billion, is just the ...3 days ago
- Pressure grows for commonsense correction on safe local speeds
Concern is growing about wide-ranging local repercussions of the new Setting of Speed Limits rule, rewritten in 2024 by former transport minister Simeon Brown. In particular, there’s growing fears about what this means for children in particular. A key paradox of the new rule is that NZTA-controlled roads have the ...3 days ago
- Luxon’s Guests.
Speilmeister: Christopher Luxon’s prime-ministerial pitches notwithstanding, are institutions with billions of dollars at their disposal really going to invest them in a country so obviously in a deep funk?HAVING WOOED THE WORLD’s investors, what, if anything, has New Zealand won? Did Christopher Luxon’s guests board their private jets fizzing with enthusiasm for ...3 days ago - S&P downgrades 18 councils, blaming Govt
Christchurch City Council is one of 18 councils and three council-controlled organisations (CCOs) downgraded by ratings agency S&P. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories shortest: Standard & Poor’s has cut the credit ratings of 18 councils, blaming the new Government’s abrupt reversal of 3 Waters, cuts to capital ...3 days ago - Recession ends – Economic challenges remain
Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that the economy grew by 0.7% ending the very deep recession seen over the past year, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “Even though GDP grew in the three months to December, our economy is still 1.1% smaller than it ...3 days ago
- Maybe there’s a connection?
What is going on with the price of butter?, RNZ, 19 march 2025: If you have bought butter recently you might have noticed something - it is a lot more expensive. Stats NZ said last week that the price of butter was up 60 percent in February compared to ...3 days ago
- I, too, got a few things wrong
I agree with Will Leben, who wrote in The Strategist about his mistakes, that an important element of being a commentator is being accountable and taking responsibility for things you got wrong. In that spirit, ...3 days ago
- Commandments & Cures
You’d beDrunk by noon, no one would knowJust like the pandemicWithout the sourdoughIf I were there, I’d find a wayTo get treated for hysteriaEvery dayLyrics Riki Lindhome.A varied selection today in Nick’s Kōrero:Thou shalt have no other gods - with Christopher Luxon.Doctors should be seen and not heard - with ...3 days ago - Australia needs greater defence self-reliance, and extra funding
Two recent foreign challenges suggest that Australia needs urgently to increase its level of defence self-reliance and to ensure that the increased funding that this would require is available. First, the circumnavigation of our continent ...4 days ago
- Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Thursday, March 20
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, The ...4 days ago - Gordon Campbell on Winston Peters’ bad trip, and the return of the PPPs zombie
According to RNZ’s embedded reporter, the importance of Winston Peters’ talks in Washington this week “cannot be overstated.” Right. “Exceptionally important.” said the maestro himself. This epic importance doesn’t seem to have culminated in anything more than us expressing our “concern” to the Americans about a series of issues that ...4 days ago - Climate Fresk – a neat way to make the complexity of climate change less puzzling
Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of "Climate Fresk" and at a guess, this will also be the case for many of you. I stumbled upon it in the self-service training catalog for employees at the company I work at in Germany where it was announced ...4 days ago
- Japan and Australia can fill each other’s defence gaps
Japan and Australia talk of ‘collective deterrence,’ but they don’t seem to have specific objectives. The relationship needs a clearer direction. The two countries should identify how they complement each other. Each country has two ...4 days ago
- Submission on the Draft Biometric Processing Privacy Code
The NZCTU strongly supports the OPC’s decision to issue a code of practice for biometric processing. Our view is that the draft code currently being consulted on is stronger and will be more effective than the exposure code released in early 2024. We are pleased that some of the revisions ...4 days ago
- Eggs in more baskets: diversify Australian agricultural exports away from US
Australia’s export-oriented industries, particularly agriculture, need to diversify their markets, with a focus on Southeast Asia. This could strengthen economic security and resilience while deepening regional relationships. The Trump administration’s decision to impose tariffs on ...4 days ago
- The Fisheries Reform Scam – Sam Woolford
Minister Shane Jones is introducing fastrack ‘reforms’ to the our fishing industry that will ensure the big players squeeze out the small fishers and entrench an already bankrupt quota system. Our fisheries are under severe stress: the recent decision by the High Court ruling that the ...4 days ago - Climate Change: Failed again
In what has become regular news, the quarterly ETS auction has failed, with nobody even bothering to bid. The immediate reason is that the carbon price has fallen to around $60, below the auction minimum of $68. And the cause of that is a government which has basically given up ...4 days ago
- Trump’s tariffs challenge India’s economic balance
US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have dominated headlines in India in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Trump announced that his reciprocal tariffs—matching other countries’ tariffs on American goods—will go into effect on 2 April, ...4 days ago
- NZ’s First #MeToo Case Wants To Practise Law Again
Hi,Back in June of 2021, James Gardner-Hopkins — a former partner at law firm Russell McVeagh — was found guilty of misconduct over sexually inappropriate behaviour with interns.The events all related to law students working as summer interns at Russell McVeagh:As well as intimate touching with a student at his ...4 days ago - Climate sceptic ACT MP attacks National
Climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has slammed National for being ‘out of touch’ by sticking to our climate commitments. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest: ACT’s renowned climate sceptic MP Mark Cameron has accused National of being 'out of touch' with farmers by sticking with New Zealand’s Paris accord pledges ...4 days ago - Libertarian Jesus
Now I've heard there was a secret chordThat David played, and it pleased the LordBut you don't really care for music, do you?It goes like this, the fourth, the fifthThe minor falls, the major liftsThe baffled king composing HallelujahSongwriter: Leonard CohenI always thought the lyrics of that great song by ...4 days ago - People matter—especially when frigate crews are too small
People are getting carried away with the virtues of small warship crews. We need to remember the great vice of having few people to run a ship: they’ll quickly tire. Yes, the navy is struggling ...5 days ago
- Auckland’s Western Line: Walking and cycling catchments
This is a guest post by Peter Bisley. It previously appeared on his substack, and is republished here by kind permisison. How can active transport connections maximise City Rail Link benefits City Rail Link successfully ran a test train last month on the 3.45km line under central Auckland, ahead ...5 days ago
- Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Wednesday, March 19
Mōrena. Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom/$3, NZ Herald/$, Stuff, BusinessDesk/$, Politik-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT/$, WSJ/$, Bloomberg/$, New York Times/$, The Atlantic-$, ...5 days ago - Unity is the answer to Europe’s defence woes
US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s debt ...5 days ago
- Australian politics needs clearer national security boundaries
We need to establish clearer political boundaries around national security to avoid politicising ongoing security issues and to better manage secondary effects. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed on 10 March that the Dural caravan ...5 days ago
- Government must act decisively and ban engineered stone
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have reiterated their call for Government to protect workers by banning engineered stone in a submission on MBIE’s silica dust consultation. “If Brooke van Velden is genuine when she calls for an evidence-based approach to this issue, then she must support a full ban on ...5 days ago
- Tuesday 18 March
The Labour Inspectorate could soon be knocking on the door of hundreds of businesses nation-wide, as it launches a major crackdown on those not abiding by the law. NorthTec staff are on edge as Northland’s leading polytechnic proposes to stop 11 programmes across primary industries, forestry, and construction. Union coverage ...5 days ago
- First-person view drones: transitioning from sport to battle
It’s one thing for military personnel to hone skills with first-person view (FPV) drones in racing competitions. It’s quite another for them to transition to the complexities of the battlefield. Drone racing has become a ...5 days ago
- ‘There are no exemptions. Just eat it.’
Seymour says there will be no other exemptions granted to schools wanting to opt out of the Compass contract. Photo: Lynn GrievesonLong stories shortest: David Seymour has denied a request from a Christchurch school and any other schools to be exempted from the Compass school lunch programme, saying the contract ...5 days ago - Nuclear Ukraine: Budapest Memorandum – what it says and is it relevant?
Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, and British Prime Minister John Major signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in ... 5 days ago- A Palate Cleanser
Edit: The original story said “Palette Cleanser” in both the story, and the headline. I am never, ever going to live this down. Chain me up, throw me into the pit.Hi,With the world burning — literally and figuratively — I felt like Webworm needed a little palate cleanser at the ...5 days ago- Do Americans really want urban sprawl?
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler (Image credit: Antonio Huerta) Growing up in suburban Ohio, I was used to seeing farmland and woods disappear to make room for new subdivisions, strip malls, and big box stores. I didn’t usually welcome the changes, but I assumed others ...6 days ago- Myanmar’s desperate condition: fragmentation, drugs, money-laundering and more
Myanmar was a key global site for criminal activity well before the 2021 military coup. Today, illicit industry, especially heroin and methamphetamine production, still defines much of the economy. Nowhere, not even the leafiest districts ...6 days ago- The Hardest Word
What've I gotta do to make you love me?What've I gotta do to make you care?What do I do when lightning strikes me?And I wake up and find that you're not thereWhat've I gotta do to make you want me?Mmm hmm, what've I gotta do to be heard?What do I ...6 days ago- Bernard’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at 6am on Tuesday, March 18
Here’s my selection1 of scoops, breaking news, news, analyses, deep-dives, features, interviews, Op-Eds, editorials and cartoons from around Aotearoa’s political economy on housing, climate and poverty from RNZ, 1News, The Post-$2, The Press−$, Newsroom3, NZ Herald, Stuff, BusinessDesk-$, NBR-$, Reuters, FT-$, WSJ-$, Bloomberg-$, New York Times-$, The Atlantic-$, The Economist-$ ...6 days ago- Gordon Campbell On Luxon’s Survival Chances, And The India FTA
Whenever Christopher Luxon drops a classically fatuous clanger or whenever the government has a bad poll – i.e. every week – the talk resumes that he is about to be rolled. This is unlikely for several reasons. For starters, there is no successor. Nicola Willis? Chris Bishop? Simeon Brown? Mark ...6 days ago- It’s been done before: pay for more defence spending with debt
Australia, Britain and European countries should loosen budget rules to allow borrowing to fund higher defence spending, a new study by the Kiel Institute suggests. Currently, budget debt rules are forcing governments to finance increases ...6 days ago- Feedback on work with engineered stone and materials containing crystalline silica
The NZCTU remains strongly committed to banning engineered stone in New Zealand and implementing better occupational health protections for all workers working with silica-containing materials. In this submission to MBIE, the NZCTU outlines that we have an opportunity to learn from Australia’s experience by implementing a full ban of engineered ...6 days ago- Big deal
The Prime Minister has announced a big win in trade negotiations with India.It’s huge, he told reporters. We didn't get everything we came for but we were able to agree on free trade in clothing, fabrics, car components, software, IT consulting, spices, tea, rice, and leather goods.He said that for ...6 days ago- A Return to a US Gilded Age?
I have been trying to figure out the logic of Trump’s tariff policies and apparent desire for a global trade war. Although he does not appear to comprehend that tariffs are a tax on consumers in the country doing the tariffing, I can (sort of) understand that he may think ...6 days ago- France is prominent in efforts to shape Syria’s future, again
As Syria and international partners negotiate the country’s future, France has sought to be a convening power. While France has a history of influence in the Middle East, it will have to balance competing Syrian ...6 days ago- “Capital poor”
One of the eternal truths about Aotearoa's economy is that we are "capital poor": there's not enough money sloshing around here to fund the expansion of local businesses, or to build the things we want to. Which gets used as an excuse for all sorts of things, like setting up ...6 days ago- Pictures Tell The Story
National held its ground until late 2023 Verion, Talbot Mills & Curia Polls (Red = Labour, Blue = National)If we remove outlier results from Curia (National Party November 2023) National started trending down in October 2024.Verion Polls (Red = Labour, Blue = National)Verian alone shows a clearer deterioration in early ...6 days ago- High-impact climate risks, low-probability? Think again
In a recent presentation, I recommended, quite unoriginally, that governments should have a greater focus on higher-impact, lower-probability climate risks. My reasoning was that current climate model projections have blind spots, meaning we are betting ...6 days ago- Daddy
Daddy, are you out there?Daddy, won't you come and play?Daddy, do you not care?Is there nothing that you want to say?Songwriters: Mark Batson / Beyonce Giselle Knowles.This morning, a look at the much-maligned NZ Herald. Despised by many on the left as little more than a mouthpiece for the National ...6 days ago- Monday 17 March
Employers, unions and health and safety advocates are calling for engineered stone to be banned, a day before consultation on regulations closes. On Friday the PSA lodged a pay equity claim for library assistants with the Employment Relations Authority, after the stalling of a claim lodged with six councils in ...6 days ago- Luxon announces start of India trade deal talks
Long stories shortest in Aotearoa’s political economy: Christopher Luxon surprises by announcing trade deal talks with India will start next month, and include beef and dairy. Napier is set to join Whakatane, Dunedin and Westport in staging a protest march against health spending restraints hitting their hospital services. Winston Peters ...6 days ago - A Palate Cleanser
- Release: Govt’s continued lack of action on Gaza condemned
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...2 days ago - Release: National at sea over Defence jobs
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...3 days ago
- Release: National standards returning by stealth
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...3 days ago
- Release: Kiwis still struggling as economy stumbles along
Kiwis aren’t feeling any better off despite figures showing a very slight growth in GDP in the December quarter. ...3 days ago
- Greens call for compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...4 days ago - Another failed ETS auction, another indictment on the Govt’s climate credibility
The ETS auction’s failure today is yet another clear sign that the Government is failing us all on climate action. ...4 days ago
- Release: Luxon quick to give away principled position on nukes
Christopher Luxon seems to have thrown New Zealand’s principled anti-nuclear advocacy under a bus. ...4 days ago
- NZ must act on Israel’s slaughter of children
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...4 days ago
- Release: Still no certainty for disability communities
One year on from the Government’s abrupt and callous changes to disability funding, the community still has no idea what the future holds. ...5 days ago
- Green Party backs volunteer firefighters in their call for ACC recognition
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...5 days ago
- Stand Up for Palestine: A Call to Action Against Israels Treacherous Attack
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...5 days ago
- MP Views: Living Strong, The Economy, Servicing Our Nation, The Golden Egg, and 4 Year Terms
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...6 days ago - Shane Jones has no shame
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...1 week ago
- Release: National botches health funding numbers
Health Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that the Government has put $16.68 billion into the health system over three years is wrong. ...1 week ago
- Government tramples on the rights of disabled migrant children
The Green Party is condemning the Government’s move to tighten access to visas for disabled children. ...1 week ago
- Release: Auckland needs second harbour crossing
Labour supports Minister Chris Bishop’s call for input on the second Waitematā Harbour crossing. ...1 week ago
- Speech: Barbara Edmonds’ speech to NZ Investment Summit 2025
I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak to you today about how we make overseas investment work for all New Zealanders. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour does not support PPPs for prisons
Labour does not support the private ownership of core infrastructure like schools, hospitals and prisons, which will only see worse outcomes for Kiwis. ...1 week ago
- Dunedin Futures report should be a wake-up call
The newly released report on the South Dunedin Future Programme must be a wake-up call for our Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Members’ Bill makes wage theft a crime
Workers will now be able to go to the Police and report their employer if they are not being paid wages they’re owed. ...1 week ago
- Missed opportunity to stop the stealing of Māori land
The Green Party is disappointed the Government voted down Hūhana Lyndon’s member’s Bill, which would have prevented further alienation of Māori land through the Public Works Act. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour supports sanctions against Israel’s illegal occupation
The Labour Party will support Chloe Swarbrick’s member’s bill which would allow sanctions against Israel for its illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territories. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt procurement plan cuts wages and trashes the environment
The Government’s new procurement rules are a blatant attack on workers and the environment, showing once again that National’s priorities are completely out of touch with everyday Kiwis. ...2 weeks ago
- Procurement proposals pose risk to people and planet
The Green Party is concerned by the impact the Government’s proposed changes to procurement processes could have on people and planet. ...2 weeks ago
- Just six Government MPs needed to pass Unlawful Occupation of Palestine Sanctions Bill
With Labour and Te Pāti Māori’s official support, Opposition parties are officially aligned to progress Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in Palestine. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour’s approach to Māori economy benefits all
Under Labour, the Māori economy went from strength to strength according to the latest report released by MBIE. ...2 weeks ago
- 20 Years of Success Down the Drain: Govt Gut Whānau Ora
Te Pāti Māori extends our deepest aroha to the 500 plus Whānau Ora workers who have been advised today that the govt will be dismantling their contracts. For twenty years , Whānau Ora has been helping families, delivering life-changing support through a kaupapa Māori approach. It has built trust where ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party launches petition to allow Pacific whānau visa-free access
The Green Party is launching a petition calling on the Government to extend visa-free travel to visitors from Pacific Island nations. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour welcomes reinstatement of Heath NZ board
Labour welcomes Simeon Brown’s move to reinstate a board at Health New Zealand, bringing the destructive and secretive tenure of commissioner Lester Levy to an end. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ’s Public Health system dealt yet another blow
This morning’s announcement by the Health Minister regarding a major overhaul of the public health sector levels yet another blow to the country’s essential services. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Chris Hipkins’ State of the Nation address
Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa It is a great pleasure to be here with you this morning. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill to Remove Woke ‘DEI’ Regulations from Public Service
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ targets. “This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour outlines priorities of next Govt
The next Labour Government will prioritise jobs, health and homes so Kiwis and Kiwi businesses have the opportunity to thrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Refreshed team to drive Labour’s 2026 priorities
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has unveiled a new economic team as part of a caucus reshuffle. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls for end to police referrals to Destiny programmes
Police have referred 20 offenders to Destiny Church-affiliated programmes Man Up and Legacy as ‘wellness providers’ in the last year, raising concerns that those seeking help are being recruited into a harmful organisation. ...2 weeks ago
- Good Riddance: Prebble Resigns from Waitangi Tribunal
Te Pāti Māori welcomes the resignation of Richard Prebble from the Waitangi Tribunal. His appointment in October 2024 was a disgrace- another example of this government undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi by appointing a former ACT leader who has spent his career attacking Māori rights. “Regardless of the reason for ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Labour calls on Govt to condemn Israel’s aid blockade
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Serious question; did Winston Peters really fire Goff on his own initiative, without reference or running it past the PM first, or was Luxon an integral part of the process?
In other words, did Winston just ignore the CEO completely – and if he did, what does that say about Luxon’s leadership?
Oops – forgot the link – TV1 news where they said "without consulting the PM!"
PS – I don't believe it just because TV1 said it!
The question is,will Peters take Goff's job ?. He will not be DP in a couple of months.
Yea that is a major possibility. Not much chance of him becoming PM anymore ? (although…who would know : )
And High Commissioner…..maybe its how he ends his political days? He'd probably love it. Be very Interesting to see how his No Free Thinking jibe to Goff is personally applied. (Free Think Mexicans et al…)
The Irony..(although in saying that…Peters does represent our Govt policies. Shit as they are !)
In that vein and timeframe, Luxon may not have his job either.
David Seymour as Prime Minister anyone? Surely the deputy would take over if the Premiere is dethroned.
RNZ covered this last night, and this morning.
I heard Peters last night saying he genuinely regretted firing Goff, with whom he has worked for many years, and the way he said it truly was genuine. I was tempted to say ‘propped up the bar with’, but Goff doesn’t seem to me to be a drinker.
I listened also to Goff's Chatham House question and comment, and it did cross the line, because the question about Trump's mental competency was a rheotorical one. Even just slightly changing the words would have let it skid past. And if it wasn't thin-skinned Trump, who hates, hates being criticised, Goff might have swung it.
RNZ last night had a university lecturer working in international policy comment, and they said that a professional NZ diplomat, with the standing and ability of NZ's current US ambassador Rosemary Banks, is essential in this role.
This is not a political hit-job on Goff. He is not the right person for this position at this time, when literally the world order is disrupted.
My feelings exactly, tWig. The diplomatic "plums" (London and Washington in particular) have far too often been used for rewarding clapped-out former PMs or cabinet ministers.
Trump has indicated he will bully members of NATO, as he does the trade partners of the USA.
He is intent on being a GOP agent destroying the American governance regime, internally and externally.
It's
1.destroying the 1945 FDR designed world order – for one of transactional power determined by hegemony.
2.destroying the New Deal and Fair Deal and the Great Society concept.
3.an attack on DEI, civil rights, affirmative action and social liberalism.
4.it is sold as kingdom come end of democratic empowerment of equal citizenship to one of obedience to power and hierarchy – as a return to the age before women voted and there was a male primacy based on wealth and status.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-considering-major-nato-policy-shift-rcna195089
https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lk2mgi6sl6ifwgwovx3yfwuy/bafkreigyufvfvmud4ofiulb2raidqel3uoomw5afabzjrkejzhirxv6kme@jpeg
An online “burn” can be fun, but not a school lunch second degree burn from an exploding lunch pack!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360605421/student-taken-hospital-after-being-burnt-hot-school-lunch?fbclid=IwY2xjawI200VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTaWjbJhKORf_uNCXTMimOko0jU_83HoZc5oANNjR8b8tzY7VDfvgxm30w_aem_lDj0yQMJZ2T472jYkwdOKQ
The Principal from the Gisborne school told RNZ that the reheated meals are meant to settle to eating temperature during transit but these did not, and in fact were “Watties Cottage pies” in plastic rather than aluminium containers.
Another Principal from Christchurch said her area school with a spread of ages from 5 to 18, had small kids trying to open meals with steam pouring out when the seal was broken.
Right wing nasty NZers have been loving the chance to vent their hatred for the less well off, but they are majorly missing the point, school lunches are not charity rather an investment in the future citizens of this country. Scandinavians and many other wealthier than us countries have no compunction about feeding the kids–what is wrong with the dark NZers? David Seymour will not so far even meet the Minister to discuss this royal fuck up where a working model was ditched in favour of going down to a price, rather than up to quality.
Scalds from steam are very nasty.
I will take a burn or a cut any day over a scald. They take ages to heal, the nerves stay receptive as opposed to a burn where the nerve ends can be 'killed'.
The minister needs to show leadership. Seymour must be summoned to the office followed by a directive to end this contract.
I would go one further and update the food in schools to feed all children in schools. There are so many non balance sheet benefits.
17.7% of NZ children live in poverty.
Is this programme more a mess than it's worth?
Did you view the photos in my link Ad?
Acts intention seems to be making the simple act of feeding the kids all too hard and then cancel. So many families with food security problems surely show the necessity for food in schools.
The bourgeois glorification of food is quite quease inducing when not everyone is well fed in what should be a land of plenty–Aotearoa NZ rightly brags about its great produce, wine, elite techniques, but all the cooking shows and spin off businesses mask an uncomfortable reality…exploitation of service workers, tenuous small businesses beholden to banks, industrial farming and pollution of waterways etc.
Food is glorified on one level and denied to others. Seymour needs to pull his head in and fast.
It's "too hard" for this coalition to manage but Labour managed it successfully.
Oh sure it's a Labour political gift. Gross thought.
But poverty eradication surely can't be loaded onto schools like this. From what I can see, poverty is far worse this term. Food banks are collapsing, unemployment up, wages frozen or down, donations down to aid NGOs, and of course Education itself in disarray from curriculum to infrastructure to staffing to truancy – this seems like Education being squeezed harder for an MSD responsibility.
Yes – it's about time the education system was no longer expected to solve problems that originate outside it and therefore should be solved outside it.
That includes poor kids arriving at school unfed, behind with their literacy and numeracy, sick far too often, constantly moving around as parents change from rental to rental. And it includes parents who are working but so time-poor they have no opportunity or energy to help with homework. And doubtless may other things that actual teachers could point to.
I would probably support David Seymour in saying that schools shouldn't supply lunches, if he was committed to ensuring all parents and guardians had the guaranteed income and time to do that job. But he's not committed to that either – meaning we have government by sadistic swine who are prepared to violate the human rights of children.
And that's not surprising – if we allow wealth to inexorably and disproportionately and undeservedly accumulate at the top of the social pile, that wealth is convertable to power and we will have government by some of the worst people in our society.
So true.
What you say can get you elected, delivering on it is another story as we found out with Ardern.
This is nothing new. Have a chat to your GP; a visit to the GP and a prescription aren’t enough to correct the ‘statistical deficit’ of 7-year lower life expectancy for some people, which also depends on where they live (aka post-code lottery in health).
As an "actual Teacher" I can point to the very many ways the size of our tail of underachievers, varies with the degree of poverty in each community
That is the point I was making previously.
Of course a right wing commentator was talking past me, and trying to make out it was only about tests, and the quality of teaching.
https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-04-03-2025/#comment-2027317.
As if continually measuring the problem, or blaming schools/teachers for societal issues, will fix it.
It would be easy to misinterpret your comment to be saying we shouldn't be feeding hungry kids.
I think he's thinking an more targeted approach, sort of like what English used to harp on ,
Just feed the kids ffs.
The EU (rules based order) way, or GOP Trump USA dictate.
The EU wants a cease-fire and US back up for its security guarantees to Ukraine.
Putin wants a cowered Ukraine to accept Russian annexation of occupied territory and no one in NATO providing any security guarantees. And expects sanctions against Russia to then end and to get the frozen asset money back.
Trump's with-holding of promised military aid and now intelligence and refusal to provide Europeans with any security back-up is only consistent with Russia's preferred outcome.
The Trump GOP USA is intent on pressuring Europe to full appeasement of Russia, or otherwise a NATO crisis.
The Senate in 2023 passed legislation to make it impossible for POTUS Trump to leave NATO without a Senate majority. Creating a crisis is vital to any agenda to get that mandate.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-considering-major-nato-policy-shift-rcna195089
https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/03/07/the-us-or-europe-why-trumps-ukraine-u-turn-is-a-fork-in-the-road-for-nz/
The Danish postal service is stopping the delivery of letters.
We're due for it soon here.
Surely couriers are enough for legal documents and the occasional looped cursive Valentines card?
you'd think so, but I suspect that Courierpost drivers are already stretched and someone would have to pay for all the extra stops. NZPost don't have the public good in mind.
I think that NZPost are desperate to stop scheduled mail delivery. Unfortunately (for them) it's required by legislation.
My personal belief is that they make it expensive to post letters and do a poor quality job of delivering them, so as to produce a groundswell of dissatisfaction, which would support the removal of the legal requirement. After all, if it's expensive, and unreliable, why would we still need it?
I worked at NZ Post for 20 years late 90s til 5 or so years back so saw the decline in mail firsthand. They've been trying to give away letters for years but no one else would take it. The courier drivers will end up taking it & I assume some are delivering right now as some streets only get a few letters anyway (as in 1 or 2). When I started we used to split rounds on heavy days (1000 to 2000 letters) but when they went to the 3 day model we would add rounds to make up our hours (especially middle of week where a round could be as low as 20-50 letters, sometimes less). NZ Posts main selling point to customers was they can deliver to EVERY delivery point. Also remember they changed their logo a couple years back (the old logo was a stylised envelope whereas the new one is just dumb & ugly).
RD drivers already delivery mail as well as parcels. But RD letter boxes have to meet a standard so the driver doesn't have to get out of the van for letters and parcels that will fit in the box. How would that work for delivering in towns and cities where there is a foot path between the road and the letter box?
Our mail is delivered by a Postie in a little wheeled vehicle which seats 1 person and is road legal. They just lean out of the open sided cab and pop the mail into the box.
One of these buggies? Our residential mail gets delivered by one of these in Mt Eden. They are electric powered.
I thought the idea for the future was to move to clusters mail boxes at the end of a street, or nearby, where people go to collect them?
It's pretty much what I already do. I have had a PO Box since a previous flat I lived in had some important mail stolen from it, opened, and left lying around in a neighbour's yard. The PO emails me when there's mail in my PO Box.
Yes, one of those. Our street – and the ones surrounding it are quite steep and very hard for mail deliveries on foot.
The "little buggies" Paxters are ending their tenure, they were only temporary (they cost millions & the cost of keeping them running must be astronomical as they need repairs every week). I imagine NZ Post will push for the clusters of boxes but possibly they would just use something like the kind of boxes you see at the supermarket (they were even talking about using existing ones or finding a partner somehow to do this), you'd get a txt to come pick up something & you choose a time etc. If not that then they will get us to do the box cluster thing (I have seen new builds already doing this).
The only thing keeping letters with NZ Post is the Deed of Understanding (which they changed anyway to allow 3 day post).
RD mail are private contractors (like couriers), which is why it's still 6 day a week in most places.
Good riddance.
Paxters are not acceptable for use on NZ roads, the exemptions were
granted to NZ post only because they met a range of requirements and are not allowed to on sell them. If they are on sold, the exemption would no longer apply.
Currently the exemption does not apply to any other paxters that are
imported. The current standards remain in place for any other paxters should they be imported. This means that you would be unable to obtain certification and use the paxters on the road.
https://fyi.org.nz/request/26559-paxster-electric-vehicles
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/379338/dozens-of-injuries-in-nz-post-buggy-crashes
Oh yeah they're absolute pieces of shite with a wide turn & there's no way to see anything behind you. For years our motorbikes weren't allowed on the footpaths but they allowed the Paxters. But like I said they're on the way out, scrap heap.
5 day.
3 days a week in Auckland and other major cities.
RD is 5 day.
The current plan is a reduction to two day urban and 3 day rural.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fewer-letters-nz-post-mail-deliveries-could-be-cut-to-twice-a-week-in-towns-and-cities/ZJEPH6DZFNFTTB7DJPIV2FJA6I/
yeah, but the idea is for couriers to take over delivering mail. Which means a much large volume (which is why they have vans).
Where's the pick up for those buggies? Do they have a van centralised somewhere?
I don't know. But courier vans are localised. NZ Post has 400 Paxter buggies. Top speed 45kms per hr.
Courier vans can take more, but they also make different kinds of deliveries eg for faster deliveries. The buggies take more letters etc. It's likely there's a place for both in cities.
they seem good. If NZ Post axe the mail delivery service (via Nactfirst changing the legislation) it wouldn't surprise me if they just sell the buggies.
More than likely. The couriers are contract workers. I think they're likely underpaid and overworked. A lot of the stuff they deliver require knocking on doors and getting signatures, whereas the buggies just go to mail boxes.
The couriers also tend to carry bigger parcels.
The Paxters have a short shelf life, they weren't expected to last, they are real high maintenance Norwegian built machines that need constant servicing (sometimes even have to bring Norwegians over to service). In my day at NZ Post we had on site mechanics for the vans & bikes but they gave them up years ago. The Paxter maintenance crews are all private contractors.
Didn't make a big news story but I know at least one person got killed on a Paxter on the job in the Tawa, it seemed like he was at fault (from memory) but still they're scary things to drive (& fun too).
Found it https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nz-post-employee-dies-in-electric-buggy-accident-in-tawa-wellington
that’s bokers. Reading Joe’s comment too.
…. and if they can't get their buggy close enough for that sort of drop-off, next thing you'll get is a little card telling you to improve the access, otherwise no deliveries (you can still pick up). We had to provide a firmer surface for said buggy to travel on – fortunately we some paving slabs doing nothing – while our sister-in-law's stylish box, put in when the house was first built, was judged to be too far off the ground and they had to provide another that was within reach.
seems like that to me too. Really shitty services design for a long time.
What does a P.O. Box cost these days?
I belong to an organisation that has a post box and we paid $295 pa.
The cost is a sliding scale, according to volume, according to this.
https://www.nzpost.co.nz/personal/receiving/po-box-private-bags
What about rural people,
we already get our mail via the RD drivers (who are courier drivers)
How will historians and biographers get on without sources of hard-copy letters still held in the hands of the recipients in boxes and garages and eventually in libraries and archives? What guarantees are there about accessing online messages and emails well into the future? Will people in the future know less about their own past than we do about ours?
Archivists are already working with this for important communications and/or famous people (think the presidential libraries in the US). Having emails and online communications appropriately archived (and accessible) using a variety of storage options.
Of course, it's dependent on the electronic access systems working (post-Apocalypse, who knows) – but then physical archives are dependent on other storage systems — fire, earthquake, flood – all place them at risk.
For your own letters – will your great-grandchildren have access? Probably not. But then how many letters do you have from your own great-grandparents? I think that our family history group resource has maybe 3 or 4 – across 60 or so people recorded. A letter has to be really special in some way to get saved; and then continue to be special to be saved by the next generation and the one after that. And that's just one letter out of several thousand that person wrote/received over their lifetime.
Having worked with people de-cluttering before moving into resthomes; and with people dealing with parent’s ‘stuff’ as executors – collected papers are often discarded – unless there is a very clear reason to keep them. The old days of people having storage in attics for generations of family papers – are pretty much gone.
The National Library of NZ keeps a selection of website content, as shown on their catalogue web page:
I have some letters I've kept, some from other people, some that I wrote home in my overseas travels, which my mother kept then eventually gave to me.
In my recent bit of decluttering, I got rid of some floppy discs that I had various document on, including some of my research notes.
I think places like the National Library of NZ keep some technology to access past things like floppy discs, but, they wouldn't be interested in doing it for random people like me.
INNZ is a index to published materials, not individual documentary resources.
The National Library and National Archives most certainly do have some level of access to electronic storage formats. No guarantee, however, that the format itself won't degrade. It's an ongoing challenge that they have to navigate (lots, and lots of professional discussion, and scenario planning on this topic).
Local archives (e.g. your Council) do have some space for resources which reflect their own local history (e.g. history of community groups). They did more of this in the past, when councils were smaller. I had some experience of this with a couple of locally important groups my parents belonged to, when the group was wound up, they gifted the papers to the Council archives. But their resources are limited, and they have to prioritize what's most likely to be historically relevant. So probably not your personal papers, unless you're a key figure of high local importance.
Universities do keep archives of people of literary or scientific importance (writers may donate their papers to a university for future research, for example). I'm most aware of it happening in the US – but I guess it happens in NZ as well. But, of course, the existence of your papers in archives, means that they are going to be accessed eventually (hence the reason people like Ngaio Marsh destroyed the majority of their personal papers).
Personal archives are fairly likely to be diminished over time (unless you're famous for some reason). You may keep (and even, mirabile dictu, organize) your papers – but your descendants are probably not going to continue to retain them. Archives end up on the scrap heap depressingly often.
Agree.
good questions, there are all sorts of issues. Removing mail services is akin to removing rail tracks. Once the system is gone it's hard to put back (think after ten years all the mail boxes are done). It reduces resiliency, but I don't think NZ Post or hardly anyone is thinking about that.
I predict this will become another Dark Age as far as future archivists are concerned.
Trumps long game explained ? Geopolitical Economy Report: Trump helps Blackrock buy Panama canal ports. Maybe someone can put the link up for me ?
https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/03/06/trump-blackrock-panama-canal-ports-china-wall-street/
thanks
So we've got Seymour very publicly snubbing Erica Stanford and her request for a please explain meeting.
Luxon is fine with that.
Rather than address the concerns of his own education minister Luxon seems to have focus grouped an attack line about marmite sandwiches, raw meat to his base that does nothing about a new delivery model that offers almost no real saving and dishes up utter shit food.
Luxon is a deeply unserious and arrogant man.
Winston Peters sacks the high commissioner in London with bothering to tell Luxon, and when pressed irritably told the world that effectively Luxon is his bitch.
Luxon is fine with that.
When told of Helen Clark's tweet on the matter he replied with a immature and sullen rant.
Luxon is a deeply unserious and arrogant man.
Anyway, Stanford might get the last laugh – rumours are circulating a "female cabinet minister" is being positioned as the liberal leadership challenger. Probably not Willis, she is too closely aligned with Luxon and his brand of brain dead neoliberal austerity and she won't win any elections as leader.
Time to stop this contract with Compass. Stanford is at least informed after talking to staff, parents and pupils. Seymour just wants to stop feeding the kids. The burnt child will need treatment for several weeks according to stuff article.
When Stanford made it pretty clear that she was annoyed by Seymour not turning up, it looked to me like a thinly veiled leadership play – or if not a play, a warning to Luxon at least.
It is spooky to be in New Zealand when our leadership is so weak, and international politics with our allies so unstable.
The Reserve Bank leader departing without warning us a clear breakdown with the Minister of Finance.
The strongest leadership NZ has right now is Fonterra, which is lucky as its the only notable company we've got.
Our politics hasn't been this weak since Nordmyer chucked it.
Luxon finds the time to tell an Otago school principal they're "out of touch" about the crappy school lunches. In ODT today but paywalled.
A Bishop/Stanford ticket. Or vice versa.
If luxon got dethroned would the new leader have to honour the agreement to have seymour as dpm?
Good point. It is hopefully between the parties, but comes down to “confidence and supply” at the end of the day as far as keeping a Govt. going in office.
The Epsom twerp needs to be sat on his arse regardless.
Yes
I wonder if it's dawned on seymour and peters that the next labour will have Waititi and Swarbrick as dpms?
And so much more suitable and capable than the two present clowns. I love that line and what a t-shirt line it is. Peter’s..Luxon is my bitch.
this seems unlikely, maybe one of the Green co-leaders if there is a big swing.
I would have thought the precedent had been set now and if I was a minor party it’d be at bottom line territory
the Greens aren't robber barons like Peters and DS though 😉 I think it would depend on the numbers. And the advantage NZF have is they’re centrists and can play both sides. Which means the spectre of a Lab/NZF government again.
Wasn't the precedent set in earlier elections with Peters as DPM?
Bishop/Stanford I think.
Remember, lots of Christian conservatives in their team. They will vote for a male every time.
20 years ago I visited Rajasthan. Desperately poor villages, no electricity, no running water, no latrines. Tensions building with Pakistan, so troops everywhere. The women had to cross a firing range to get to the river where they could collect water and wash clothes, and the Army did not warn when practices would start. Kids literally in rags or downright naked. No shoes and a lot of broken glass. People toiling to grow food on pocket sized fields. Beggars everywhere, many with serious disabilities.
There was a school, but few girls attending. Literacy rate for women in Rajasthan at the time 28%. Legally, 18 is the age required for marriage, in practice, an arranged husband when menstruation begins. Hopefully she's pretty and has a good dowry, otherwise when a man comes and tells the parents "I will give you 1000 R if you let me take your daughter to a job in the city….."
And in the distance a large and very beautiful palace that once belonged to a Rajah who visited in summer to escape the heat elsewhere.
In one village the people seemed especially lacklustre. They accepted the food and clothing we offered, but showed little emotional response. Nothing of what some call "gratitude." An American Christian asked, "Why are they so indifferent? Is it belief in karma and they think they deserve this?"
I will never forget the doctor's reply, "These people have been so malnourished in the womb and childhood, that their brains have not developed normally. It will take generations of proper feeding for them to have normal intelligence."
I began to understand for the first time why it is so hard to break the cycle of poverty in "underdeveloped" countries, and why simplistic solutions proposed by rich outsiders seldom work.
I am deeply troubled for the future of our country when children are either underfed, or are fed on sugared fizzy water and calorie dense but nutrition less over advertised fast "food."
Looking back at my experience in Rajasthan, I remember thinking that when Jesus was on Earth 2000 years ago, that would have been what he saw, and why he was so concerned about feeding the poor, rather than fretting over “men in women’s sports.” "Christian" PM Luxon has no idea.
For the love of God, feed the kids.
do you want to feed the kids, or end poverty?
Sorry, not sure whether you're replying to me?
Obviously, I want to do both, but it's a slow business ending poverty, taking one step at a time.
The point I was trying to make, I guess, is that hungry kids, or malnourished kids (yes, even obese kids can be malnourished if fed on junk) cannot learn in school. There was some talk a while back about a well educated workforce (haven't heard it for a while) and I agree. Education, esp for women, is strongly stressed by aid workers, as the most important step in breaking the cycle of poverty. But the kids must be fed nutritious food as a first step, in order to benefit from school.
Apart from which, what kind of inhuman monster would willingly starve a child because of some sort of "principle of the thing" political position?
Hope I haven't misunderstood your post or said anything in a way that sounds patronizing or could be interpreted as a personal attack. I'm just trying to make myself clear.
You would think a Government made up of "business people" understand investing for a future return.
However we have a Government of "businessmen" who are asset strippers, share manipulators, financial cheats and corporate brown nosers.
The short term gains types, who have wrecked so many NZ businesses, and the country, since the 1980's.
I was curious why you were dismissive of women's right to safety (the sports issue) and if it was because you saw the problem as children needing fed, rather than the bigger picture of why the kids need fed i.e the system.
The system.
Basic economic fact: regardless of the economic theory followed, 50% of the population will be above it and 50% below.
A policy that favours health, adequate housing and equal opportunity to education in the general population, over the right to Indvidual enrichment at the expense of others, will seek, through taxation and other measures, to reduce the disparities in wealth as much as possible. It will acknowledge that there are always those who are unable to contribute equally eg through physical disabilty, while at the same time not overly discouraging those who are responsible in their finances and end up acquiring more than average. To be clear, many parents work and save in order to give their children and grandchildren better lives, so let us not outlaw inherited wealth entirely, but cap the amount.
Where the range of income is wider the disparities will continue to grow ie if saving 10% of income for retirement is made compulsory, a person earning $300.000 pa is going to wind up far richer than someone earning $30,000 a year. (sorry if this sounds like belaboring the obvious)
There is also human nature to contend with. As someone rightly said, "If we all have Toyota Corollas, someone won't be happy till they're flashing their new Ferrari in your face." Abd there will always be those who spend all their own money on whatever else it is they want, and then steal your Toyota.
In short, a system that's equally fair to everyone is virtually impossible. And if we get our own society up to to a decent standard for everyone in NZ, by world standards we will be above the median, while other countries remain below. Because, to put the matter at its simplest, the only way to get money is to get it from someone else, either by selling goods or labour. And no matter how much talk there is of win/win deals, in reality everyone is looking to get the better of the deal. I am convinced that, long before the invention of money, Ug was telling Mug "Sure I'll let you have a bearskin now if you give me back two bearskins next winter."
IOW, economic systems are inherently competitive, just as all life on this planet is. If an animal can beat another animal to a juicier bite of grass, or a big fish gobble up a smaller fish, it has a greater chance of surviving and passing its genes on. As humans, we have evolved to be the smartest, most ruthless predators of all. We "civilized" Westerners spend our lives desperately seeking to avoid the brute realities of our human existence.
I think, therefore, that when Jesus said, :The poor will always be with you," it was not callousness, but a simple observation of reality. He then went on to say, :And whenever you will, you can help them."
Pause for breath.
In very small societies, such as gatherer/hunter tribes, it is possible for people be equal since excess material goods are labour intensive to produce, and tend to be a hindrance to nomadic peoples. While van der Post's Lost World of the Kalahari is rather problematic now, with some of its 1950s, male skewed views, it does do a fairly good job of showing how they existed. Note, however, that while the continued existence of the tribe is valued over the individual, survival of the fittest is still the norm. Those who are not physically able to contribute will be eliminated, ie infanticide and eventual abandonment of old people. Sorry to upset you, but we are the descendants of people who survived precisely because the weak did not..
(Also check out the 900 Days, by Harrison Salisbury, an account of the siege of Leningrad, and see how fast the veneer of "civilization" vanishes when survival is reduced to the basic essentials.)
I said in my previous post that 50% will always be below the median, but since the start of settled agriculture and the beginnings of civilization and more complex economic activity, the predominating system is more of a pyramid shaped feudal one. A few at the top hold most of the wealth and power, originally obtained by conquest and passed on by inheritance. At the bottom, the vast majority of slaves or very low paid workers produce the food and goods, but generally cannot afford the products of their labour. They are also the source of cannon fodder. The physically not able to work must beg. In between, there are a number of what are now termed middle class, who perform various functions such as managing workers, recording transactions. ensuring laws are followed and generally ensuring the system continues to function for the benefit of the rulers. They are in a precarious position, at various rungs up and down the ladder, now looking up and hoping to join the elite by trampling on those further down the rungs, or slowly descending and clutching at others as they fall, terrified of falling back into the mass at the bottom, whom they criticize and condemn for their supposed faults which produced the poverty, in order to feel a little better about about their own "deserved" small degree of more. A few will ascend to a certain point, then will pause and reach down in order to try and assist others to rise.
Such has been the case in most societies and nations throughout recorded history. Even when social reformers began seeking a more even distribution of wealth and power, eg in 19th Century Britain, at the same time overseas colonialism was expanding, and increased prosperity for the British working class was obtained at the expense of poor Indians and Africans.. Or in New Zealand, by taking land off the Maori.
So, although for a while we were able to maintain the image of a just and equal society with moderate wealth for everyone and care of the weak thanks to our welfare state, as a small nation far from anywhere, once the international winds started to affect us in the 80s, we started to realise that we actually have small clout in world trade. (Think Rainbow Warrior and the French threatening to refuse us imports with the EU unless we released the "only following orders" agents. Or the ending of ANZUS over our no nukes policy.)
So what we are now witnessing globally is effectively a return to the feudal system which has always predominated.
Pause for breath.
Since human nature is inherently "flawed" (ie, we don't know everything so how can anything we design be perfect) all attempts at solutions to problems will turn out to cause other problems. eg, we were once reliant on horses. With increased city dwelling, how shall cope with all the shit? Solution! Invent the motor car….Medical advances have enabled millions to live longer and happier lives. But opps. now we have a world population of billions. How shall we feed them all? Science to the rescue! Progress in agriculture! Insecticides! Artificial fertilizers! Monoculture! Factory farms!
Uhoh. Now we have a huge problem with pollution…..
As young un in the 60s (yes, I'm a Boomer. My bad. Should have told my parents to use conception.) we we frequently told, and articles were written, about how the coming age of more efficient manufacturing and reliance on computers, would REDUCE the number of number of jobs available (similar to AI predictions) and therefore we must prepare for a future with fewer work hours, more job sharing, and greater leisure time.
Of course, it turned out instead, that as the number of jobs went down, (more due to manufacturing going overseas than increased efficiency) they were NOT evenly shared. The workforce also increased with more women entering, in part because inflation increased need for household income, and also increased breakdown of marriage (no moral judgements) The more the job market shrank, the louder the virtues of work were praised, and the necessity of finding jobs insisted on. "Job creation" solutions were needed! Those lucky duckies who held onto their jobs eg in the govt "restructuring" of the 80s (they laid off thousands of govt employes to "save money" while unemployment rate was continually rising, and basically told them it was up to them to find new jobs. So many left for Australia, where wages were higher.) had to work even harder and longer hours to make up for lower staffing. And the unfortunate jobless were labelled bludgers and finally punished for it by having their benefits cut in The Mother of All Budgets. Followed by several years of recession (because there was now less money to spend and help keep businesses going) which resulted in even less jobs available. Now we have "intergenerational unemployment". Lazy parents on the dole! Kids growing up learning to live on the dole!
For school leavers especially, it was difficult to find jobs because of employers requiring Experience (classic Elevator Boy dilemma.) Employers were less willing to take on apprentices and have older workers give on-the-job training. We need a better educated workers! So extend the school leaving age and require young adults to be in further training in order to receive a benefit. Some joblessness is thereby disguised (Disabled and mums at home with kids who would still like to work at least part time but can't find a job, also disguised unemployment.) And we'll change the requirements of the HLFS to the bare minimum and call those who meet it employed even though their main source of income is still a benefit.
Oh but all this costs money. I have an idea. The govt can loan students money and when they get a job they can pay it back! So more students = fewer jobless in statistics, at least while they're studying. But if you're a student from a low income household who don't know many shoulders you can tap……You mean you're not guaranteed a job in Uncle Harry's law firm or Mum's friend Susan's business? Sucks to be you.
Steady destruction of small town living. Woolen mills and freezing works which once guaranteed jobs gone. Centralization of govt offices. Disappearing shops, service stations, schools, hospitals……Decline in property values cause no one wants to move here cause there ain't no jobs. People will either stay and exist on the dole, or sell the house at a loss and move to the city. Increased urban dwelling. Law of supply and demand means there is now a rise in housing prices.
People can't afford rent? Too few state houses? Well. let's have an accommodation allowance so they can choose whether to go state or private! And so the guaranteed flow of income from govt to landlord via the tenant's bank account.
Not trying to sound bitter, but looking back it seems kinda inevitable that decisions made long ago would put us in our current situation. Sorry to go on at length but those who haven't lived it and don't know history further back, need to know how it came about, so they are not led astray by would be demagogues and fascists blaming various groups. Immigrants! Baby Boomers! The Jews!
Don't even know if anyone's reading, but I feel better trying to write about it in some sort of logical order, because it's such a complex issue with roots that go back to forever and embrace the best and worst of human nature. But we live in the Age of TikTok. Read a whole history book? A long novel like War and Peace? lol.
Pause foe breath.
I read it and you described the symptoms well, but IMHO didn't identify the central problem, which has always been a coterie of complete bastards at the top conspiring to control and impoverish nations while enjoying fabulous power and wealth for themselves.
Leading to various revolutions and social changes. We are due for another
I am certainly not "dismissing the issue of women's safety." I am a 66 year old who previously lived with a penis owning partner and gave birth to a child. OK?
Back in 1972 I attended a high school in a small NZ town. It was the year of the Munich Olympics and the Committee had announced all women participants would be gender tested. since there was considerable suspicion over the number of large, heavily muscled Soviet sportswomen – some of whom appeared to have moustaches!
Feminists were upset. Why are only women having their private parts inspected? We demand all the men be examined too!
Our science teacher carefully explained to us that the situation was being misunderstood. No examination of external genitalia was taking place. A scrape of inside cheek cells was placed on a glass slide and examined to see what the chromosome makeup was. (We did this with our own cells in class.) Either XX or XY. Simple, right? (Long story short, the Soviets were XX but unknowingly being fed large amounts of steroids. Many consequently unable to have children.)
BUT THEN, we learned about the many possible genetic mutations…..XXY, XYY, XXX, XXXX and XXYY….. who may or may not have different outward and inward sexual organs, and sometimes both.
Sexuality, WE learned, was not a simple either/or, but a continuum, with exclusively hetero at one end, and exclusively home at the other. Those in between were varying degrees of bisexual, with cultural norms and the evolutionary drive to reproduce tending to result in more heterosexual activity.
Wow! Woke Science! In 1972! Who knew?
Science hastn't changed afaik.
Nope, those are not genetic mutations but conditions caused by abnormal chromosomal re-arrangements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_chromosome_anomalies
we have better chromosomal science now, but there are still only two sexes. Sex is how humans reproduce and it only happens via female and male. That's hardwired into our species via very long evolution and it can't be changed.
Variations in sexual development don't mean multiple sexes, those people are still either female or male. In sport this matters because people with male bodies have a distinct advantages over women. This is an issue of fairness and of safety.
There is discussion currently about a young woman who ended up with brain damage in a volleyball came because the person on the other team doing the spiking was a trans woman (trans identified male). That's because men have a completely different strength for that activity than women. We have women's sports precisely for these reasons. Letting trans women take part in those sports destroys fairness and makes those sports unsafe for women.
People with differences of sexual development are not inherently trans (although they might still have a gender identity opposite their biological sex). There is one DSD where a male child may superficially look like a girl, be raised as a girl, but then goes through male puberty. Once they do that, they have the same kind of physical advantages as other men, and they shouldn't be in women's sports for the above reasons. There are a lot of important social considerations for those people that society needs to pay attention to, but those don't trump women's safety and fairness.
This is why your comment "…rather than fretting over “men in women’s sports.” came across as dismissive of women's right to safety.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360606113/nz-first-introduces-bill-remove-diversity-regulations-public-service
Practically cut + paste from the Republican party, so they can't even come up with an original idea.
Does Peters genuinely believe this crap, or just pandering to the red-neck populist vote?
private members bill, so I'll go with Trumpesque populism and Peters having his eye on the next election.
NZ doesn't use the term DEI, he's such an opportunist.
btw, if we call voters in NZ rednecks, we're kind of doing the same populist thing. Do we want a NZ that respects voters and can work across difference, or do we want to further divisions and keep losing? Is the left going to present a coherent, positive, attractive vision for NZ going forward, or are we doing to keep calling voters names and wonder why people don't like the left? I get that people are angry, I just think we have to stop this kind of rhetoric if we want to avoid a Trumpian future.
Stage One:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/significant-concerns-health-nz-was-using-a-single-excel-spreadsheet-to-track-28-billion-of-public-money/WADIE2J26JEDVCLXYL7HKTMNDE/
Stage Two:
Announce the need for a huge new IT system using consultants called, purely coincidentally, Deloitte…
Accounting consultants say the problems can be fixed by more spending on. "Accounting consultants".
Whoever would have thought it!
Sounds like scaremongering. Is using a single Excel spreadsheet to track billions in public spending a bad thing? Depends:
1. What level of oversight and accountability do the people using the spreadsheet have? If all they need is reporting on what's been spent, a spreadsheet may be fine. It's unlikely the thousands of people involved in spending the money are using a spreadsheet to keep track of it.
2. What's the smallest amount being tracked on the spreadsheet? If it has half a million rows in it, yeah that's pretty bad. If it's a spreadsheet with 50 rows, nothing more complicated is needed.
Over-reliance on Excel (often a sign of "Shadow IT") is what happens when you have insufficient investment in a proper software development process.
Organisational processes that rely on people manually entering data into Excel and passing spreadsheets around over email are flaky and error prone.and insecure.
But yeah as long as the scope is limited, the data is understood, and there is some form of QA, it should be OK
That wouldn't have anything to do with the incoming government slashing millions out of health IT projects would it?
That, and this:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/brakes-put-contractor-and-consultant-spending
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/536632/govt-s-cuts-to-contractor-and-consultant-spending-ahead-of-schedule
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/nicola-willis-likely-to-exceed-target-for-reducing-consultant-spending-saving-800m-job-losses-well-lower-than-reports/HMRQ24A23RGHVAVMT4KPRY7J7A/
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/ministry-of-business-innovation-and-employment-cuts-spending-on-big-four-consulting-firms-by-more-than-60-in-a-year/ODLVARV7EFAVVJNID2UTHG435M/
The consultancy firms are feeling the pinch, so they have to drum up work and income for themselves. That’s when it comes handy to have the Right friends in the Right places.
Further, back in 1990, Georgina Beyer was elected mayor of Carterton, first openly trans mayor in the world. Later, she became an MP, ditto first in the world. I am sure there are those who saw her as a "Man in woman's clothes" but the prevailing opinion was that if she was the voter's choice, then that was their right and should be respected.
So what changed? Why the sudden outbreak of dire warnings of possible child molesters disguising themselves as women to get into toilets? (Only men disguised as women are of concern. If a women disguised as a man goes into a men's toilet and something bad happens, well that's her look out aka asking for it.)
Simply put, a totally cynical ploy by power hungry people who need a new scapegoat to divert attention from their own nefarious deeds. Jim Crow era = black men are raping white women! Poor whites forget your own misery, at least you're better than a n…….. Don't you feel better now we're rid of that criminal? And your wages are getting further cut next week.
Jerry Fallwell, founder of the Moral Majority and the man who forged the alliance between "Evangelicals" and the Republican Party, was a bigoted segregationist. But he saw a new scapegoat was needed and started attacking gays. This appealled to the type of person who cannot see themselves as good unless they're pointing to someone they can call bad. (which is why the media makes a lot of money focusing on crime, corruption, disaster and pretty all that's wrong with everyone and evrything else, while journalists and TV pundits will never admit to their own faults and failings. Pretty sure none of us will admit to our shortcomings in this forum either.)
Even in prisons, there is a hierarchy by crimes committed. As Kris Kristofferson/John Prine puts it
'Cause everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on
Prove they can be better than at any time they please
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on
You can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me
Remember the "Christian Heritage Party"? Got less than 2% of the vote, because the Christians back then knew better and refused to vote for him. Turned out, he was the predator who went to jail, and as our preacher at the time said, "This should be no surprise to anyone who reads history."
Note also, the groups being demonised keep getting smaller. Tells you something about the ones attacking them.
Last fact from the real world, rather than omg bogeyman scare world:
The vast majority of women and girls attacked are indeed preyed upon by men. Far too often said men are never charged. But only a miniscule number, if any will ever wear women's clothes. The overwhelming majority dress and present as men.
And the majority of crimes against women and girls take place IN THEIR OWN HOMES. I should know, I am a survivor.
Also, comparatively few trans people participate in sports, at a far lower rate than male presenting heterosexuals.
You are, as Jesus said, a blind person being led by the blind, straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel.
It's true that the far right and religious conservatives have taken up this issue and are pressing hard. But before that, feminists were talking about the problems for decades.
What changed was the intentional shift of 'trans' meaning people with gender dysphoria who had a very strong need to live as the opposite sex, and who by and large integrated themselves into society via transition, to trans meaning self ID and any man saying they are a man is one and must be treated as one.
Which is the opening of the door to abuse of women and children. Not that all trans women are paedophiles, but that males as a class have a pattern of violence against women and children so strong that we safeguard against that in multiple ways across society. There's no evidence that trans women as a class are somehow free from this pattern.
If you still think of trans women as transsexuals like Georgina and don't understand that trans now also means cross dressing males with AGP (a sexual fetish), then you can't understand what has changed and why women and men are saying no.
No Debate was an extremely successful strategy that suppressed debate, so a lot of people don't in fact know what trans is now, nor what the issues are. They're often only exposed to the ideas from the liberals that trans acceptance is Good, and everything else is bigotry.
But there is solid feminist analysis and activism that proves this wrong.
Here's a piece from Jane Clare Jones, the Annals of the Terf Wars. It's 5 years old, but gives a good overview of 'what changed' from the perspective of feminists.
https://janeclarejones.com/2018/11/13/the-annals-of-the-terf-wars/