NZ FOR SALE…'That showed that six of the 10 biggest landowners are foreign forestry companies and when you look at how the land is spread amongst New Zealanders, about 4,500 people – or 0.1 per cent of the population – own 28 per cent of the land.'
Well done drawing attention to this insidious sell off of our land in the name of climate change rescue. Most of the commenters on this forum I would have thought might question the sell off to foreign owned entities but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I wonder what the reaction would be if National was in power with the same agenda.
I doubt many commenters here support the selloffs in any form. Unfortunately the neoliberal buffoons who've parasitized our public service are full steam ahead on selling land offshore, a proposition that a substantial majority of the public oppose, rendering it illegitimate
"in the name of climate change rescue" – doubtful – that may be an entry on the OIO ledger, but the OIO would be the only clowns credulous enough to believe it.
If you want to know why Auckland University has fallen out of the top 200 list of best universities – a decline of over 133 places since arch neo-lib managerialist Stuart McCutcheon got the top job – then look no further than the extraordinary attack on Adrian Orr by the one of the swarm of chancer establishment cronies that have clearly flourished under McCutcheon's intellectual Stalinism.
A certain Robert MacCulloch, the Professor of Macroeconomics at Auckland University, has attacked the central bank saying Orr is a publicity seeker, the RBNZ now lacks intellectual fire-power and that much of the senior talent has "walked out the door". MacCulloch is playing the role of attack poodle for some clearly rattled gougers in the Aussie owned bank’s glass towers.
The attack on the RBNZ by MacCulloch well illustrates why neoliberalsm hangs on as a zombie ideology. Neoliberalism is a core ideology of a well paid, well funded and cosy class where totally owned tame friends in well-sponsored and funded right wing university departments give an intellectual veneer to a moth-eaten TINA before moving on to well paid banking jobs themselves.
As a marvellous piece of "radical centrism" in action as a neoliberal elite seeks to maintain the supremacy of it's soporific intellectual prescription MacCulloch's piece hard to beat.
I think he has every right to criticize, in fact an obligation as an academic to do so. But he should come up with a better argument than just, those guys are too thick to run things.
We have on the other hand a long standing weakness in our democratic processes known as Central Bank Independence. This breaks accountablity with the elected finance minister for his favoured strategy and results in fiscal policy being surpressed in favour of monetary policy.
Even if he triggers a more broad discussion I dont think what he is saying plays well in public. His arguments only make sense to a small cult like following who have been through an indoctrination program. For most the idea of banks having more skin in the game, similar to other businesses, is a winner.
MacCulloch reminds me of the University hierarchy in the U.S featured in the doco 'Inside Job'….so aggrieved at conflicts of interest being pointed out .
.In that case selective articles bought and well paid for that suited the finance industries objectives.
The hits on Orr are coming thick and fast. Stuff yesterday had a piece by someone called Kate McNamara attacking the RB Governor. As far as I could see there was no byline attached to the piece to indicate who this person worked for and what her relationship to the banking industry might be.
If this is the same person, then she is a PR person with an interest in banking. She also who seems to be peddling a peculiar form of climate change denialism – see these articles… https://muckrack.com/kate-macnamara/articles
Must be doing a good job then if the MSM repeaters and shills are blanketing him.
Ah yes that age old tactic of mysterious unmanned editorials and columns as they've likely been sent from PR Spin central with some talking points for the other opinionators to riff with.
"Although Mr Hosking is already complaining about Labour's looming budget, the National Party never committed to disciplining its own regulation and spending with the use of cost-benefit analysis. I was personally rebuffed by former Prime Minister John Key on this precise issue at the NZ Initiative."
Must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel for good arguements if he says the RBNZ under Orr lacks 'firepower'-
Im sure thats a common idea thrown around the Ivory Towers where competing views are dismissed with their version of a personal insult – lacking in intellect.
I don't disagree with you on MacCulloch, but NZ universities' tumble down the rankings is to do with the money being spent on universities in China and other developing countries, not any particular ideology – basically, there's much tougher competition for those top rankings than there used to be.
At the risk of being accused of attacking the messenger and not addressing his argument … and appreciating that Robert MacCulloch maybe a victim of a pestilential media …
MacCulloch attacking the central bank saying Orr is a publicity seeker? Orr is no doubt approached by many to comment. He is supposed to say he won't talk to anyone? He shouldn't talk to anyone?
And Robert MacCulloch, the same for him? He's in the media – he was approached to comment? He was supposed to say he wouldn't comment? He shouldn't talk to anyone? Is he just a 'publicity seeker'?
Thank goodness we have Rod Oram to tell us how well we are doing in spite of the negativeness of the Opposition and the Business Surveys.
Economics and politics are getting rockier and riskier around the world. Yet, New Zealand has never been more confident and capable of gaining from such turbulent times. So, here are six reasons for business optimism in New Zealand, from Rod Oram.
And the six reasons are told so well even I get it.
Thats what Hosking used to say during the Key government- the glass was always possible to get fuller -, however hes since been exposed as a partisan hack.
Rod Oram is certainly not an optimist when it comes to the likes of Fonterra and other forms of big business. Thats why he was pushed out from his weekend newspaper job.
Pat. Rod does back his optimism with hard facts. The naysayers do not except to say look at our survey. See? We all think the worst. And we are proud of that.
Hell, wouldn't it be terrible to have a country full of eternal optimists. Things would be so much better if everyone went around in Negative Nelly mode speaking through acid lips.
Sort of like the National supporters' mindset of 2018 onwards …
"Hell, wouldn't it be terrible to have a country full of eternal optimists."
Yes it would, not to mention dangerous..far more sensible to have a country full of realists though that is not going to happen either. Optimism has its place as does pessimism, neither should be a default.
Good point. Orrs job function is seek publicity . Robert MacCulloch and his acolytes at the NZ Initiative/Business Round Table do the very same thing at the behest of the corporates who fill their doggy bowls.
Trudeau’s Liberal Party is starting to track just ahead of the Conservative Party in CBC’s Canadian Federal Election Poll of Polls. It’s the first time since the beginning of the year (and the start of the SNC Lavalin scandal) that they have had the edge, though well within margin of error, in polling.
The Liberals have always been favoured to win the most seats due to their vote efficiency under Canada’s FPTP system. Until now though it was assumed that another majority was out of reach for Trudeau and he would have to settle for minority government. Latest polling puts the Liberals on the cusp of majority government with 2 weeks to go.
Coalition government is not popular in Canada. Usually the party with the largest number of seats runs a minority government. If this is Mr Trudeau’s fate then he will most likely look to both his left and right to get support to pass legislation. The NDP are in something of a crisis at the moment as their support has tanked across the country, especially in their former stronghold of Quebec where they are facing a wipeout on Election Day. It’s very unlikely they would agree to formally prop up a Liberal government.
Typically in Ottawa opposition parties will give the minority government votes on confidence bills in order to avoid the opprobrium that comes with unnecessarily collapsing the government and sending grumpy voters back to the polls. One unfortunate outcome from this is that minority governments can’t resist the temptation to pass contentious legislation via Omnibus bills where lots of different bills are bundled together and attached to a Budget Supply Bill which automatically tests the confidence of the House.
My memory while living in Toronto was the NDP was left centre, so 'something like NZ First'here, and can marry up again with the liberals rather than the Conservative government.
The long protests of the yellow jackets (nearly a year) and Hong Kong.
Plus those from central casting in Wellington, the later whose regular faces from the Aro valley (forgetting they live in a high EQ risk zone,which will look like abbotsford.
There is no climate 'crisis' – except in the minds of warmist bedwetters. The relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and atmospheric temperature is logarithmic. The more CO2 there is, the less effective it becomes as a warming agent because the ability of any one CO2 molecule to absorb IR radiation at 14.5 micron wavelength is being shielded by the increasing number of other CO2 molecules.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
It did not 'fully de-ice' in the last interglacial, the Eemian, which was quite a bit warmer than at present. So why would it do so in this interglacial, which is now nearing its end anyway
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
The point of following the Greenland melt is that it is a nice hard set of data points – there is little or no prediction involved. As such it serves as a touchstone for predictive models. The melt, by proceeding much faster than has been predicted suggests, as might be expected given the level of activity of climate deniers, that predictions have been conservative, and inclined to err on the low side.
School strike equates to school bunk-off day. If you don't lose your pay you have not been on strike. Maybe they were missing out on those feared subjects physics and maths, which might have taught them about logic and the scientific method and maybe the principles of Socratic debate. All sadly missing in the 'climate strikers' ' minds.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Velcro, I suspect that is your mind that lacks the Socratic debate thing. Nice of you to mention it, but I challenge you to prove that you understand it better than the protestors, whom, to quote George Dubya, you sadly 'misunderestimate'.
No its national fault Our higher living cost rents power ect. Now the Papatuanuku is not looking stable so Our government should hold back some putea to weather a storm our government has invested more in social security so most people will be comfortable in Aotearoa hence the fact invest more in the % 99. and the tax take goes up national stop investing in social services and the tax take went down it not ROCKET SCIENCE. The carbon tax was needed to slow down our use of carbon and pay for Green Energy transition.
I agree with him shonky denied that there was a PEE problem when he was in power and the problem grew something stinks. Also agree that the gangs get all the blame what about the others that are pushing and using the poison.
The farright needs to be brought to heal on the 21 century compunction device.
I think it's great that the ban on dogs is the city has been lifted down South Land.
This App is a awesome idea this will help plant billions of trees if every one joins in the effort to pay for trees to be planted it will capture billions of tonnes of carbon. Also providing jobs in poor countries
This app lets you plant trees to fight deforestation
lanting trees to save the planet just got a whole lot easier – no gardening gloves required.
A new app from the young people behind the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation means anyone can now help with the world’s reforestation efforts, in just a few simple clicks.
The app has 50 reforestation projects in developing countries to choose from. For just over $3, you can ‘plant’ a tree in Brazil, or for $108, you can plant 1,000 trees to restore the landscape of Indonesia – and the money goes straight to the tree planters on the ground.
And if you do want to get your hands dirty, the app also lets you register trees you’ve planted yourself, with photos and locations, as well as organise tree-planting competitions among schools or at work.
Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, says: “Widespread restoration requires us to reach out to large numbers of people, cost-effectively and quickly. Apps like this can go a long way to boost nature-based solutions for climate action, livelihoods and sustainability Ka kite Ano link below.
The United Nations needs to have money to do their mahi come on.
The United Nations may not have en8ough money for staff salaries next month if member states don't pay what they owe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
He told the 193-member UN General Assembly's budget committee that if he had not worked since January to cut spending then "we would not have had the liquidity to support" the annual gathering of world leaders last month.
"This month, we will reach the deepest deficit of the decade. We risk … entering November without enough cash to cover payrolls," said Guterres.
The United States is the largest contributor – responsible for 22 per cent of the more than $US3.3 billion ($A4.9 billion) regular budget for 2019, which pays for work including political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic and social affairs and communications.
Washington owes some $US381 million for prior regular budgets and $US674 million for the 2019 regular budget. The US mission to the United Nations confirmed the figures.
It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when it might pay.
I have seen quite a few of those wreckers left on the road I think they can be a distraction to the drivers.????.
I think some other civil servants have to much independence they have conned previous politicians to give them that saying that if they are to answer to the political establishment they could be used by politicians to gain power YEA RIGHT that just gave them unlimited power answerable to no one.
Global Warming has given Tawhirimate heaps of Mana now.
Please give heaps of donations for the Christchurch City mission as food is the only discretionary cost people pay rent power and other expenses and have no putea left for food.
Its great that our government is investing more in our mental health system the last lot cut their budgets.
Some countries have cycle friendly cities with the E bikes now one can ride bikes even if they are not super fit. I say we should be investing more in electric mass transport we need to stop making the same mistake pouring billion to build highways that are designed to cope with peek rush hour traffic next minute 50 % of the time our highways are empty work smarter not harder is needed.
Cold water therapy sounds great one gets better health benefits better circulation that's good for most things and best of all lowering our energy footprint having cold showers.
Save Our Kiwi month kia pai Imona that's awesome seeing the Kiwi egg rocking while hatching.
I think Pharmac should invest more in finding generic products and or making the drugs in Aotearoa there are many ways to solve a problem.
They new that there products will stuff our environment they let greed override any concerns for our future environment. They stopped the first electric car the Volt. Tangata around the Papatuanuku must start to lower their own carbon footprint if no-one buys their product they will become unprofitable that is the way to leave the stuff in the ground. They will all start investing in Green Energy.
Fossil fuel companies have been aware of their impact on the planet since at least the 1950s
For more than 50 years, the petroleum industry and politicians have been warned about the climate risks of burning fossil fuels. Yet the top 20 fossil fuel firms have continued to expand and have been behind a third of all carbon emissions since 1965. This timeline shows who knew what and when, and how they communicated or obscured the threat to the public
The Spark and TV 1 sports broadcasting deals puts delayed sports matches on free TV like the old days.
I was not impressed with the way he handled Kia Ora.
Its good that big tech companies are going to limit the stuff bad people put up on their platforms.
The Wahine and tamariki are going to be suffering the most in Syria.
United mental health is doing a good job highlighting the Papatuanuku mental health issues this publication let's people know it OK to seek help on this issue as it's a problem many people have suffered.
Its good to read that Ngapuhi Wahine voices are going to be heard.
I think teaching people to respect themselves by not touching PEE and respecting others is needed to many people have a attitude of who gives a stuff Our Tipuna do.
Te Ko Tahireo Pukapuka is a awesome organisation. I want to be able to read all. Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa pukapuka online for free.
Teaching tamariki about conserving our Tangaroa the Tahiti keeping their culture strong is good kia kaha.
We are very pleased to publish this submission is from Lucinda Stoan. She is a social justice activist, mother, and educator, based in Washington State in the US. This detailed and comprehensive source-linked overview of trans issues and what is at stake will be useful for many people, especially in ...
New Zealand's Underarm Banker: It bears recalling that the “independence” of the Reserve Bank Governor was for decades held up by neoliberal capitalists as the most compelling justification for passing the Reserve Bank Act. Interesting, is it not, how the ruling class’s support for the Bank’s independence lasted no longer than ...
Rubbish In, Rubbish Out: Put all this together, and it’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that anyone who responds positively to a pollster’s request to “answer a few questions” is just ever-so-slightly weird. Desperately lonely? Some sort of psephological train-spotter? Political party member primed to skew the poll for or against ...
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. A long and bitter court feud between former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig and Jordan Williams has been settled, with an apology and compensation from Williams. On Tuesday, Craig sent out ...
Some people seem to want to close down any critical discussion of the current research into the relationship between water fluoride and child IQ. They appear to argue that claims made by researchers should not be open to critical review and that the claims be accepted without proper consideration ...
The government has been congratulating itself over the passage of the Zero Carbon Act, which sets out long-term emissions targets. Meanwhile, Climate Action Tracker has the shameful reality: those targets are insufficient:While New Zealand is showing leadership by having passed the world’s second-ever Zero Carbon Act in November 2019, under ...
The government introduced a Racing Industry Bill today. As an urban who horse racing as pointless-to-cruel, and gambling as a tax on stupidity and/or hope, this isn't normally a bill which would interest me in the slightest, beyond grumpiness at more government money for a dying industry. But there is ...
Check. Check. One, two, three, four. Is this thing ON? Hello readers, I logged in last night (yeah, it’s been a while) to mark THE END of the landmark legal case, Jordan Williams v Colin Craig, which (gulp) reached The Supreme Court, in which New Zealand’s most-defamed man was suing the politician he ...
Before The Birth: Israel’s most fervent supporters set their clocks ticking in Biblical times. They cite the kingdoms of David and Solomon as proof that, in the words of the Exodus movie’s theme-song: “This land is mine.” The majority of Israel’s backers, however, start their clocks in 1933 – the year Adolf ...
In an unreliable, strange and confusing world, Public Address is proud to present a measure of comfort and stability by annually asking everyone what words or phrases sum up the year that's been – and then giving some of them consumer goods as prizes for being clever or simply lucky.Well, ...
Both my parents are pretty handy – and they seem to have the right tools for most jobs in the garage and they know how to fix practically anything. A similar story could be told about their generation’s experience in the workforce – being a generalist was not unusual and ...
When it was revealed that NZ First had tried to enrich itself from public office via the Provoncial Growth Fund, the Prime Minister assured us that everything was OK as Shane Jones, the Minister responsible for the fund, had recused himself. Except it seems that that recusal came very late ...
Today is a Member's Day, and probably the last one of the year. After the marathon of the End of Life Choice Act, most of the bills up for debate today are uncontentious. First up is the second reading of Chlöe Swarbrick's Election Access Fund Bill. This will be followed ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has reported back on the government's odious and tyrannical control orders bill. As expected, the fraudulent select committee process has made no significant changes (partly because they couldn't agree, but mostly because it was a stitch-up from the start, with no intention of ...
Yesterday, the government released its draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill, which will be put to a non-binding referendum at the next election. I'm not a drug policy expert, but Russell Brown is, and he thinks its pretty good. And pretty obviously, it will be a massive improvement on the ...
As you're probably aware, the draft bill outlining the proposed legal cannabis regime to be put to a referendum late next year was published yesterday, and has already attracted a flurry of comment. It's notable that a good deal of the comment is about proposals that aren't actually new.A minimum ...
One of the big problems in New Zealand climate change policy is the government working at cross-purposes with itself. It wants to reduce fossil fuel use, but encourages oil and gas exploration. It wants to reduce transport emissions, but then builds enormous new roads. The problem could be avoided if ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzAccording to the United Nations, food shortages are a threat ...
Last year, the government announced it was ending offshore oil exploration by no longer issuing new permits. The idea was that the industry would then die off as permits expired. Except almost immediately the government revealed its bad faith, by saying they would extend permits and alter conditions to keep ...
The government introduced the Education and Training Bill to Parliament yesterday. Its a massive bill, which replaces both existing Education Acts, as well as various other bits of legislation (including some which are still proceeding through the House). I'll leave the serious analysis to teachers and people who actually know ...
Amelia SharmanThere’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to micro-credentials, those bits of bite-sized learning that can help workers stay on top of technological change. What’s a micro-credential? While definitions vary, micro-credentials can be understood as short courses that allow people to learn new skills or have an existing competency recognised. ...
All Smiles Now: Claire Szabo is taking up her presidential role after serving as the CEO of Habitat For Humanity. Which is absolutely perfect! After KiwiBuild was so comprehensively mismanaged by Phil Twyford, the party has not only elected a new president from a thoroughly respectable not-for-profit, but one who ...
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...
by Daphna Whitmore At Golden Oaks, a luxurious country retreat in the Hudson Valley, pregnant women have the best care money can buy. From the organic food, personalised exercise programmes, private yoga instruction and daily massages Golden Oaks looks like a country lodge for the upper class. Set some time ...
When Labour was running for election in 2017, it felt it needed to demonstrate "fiscal responsibility" and signed itself up to masochistic "budget responsibility rules". It was a fool's errand: the sorts of voters who demand fiscal responsibility are also the sorts of voters who believe that labour can never ...
Writing in Stuff, Joel MacManus looks at what we need to do to meet the Zero Carbon Act's targets. The core of it:1. Convert 85 per cent of vehicles on the road to electric. 2. Eliminate fossil fuels from all industrial heating up to 300 degrees Celsius. 3. Double our ...
Professors Janet Hoek and Richard Edwards, Emeritus Professor Phil Gendall, Jude Ball, Dr Judith McCool, Anaru Waa, Dr Becky FreemanRecent media reports have presented conflicting evidence on youth vaping in NZ. While some NZ school principals report concerns about increasing vaping on school grounds and confiscating vapes, ASH Year ...
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...
Image credit:The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ...
1080 is used to control pests in NZ. Its use is contested by a noisy few. A new report claims high levels of 1080 in rats washed up on a beach. Flora and Fauna of Aotearoa (F&F) won’t name the laboratory that did their testing. It has sparked a hunt ...
What Kind Of Empire? The thing for Kiwis to decide is what kind of empire they want to belong to. The kind that, while offering its own citizens democratic rights, demands absolute obedience from its “friends”? Or, the kind that, while authoritarian at home, takes a relaxed attitude to the ...
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...
Within quick succession, Countdown maths wizard and twitterer Rachel Riley, alleged comedian David Baddiel and prominent lawyer Andrew Julius have all expressed very similar opinions / ideas:
These #3billboards are going round London today, organised by ex-Labour people, horrified by what their party has become. Their principles haven’t changed, they’re ...
So, there have been a bunch of bad polls out for Labour, and even the Leftie's friend, Survation, have recently given the Conservatives a rip-snorting 11% lead. You Gov's much vaunted MRP poll - which pretty much nailed the result in 2015 - is currently predicting a comfortable majority for ...
The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to declare a climate emergency:The European parliament has declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” as it urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The vote came as scientists warned that the world may have already crossed ...
Pure Fear: Worse than Heroin, this drug’s addictive power was terrifying. People under its influence didn’t drift off to Elysium. Nor did it persuade inadequate individuals that they could conquer the world. No, this drug – pure crystal methamphetamine, “P” for short – unlocked the gates of Hell itself. It ...
As the rate of measles infection, and of deaths, continues to climb in Samoa, antivaccination activists infectious disease proponents seem intent on doubling down on their claims about vaccination. (Check pretty much any news-media FB post about measles & you’ll see exactly what I mean.) Unfortunately, some of them have ...
Samoa are experiencing a devastating measles epidemic. It is possible that 2-3% of the population will ultimately be infected by the time it is over. Hopefully the mass immunisation campaign currently under way can mitigate some of this, for many it is too late. The first question many people ask ...
Meghan Murphy is a Canadian writer and journalist She runs the Feminist Current website which she founded in 2012. She was a keynote speaker for the Feminism2020 conference in Wellington this month. When Massey University cancelled the original venue booking Feminism2020 was hosted in Parliament by MP David Seymour. Meghan ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Colombia has lived through one week of protests against the economic measures taken by president Duque. What looked like a protest that would fizzle out after its first day on November 21st is still going strong. Part of the reason for the continuance ...
Around a million billion pass through you each second, almost all originating from our sun, but few of them are likely to interact with you enroute. I was reading in a physics magazine earlier in the week about the nature of neutrinos. These are extremely numerous elementary particles, but only ...
By Pallab GhoshThere’s value in covering new research advances, even when the underlying science is unsettled. But there are also risks.The recent announcement that scientists discovered water on the planet K2-18b, 110 light years away, prompted a media swoon. News stories, including a piece written by me, billed ...
I wrote this review a couple of years ago when I was still in the process of getting my head around the politics of transgenderism, and specifically the claim that intersex conditions lend support to the notion that sex is ‘socially constructed’. Since writing this review I have come across ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzHow much does our use of air travel contribute to the ...
Minor planet/asteroid (2309) Mr. Spock is named not for the character in Star Trek, but for a cat that was itself imperturbable, logical, intelligent and had pointed ears. In a preceding blog post I introduced one of my favourite asteroids, (2472) Bradman, and also mentioned (6581) Sobers amongst a few ...
Today the death toll from measles in Samoa rose to 32. All but four of the dead were less than 5 years old. Absolutely terrible, heartbreaking, news. That statistic alone should be enough to give the lie to the common claim by antivaccination activists plague enthusiasts that “measles is a ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh It is late here in Bogotá, almost 11.30pm on Monday the 25th of November as I write this. The day began full of hope with yet more massive marches throughout the country, a mix of the International Day of Non-Violence Against Women and the National Strike. ...
Anti-fluoride activists are rubbing their hands in glee over what they claim is “yet another study” showing fluoride harms the brains of children. But their promotion relies on IQ relationships which the paper’s authors acknowledge disappearing when outliers or other factors are considered. And they completely ignore other relationships ...
The feature below is the conclusion of A History of Economic Thought, whose author was a leading Marxist economist in Russia in the early 20th century, Isaac Ilyich Rubin. The book arose from a course he ran at Moscow University following the Russian Revolution. First published in Russian in 1929, ...
There are many thousands of asteroids with formal names, some humdrum but other more noteworthy (depending on your predilections). One of my favourites, the name of which I was involved in suggesting, is (2472) Bradman, named for the Australian cricketing great. As a minor planet (synonym: asteroid) spotter, I have ...
Tory manifesto: big on austerity, low on promise, non-existent on delivery. The Tories: the party so big on ambition they couldn't be arsed writing a manifesto. MLK: "I have a dream!"BJ: "I'll just have a nap." Labour: Broadband!Tories: Narrow minds! Labour have hope, dreams and ambition. The Tories will save ...
The Ministry of Health has announced that “people under the age of 50 travelling from New Zealand to Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji” are now on the list of national priorities for MMR vaccination. Given the outbreaks of measles in Samoa, Tonga, Philippines and Fiji, the Ministry of Health is ...
Hong Kong has been protesting for six months for, demanding democracy, human rights, and an end to police violence. Today, they went to the polls in district council elections - a low-level of government with virtually no power, similar to community boards in New Zealand. But while the positions themselves ...
Text and photos by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh On Friday 22nd of November a curfew came into effect and troops were deployed on the streets, here in Bogota. It was the first time since September 1977 that a curfew had been imposed on the city. The decision was a cynical pre-planned ...
Meanwhile, while the government is planning to restore voting rights to prisoners, National is promising to turn our prisons into US-style slave-labour camps:The Opposition is proposing compulsory education, training or employment for prisoners who are serving sentences of two years or more. [...] On Sunday, National Party Leader Simon Bridges ...
Excerpts from Being and Being Bought, by Kajsa Ekis Ekman Spinifex Press, 2013. Ekman, a Swedish journalist and critic, brings together a Marxist and feminist analysis of prostitution and surrogacy in this groundbreaking book. This is the second part of a synopsis and brief commentary of the book by Daphna ...
Dalmeet Singh ChawlaIn 2008, psychologists proposed that when humans are shown an unfamiliar face, they judge it on two main dimensions: trustworthiness and physical strength. These form the basis of first impressions, which may help people make important social decisions, from who to vote for to how long a ...
Claas Kirchhelle, University of Oxford; Adam Roberts, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and Andrew Singer, Centre for Ecology & HydrologyAntibiotics are among the most important medicines known to humankind, but we are running out of this crucial resource. Decisive action is needed if we are to retain access to ...
Things That Make You Go - Hmmmm: “All right. Let me come at this another way. I’m guessing that what you’ve got in that box contains names, dates, bank account numbers – all the details you need to put Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern squarely in the cross-hairs. So, the first ...
Coasters Turn Out In Droves: It’s precisely the widening gulf between those with actual experience of things like guns, chainsaws and drilling machines, and those who regulate their use, that accounts for the angry crowd at Greymouth’s Messenger Park on Sunday, 17 November 2019. In the rarefied atmosphere where decisions ...
There are perennial arguments about the circumstances of the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, and in particular whether more than one shooter is required by the evidence (such as the Zapruder film). Those who know little about physics frequently claim that the sharp backwards motion of JFK’s head as ...
Apparently, some people enjoy washing their cars. Each to his or her own, I suppose. I mean, some people like duck shooting, some people follow Coronation Street, and some people’s idea of a good day out is to sit on a grass bank at Seddon Park and watch cricket all ...
Last week we learned that New Zealand First had apparently tried to enrich itself from public office, with a dodgy forestry company linked to a number of NZ First figures sticking its hand out repeatedly for government money. Today in Question Time Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones had his ...
Finally, governments seem slowly to be beginning to act on climate change. But its not enough. While they're publicly signing up to targets, they're planning to destroy the world by continuing fossil fuel extraction:The world’s nations are on track to produce more than twice as much coal, oil and gas ...
Stuff has begun interviewing NZ First's secret donors, and it turns out that its as bad as we expected. They start with racing industry figure Garry Chittick, who is predictably grumpy about NZ First's coalition choices. Meanwhile, I'm looking at the list of pork NZ First has effectively given its ...
Stag At Bay: Twelve years ago, Winston Peters was still robust enough to come back from the political crucifixion which his political and media enemies had prepared for him. In his seventies now, the chances of a second resurrection are slim. We should, therefore, prepare for the last gasp of ...
Satellites pass over NZ all the time (literally). Here I focus on the 187 Planet Labs ‘Dove’ Earth-imaging satellites, and I show that one can determine in advance where they will be, enabling scientists on the ground to correlate their environmental and other data collection with opportunities to get imaging ...
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Human Rights A critical step has been taken to end gender based violence against women and girls in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Human Rights Jenny Marcroft MP has welcomed the passing of the first reading of the Crimes (Definition of Female ...
New Zealand First MP Shane Jones says it's time to recognise market forces haven't led to the expected reduction in Māori smoking rates and try a new approach. The Party had recently invoked the agree to disagree clause in their Coalition Agreement with the Labour Party, and will not support ...
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...
The Coalition Government will be banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, ahead of next year’s general elections. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament and passed under urgency – emphasising the need for such restrictions to safeguard our democracy. The bill introduces a new requirement that party secretaries and ...
Associate Transport Minister Shane Jones opened Taipā's $19 million bridge recently, improving transport infrastructure in the Northland region. The two-lane bridge is 107m long with a 2.5m-wide shared walking and cycling path, and will reduce the congestion that the old one-lane bridge was notorious for. The project had also included ...
The Overseas Investment Office have rejected the application of Mercury Agriculture LP, which is 92 per cent controlled by Canadian interests, to purchase more than 2000 hectares of South Canterbury and Otago land. Mercury wanted to buy 2000ha at Rangitata, 1494ha near Ashburton, 816ha near Cromwell and 212ha near Temuka. ...
This weekend was Labour's 103rd Party Conference! We welcomed over 500 of our Labour whānau in red to Whanganui, where we reflected on the last two years in Government, and looked ahead to 2020 and beyond. We know the long-term challenges facing New Zealand won't be tackled overnight, but we're making ...
Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced that the Provincial Growth Fund will invest $9.6 million to seal the final unsealed section of State Highway 43 from Stratford to Taumarunui. The Minister said sealing the 12-kilometre gravel section of the highway – also called the “Forgotten World Highway” - through ...
Former Finance Minister and former chair of the Tax Working Group, Sir Michael Cullen, has voiced his support for New Zealand First’s decision to oppose the planned increase in tobacco excise tax. In an interview with The Weekend Collective, he said that increasing the price was no longer effective in ...
Māori are natural storytellers. On the marae we use stories to tell our history, to teach the next generation life lessons and to let people know, in our most creative of ways, who we are and where we have come from. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First has invoked the ‘Agree to Disagree’ provisions of the Coalition Agreement because it cannot support the announced 11.46 percent increase in the tobacco excise from 1 January 2020. “Studies show that the automatic tobacco excise increases are having less effect ...
Taupō-based company Geo40 has made a breakthrough in extracting near battery-grade lithium from geothermal fluid which its says could be a gamechanger. Its chief executive John Worth said the earth mineral was highly prized, with battery-grade lithium selling for US$10,000 (NZ$15,600) a tonne. Geo40 was founded in 2010 to find ...
Crown research institute AgResearch Ltd, as part of its Future Footprint plan, had intended to relocate top scientists and support staff — particularly those focused on sheep genetics and genomics — from Invermay to Lincoln. However, those plans seem to have been shelved at the request of the Coalition Government. ...
Ten engineering firms in Southland are receiving a total of $2.13 million in Provincial Growth Fund funding to lift productivity and create new jobs. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced in Invercargill that the 10 engineering and manufacturing firms would receive funding to assist them with buying equipment that ...
The number of new residents to New Zealand is the lowest it has been in nearly two decades and it has earned the ire of the immigration industry. The industry alleges that 'Trump-style extreme vetting' is being put in place aimed at keeping a lid on immigration numbers. June Ranson, ...
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is one step closer to modernising its fleet after the United States State Department recently approved the sale of five new C-130J Hercules aircraft to New Zealand. Arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide the aircraft, but as a "foreign military ...
Forestry Minister Shane Jones wants to create a log barging facility at Hicks Bay and turn the area into a Special Economic Zone. The move would be part of protecting New Zealand's forests from being depleted by India and China, he said. It follows his announcement last week to strengthen ...
New Zealand First supports the changes recommended by the Winter Grazing Taskforce to improve animal welfare outcomes through the winter months, and the establishment of a pan-sector action group to implement them. New Zealand First Primary Industries Spokesperson Mark Patterson says the report highlights areas of concern about the animal ...
Former prime ministers Helen Clark and Sir John Key, formerly from the Labour and National parties respectively, have joined forces in support of New Zealand First’s plan to relocate Auckland's port to Whangārei. While Ms Clark and Sir John spent their political careers on opposite sides of the political divide, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is in Japan for the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the G20 grouping of countries as one of nine "invited" countries. He has used the opportunity to cast a spotlight on the plight of Pacific countries, calling out countries which still offered subsidies or Government assistance to ...
It's been a great week of progress: we've celebrated Children's Day, we've made communities safer with 1800 new police, and we've seen almost 90% of eligible schools take up Government funding to scrap school donations - taking pressure off the families of more than 416,000 students. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Forestry The Government will further strengthen New Zealand’s wood processing sector as part of our focus on ‘value over volume’ in our forestry industry, Forestry Minister Shane Jones says. Minister Jones will today meet with forestry representatives in Northland to signal new measures to help the ...
New Zealand First are celebrating the announcement of an investment of $3.5 million into five new trapping devices. These are a range of bait and trap devices, all designed to be left unattended for long periods of time. NZ First conservation spokesperson Jenny Marcroft says that this latest development will ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Conservation New Zealand First is proud to announce the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) has allocated $3.5 million to develop innovative predator control approaches which will reduce the need for repeated 1080 use. $19.5 million of PGF funding was announced for Predator Free 2050 Limited in February ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Police New Zealand First is proud to have delivered on a key Coalition Agreement commitment to adding 1800 new frontline police, with the graduation of Recruit Wing 332 in Porirua today. Law and Order Spokesperson Darroch Ball says increasing police numbers and boosting their resources was one ...
Clayton Mitchell, Spokesperson for Consumer Affairs The ‘wheel clamping’ Bill that will cap clamper fees to $100 passed its third readinginParliament today. New Zealand First welcomes The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill to combat predatory wheel clamping behaviour in what is currently a largely unregulated business. Cowboy clampers are: gouging ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its first reading in Parliament. “Today’s progress takes serious action on the mental health and addiction crisis the country is facing,” says New Zealand First Health Spokesperson Jenny Marcroft. “The re-establishment ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries Today the Government announced the delivery of the promise to protect New Zealand interests by applying a new National Interest Test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. This further strengthening of the Overseas Investment Act will ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next ...
The Coalition Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high-risk assets to overseas buyers. Under current Overseas Investment Act (OIA) rules, assets such as ports and airports, telecommunications infrastructure, electricity and ...
Rt Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Allegations raised this morning by Stuff Limited / Fairfax concern a party matter but I am confident that New Zealand First has operated within electoral laws, now and for the last 27 years. Declarable donations were declared to the Electoral Commission. Our ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says new appointments to DHBs represent a significant changing of the guard, with 13 new chairs including four Māori chairs. Today 76 appointments have been announced to complement elected board members, as well as eight elected members appointed as either chair or deputy chair. Four ...
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau, is travelling to Germany, Poland, Austria, and Spain next week to bolster New Zealand’s political and trade relationships in Europe. While in Spain, Mr Tabuteau will represent New Zealand at the 14th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Madrid. “New Zealand strongly supports ...
“I’ve spoken to Minister Faafoi, who has apologised for his poor handling of this issue,” Jacinda Ardern said. “I have confidence in Kris as a hardworking and effective Minister, but this should have been dealt with in a much clearer manner, and I’ve made my views on that very clear ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters met with Tongan Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pohiva Tu'i'onetoa in Wellington today. The pair signed a Statement of Partnership setting out joint priorities for cooperation out to 2023. “We welcomed Prime Minister Tu'i'onetoa on his first visit to New Zealand as Prime Minister. Tonga ...
The Minister of Police Stuart Nash says his sympathies are with the family of a man who died after being shot by Police in Kurow. “Initial reports are that Police were called by a family member to help the man who was threatening to harm himself,” Mr Nash says. “However ...
Healthier waterways, better productivity and farmer wellbeing are front and centre in a new project involving more than 1000 Southland farmers and growers. Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor today announced that the Thriving Southland Change and Innovation Project is the first region-wide extension programme supported by the $229 million Sustainable ...
Work to look after nature and restore freshwater quality in Te Hoiere/Pelorus River catchment is getting a significant boost, thanks to new Government funding support Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage announced in Canvastown today. “Every New Zealander should be able to swim in their local river without getting sick, and ...
Eight Queen’s Counsel have been appointed under a process that includes the new criterion of a commitment to improving access to justice, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. “The new criterion was included this year. It emphasises that excellence and leadership in the profession can be seen through a wider, community ...
Onslow College in Wellington will get 20 new classrooms for more than 400 students, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The much-needed investment will relieve growth pressure the school has been experiencing for some time. Seven existing classrooms which have deteriorated over time will also be replaced, bringing the total ...
More than 250 young New Zealanders will add international experience to their education, thanks to the latest Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) and Latin America (PMSLA), Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. This round of scholarships supports 252 recent graduates or current students to undertake study, research or internships ...
Consumers will benefit from a more competitive, transparent retail fuel market as a result of changes the Government will be making in response to the findings of the Commerce Commission’s study of the fuel sector. “We accept the Commission’s findings and, as the Prime Minister has said, we’re ready to ...
Five new cancer medicines have now been funded this year, meaning thousands of people have more treatment options PHARMAC has today announced that it has approved two new medicines for funding – fulvestrant for breast cancer and olaparib for ovarian cancer. This follows earlier decisions on advanced lung cancer treatment alectinib, ...
The Minister of Local Government, Hon Nanaia Mahuta says the Government will consider making changes to local electoral legislation before the 2022 elections to fix the problems that have arisen where elections are settled by a coin toss. The Minister says the recount process in the Murupara- Galatea ward at ...
New Zealand will sign up to new international maritime regulations to reduce ship emissions and lift air quality around ports and harbours, Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter announced today. Subject to completion of the Parliamentary treaty examination process, New Zealand will sign up to Annex VI of MARPOL, an ...
New legislation to transform our urban areas and create sustainable, inclusive and thriving communities will tomorrow be introduced to Parliament, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford said. “The Urban Development Bill gives Kāinga Ora-Homes and Communities the tools it needs to partner with councils, communities, mana whenua and private developers to ...
Today’s launch of He taonga te Tamaiti: Every child a taonga: The Early Learning Action Plan 2019-2029 provides the foundation for long-lasting changes to early learning, Education Minister Chris Hipkins says. “Early learning will be one of the Government’s top education priorities going into 2020,” Chris Hipkins said. ...
Major decisions made by the Government will now be considered under a climate change lens, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. “Cabinet routinely considers the effects of its decisions on human rights, the Treaty of Waitangi, rural communities, the disability community, and gender – now climate change will ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced the appointment of Māori education specialist Dr Wayne Ngata and Business NZ head Kirk Hope to the Board of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Dr Alastair MacCormick has been reappointed for another term. “Wayne Ngata, Kirk Hope and Alastair MacCormick bring a great deal ...
The next phase of the Pike River Re-entry project is underway, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little says. “Fresh air will be pumped into the Pike River Mine drift this week, following acceptance of the plan for re-entry beyond the 170m barrier by New Zealand’s independent health and ...
New Zealand consumers will have greater certainty about their insurance cover when they need to make claims as a result of proposed government changes. “Insurance is vitally important in supporting consumers and businesses to be financially resilient when unexpected events happen,” Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Kris Faafoi said. ...
The Crown is providing an opportunity for the hapu of Ngāpuhi to rebuild its framework from the ground up for collective negotiations to deal with its historical Treaty claims, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little and Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Crown is also ...
A Bill enabling referendums to be held with the 2020 General Election has passed its third reading. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Act is important for upholding the integrity of New Zealand’s electoral process. “The Government has committed to holding a referendum on legalising recreational cannabis at the next ...
The first release of public information on the two referendums to be held at next year’s General Election was made today with an informative new Government website going live. Additionally, the draft Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill has been released, showing the strict controls on cannabis that will apply if ...
The Government is taking action to protect New Zealand from foreign interference in our elections by banning foreign donations to political parties and candidates, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Legislation will be introduced to Parliament this afternoon and passed under urgency. “There’s no need for anyone other than New ...
Governments and tech companies are holding a two-day workshop, hosted by YouTube/Google in Wellington, to test the Christchurch Call Shared Crisis Response Protocol. The workshop aims to refine and strengthen the response in the event of a terrorist attack with online implications. Companies, governments, civil society experts and NGOs will ...
The new independent Cancer Control Agency has formally opened today, delivering on the Government’s plan to improve cancer care in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Health David Clark marked the occasion by announcing the membership of the Advisory Council that will be supporting ...
Small businesses who deal with government departments are set to be paid faster and have improved cash flow as a result, under a new strategy released today. The Government is backing recommendations from the Small Business Council (SBC) and has agreed to implement three initiatives immediately to support business and ...
The Education and Training Bill 2019, introduced in Parliament today, proposes the biggest education changes in decades and is an important step towards improving success for all our learners, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said. “The Bill’s rewrite of education legislation is long overdue. Indeed one Education Act, parts of which ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio will travel to Bali to represent New Zealand at the 12th Bali Democracy Forum that will be held on the 5-6 December. “The Forum is a valuable opportunity for Asia-Pacific countries to share experiences and best practice in building home-grown democracy and fostering ...
A package of new and expanded technology and other tools will encourage responsible camping and help communities and local councils better manage freedom camping this summer, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. “Our Government has been investing to improve the freedom camping experience for everyone because we want to support ...
The government is laying the groundwork to understanding our genes – work that can help us tackle some of our biggest health challenges, like heart disease and diabetes, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. $4.7 million has been invested in the Genomics Aotearoa Rakeiora programme. The programme will ...
Nearly every state schools will receive a capital injection next year valued at $693 per student to bring forward urgent school property improvements, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The one-off cash injection is the first project to be announced from the Government’s infrastructure package ...
The Government has decided to bring forward major investments in New Zealand’s infrastructure to future proof the economy. “Cabinet has agreed to a significant boost to infrastructure investment. I have directed the Treasury to help bring together a package of projects that can be brought into the Government’s short and ...
It is a great pleasure to be with you today in Whanganui. Like the Prime Minister I grew up with the TV clip of Selwyn Toogood booming “What do you say Whanganui, the money or the bag?” to an unsuspecting ‘It’s in the Bag’ audience. For those under the age ...
New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, the Paparoa Track, was officially opened in Blackball today by the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage alongside the family members of the Pike 29 and Ngāti Waewae. Local mayors and MP for the West Coast Hon Damien O’Connor were also in attendance. “Paparoa National Park ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark turned the first sod of earth on the infrastructure works for the new P-8A Poseidon fleet at RNZAF Base Ohakea today. “The Coalition Government’s investment in Ohakea will ensure the Royal New Zealand Air Force can manage, maintain and task the new fleet efficiently ahead ...
Civil Defence Minister Hon Peeni Henare today announced the establishment of the new National Emergency Management Agency from 1 December 2019. The National Emergency Management Agency will replace the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management. It will be an autonomous departmental agency, hosted by the Department of the Prime ...
New Zealand tertiary students with top grades and a passion for space will once again be offered the opportunity to work with the world’s best and brightest at NASA, Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Recipients of the New Zealand Space Scholarship are nominated by the Ministry of Business, ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further support to Samoa in the wake of an ongoing measles outbreak in the country. Additional medical supplies and personnel, including a third rotation of New Zealand’s emergency medical assistance team (NZMAT), further nurse vaccinators, intensive care (ICU) specialists and Samoan-speaking medical professionals, will ...
Health Minister Dr David Clark says new data showing a sharp drop in the number of people who can’t afford to visit their GP is a sign of real progress. One year after the Government made it cheaper for about 600,000 Kiwis to visit their doctor, results of the New ...
Following the raging success of the 2018 non-goat ethical Christmas gift guide, here for you today – responsibly wrapped in reusable gift wrap – is the 2019 list of ethical, sustainable, socially conscious, or charitable gift ideas to satisfy all kinds of family members and budgets.Budget Category: ‘Can we pay ...
Lime brought e-scooters to Auckland and changed the way we travel in less than a year. Now, the council is replacing it and Wave with three new contenders. Josie Adams goes to the Lime warehouse to say goodbye to the original scooters.In a warehouse in Eden Terrace, almost a thousand ...
Analysis - The government's first crack at cannabis legislation runs into trouble, a foreign donations bill is rammed through Parliament and a select committee refuses to listen to former NZ First officeholders. ...
Dr Ben Jansen is Oceania's leading prescriber of cannabis medicines, and a co-founder of the Hemp Foundation.org.nz “I’d like to thank the Labour Party and Chris Woodney. Thanks to his policy remit at Labours national conference, and Labours full support, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Soong, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education Practice, School of Education, University of South Australia Australian 15 year olds were around three and a half years behind their counterparts in China in maths, according to the OECD’s latest results for education systems ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dimitri Perrin, Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology More than a year ago, the world was shocked by Chinese biophysicist He Jiankui’s attempt to use CRISPR technology to modify human embryos and make them resistant to HIV, which led to the birth ...
Cabinet minister Kris Faafoi has apologised to the Prime Minister for his messages to Jason Kerrison regarding an immigration case, but will not lose his job. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Meyrick, Professor of Creative Arts, Flinders University The decision to merge the Department of Communications and the Arts with Transport, Infrastructure and Regional development (dropping the “Arts” entirely) ends a year in which Australian politics has been deeply confused over its ...
A historic referendum on independence has been completed in Bougainville. Johnny Blades of RNZ was there. People in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville have voted in an historic independence referendum. The long-anticipated referendum is the ultimate provision of 2001’s Bougainville Peace Agreement, which followed a brutal, protracted ...
Dairy farmers had some Xmas cheer this week, as dairy giant Fonterra told them the forecast payout would be the fourth-highest-ever, at the mid-point of its farmgate milk price range. The $7.30kg/ms means the cash payout for the season will reach $11.2bn, a rise of about $400m from the earlier forecast. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caitlin Syme, PhD in Vertebrate Palaeontology, The University of Queensland When you find dinosaur skeletons, how can you tell how old the dinosaur was? Like, if the skeleton is from a child dinosaur or an adult dinosaur? – Henry, aged 8. ...
The Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO) has had to clarify the law with Police and receive their reassurance that while the amnesty for ammunition was not extended to 20 December, Police will act as if it has been. ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 We Are Here: An Atlas of Aotearoa by Chris McDowall & Tim Denee (Massey University Press, $70)Superlative ...
This week a petition with more than 15,000 signatures was presented at parliament to Nicola Willis, MP and opposition spokesperson for Early Childhood Education. Also attending were Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick and Hon Nikki Kaye. ...
It’s that time of year again when, for the third year running, a new A Christmas Prince movie is released. Sam Brooks was in front of a TV screen for the latest instalment’s debut on Netflix last night, and here catalogues the many stupid, wild, and wildly stupid things he ...
One of the most highly rated members of Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet is under pressure over assurances given in relation to an immigration case. How bad could it get, asks Toby Manhire.There has never been a New Zealand prime minister more engaged with contemporary homegrown music than Jacinda Ardern. She’s forever ...
Kris Faafoi, Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media; Minister ofCommerce and Consumer Affairs;Minister of Government Digital Services; Associate Minister forHousing; MP for Mana.The latest allegations of a corruption scandal involving a Cabinet minister suggests this government is far too loose when it comes to providing access to power ...
The National Party cannot credibly critique the Government’s hikes to fuel tax while it refuses to commit to reversing these hikes, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “Simon Bridges has lambasted ...
Newspaper staff were among those to express dismay and fury during the frenzy of denunciations that followed publication of an ill-considered cartoon about Samoa and the measles epidemic. The Spinoffrecorded their reactions under the heading ODT cartoonist infuriates his colleagues with Sāmoa measles epidemic ‘joke’. It also reproduced the ...
New Zealand Police Association condemns comments made by People Against Prisons Aotearoa following the fatal police shooting of an armed man who had made threats of suicide. ...
A new poem by Harry Ricketts. The Writing Life You want to write.You want to be published.You want to be read. You want to be a cult figure.You want to be reviewed.You want to write. You want to win prizes.You want to be anthologised.You want to be read. You want to be taught in schools ...
As Christmas is near, it’s time to set the record straight on some of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of employment law that apply to the festive season. ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Kris Faafoi immigration case Fiona Connor and Tova O’Brien (Newshub): ‘I’m on it bro’: Messages show Kris Faafoi offering help to ...
The Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta has announced changes to prevent Māori wards being voted down by referendums are off the table, saying she believes such a change is not possible within the coalition. ...
It’s officially the festive season, and what does that mean? An office Secret Santa with a budget of $20 and you’ve picked your boss. Instead of settling for a bottle of average wine and a ribbon, follow our essential guide on what to get those unique workmates.At last year’s Secret ...
The shooting of a suicidal man in Southland shows that police armament is dangerous, says criminal justice group People Against Prisons Aotearoa. The shooting comes just over a month into the controversial trial of heavily armed police teams in 3 regions ...
The Prime Minister should deal urgently with reports Cabinet Minister Kris Faafoi offered to help a friend over an immigration case, National Party leader Simon Bridges says. ...
The families of top former All Blacks are likely to donate their loved ones’ brains to research so the effect of head impacts in sport can be studied. ...
A woman who went on a Tinder date with the man who murdered Grace Millane tells her story, and issues a warning to other women to trust their instincts when something doesn’t feel right.First published on Newshub.co.nzI went on a date with Grace Millane’s killer while her body lay in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gottfried Lechner, Associate Professor and Director of the Institute for Telecommunications Research, University of South Australia, University of South Australia Satellites are becoming increasingly important in our lives, as they help us meet a demand for more data, exchanged at higher speeds. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor in Criminology, Bond University According to the latest figures, homicides in Australia are at historic lows and compare well against international trends. So what do the trends tell us and why is the homicide rate in Australia declining? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy O’Rourke, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture, The University of Queensland Welcome to the next article in our Designing Hospitals series, where we explore how architecture and design shape our hospitals and medical centres. Today, we look at what Indigenous people tell ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results are bad news for Australian students, parents, employers and policymakers. Pretty much everyone. Australian 15-year-olds are now below the OECD average in mathematics, and our results in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Clode, Senior Research Fellow in Creative Writing, Flinders University It is only mid-November but we have to walk early to avoid the heat. A northerly wind picks up clouds of dust and pollen, sending dirty billows across the paddocks. The long ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Changes coming to fuel market, anti-vaxxer arrested in Samoa, and banks told to hold more capital.New recommendations to increase competition in the fuel market have been made by the Commerce Commission, reports the NZ Herald. Their conclusion is that it isn’t competitive ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias. ...
An alliance of top researchers is trying to keep New Zealand ahead of complex health challenges from overuse of antibiotics, threats to freshwater quality and emerging infectious diseases. ...
The birthplace of the Labour Party is once again at the forefront of a new movement, this time harnessing the power of the collective to step away from coal towards a low carbon future.Blackball is a small place with a huge history. This week the town, 29 kilometres from Greymouth, ...
Life expectancy is increasing all the time, and now actuaries and retirement experts say young people need far more information on what they’ll need to do with their money if they live to 100. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. The message from the Retirement Income Interest Group of the New ...
German politician Joschka Fischer has had a remarkable career. From street violence and helping to set up the Green party, he matured into the foreign minister and vice-chancellor of a united Germany, serving until 2005. His understanding of power politics led him to support the use of force in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison said it with a straight face, and repetition for emphasis. “I’m very pleased, very pleased, with the performance of all of my ministers,” he declared on Thursday. This ringing if unconvincing universal endorsement ...
PARENTS AROUND THE WORLD PLEA FOR URGENT CLIMATE ACTION 222 parents groups from 27 countries have released a heartfelt joint plea calling on negotiators at this year’s UN climate summit – COP25 – in Madrid to push for ambitious and urgent ...
Government proposals to overhaul insurance contract laws should make the whole process of taking out insurance easier and simpler to understand for consumers, says Financial Advice New Zealand. ...
Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations north has not yet been made. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Tomnay, Assoc. Professor / Director of Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health, University of Melbourne Around one in six Australian women have had an abortion by their mid-30s. These women come from all age groups and demographics: some are mothers ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Roslyn Petelin, Course coordinator, The University of Queensland Reports this week about the demise of the Apostrophe Protection Society may have been greatly exaggerated. The Apostrophe Protection Society was set up in 2001 in the UK by retired journalist John Richards with ...
Today the Court of Appeal released their decision to allow Helen Milner (The Black Widow) to have the last remaining body samples of the husband she murdered, in an attempt to prove her innocence by trying to see if he had an underlying heart condition. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Pearse, Lecturer, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney Federal Labor this week commemorated a dubious anniversary – a decade of climate policy failure. And it pointed the finger of blame squarely at the Greens. Labor claimed that had the Greens ...
The recent statement by Simon Tyler on behalf of the National Provident Fund and the Government Superannuation Fund, that environmental and social goals must be balanced with financial risk and reward, displays conceptual confusion about the role of ethical ...
A bill designed to deal with terrorists returning from overseas has hit its latest speed bump as human rights groups raise concerns that it could be used to stifle press freedom. ...
by David Barber “To read,” says Jim Flynn, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Otago University, “is to enter a magic realm in which people are more interesting, informed, amusing and intelligent than anyone you encounter in everyday life.” It is a realm that half of New Zealand 15-year-olds never enter, ...
Open mike 07/10/2019 
We are very pleased to publish this submission is from Lucinda Stoan. She is a social justice activist, mother, and educator, based in Washington State in the US. This detailed and comprehensive source-linked overview of trans issues and what is at stake will be useful for many people, especially in ...15 hours ago
Newshub last night reported that Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi had apparently promised to help out a mate with an immigration issue. While its normal for people to approach MPs for assistance in this area, when you're a Minister, the rules are different: as the Cabinet Manual says, Ministers must "at ...19 hours ago
New Zealand's Underarm Banker: It bears recalling that the “independence” of the Reserve Bank Governor was for decades held up by neoliberal capitalists as the most compelling justification for passing the Reserve Bank Act. Interesting, is it not, how the ruling class’s support for the Bank’s independence lasted no longer than ...1 day ago
“Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty we are free at last.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. A long and bitter court feud between former Conservative Party leader Colin Craig and Jordan Williams has been settled, with an apology and compensation from Williams. On Tuesday, Craig sent out ...1 day ago
Some people seem to want to close down any critical discussion of the current research into the relationship between water fluoride and child IQ. They appear to argue that claims made by researchers should not be open to critical review and that the claims be accepted without proper consideration ...2 days ago
In an unreliable, strange and confusing world, Public Address is proud to present a measure of comfort and stability by annually asking everyone what words or phrases sum up the year that's been – and then giving some of them consumer goods as prizes for being clever or simply lucky.Well, ...2 days ago
Both my parents are pretty handy – and they seem to have the right tools for most jobs in the garage and they know how to fix practically anything. A similar story could be told about their generation’s experience in the workforce – being a generalist was not unusual and ...2 days ago
While much of the NZ left has transitioned to postmodern and identity politics in relation to transgender ideology, there are some very good articles about that deploy Marxist methodology in relation to this subject. The one below is from the British marxist group Counterfire and appeared on their site here ...4 days ago
“America the Beautiful!”, staunch defender of democracy, freedom and… a whole lot of despotic tyrants that play nice with what is called “the Washington Consensus.” America is indeed capable of immense good, but like any Nation, and most assuredly any aspirant to the mantle of Empire, great, immense evil. All ...6 days ago
Image credit: The beginner’s guide to blogging I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. If your blog is ... 6 days ago
It hasn't been a good week for the Conservatives, pollwise. All major recent polls are showing their lead shrinking.Comparing each pollster's current (between 29/11 and 22/11) and previous most recent poll.Com Res - Conservative lead down 3 points.You Gov - Conservative lead down 1 point.Kantar - Conservative lead down 4 ...7 days ago
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...2 weeks ago
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, has called for awareness to be raised and more stringent biosecurity checks to be put in place for African Swine Fever (ASF), a widespread virus that is uncontrolled in most of Asia and a serious ...2 days ago
Live from the Whanganui Opera House, on the final day of the 2019 Labour Party Conference, Jacinda Ardern announced the largest investment in school property in 25 years. ...4 days ago
Health Minister Dr David Clark says new appointments to DHBs represent a significant changing of the guard, with 13 new chairs including four Māori chairs. Today 76 appointments have been announced to complement elected board members, as well as eight elected members appointed as either chair or deputy chair. Four ...42 mins ago
Following the raging success of the 2018 non-goat ethical Christmas gift guide, here for you today – responsibly wrapped in reusable gift wrap – is the 2019 list of ethical, sustainable, socially conscious, or charitable gift ideas to satisfy all kinds of family members and budgets.Budget Category: ‘Can we pay ...39 mins ago
"The neighbour takes my hand and walks me over the concrete to my parent’s back door": a look inside Hell by Alisha Tyson. ...1 hour ago
Analysis - The government's first crack at cannabis legislation runs into trouble, a foreign donations bill is rammed through Parliament and a select committee refuses to listen to former NZ First officeholders. ...12 hours ago
Dr Ben Jansen is Oceania's leading prescriber of cannabis medicines, and a co-founder of the Hemp Foundation.org.nz “I’d like to thank the Labour Party and Chris Woodney. Thanks to his policy remit at Labours national conference, and Labours full support, ...13 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Soong, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education Practice, School of Education, University of South Australia Australian 15 year olds were around three and a half years behind their counterparts in China in maths, according to the OECD’s latest results for education systems ...14 hours ago
Dairy farmers had some Xmas cheer this week, as dairy giant Fonterra told them the forecast payout would be the fourth-highest-ever, at the mid-point of its farmgate milk price range. The $7.30kg/ms means the cash payout for the season will reach $11.2bn, a rise of about $400m from the earlier forecast. ...15 hours ago
The Government is investing up to $9 million in a project that it says will help Southland farmers use their land more sustainably. ...19 hours ago
Donation legislation, the infinite monkey theory and the angriest man in NZ politics. Not to mention Paula Bennett's black-market oregano. ...19 hours ago
Newspaper staff were among those to express dismay and fury during the frenzy of denunciations that followed publication of an ill-considered cartoon about Samoa and the measles epidemic. The Spinoff recorded their reactions under the heading ODT cartoonist infuriates his colleagues with Sāmoa measles epidemic ‘joke’. It also reproduced the ...20 hours ago
You do not have to sacrifice short term returns in order to invest sustainably. ...22 hours ago
Winston Peters says the NZ First foundation is similar to the National Party’s foundation. Here’s how it isn’t. ...23 hours ago
The families of top former All Blacks are likely to donate their loved ones’ brains to research so the effect of head impacts in sport can be studied. ...23 hours ago
The Finance Minister Grant Robertson won’t be drawn on how much new capital requirements for banks will hit consumers. ...23 hours ago
Yet again, NZ schools have received a 'fail' when it comes to bullying but there could be an evidence-based solution. ...1 day ago
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias. ...1 day ago
An alliance of top researchers is trying to keep New Zealand ahead of complex health challenges from overuse of antibiotics, threats to freshwater quality and emerging infectious diseases. ...1 day ago
Sky Sport News presenter Kate King previews a massive weekend for Kiwi sportswomen ...1 day ago
A handy guide to all you need to know about impeachment. ...1 day ago
NZ is seeing an increasing number of retail 'events' imported from overseas - how long before our spending is exhausted? ...1 day ago
German politician Joschka Fischer has had a remarkable career. From street violence and helping to set up the Green party, he matured into the foreign minister and vice-chancellor of a united Germany, serving until 2005. His understanding of power politics led him to support the use of force in the ...1 day ago
Despite New Zealand First lobbying hard at the Cabinet table, the Finance Minister says the case to move Auckland's port operations north has not yet been made. ...2 days ago
The year has provided tests for the PM's party, government, and the country as a whole - but she is confident 2020 will bring success. ...2 days ago
ACC is failing to live by the climate principles it proclaims. ...2 days ago
A bill designed to deal with terrorists returning from overseas has hit its latest speed bump as human rights groups raise concerns that it could be used to stifle press freedom. ...2 days ago
The final version of the Commerce Commission's report says both the retail and wholesale fuel markets are dysfunctional. ...2 days ago
by David Barber “To read,” says Jim Flynn, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Otago University, “is to enter a magic realm in which people are more interesting, informed, amusing and intelligent than anyone you encounter in everyday life.” It is a realm that half of New Zealand 15-year-olds never enter, ...2 days ago
NZ FOR SALE…'That showed that six of the 10 biggest landowners are foreign forestry companies and when you look at how the land is spread amongst New Zealanders, about 4,500 people – or 0.1 per cent of the population – own 28 per cent of the land.'
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/the-detail/116346806/the-detail-forestry-companies-buying-vast-amounts-new-zealand
Well done drawing attention to this insidious sell off of our land in the name of climate change rescue. Most of the commenters on this forum I would have thought might question the sell off to foreign owned entities but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I wonder what the reaction would be if National was in power with the same agenda.
I doubt many commenters here support the selloffs in any form. Unfortunately the neoliberal buffoons who've parasitized our public service are full steam ahead on selling land offshore, a proposition that a substantial majority of the public oppose, rendering it illegitimate
"in the name of climate change rescue" – doubtful – that may be an entry on the OIO ledger, but the OIO would be the only clowns credulous enough to believe it.
If you want to know why Auckland University has fallen out of the top 200 list of best universities – a decline of over 133 places since arch neo-lib managerialist Stuart McCutcheon got the top job – then look no further than the extraordinary attack on Adrian Orr by the one of the swarm of chancer establishment cronies that have clearly flourished under McCutcheon's intellectual Stalinism.
A certain Robert MacCulloch, the Professor of Macroeconomics at Auckland University, has attacked the central bank saying Orr is a publicity seeker, the RBNZ now lacks intellectual fire-power and that much of the senior talent has "walked out the door". MacCulloch is playing the role of attack poodle for some clearly rattled gougers in the Aussie owned bank’s glass towers.
The attack on the RBNZ by MacCulloch well illustrates why neoliberalsm hangs on as a zombie ideology. Neoliberalism is a core ideology of a well paid, well funded and cosy class where totally owned tame friends in well-sponsored and funded right wing university departments give an intellectual veneer to a moth-eaten TINA before moving on to well paid banking jobs themselves.
As a marvellous piece of "radical centrism" in action as a neoliberal elite seeks to maintain the supremacy of it's soporific intellectual prescription MacCulloch's piece hard to beat.
Have a listen –
https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018716504
I think he has every right to criticize, in fact an obligation as an academic to do so. But he should come up with a better argument than just, those guys are too thick to run things.
We have on the other hand a long standing weakness in our democratic processes known as Central Bank Independence. This breaks accountablity with the elected finance minister for his favoured strategy and results in fiscal policy being surpressed in favour of monetary policy.
Even if he triggers a more broad discussion I dont think what he is saying plays well in public. His arguments only make sense to a small cult like following who have been through an indoctrination program. For most the idea of banks having more skin in the game, similar to other businesses, is a winner.
Did you say “a small cult like following who have been through an indoctrination program”?
https://www.iza.org/en/publications/dp/10632/welfare-savings-not-taxation
Nicely put.
MacCulloch reminds me of the University hierarchy in the U.S featured in the doco 'Inside Job'….so aggrieved at conflicts of interest being pointed out .
.In that case selective articles bought and well paid for that suited the finance industries objectives.
Actually here is an excerpt..
Who could you trust. Academic economists? It all seems so corrupt Blazer!
The hits on Orr are coming thick and fast. Stuff yesterday had a piece by someone called Kate McNamara attacking the RB Governor. As far as I could see there was no byline attached to the piece to indicate who this person worked for and what her relationship to the banking industry might be.
If this is the same person, then she is a PR person with an interest in banking. She also who seems to be peddling a peculiar form of climate change denialism – see these articles… https://muckrack.com/kate-macnamara/articles
Must be doing a good job then if the MSM repeaters and shills are blanketing him.
Ah yes that age old tactic of mysterious unmanned editorials and columns as they've likely been sent from PR Spin central with some talking points for the other opinionators to riff with.
I seem to recall a fairly prevalent media presence for one Don Brash during his time as Reserve Bank Governor
MacCulloch writes for the Herald often along the same lines spouting ACT party lines and Business Round table -NZI nostrums
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11349608
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12209291
"Although Mr Hosking is already complaining about Labour's looming budget, the National Party never committed to disciplining its own regulation and spending with the use of cost-benefit analysis. I was personally rebuffed by former Prime Minister John Key on this precise issue at the NZ Initiative."
Must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel for good arguements if he says the RBNZ under Orr lacks 'firepower'-
Im sure thats a common idea thrown around the Ivory Towers where competing views are dismissed with their version of a personal insult – lacking in intellect.
I don't disagree with you on MacCulloch, but NZ universities' tumble down the rankings is to do with the money being spent on universities in China and other developing countries, not any particular ideology – basically, there's much tougher competition for those top rankings than there used to be.
Correct and a fair bit of higher ed talent has been crossing the ditch/retiring as the boys club under the VC's takes hold.
That's been going awhile now since Bovver Boy Joyce took them off Ayatolley who'd made a pigs ear of the hollowmens runsheet in education.
At the risk of being accused of attacking the messenger and not addressing his argument … and appreciating that Robert MacCulloch maybe a victim of a pestilential media …
MacCulloch attacking the central bank saying Orr is a publicity seeker? Orr is no doubt approached by many to comment. He is supposed to say he won't talk to anyone? He shouldn't talk to anyone?
And Robert MacCulloch, the same for him? He's in the media – he was approached to comment? He was supposed to say he wouldn't comment? He shouldn't talk to anyone? Is he just a 'publicity seeker'?
Thank goodness we have Rod Oram to tell us how well we are doing in spite of the negativeness of the Opposition and the Business Surveys.
And the six reasons are told so well even I get it.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/10/06/842075/reasons-to-be-cheerful-1 (Can't stop the italics.)
By his own admission Oram is an eternal optimist.
Thats what Hosking used to say during the Key government- the glass was always possible to get fuller -, however hes since been exposed as a partisan hack.
Rod Oram is certainly not an optimist when it comes to the likes of Fonterra and other forms of big business. Thats why he was pushed out from his weekend newspaper job.
I would never insult Mr Oram by comparing him to Hosking
I would never insult a fetid sack of shit by making that comparison.
Pat. Rod does back his optimism with hard facts. The naysayers do not except to say look at our survey. See? We all think the worst. And we are proud of that.
Theres not much in the way of hard facts in the mentioned article however.
Hell, wouldn't it be terrible to have a country full of eternal optimists. Things would be so much better if everyone went around in Negative Nelly mode speaking through acid lips.
Sort of like the National supporters' mindset of 2018 onwards …
"Hell, wouldn't it be terrible to have a country full of eternal optimists."
Yes it would, not to mention dangerous..far more sensible to have a country full of realists though that is not going to happen either. Optimism has its place as does pessimism, neither should be a default.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/10/06/842075/reasons-to-be-cheerful-1
Rod Oram. Previous link didn't link?
Good point. Orrs job function is seek publicity . Robert MacCulloch and his acolytes at the NZ Initiative/Business Round Table do the very same thing at the behest of the corporates who fill their doggy bowls.
https://nzinitiative.org.nz/membership/our-members/
Trudeau’s Liberal Party is starting to track just ahead of the Conservative Party in CBC’s Canadian Federal Election Poll of Polls. It’s the first time since the beginning of the year (and the start of the SNC Lavalin scandal) that they have had the edge, though well within margin of error, in polling.
The Liberals have always been favoured to win the most seats due to their vote efficiency under Canada’s FPTP system. Until now though it was assumed that another majority was out of reach for Trudeau and he would have to settle for minority government. Latest polling puts the Liberals on the cusp of majority government with 2 weeks to go.
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/
a Liberal party with New Democrats to make a coalition government ? Or are they too far apart.
Coalition government is not popular in Canada. Usually the party with the largest number of seats runs a minority government. If this is Mr Trudeau’s fate then he will most likely look to both his left and right to get support to pass legislation. The NDP are in something of a crisis at the moment as their support has tanked across the country, especially in their former stronghold of Quebec where they are facing a wipeout on Election Day. It’s very unlikely they would agree to formally prop up a Liberal government.
Typically in Ottawa opposition parties will give the minority government votes on confidence bills in order to avoid the opprobrium that comes with unnecessarily collapsing the government and sending grumpy voters back to the polls. One unfortunate outcome from this is that minority governments can’t resist the temptation to pass contentious legislation via Omnibus bills where lots of different bills are bundled together and attached to a Budget Supply Bill which automatically tests the confidence of the House.
My memory while living in Toronto was the NDP was left centre, so 'something like NZ First'here, and can marry up again with the liberals rather than the Conservative government.
Now this is a slip.
I’d call it a slide.
Call in Nick Smith, he can
be never seen againmake himself useful.Its not well known, but 'old' Taihape ( around the hospital) is built on an active slip – slow moving- but there
Large Deep Seated Landslides http://www.horizons.govt.nz/HRC/media/Media/Agenda-Reports/Catchment-Operations-Committee-2014-9-04/1465AnnexB.pdf
Visions of "green bay" development in Dunedin 1970's all over again then.
Marvelous.
#FilthyPieceOfToeRag
edit:
Protest season is upon us,now everyone is protesting for different reasons.
Fertilization of single woman and lesbians in France.
https://www.france24.com/en/20191006-france-paris-protest-conservatives-extended-procreation-bill-single-lesbian-women
Georgia with anti govt.
https://eurasianet.org/protest-season-returns-to-georgia
The long protests of the yellow jackets (nearly a year) and Hong Kong.
Plus those from central casting in Wellington, the later whose regular faces from the Aro valley (forgetting they live in a high EQ risk zone,which will look like abbotsford.
Who are the real 'denialists'? Those who refuse to consider or debate relevant facts. While CO2 is indeed a greenhouse gas, there is no climate crisis
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
[Obviously, you are a slow learner]
There is no climate 'crisis' – except in the minds of warmist bedwetters. The relationship between atmospheric CO2 concentration and atmospheric temperature is logarithmic. The more CO2 there is, the less effective it becomes as a warming agent because the ability of any one CO2 molecule to absorb IR radiation at 14.5 micron wavelength is being shielded by the increasing number of other CO2 molecules.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
It did not 'fully de-ice' in the last interglacial, the Eemian, which was quite a bit warmer than at present. So why would it do so in this interglacial, which is now nearing its end anyway
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
The point of following the Greenland melt is that it is a nice hard set of data points – there is little or no prediction involved. As such it serves as a touchstone for predictive models. The melt, by proceeding much faster than has been predicted suggests, as might be expected given the level of activity of climate deniers, that predictions have been conservative, and inclined to err on the low side.
School strike equates to school bunk-off day. If you don't lose your pay you have not been on strike. Maybe they were missing out on those feared subjects physics and maths, which might have taught them about logic and the scientific method and maybe the principles of Socratic debate. All sadly missing in the 'climate strikers' ' minds.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Velcro, I suspect that is your mind that lacks the Socratic debate thing. Nice of you to mention it, but I challenge you to prove that you understand it better than the protestors, whom, to quote George Dubya, you sadly 'misunderestimate'.
Velcro
Climate change is here now, go see Antarctica for yourself.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p075tsy2
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-04-18/climate-change-the-facts-bbc-david-attenborough-documentary-air-date-time-issues/
https://iview.abc.net.au/show/climate-change-the-facts
Kia Ora The Breakfast Show.
No its national fault Our higher living cost rents power ect. Now the Papatuanuku is not looking stable so Our government should hold back some putea to weather a storm our government has invested more in social security so most people will be comfortable in Aotearoa hence the fact invest more in the % 99. and the tax take goes up national stop investing in social services and the tax take went down it not ROCKET SCIENCE. The carbon tax was needed to slow down our use of carbon and pay for Green Energy transition.
I agree with him shonky denied that there was a PEE problem when he was in power and the problem grew something stinks. Also agree that the gangs get all the blame what about the others that are pushing and using the poison.
The farright needs to be brought to heal on the 21 century compunction device.
I think it's great that the ban on dogs is the city has been lifted down South Land.
Ka kite Ano
This App is a awesome idea this will help plant billions of trees if every one joins in the effort to pay for trees to be planted it will capture billions of tonnes of carbon. Also providing jobs in poor countries
This app lets you plant trees to fight deforestation
lanting trees to save the planet just got a whole lot easier – no gardening gloves required.
A new app from the young people behind the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation means anyone can now help with the world’s reforestation efforts, in just a few simple clicks.
The Plant-for-the-Planet app is part of the Trillion Tree Campaign, which grew out of the UN Environment Programme’s Billion Tree Campaign, launched in 2006.
The app has 50 reforestation projects in developing countries to choose from. For just over $3, you can ‘plant’ a tree in Brazil, or for $108, you can plant 1,000 trees to restore the landscape of Indonesia – and the money goes straight to the tree planters on the ground.
And if you do want to get your hands dirty, the app also lets you register trees you’ve planted yourself, with photos and locations, as well as organise tree-planting competitions among schools or at work.
Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, says: “Widespread restoration requires us to reach out to large numbers of people, cost-effectively and quickly. Apps like this can go a long way to boost nature-based solutions for climate action, livelihoods and sustainability Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/technology-trees-deforestation-environment-app/
The United Nations needs to have money to do their mahi come on.
The United Nations may not have en8ough money for staff salaries next month if member states don't pay what they owe, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
He told the 193-member UN General Assembly's budget committee that if he had not worked since January to cut spending then "we would not have had the liquidity to support" the annual gathering of world leaders last month.
"This month, we will reach the deepest deficit of the decade. We risk … entering November without enough cash to cover payrolls," said Guterres.
The United States is the largest contributor – responsible for 22 per cent of the more than $US3.3 billion ($A4.9 billion) regular budget for 2019, which pays for work including political, humanitarian, disarmament, economic and social affairs and communications.
Washington owes some $US381 million for prior regular budgets and $US674 million for the 2019 regular budget. The US mission to the United Nations confirmed the figures.
It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when it might pay.
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2019/10/united-nations-staff-could-miss-payday-if-member-states-don-t-pay-what-they-owe.html
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute
Kia Ora 1 News.
I have seen quite a few of those wreckers left on the road I think they can be a distraction to the drivers.????.
I think some other civil servants have to much independence they have conned previous politicians to give them that saying that if they are to answer to the political establishment they could be used by politicians to gain power YEA RIGHT that just gave them unlimited power answerable to no one.
Global Warming has given Tawhirimate heaps of Mana now.
Please give heaps of donations for the Christchurch City mission as food is the only discretionary cost people pay rent power and other expenses and have no putea left for food.
Ka kite Ano 😇
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
That's good that our government is investing more putea 45 million into NZ Transport so they can improve the safety checks on our vehicle fleet.
That's a improvement with less Tuwharetoa tamariki ending up in oranga tamariki.
He just like playing the low cards string up some people emotionall. It was not long ago he was waving Te tangata whenua o Aotearoa flag .
Mana Wahine that's Awesome that more Wahine are running for local council seats in Te Tairawhiti Maori knows what's best for Maori.
Ka kite Ano 😇
Kia Ora The Breakfast Show.
Its great that our government is investing more in our mental health system the last lot cut their budgets.
Some countries have cycle friendly cities with the E bikes now one can ride bikes even if they are not super fit. I say we should be investing more in electric mass transport we need to stop making the same mistake pouring billion to build highways that are designed to cope with peek rush hour traffic next minute 50 % of the time our highways are empty work smarter not harder is needed.
Cold water therapy sounds great one gets better health benefits better circulation that's good for most things and best of all lowering our energy footprint having cold showers.
Save Our Kiwi month kia pai Imona that's awesome seeing the Kiwi egg rocking while hatching.
I think Pharmac should invest more in finding generic products and or making the drugs in Aotearoa there are many ways to solve a problem.
Ka kite Ano
Some Eco Maori Music For The Minute.
They new that there products will stuff our environment they let greed override any concerns for our future environment. They stopped the first electric car the Volt. Tangata around the Papatuanuku must start to lower their own carbon footprint if no-one buys their product they will become unprofitable that is the way to leave the stuff in the ground. They will all start investing in Green Energy.
Fossil fuel companies have been aware of their impact on the planet since at least the 1950s
Jonathan Watts, Garry Blight and Pablo Gutiérrez
For more than 50 years, the petroleum industry and politicians have been warned about the climate risks of burning fossil fuels. Yet the top 20 fossil fuel firms have continued to expand and have been behind a third of all carbon emissions since 1965. This timeline shows who knew what and when, and how they communicated or obscured the threat to the public
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/09/half-century-dither-denial-climate-crisis-timeline
Kia Ora 1 News.
The Spark and TV 1 sports broadcasting deals puts delayed sports matches on free TV like the old days.
I was not impressed with the way he handled Kia Ora.
Its good that big tech companies are going to limit the stuff bad people put up on their platforms.
The Wahine and tamariki are going to be suffering the most in Syria.
United mental health is doing a good job highlighting the Papatuanuku mental health issues this publication let's people know it OK to seek help on this issue as it's a problem many people have suffered.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Its good to read that Ngapuhi Wahine voices are going to be heard.
I think teaching people to respect themselves by not touching PEE and respecting others is needed to many people have a attitude of who gives a stuff Our Tipuna do.
Te Ko Tahireo Pukapuka is a awesome organisation. I want to be able to read all. Tangata Whenua O Aotearoa pukapuka online for free.
Teaching tamariki about conserving our Tangaroa the Tahiti keeping their culture strong is good kia kaha.
Ka kite Ano