They did get away with it – Roger Douglas has still not received punishment commensurate with his crimes against his countrymen – but hey, rainbow squirrel!
Conversion therapy is torture which is already illegal. So all that's really required is recognition within the legal system that it is torture. Basically, it could be done in about half a day so not exactly a huge distraction.
As far as that goes, the 'therapy' would fall under the mental health act.
There are rights to refuse, to be respected, to have the company of others etc.
No doubt often honored in the breach, but the smacking law comparison is apt – no cases were affected by the electorally fatal insistence on that legislation. There are an almost infinite number of serious issues more deserving of parliamentary time.
Though I reckon he'd still try, I'd bet even Andrew Little couldn't save someone who posts "but hey, rainbow squirrel" in a debate about the need to halt homo/transphobic torture from continuing to occur on these shores.
Believing that governments have a wide focus regarding policy and are able to proceed with more than one piece of legislation at a time, it obviously doesn't have to be an either or thing, but if it were, I'd forgo negotiations on workers rights until the horrific abuses were made illegal first.
According to the tvnz vote compass survey, 72% want what is still legal, to be banned in NZ, if you're not one of the 12% who don't know, then you're in the 14% that see no reason to end the immediate suffering and long term damage inflicted on the poor sods who have to go through it.
Well, the USA is morphing the last few steps into a Nazi Gilead state, so no time like the present.
If there's no current need, it spells it out for the future. If there is a current need, it makes illegal an intervention that might triple the suicide rate in affected youths.
Either way, I like that the policy cup is even half full. I won't demand it be tipped out just because it doesn't have my favourite half. The, in my case, generally comes from the Greens.
What we have too much on in the left is viewing policies that are not our own priorities as "distractions", even if those policies are priorities for other lefties.
All that leads to is incessant whinging because there will never be a policy announcement that satisfies everyone.
Well I've waited twenty-five years. I no longer expect anything good from Labour – but they'll pick up any kind of dodgy pc crap faster than you can say 'knife'. Looks like this is one of those.
Yes – it must be a heady thing to have all the apparatus of state bent to one's personal whim instead of serving the public good for which it was created. But it would be more persuasive to document the prevalence or otherwise of the practice here.
Chris Carter had to be let go. His virtues were less apparent than he supposed.
It wasn't his virtues that were the problem, it was his political vices. Getting caught sending anonymous letters to the press gallery to knobble your leader is not a long term career move.
Firstly, define the activities that are "psychological procedures".
Secondly, show how they are "psychological" in nature, rather than, say, "spiritual" or "cultural".
Thirdly, demonstrate that parents cannot consent to "psychological procedures" or indeed any medical procedures on behalf of their children.
Fourth, demonstrate harm to a level that overrules parental rights.
Fifth, start the child protection process.
OR:
First, notify the parents and operator that : "This violates the prohibition on 'conversion therapy', and is grounds for a protection order on behalf of the child", or something along those lines.
Second, continue the rest of the child protection process.
Still not getting the Chris Carter in the making bit. It's like you want to say something about the young man but don't have the same sort of courage he clearly has to do so.
See, just as I don't need to know rape statistics or numbers of domestic violence victims to know it's wrong, and that these crimes against a person's health, safety and personal dignity should be legislated against – The same with conversion therapy. You?
Conversion therapy is covered by several different pieces of existing legislation. So what's really happening here? Is the young man acting in the public interest, or taking the shortest possible path to publicity and reputation?
Whatever his motive, even your suggestion which does read as quite mean spirited, the fact remains that conversion therapy is still legal here, and a majority (in public and in the next parliament) want it stopped before it damages more young New Zealanders. No biggie.
Or you could take that, since it is already illegal on several counts under existing law, the young fellow should concern himself with obtaining redress for those threatened by it or having suffered it, instead of requiring a whole new law.
But that's just it, it isn't illegal, hence why there will be a new law after the election.
Edit:
“Currently, it is regarded as “unethical behaviour” to provide conversion therapy. However, this only applies to licenced therapists and counsellors. Technically, anyone in New Zealand can claim to offer services in conversion therapy, and suffer no legal repercussions.”
Assault might apply, but it's not physical force as punishment and frankly a lot of these fuckers are more about mental abuse rather than physical. And when it's done under the transferred authority of the parents, that ,ight be a hard legal row to hoe.
One might think OT would be able to step in, but then they get into discussions about definitions of ill treatment and whether the "therapy" is good or bad for the child.
But an explicit legal "conversion therapy is bad, m'kay" cuts through all those QC-level arguments.
Tell those affected it shouldn't be a priority. What's interesting is how collins wouldn't give a view on it because she needs to know more. It's more likely she's not opposed to it but doesn't want to lose the liberal vote.
IMO, her praying in church in front of the cameras indicate that she's all for it or, at the very least, won't do anything about it so that other God Fearing practitioners can continue to abuse their children without being sent to jail.
Torture, Kidnapping, Abuse, Assault – just to name a few. All of which are already illegal.
As I've said before, what we really need is a law that prevents any product coming on to the market until it has been properly classified and regulated.
His Father and I told the Dr. that was why we and our son were changing to the other Dr. in the practice, as he did not let his personal views and religion interfere with medicine or treatment. Talk about lose faith!!
That was 15 years ago. We were 'gobsmacked ' it was being touted when our son was 38 at the time.
So yes and it is demeaning as it sent a "you are not normal you are broken" message.
lol. Judith certainly made hard work of answering any questions Suzy fired at her. And her parting quips about being 'energised' be being on the programme held a subtle undercurrent of menace. So I agree, RNZ had better hope the Natz don't win!
Last night Collins accused Labour party leader Jacinda Ardern of disrespecting the pacific nation after Ardern called her claims "factually incorrect".
Damn pesky facts. If the Gnats get in they will be gone by lunchtime.
so, in the last few weeks ,collins has pretended to like farmers, children, christians , now samoans are current besties. who will be collins next crush?
Jane Patterson is a neutral political journalist who likes to point out the flaws on the Left and gloss over the flaws on the Right. Rumours of her getting "support" from the National Party are so very untrue.
Actually was a bit of a harsh call this morning, particularly after seeing the interview and the rest of the article. Just glanced at this:
#Collins' Samoan husband and her "Talofa" greeting generated a fair amount of feedback in the first debate and it was mention of Samoa's record on Covid that provoked an angry retort with the National leader telling Ardern "not to disrespect Samoa". She had not, insisted Ardern, and couldn't figure out why Collins had reacted so strongly. Afterwards Collins said she felt "possessive" of the Pacific nation and felt it had been disrespected when Samoa has done so well managing Covid#
which is fairly slack ol wedgetable politics, but yeh, not such a haigiography.
Steve Braunias declares it for Guardian readers: The winner of the third NZ election leaders' debate? Death. Hovering in the wings, I presume, since I didn't see it onstage.
It was the third debate of the election campaign and both leaders brought their B-game. Nothing new in that from Ardern.
She’s been generally kind of like actually completely hopeless in every debate; a bit of a total howling bore, unwilling or unable to say a single memorable thing.
There was one change in her performance on Tuesday, though: she moved. She went full-on jazz hands, and came very close to busting out some tasty air guitar.
Two newspaper editors moderated the debate, and demonstrated that the last people you want moderating a debate are two newspaper editors.
Asked what kind of cars they drove, Ardern said she had a Hyunda EV, Collins said she had a BMW. There was a stir from the studio audience; if the siren song of the debate was death, Collins’s reply was a reminder of the one truly good Oasis song, Supersonic, in which Liam Gallagher sings: “Can I ride with you in your BMW?”
I like Joe Walsh with his Maserati, does one-eighty-five, I lost my licence, Now I don't drive. That's more JC style actually. Don't worry about global warming, farming; keep on smarming JC (apparently getting a christian high on her initials)! Just remember JC life's been good so far, and the real JC had to suffer for his beliefs and values, so don't pretend to actually care about Christ-like agape-love, you'll never make it and it's bad to see you trying to fake it.
Have a decadent moment with Walsh who is revelling in decadent as he records:
What is the actual point of these onstage political debates?
It's not as if the skills needed to "win" a debate have any overlap with the skills needed to govern well. Policy substance never ever gets explored, at best there might be a surface once-over-lightly. Performance art for an audience isn't leadership, it's not persuasion, it's not bringing together different viewpoints to form a workable solution.
The rare instances that a debate actually produces a game-changing moment, it's because of its theatrical impact, not actual governing substance. Such as "there you go again" or "show me the money" or someone glancing at their watch.
to sell advertising?televised political debates are a long way from televised blood sports. closer to competitive cooking shows, and there isnt much point to those. think arkie has it about right. when the star of a televised political debate is either the worm or the host(sometimes, the same thing), it shows just how pointless they are.
Scoring ‘points’ to improve your personal and/or team ‘rankings’ is one point. Another point is the ‘promotion’ of the ‘sport’, i.e. the whole circus is an ‘ad’ in and of itself. It is also building relationships with the media. The NZ press & media landscape is tiny and narrow and yet we’ve had three leaders debates with the same names popping up again and again. Just my views.
the small size of nz press and media is a double edged sword. as we have seen, many of last weeks truth tellers become next weeks spin doctors. still dont see any real point to televised political debates. the polies all know the media by now. the veiwing public deserve something better than this rubbish, wheres julie christy with another reality shitshow? a combo of dancing with stars(?) and competitive cooking,with the live audience given missiles to throw. now, THAT I would watch, at least up to the first ad break(bone breaks would keep me watching).
The purpose of the debates is to deliver viewers to advertisers.
Nobody ever 'wins' or 'loses' them because there can be no objective measure of winning or losing – mostly they just confirm viewers in their existing opinions.
When determinations are made of who 'won' or 'lost' these are usually based on the frisson generated by trivial inter-personal moments (who looked grumpy/frustrated/lost for words, etc.) rather than some overall sense of that party's fitness to govern.
They could be replaced by long-form one-on-one interviews with intelligent and well-informed interviewers who have zero interest in 'gotchas' or self-aggrandisement – but such people don't exist in the contemporary media landscape.
so, who, apart from political junkies are there target audience? most kiwis with a pulse, would rather watch something(anything?) else.Im with incognito.
Woods said she wanted to increase the supply of affordable housing “without radically readjusting house prices so that people are losing equity in their homes”.
“What we want to see is some stabilisation of prices,” Woods said.
I party-voted Green an hour ago. The local candidate list didn't show a Green option so I quizzed the polling booth officials about that (I'd done the zoom selection meeting months ago, read his bio, a 17 year old Indian guy living in PN, keen).
Getting the gist that he hadn't made it down the home straight, I ended up voting for Glen Beck, the Labour guy. Like Obama, a community organiser. Since I've been telling people for years that we got too much individualism & now need more community, I'm cool with his vocation.
Naturally, as an archetypal individualist, I frame this as personal development! I can go further & posit attainment of a high level of maturity late in life, eh? Except Gabby would rightfully draw attention to an element of pretension in such a pose.
Anyway good on you for going Green. I had you picked as staunch Labour due to relentless extreme left stances. Got that wrong!
Oh, btw, emailed our GP organiser & she promptly informed me she'd notified us back when he had to pull out. The branch emails have operated on a hit or miss basis the past couple of years, for reasons I couldn't be bothered investigating, and I know it didn't reach me. Could be the Russians, perhaps…
I'm not sure why you would think someone with an extreme left stance would think Labour were a better bet over the Greens? Have you compared the policy?
As for your green mail, check whatever spam filters you have in your email client and also running on your webmail. I found that my Orcon account was deciding randomly that some green emails were spam. Not all, just the odd one, which was odd. I ended up disabling the thing entirely.
Good spam filters work on a combination of trigger/keywords, which may make them appear ‘random’. Think about it, too crude would let too many through or block too many.
We could face 4 more years of Trump, due largely to this hopeless gerontocracy
One of the most embarrassing politicians in all of American history is the ridiculous NY congressman Jerrold Nadler, who achieved immortality by claiming that alleged Russian hacking in 2016 constituted an "act of war" equivalent to Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
Trump is terrible and in any functioning democracy he and his cronies from hell would be long gone—but the incompetence of the Democratic gerontocracy, from the doddering Diane Feinstein, to the smiling and ineffectual Nancy Pelosi, to the hilarious Nadler, and of course Sleepy Joe Biden, means that it's still uncertain as to whether he will be defeated next month.
As Matt Christman points out at the end of this clip, "These people are not doing the job you are fantasising they do. They are mentally and physically incapable."
As Matt Christman points out at the end of this clip,
"These people are not doing the job you are fantasising they do. They are mentally and physically incapable."
I don't know who M Christman is but he said an intelligent mouthful there. It really is the piece of resistance (Peter Sellers) of out post-modern political scene.
(Where did that surname come from? It sounds so phony. Does it reflect his deeper leanings, or is it part of his sponsorship. There would be money in that, having the blessing of Nike on you every time you sign/say your name, would you get paid in a lump sum of just on clickbait counts.)
Christman is a fairly common surname. I know a couple of people in Auckland with the name. Matt Christman is, as you obviously picked up, a brilliant and trenchant political commentator. The Chapo Trap House podcast is always outstanding; it restores one's faith in the future of America to hear young, thoughtful, serious people talking with such wit and such insight. Highly recommended!
Its always uncertain until there's an election Mo – but it looks like an old man will certainly win, and its unlikely to be your pick. Your pigeon-holing of being old as doddering, ineffectual, incompetent, sleepy, hopeless (with more words related to shitting and farting, etc in your attachment), says something very weird about you, and nothing whatsoever about a congressman on the other side of the world.
I didn't and I don't pigeon-hole old people. I, and obviously many disgusted Americans also, do indeed see Pelosi, Feinstein, Nadler, Biden as doddering, ineffectual, incompetent, sleepy, and hopeless. They were equally disastrous thirty years ago.
There are many people in the United States, far older than those four, who are bright, thoughtful and fully engaged in public life. Bernie Sanders, for instance. And Noam Chomsky.
Land in Wellington has so much history embedded in it – it's not just handy spare ground to build houses on as a quick fix to the years of neglect of proper provision of necessary infrastructure by government.
Two Anglican priests wearing their collars walked into a Labour Party office. "We have not seen anyone praying and holding her hands like Judith Collins in an Anglican church in thirty years".
What NZ non-Muslim women could do is to start wearing a scarf over the head tied at the neck. That would give the passers-by on the street the experience of seeing similar to the Muslim head covering of the hijab (without half-veil).
Someone I know did that and said it was noticeable that a rather large young boy going past fixed his eye on her and just stared. Nothing said or done, but the steady gaze was noticeable. So why not give it a try, show some solidarity – not as much as the wearing of the yellow star by the Danish in WW2. (Which apparently was a fable. This would be real.)
Bonus Question for yesterday's Trump Covid game, worth triple points:
Down 10% in polls and the election 4 weeks away that you desperately need to win for your future to not include a lot of orange jumpsuit, and a lot of your electorate out of work and wondering how they will pay their bills and even just eat, do you:
A – Publicly work hard with all the lawmakers you need to pass a relief package helping out those in desperate straits and make it clear there will be more where that came from if needed after the election
B – Flounce out of negotiations in a hissy fit vowing to not even consider a relief package until after the election
Anyone experiencing polling booths not open for early voting in their areas. Devonport a rather twee quaint area of our Auckland North Shore has two out of the three booths closed because it is school holidays and kids need the buildings for their holiday activities.
Now I am not going to hammer the littlies for their activities but I am head scratching here as to what is more important – a once in three year event to vote in the next Government or keeping our kids occupied during the holidays. The area is crammed with elderly and retired folk and there will be some without cars.
The pleading with people to vote early as to keep the pesky bug at bay and not clutter up the booths on the final day was a damp squib this afternoon for a relative of mine trapsing all over to find a booth open.
Well, the North Shore Rugby Club on Cambridge Terrace is open for early voting every day except Saturday. There's other places nearby for Saturday early voting. So it doesn't look to me like Devonporties are deprived of opportunity for early voting.
Making her way down the affluent suburb’s main stretch from the Seed Heritage store toward the Ponsonby Central eatery, Collins was greeted by smiling people speaking praise for Collins and National and congratulating her on last night’s debate.
It later transpired many of them had been installed there for the cameras. National’s Auckland Central candidate Emma Mellow admitted as much when asked by media.
When only 2 people unplanned have chance interactions on your lonely campaign walkabout in Posonby, spin it like a Trump to the media needling you.
"That tells me that there is a real problem, and that problem is the fact that, you know, businesses are shut, people are simply not out and about much … I actually think that's showing the downturn in the economy.”
Poor Judith, perhaps Lyttleton's economy was better.
The Herald was running it as their top story online this afternoon, with a big picture of a smiling Collins. Very odd as it was 2 days old and from another news site.
10 hours ago — Several polls in recent months have put Labour not just heading for victory, but capable of governing as a single-party majority Government – …
'Several' polls? The last 21 (!) CB, RR, RM, UMR and Curia polls have all put Labour between 47% and 60%, with about 18 of them suggesting Labour could govern alone.
"There's no gain without pain" well, obviously for these Covid Fortunates ..
'Billionaire wealth reached record high levels amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a report by UBS and PwC found, as a rally in stock prices and gains in technology and healthcare helped the wealth of the world's richest break the $10 trillion mark ($NZ15 trillion).'
"A US House of Representatives panel looking into abuses of market power by four of the biggest technology companies found they used "killer acquisitions" to block rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into "oppressive" contracts in the name of profit."
I remember (many !) years back, hearing a talk by a guy on RNZ warning of the rise of Facebook. This when it was first starting. Very prescient. And I never did join it.
"The head of the World Food Programme is using his new platform to tell billionaires to share their wealth that has increased during Covid-19 to help the world's hungry."
Since none of you bastards talk at night like normal people (me), I'll carry on anyway. Climate Change is everything — vote Green. Complacence of comfort describes all other views. Not an argument.
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One Could Reduce Child Poverty At No Fiscal CostFollowing the Richardson/Shipley 1990 ‘redesign of the welfare state’ – which eliminated the universal Family Benefit and doubled the rate of child poverty – various income supplements for families have been added, the best known being ‘Working for Families’, introduced in 2005. ...
Buzz from the Beehive A few days ago, Point of Order suggested the media must be musing “on why Melissa is mute”. Our article reported that people working in the beleaguered media industry have cause to yearn for a minister as busy as Melissa Lee’s ministerial colleagues and we drew ...
1. What was The Curse of Jim Bolger?a. Winston Peters b. Soon after shaking his hand, world leaders would mysteriously lose office or shuffle off this mortal coilc. Could never shake off the Mother of All Budgetsd. Dandruff2. True or false? The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the ...
Jack Vowles writes – New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. ...
Chris Trotter writes – MELISSA LEE should be deprived of her ministerial warrant. Her handling – or non-handling – of the crisis engulfing the New Zealand news media has been woeful. The fate of New Zealand’s two linear television networks, a question which the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications ...
TL;DR: The podcast above features co-hosts and , along with regular guests Robert Patman on Gaza and AUKUS II, and on climate change.The six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the ...
Policymakers rarely wish to make plain or visible their desire to dismantle environmental policy, least of all to the young. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above between Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent ...
I like to keep an eye on what’s happening in places like the UK, the US, and over the ditch with our good mates the Aussies. Let’s call them AUKUS, for want of a better collective term. More on that in a bit.It used to be, not long ago, that ...
TL;DR: The global economy will be one fifth smaller than it would have otherwise been in 2050 as a result of climate damage, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and published in the journal Nature. (See more detail and analysis below, and ...
New Zealand is said to be suffering from ‘serious populist discontent’. An IPSOS MORI survey has reported that we have an increasing preference for strong leaders, think that the economy is rigged toward the rich and powerful, and political elites are ignoring ‘hard-working people’. The data is from February this ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters is understood to be planning a major speech within the next fortnight to clear up the confusion over whether or not New Zealand might join the AUKUS submarine project. So far, there have been conflicting signals from the Government. RNZ reported the Prime Minister yesterday in ...
Life throws curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs necessitate wiping your iPhone clean and starting anew. Whether you’re facing persistent software glitches, preparing to sell your device, or simply wanting a fresh start, knowing how to factory reset iPhone without a computer is a valuable skill. While using a computer with ...
Gone are the days when communication was limited to landline phones and physical proximity. Today, computers have become powerful tools for connecting with people across the globe through voice and video calls. But with a plethora of applications and methods available, how to call someone on a computer might seem ...
Open access notables Glacial isostatic adjustment reduces past and future Arctic subsea permafrost, Creel et al., Nature Communications:Sea-level rise submerges terrestrial permafrost in the Arctic, turning it into subsea permafrost. Subsea permafrost underlies ~ 1.8 million km2 of Arctic continental shelf, with thicknesses in places exceeding 700 m. Sea-level variations over glacial-interglacial cycles control ...
The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
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 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
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Andrew Little is awesome
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/10/nz-election-2020-andrew-little-hits-back-at-suggestion-that-labour-shouldn-t-prioritise-conversion-therapy-ban.html
If only he were as quick to support workers interests – that used to be the raison d'etre for the party before they sold out.
He would have got away with it if it wasn't for those pesky gay kids 🙄
TA – That sounds a bit skewed – I think Andy Pandy is the good guy here, and nothing more needs to be said.
Not by you if you can't see the paraphrased Scooby Doo reference is supportive of Andrew Little
They did get away with it – Roger Douglas has still not received punishment commensurate with his crimes against his countrymen – but hey, rainbow squirrel!
Fastest growing inequality in the OECD. An unprecedented housing crisis and no substantial attempt to address it. Mass low-wage unskilled immigration so prevalent that employers are publicly confessing their prejudices against NZ workers.
Conversion is not very prevalent in NZ, but it's poised to be the next anti-smacking vote losing issue if folk want to double down on it.
Conversion therapy is torture which is already illegal. So all that's really required is recognition within the legal system that it is torture. Basically, it could be done in about half a day so not exactly a huge distraction.
Throwing in a bit about it legally being recognised as the unscientific BS that it is would also help.
As far as that goes, the 'therapy' would fall under the mental health act.
There are rights to refuse, to be respected, to have the company of others etc.
No doubt often honored in the breach, but the smacking law comparison is apt – no cases were affected by the electorally fatal insistence on that legislation. There are an almost infinite number of serious issues more deserving of parliamentary time.
Unless you're a child and the parents are having it done to you.
I can't think of anything more deserving of parliamentary time than the extension of the protection of the law to all.
Though I reckon he'd still try, I'd bet even Andrew Little couldn't save someone who posts "but hey, rainbow squirrel" in a debate about the need to halt homo/transphobic torture from continuing to occur on these shores.
Believing that governments have a wide focus regarding policy and are able to proceed with more than one piece of legislation at a time, it obviously doesn't have to be an either or thing, but if it were, I'd forgo negotiations on workers rights until the horrific abuses were made illegal first.
By all means show us this "need".
Have there been cases here? Because if there haven't been, it becomes pretty reasonable to ask why this is suddenly important.
According to the tvnz vote compass survey, 72% want what is still legal, to be banned in NZ, if you're not one of the 12% who don't know, then you're in the 14% that see no reason to end the immediate suffering and long term damage inflicted on the poor sods who have to go through it.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/vote-compass-most-new-zealanders-want-conversion-therapy-banned
Don't wait for me to do your googling for you, get stuck in to some research, or just take a side on principle and let us know how you get on.
Well, the USA is morphing the last few steps into a Nazi Gilead state, so no time like the present.
If there's no current need, it spells it out for the future. If there is a current need, it makes illegal an intervention that might triple the suicide rate in affected youths.
Either way, I like that the policy cup is even half full. I won't demand it be tipped out just because it doesn't have my favourite half. The, in my case, generally comes from the Greens.
I take my manifestos as cocktails, not neat.
Well my part of the curate's egg, fisheries, is always left to keep rotting.
Excuse me if I don't cheer for yet another dose of rainbow distraction.
Not cheering is fair enough.
What we have too much on in the left is viewing policies that are not our own priorities as "distractions", even if those policies are priorities for other lefties.
All that leads to is incessant whinging because there will never be a policy announcement that satisfies everyone.
Well I've waited twenty-five years. I no longer expect anything good from Labour – but they'll pick up any kind of dodgy pc crap faster than you can say 'knife'. Looks like this is one of those.
dodgy pc crap
Thanks for clarifying things, at least we know now that you are just an arsehole.
[Can you please dial down the insult level, thanks – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 9:32 PM.
It's only "dodgy pc crap" to you because you don't think you or anyone you know is affected by it.
It seems to be a hobby horse of Shaneel Lal.
No doubt another Chris Carter in the making.
I suppose undergoing thought control procedures and being told you're not who you are will, for the strong ones, force push back.
Explain “No doubt another Chris Carter in the making” a bit more, ta.
push back
Yes – it must be a heady thing to have all the apparatus of state bent to one's personal whim instead of serving the public good for which it was created. But it would be more persuasive to document the prevalence or otherwise of the practice here.
Chris Carter had to be let go. His virtues were less apparent than he supposed.
It wasn't his virtues that were the problem, it was his political vices. Getting caught sending anonymous letters to the press gallery to knobble your leader is not a long term career move.
The procedures are psychological – which makes them subject to medical ethical considerations like consent.
An extremely debatable position.
Firstly, define the activities that are "psychological procedures".
Secondly, show how they are "psychological" in nature, rather than, say, "spiritual" or "cultural".
Thirdly, demonstrate that parents cannot consent to "psychological procedures" or indeed any medical procedures on behalf of their children.
Fourth, demonstrate harm to a level that overrules parental rights.
Fifth, start the child protection process.
OR:
First, notify the parents and operator that : "This violates the prohibition on 'conversion therapy', and is grounds for a protection order on behalf of the child", or something along those lines.
Second, continue the rest of the child protection process.
Still not getting the Chris Carter in the making bit. It's like you want to say something about the young man but don't have the same sort of courage he clearly has to do so.
See, just as I don't need to know rape statistics or numbers of domestic violence victims to know it's wrong, and that these crimes against a person's health, safety and personal dignity should be legislated against – The same with conversion therapy. You?
Conversion therapy is covered by several different pieces of existing legislation. So what's really happening here? Is the young man acting in the public interest, or taking the shortest possible path to publicity and reputation?
Whatever his motive, even your suggestion which does read as quite mean spirited, the fact remains that conversion therapy is still legal here, and a majority (in public and in the next parliament) want it stopped before it damages more young New Zealanders. No biggie.
mean spirited
Or you could take that, since it is already illegal on several counts under existing law, the young fellow should concern himself with obtaining redress for those threatened by it or having suffered it, instead of requiring a whole new law.
But that's just it, it isn't illegal, hence why there will be a new law after the election.
Edit:
“Currently, it is regarded as “unethical behaviour” to provide conversion therapy. However, this only applies to licenced therapists and counsellors. Technically, anyone in New Zealand can claim to offer services in conversion therapy, and suffer no legal repercussions.”
https://www.equaljusticeproject.co.nz/articles/nothing-to-be-proud-of-conversion-therapy-in-new-zealand2020
Which legislation?
It's not any of the Mental Health acts, because sexual orientation is not a recognised mental condition.
DtB's idea that it's torture might be limited by the fact that torture is narrowly defined and can only be committed by public officials.
Assault might apply, but it's not physical force as punishment and frankly a lot of these fuckers are more about mental abuse rather than physical. And when it's done under the transferred authority of the parents, that ,ight be a hard legal row to hoe.
One might think OT would be able to step in, but then they get into discussions about definitions of ill treatment and whether the "therapy" is good or bad for the child.
But an explicit legal "conversion therapy is bad, m'kay" cuts through all those QC-level arguments.
SM @ 1.1 Talk to Willie, the Employment Minister. Andrew is Justice.
I've talked and written to them for decades – and they have done nothing, and been rude about it to boot.
Tbf I don't actually see it being that much of a priority either given the Covid situation and the economy.
Would be interested to hear Little's idea for how it is going to be policed when it happens behind closed doors and what you charge them with.
Tell those affected it shouldn't be a priority. What's interesting is how collins wouldn't give a view on it because she needs to know more. It's more likely she's not opposed to it but doesn't want to lose the liberal vote.
I would put more priority on our atrocious rates of infant and child abuse,
Edit: But hey. Maybe my priorities are stupid
In many cases, it is child abuse.
Other forms of child abuse are already illegal.
Fair enough. But I would point out conversion therapy isn't always just kids.
But adding it to the child abuse category is fine by me.
Still can't see how they police it, but shouldn't take that long.
At $200/hr I think it will be fairly easy to police. Especially if those people try to take it to the blackmarket.
I have learnt something new. Thanks.
I actually, probably stupidly assumed it was done in the church, behind closed doors and not openly advertised by counsellors.
And that Riddell bloke in your link should be the first in the line of screwing over btw.
IMO, her praying in church in front of the cameras indicate that she's all for it or, at the very least, won't do anything about it so that other God Fearing practitioners can continue to abuse their children without being sent to jail.
Maybe, although I'd say she doesn't care and that her public position would be whichever loses her the least votes, hence her fence-sitting.
What to charge them with?
Torture, Kidnapping, Abuse, Assault – just to name a few. All of which are already illegal.
As I've said before, what we really need is a law that prevents any product coming on to the market until it has been properly classified and regulated.
Do tell when you think it should be a priority to stop torturing people for existing?
I think that we are concentrating on what is vitally important for the whole of NZ in this time envelope. Concentrate. concentrate.
Well it's vitally important that a bunch of NZers stop behaving like arseholes. I'd've thought.
It depends on how many people it is actually happening to.
I know the figures for people abusing the shit out of kids everyday and our stupid amounts of deaths, but conversion therapy seems a bit vague.
Conversion Therapy:
[Content deleted because it contained too many links that triggered Auto-Moderation]
Doesn't seem that vague.
ChrisT our son was offered that type of "help",
His Father and I told the Dr. that was why we and our son were changing to the other Dr. in the practice, as he did not let his personal views and religion interfere with medicine or treatment. Talk about lose faith!!
That was 15 years ago. We were 'gobsmacked ' it was being touted when our son was 38 at the time.
So yes and it is demeaning as it sent a "you are not normal you are broken" message.
Oh dear…..Miss Collins unravelling .
RNZ best hope she dosnt win the election as they'll be gone by lunchtime.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018767251/election-2020-collins-standing-by-samoa-claims
Cheers Pat.
lol. Judith certainly made hard work of answering any questions Suzy fired at her. And her parting quips about being 'energised' be being on the programme held a subtle undercurrent of menace. So I agree, RNZ had better hope the Natz don't win!
Collins brazens it out…unsuccessfully.
From the summary on the above Radionz link.
Last night Collins accused Labour party leader Jacinda Ardern of disrespecting the pacific nation after Ardern called her claims "factually incorrect".
Damn pesky facts. If the Gnats get in they will be gone by lunchtime.
so, in the last few weeks ,collins has pretended to like farmers, children, christians , now samoans are current besties. who will be collins next crush?
The Opposition benches.
woodart 10/10
That's what leaders do, Robert.
Eddie van Halen!
Sad!
You write like Trump tweets.
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54443394?at_custom2=twitter&
Jane Patterson carrying a bit of a candle for Collins? Keen on the beat up and not so keen to call BS BS and move on.
Ah y'all already heard/read it
Jane Patterson is a neutral political journalist who likes to point out the flaws on the Left and gloss over the flaws on the Right. Rumours of her getting "support" from the National Party are so very untrue.
Actually was a bit of a harsh call this morning, particularly after seeing the interview and the rest of the article. Just glanced at this:
#Collins' Samoan husband and her "Talofa" greeting generated a fair amount of feedback in the first debate and it was mention of Samoa's record on Covid that provoked an angry retort with the National leader telling Ardern "not to disrespect Samoa". She had not, insisted Ardern, and couldn't figure out why Collins had reacted so strongly. Afterwards Collins said she felt "possessive" of the Pacific nation and felt it had been disrespected when Samoa has done so well managing Covid#
which is fairly slack ol wedgetable politics, but yeh, not such a haigiography.
Jacinda called it "We are all lucky to live here".
Judith is showing the manipulation of stats she became famous for.
We hope New Zealanders pull together to keep this virus under control.
As Jacinda says, we will face this again, and we can only have certainty if we can interact carefully and record those interactions.
Human nature is to be a bit slack, so keep up the good work so we can all look forward to Christmas and unwrap a Labour and Greens Government.
Steve Braunias declares it for Guardian readers: The winner of the third NZ election leaders' debate? Death. Hovering in the wings, I presume, since I didn't see it onstage.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/06/the-winner-of-the-third-nz-election-leaders-debate-death-jacinda-ardern-judith-collins
I like Joe Walsh with his Maserati, does one-eighty-five, I lost my licence, Now I don't drive. That's more JC style actually. Don't worry about global warming, farming; keep on smarming JC (apparently getting a christian high on her initials)! Just remember JC life's been good so far, and the real JC had to suffer for his beliefs and values, so don't pretend to actually care about Christ-like agape-love, you'll never make it and it's bad to see you trying to fake it.
Have a decadent moment with Walsh who is revelling in decadent as he records:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COWX-022eJw
What is the actual point of these onstage political debates?
It's not as if the skills needed to "win" a debate have any overlap with the skills needed to govern well. Policy substance never ever gets explored, at best there might be a surface once-over-lightly. Performance art for an audience isn't leadership, it's not persuasion, it's not bringing together different viewpoints to form a workable solution.
The rare instances that a debate actually produces a game-changing moment, it's because of its theatrical impact, not actual governing substance. Such as "there you go again" or "show me the money" or someone glancing at their watch.
So, what is the point?
Revenue and relevance for the media organisation hosting them?
The same point as of any blood sport that’s televised.
to sell advertising?televised political debates are a long way from televised blood sports. closer to competitive cooking shows, and there isnt much point to those. think arkie has it about right. when the star of a televised political debate is either the worm or the host(sometimes, the same thing), it shows just how pointless they are.
Scoring ‘points’ to improve your personal and/or team ‘rankings’ is one point. Another point is the ‘promotion’ of the ‘sport’, i.e. the whole circus is an ‘ad’ in and of itself. It is also building relationships with the media. The NZ press & media landscape is tiny and narrow and yet we’ve had three leaders debates with the same names popping up again and again. Just my views.
the small size of nz press and media is a double edged sword. as we have seen, many of last weeks truth tellers become next weeks spin doctors. still dont see any real point to televised political debates. the polies all know the media by now. the veiwing public deserve something better than this rubbish, wheres julie christy with another reality shitshow? a combo of dancing with stars(?) and competitive cooking,with the live audience given missiles to throw. now, THAT I would watch, at least up to the first ad break(bone breaks would keep me watching).
Split-screen, both leaders "putting on" their faces in the morning would do it.
the many faces of judith…yeah nah
I didn’t watch and haven’t seen any of debates, not one second.
The purpose of the debates is to deliver viewers to advertisers.
Nobody ever 'wins' or 'loses' them because there can be no objective measure of winning or losing – mostly they just confirm viewers in their existing opinions.
When determinations are made of who 'won' or 'lost' these are usually based on the frisson generated by trivial inter-personal moments (who looked grumpy/frustrated/lost for words, etc.) rather than some overall sense of that party's fitness to govern.
They could be replaced by long-form one-on-one interviews with intelligent and well-informed interviewers who have zero interest in 'gotchas' or self-aggrandisement – but such people don't exist in the contemporary media landscape.
so, who, apart from political junkies are there target audience? most kiwis with a pulse, would rather watch something(anything?) else.Im with incognito.
It gives pundits something to blather about when they interview one another.
Woods said she wanted to increase the supply of affordable housing “without radically readjusting house prices so that people are losing equity in their homes”.
“What we want to see is some stabilisation of prices,” Woods said.
https://www.interest.co.nz/property/107402/why-labour-believes-taxpayers-need-underwrite-housing-developments-and-how-it-plans
So Labour happy to accept median ratios of over 7 (and 9 in Auckland) when its considered severely unaffordable
This is why I'll be voting Green.
I party-voted Green an hour ago. The local candidate list didn't show a Green option so I quizzed the polling booth officials about that (I'd done the zoom selection meeting months ago, read his bio, a 17 year old Indian guy living in PN, keen).
Getting the gist that he hadn't made it down the home straight, I ended up voting for Glen Beck, the Labour guy. Like Obama, a community organiser. Since I've been telling people for years that we got too much individualism & now need more community, I'm cool with his vocation.
Naturally, as an archetypal individualist, I frame this as personal development! I can go further & posit attainment of a high level of maturity late in life, eh? Except Gabby would rightfully draw attention to an element of pretension in such a pose.
Anyway good on you for going Green. I had you picked as staunch Labour due to relentless extreme left stances. Got that wrong!
Oh, btw, emailed our GP organiser & she promptly informed me she'd notified us back when he had to pull out. The branch emails have operated on a hit or miss basis the past couple of years, for reasons I couldn't be bothered investigating, and I know it didn't reach me. Could be the Russians, perhaps…
I'm not sure why you would think someone with an extreme left stance would think Labour were a better bet over the Greens? Have you compared the policy?
As for your green mail, check whatever spam filters you have in your email client and also running on your webmail. I found that my Orcon account was deciding randomly that some green emails were spam. Not all, just the odd one, which was odd. I ended up disabling the thing entirely.
Good spam filters work on a combination of trigger/keywords, which may make them appear ‘random’. Think about it, too crude would let too many through or block too many.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graymail_(email)
We could face 4 more years of Trump, due largely to this hopeless gerontocracy
One of the most embarrassing politicians in all of American history is the ridiculous NY congressman Jerrold Nadler, who achieved immortality by claiming that alleged Russian hacking in 2016 constituted an "act of war" equivalent to Pearl Harbor and 9/11.
https://theintercept.com/2018/02/19/a-consensus-emerges-russia-committed-an-act-of-war-on-par-with-pearl-harbor-and-911-should-the-u-s-response-be-similar/
Trump is terrible and in any functioning democracy he and his cronies from hell would be long gone—but the incompetence of the Democratic gerontocracy, from the doddering Diane Feinstein, to the smiling and ineffectual Nancy Pelosi, to the hilarious Nadler, and of course Sleepy Joe Biden, means that it's still uncertain as to whether he will be defeated next month.
As Matt Christman points out at the end of this clip, "These people are not doing the job you are fantasising they do. They are mentally and physically incapable."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK4qbM3sJCM
I don't know who M Christman is but he said an intelligent mouthful there. It really is the piece of resistance (Peter Sellers) of out post-modern political scene.
(Where did that surname come from? It sounds so phony. Does it reflect his deeper leanings, or is it part of his sponsorship. There would be money in that, having the blessing of Nike on you every time you sign/say your name, would you get paid in a lump sum of just on clickbait counts.)
Christman is a fairly common surname. I know a couple of people in Auckland with the name. Matt Christman is, as you obviously picked up, a brilliant and trenchant political commentator. The Chapo Trap House podcast is always outstanding; it restores one's faith in the future of America to hear young, thoughtful, serious people talking with such wit and such insight. Highly recommended!
Its always uncertain until there's an election Mo – but it looks like an old man will certainly win, and its unlikely to be your pick. Your pigeon-holing of being old as doddering, ineffectual, incompetent, sleepy, hopeless (with more words related to shitting and farting, etc in your attachment), says something very weird about you, and nothing whatsoever about a congressman on the other side of the world.
I didn't and I don't pigeon-hole old people. I, and obviously many disgusted Americans also, do indeed see Pelosi, Feinstein, Nadler, Biden as doddering, ineffectual, incompetent, sleepy, and hopeless. They were equally disastrous thirty years ago.
There are many people in the United States, far older than those four, who are bright, thoughtful and fully engaged in public life. Bernie Sanders, for instance. And Noam Chomsky.
Not convincing – other than their age, you don't explain why you judge them in this way.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/427778/land-on-old-wellington-prison-site-too-sacred-for-housing-mau-whenua
Land in Wellington has so much history embedded in it – it's not just handy spare ground to build houses on as a quick fix to the years of neglect of proper provision of necessary infrastructure by government.
This is not the start of a bad joke!
Two Anglican priests wearing their collars walked into a Labour Party office. "We have not seen anyone praying and holding her hands like Judith Collins in an Anglican church in thirty years".
As seen by meself a few minutes ago.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/generation-next/story/2018766702/teacher-affected-by-terror-attacks-pleads-for-other-cultures-to-be-embraced
What NZ non-Muslim women could do is to start wearing a scarf over the head tied at the neck. That would give the passers-by on the street the experience of seeing similar to the Muslim head covering of the hijab (without half-veil).
Someone I know did that and said it was noticeable that a rather large young boy going past fixed his eye on her and just stared. Nothing said or done, but the steady gaze was noticeable. So why not give it a try, show some solidarity – not as much as the wearing of the yellow star by the Danish in WW2. (Which apparently was a fable. This would be real.)
That's something NZ nonmuslim large young boys could do.
When the Australian right is too toxic for a Faux news talking head.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1313553163354624006
Covita
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tZVnbDq9B4
Very funny!
Very very dark twisted humour, yes.
Bonus Question for yesterday's Trump Covid game, worth triple points:
Down 10% in polls and the election 4 weeks away that you desperately need to win for your future to not include a lot of orange jumpsuit, and a lot of your electorate out of work and wondering how they will pay their bills and even just eat, do you:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-coronavirus-stimulus-delay-twitter_n_5f7cee46c5b61229a058cd6a
Anyone experiencing polling booths not open for early voting in their areas. Devonport a rather twee quaint area of our Auckland North Shore has two out of the three booths closed because it is school holidays and kids need the buildings for their holiday activities.
Now I am not going to hammer the littlies for their activities but I am head scratching here as to what is more important – a once in three year event to vote in the next Government or keeping our kids occupied during the holidays. The area is crammed with elderly and retired folk and there will be some without cars.
The pleading with people to vote early as to keep the pesky bug at bay and not clutter up the booths on the final day was a damp squib this afternoon for a relative of mine trapsing all over to find a booth open.
My grouch for the day.
Well, the North Shore Rugby Club on Cambridge Terrace is open for early voting every day except Saturday. There's other places nearby for Saturday early voting. So it doesn't look to me like Devonporties are deprived of opportunity for early voting.
https://vote.nz/map/index.html?id=8&modified=20201007154708
Mangakakahi Rotorua 10th of October…. yes WK.
Judith having a nightmare in Ponsonby.
Staged interactions.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/123011800/election-2020-a-terrible-day-on-the-campaign-trail-for-judith-collins
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/07-10-2020/judith-collins-walks-into-a-nightmare-on-ponsonby-road/
Message from Judge Judy to Judith Collins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=871-3XMhtAk
Wait for Jacinda in Dunedin 6 pm news yay..lol
When only 2 people unplanned have chance interactions on your lonely campaign walkabout in Posonby, spin it like a Trump to the media needling you.
"That tells me that there is a real problem, and that problem is the fact that, you know, businesses are shut, people are simply not out and about much … I actually think that's showing the downturn in the economy.”
Poor Judith, perhaps Lyttleton's economy was better.
https://m.facebook.com/jacindaardern/posts/10157376466627441
Stuff was running this earlier today, but now seems to have dropped it:
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-10-2020/how-judith-collins-and-national-win-the-2020-election/
The Herald was running it as their top story online this afternoon, with a big picture of a smiling Collins. Very odd as it was 2 days old and from another news site.
Further to this, this is the Herald's intro text:
'Several' polls? The last 21 (!) CB, RR, RM, UMR and Curia polls have all put Labour between 47% and 60%, with about 18 of them suggesting Labour could govern alone.
"There's no gain without pain" well, obviously for these Covid Fortunates ..
'Billionaire wealth reached record high levels amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a report by UBS and PwC found, as a rally in stock prices and gains in technology and healthcare helped the wealth of the world's richest break the $10 trillion mark ($NZ15 trillion).'
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/427812/billionaires-reach-record-wealth-during-covid-19-pandemic
"A US House of Representatives panel looking into abuses of market power by four of the biggest technology companies found they used "killer acquisitions" to block rivals, charged exorbitant fees and forced small businesses into "oppressive" contracts in the name of profit."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/427792/us-congressional-probe-finds-big-tech-abuses-power-but-does-not-urge-break-up
I remember (many !) years back, hearing a talk by a guy on RNZ warning of the rise of Facebook. This when it was first starting. Very prescient. And I never did join it.
"The head of the World Food Programme is using his new platform to tell billionaires to share their wealth that has increased during Covid-19 to help the world's hungry."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/428011/nobel-prize-winner-appeals-to-billionaires-to-aid-world-s-hungry
Yep, you vampires.
Since none of you bastards talk at night like normal people (me), I'll carry on anyway. Climate Change is everything — vote Green. Complacence of comfort describes all other views. Not an argument.