In every good disaster movie, we get to meet the easily dispensable character: someone who mixes just enough stupidity with just enough mediocrity to be cannon fodder for the impending calamity.
In the epic shipwreck of Donald Trump’s impeachment, that man is Gordon Sondland.
…To Trump himself, Sondland was once a Never Trumper who first globbed on to the low-energy Jeb before shifting his undying loyalty to little Marco. When neither of those Republican gods were able to confer any honor upon his wealthy shoulders, Sondland did what any principled conservative would do: he wrote a $1m check to Trump and asked for an ambassadorship.
…Sondland explained, in four painfully humiliating pages of new testimony, that on second thoughts there was about $400m of military aid that was entirely quid to the quo of Trump’s kooky obsession with smearing the Biden family.
“By the beginning of September 2019, and in the absence of any credible explanation for the suspension of aid, I presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the proposed anti-corruption statement,” Sondland confessed.
For a second time in two days, newly released testimony in the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump has produced a firsthand account of US officials negotiating a quid pro quo in Ukraine in which military aid would be used to pay for a political hit against Joe Biden, the president’s potential 2020 adversary.
Guess what in The High Court trial over the release of Peters confidential Social Welfare information.
National Ministers lawyers are saying they 'didnt disclose the information'
"Gray said: "They resist this. They say that neither of them disclosed the information."
Yet Tolley has testified her lawyer has said – she told her husband , her sister , the former Prime Minister's chief of staff, Wayne Eagleson, ….also told a senior staff member in her office.
But no her lips were sealed ! Tolley will testify today and be cross examined.
Bennett should be a hoot in witness box , acting grander than Dame Kiri !
All these very high profile trials all at once, is this a deliberate strategy by the Chief High Court Judge ?
I don't agree with pink. She wore that at last QT in the House. It will be a neutral dress in green or blue with a white jacket symbolising the innocence and purity of her natural personality. 👿
My lawyer and I went to the Human Rights Review Tribunal in August and argued that giving Police the powers of medieval feudal lords kinda flew in the face of about 800 years of legal jurisprudence and that allowing them to hold secret trials using secret evidence was so far out of the norm that there was no way this should even be contemplated.
It was important to me and my lawyer that the argument was made to dismantle this attempt to set a precedence of secret trials and secret evidence.
This formal apology, acknowledgment of the harm and settlement of my case is the end product of a very long fight, but we urge the HRRT to continue with a ruling.
Had a few days off eh DoU. Now back to being the Great Invigilator on every opinion passed for discussion. DoU the pop-up guillotine to freedom of reasonable opinion and discussion. And always with a conservative 20th century bias, with the aim of thinking about new ways to cope with the present and looming difficulties of this century.
[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.]
Are you trying to say something of value or have just swallowed a wasp. Or are your written views so perfectly formed they cant pass scrutiny, or you have scooped up designer socialist views of the highest quality and wish to parade them around
I contribute far more to blogs unrelated completely to NZ or politics, so I only dip in and out here
Right maui I understand. I also see that you do not share my concern that there are not more people coming here to have discussions and learn from each other and not getting put down and being harassed and stalked by one or two RW people. Perhaps you know who DoU is or feel so aligned to what was done as normal in the 20th century that you can't accept there is a need for change of behaviour.
I am tired of trying to get some people here to accept that we need a wider acceptance of thought and people coming here. Instead it seems that some can't stand any criticism of their favourite people or ideas, including themselves. If DoU is an invigilator is he doing his job reasonably for the purpose of encouraging thought in NZ from the ordinary citizen? Is this blog to be a nice tea party for intelligent people and/or a place for people with a grievance can get sympathy. Or is it looking at our present and our future which is dire?
As we approach tragic outcomes and seem frozen in the headlines I would like to see people here encourage others to contribute and learn and then keep contributing and honing their thoughts about getting outcomes that enable our youngsters to have a life. I am sorry if you want to run a cosy little chatroom. Perhaps I am out of place here. I don't want to waste my time coming here if I am going to be criticised all the time by some cabal of cronies.
In my experience, changing the culture of online spaces takes persistence, and working with people or building what we want, as much as negating what we don't want.
I'm not sure what the wider context is here in this instance. I disagree with DoU a fair bit, and sometimes find his posting style annoying, but he does engage with the topic at hand, is willing to be part of robust debate, and doesn't run lines that are counter to the Policy.
The commenting on TS seems at a low point currently. I'm not happy about it either and am thinking about it a fair bit. Maybe the community should talk about it more. I think attacking commenters is not the way to go, so maybe think about sharing what you want here without the aggro* stuff, then it will be easier to see what you are trying to convey.
*the general rule here is if you are on topic and making a point then you can get away with a degree of rudeness. Comments that have nothing in them other than attacking another commenter will invariably get moderator attention.
Lately there has been a tendency for a few commenters to take offence at another commenter's contribution having misinterpreted the intent of their contribution. It is incumbent on all of us if we make such a mistake to own it and apologise. There has been a notable lack of apology on the part of one or two people in recent times and that does not augur well for morale.
A small point in the scheme of things but a good time to mention it. 🙂
Mandy Henk writes about how the NZ research industry gives away all (most of) it's output so that a few transnational companies can profit from it, and locals can't see it.
Universities and CRIs can't afford to see each other's work, business people and health professionals can;'t get the latest stuff.
Other countries are starting to say enough is enough – Germany, Sweden, California have all refused to pay their subscriptions until access is made more equitable. Should we do that here too?
"…profit-focused approach to academic publishing…" sounds like a Joyce legacy to me along with his brutal restructuring and 'refocusing' of Agresearch.
Recall AyaTolley struggling to get their agenda into higher ed….up stepped bovver boy Joyce.
There are some really good open-access journals available these days (e.g. https://www.plos.org/) – people should publish on open-access as much as possible.
Perhaps should be a condition of public funding that all resulting publications must use open access channels?
Very good point about the fees (Article Processing Charges). They are quite small compared to various government funded / part funded research programs I am familiar with (budgets in the millions), but could be prohibitive to a PhD candidate wanting to publish their findings, for example.
Good thing with PLOS is it is non-profit, so at least none of the fees are funneled to private investors.
Plus they have schemes to assist authors who cannot pay, and institutional /organisational funding schemes. It would not be a huge investment (and they would likely negotiate a bulk deal) for the NZ government to agree to fund all publications on PLOS from NZ authors – and thus solving access issues for all NZ-based research.
Like your idea of the government funding all publications in PLoS journals from NZ authors.
Trying to balance my previous comment, for most fields of research there will (hopefully) be free-to-publish open access journals. According to Wikipedia, these may be classified as 'Diamond' or 'Platinum' open access journals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access#Diamond/platinum_OA
Regrettably, there has been an astounding proliferation of potential/possible/probable predatory open access publishers. https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/
We talk about wellbeing – it has come into the NZ political language. We might now go further and look at how we reach that. Is it being happy all the time? Is that what we are aiming for.
The Greeks thought about this, in ancient times they came up with delineating the word 'love'. If we want to live in a planet with people who care about it, about each other, and not just their own interests and connections perhaps we should check out the other forms that love can take instead of erotic and narcissistic.
Susan Krumdiek is someone to watch and listen to very closely and regularly, Pat. That interview is a valuable one. I'm planning to invite Susan to speak to our council as part of our climate emergency readiness planning
sometimes I read the mournful – "we don't want Asians here, they will change us" – and I remember the truth
Moana Jackson's research has involved a comparative study of the imprisonment of indigenous peoples in Canada, the United States and Australia – all countries with similar high incarceration rates.
In New Zealand, Māori men make up 62 percent of the prison population and Māori women 64 percent.
Mr Jackson said the common thread was they all followed the same trajectory of colonisation, with its similar ideologies and practices.
"It's my considered view that the abuse of Māori children in care also arises from the same context as indeed does the abuse of all children – colonisation is an inherently abusive process."
Mr Jackson said colonisation dispossessed people of their lands, lives and power and was a brutal process.
He said the taking of Māori children from their whānau by the state had been both personal and political.
"The presumed right to do so was derived from the same racist presumptions of European superiority that marked colonisation as a whole and the attendant belief that indigenous children needed to be civilised and protected from themselves."
Pākehā who find that implication troubling (that we weren't wanted here, that we changed things for the worse), might find it helpful to understand that redressing the *current wrongs would go a long way to making our presence here legitimate. As would thinking what a decolonised NZ might look like.
Love Moana Jackson, he has deep knowledge about the ways out of our predicaments.
Mike Joy came to Golden Bay yesterday and gave a great talk on the future of food .
This man is hugely impressive, in his modest demeanour and plain talking. As an academic he could have played it strictly by the book, been careful, not ruffled feathers, and ended up high on the hog(insofar as academics can) but at any rate, led a comfortable, safe life. Instead of which, like Nicky Hager, he bravely opted to speak out and tell his scientific truth.
His talk was not comfortable, particularly if you'd watched Thomas Piketty's doco recently Capital in the 21st century, done by our own Kiwi film maker Justin Pemberton
He stressed the imminence of catastrophic change
Mike does not point to science for a quick fix.He has a simple message .Live simply, live well, the party's over , get back to the basics of life, ditch the damaging trimmings.Keep things local, develop community, grow food using such workable models as permaculture
I agree. Also I think what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative.Preferably before war or climate disaster forces the issue
He's not anti science, or EVs or growing trees, or solar panels, but warns they are not a silver bullet that will enable BAU.
If you can get this guy to come to your home town and give a talk, he's well worth it, very down to earth, very approachable, not in an ivory tower
"what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative"
Indeed.
But we cannot rely on the government to institute such changes. Their raison d'être is not to serve us as individuals but to serve large, mostly foreign owned corporations.
Change will only come about from the ground up.
The Internet is making this possible where goods can be swapped or given freely via social media, produce sold or donated locally etc.
Humankind, that is; not independent of the non-human world, interdependent with it. Of course, we are anyway, we just don't see it or behave that way. The time’s approaching when we must.
Another thing that Mike brought up was that we've (humanity) proved we can set aside our individual wants and aspirations for the common good …as in civilians selflessly helping each other in time of war.But why does it have to be so extreme?
I have the idea that war /disaster and economic depression are great levellers .We're all in the moment, impacted, in need, the notion of "we just have each other" and "we're all in this together" is prevalent.So many people of my mother's generation,who'd been through the Depression said "We were poor, but we were happy and we had such friendships"
After 30 years of neoliberalism we've been trained to be individual consumers rather than citizens
Maybe when the insurance companies stop paying out on climate disasters we'll look to each other again .In fact I have heard of insurance companies broaching the idea that "no , this is not a natural disaster, this is caused by humans who have been in full knowledge of the consequences of their actions"
I'm rambling now , but which Susan ..St John? Kedgley?
As a legal matter, Pence is the one and only person whose employment in the executive branch that Tinyfingers Tantrump can't terminate. Because he was elected to the position, not appointed.
As a practical matter, I'm curious about your opinion that appointing a liberal VP would protect America's prolapsed rectum from impeachment.
Seems to me that's one of the very few things that might actually cause him to be convicted in the senate and booted out of office after impeachment in the House. Because it would enrage his base, possibly to the point of weakening their cultish devotion. And if he no longer commands an army of blindly devoted Drumpfkins ready to primary anyone that squeaks against Glorious Dear Leader, then Repug senators might take some calcium pills, regrow their vestigial spines and principles, and vote to convict.
Trump is not the republicans. The Senate has a choice, get the base angry and get a Christian right president pence, or leave Trump unfettered second term… …and likely impeachment again, as he is just that much of a walking disaster. Trump has been reigned in for now, and so what if a few Republician Senators who were resigning, or unelectable, go out on principle. So a rump of the senate can feed off the anger from trump base, saying they stood their ground. Pence then has momentum for the republican convention.
Former National Party minister Anne Tolley says she shared confidential details of Winston Peters' pension overpayments with family members and staff.
She also says one of her senior advisors passed the information to other staff members in her office – despite her strictly advising him not to.
Giving evidence in the High Court in Auckland today, the former Social Development Minister said she was not responsible for the information making its way into the media a month before the 2017 general election.
Tolley also had no reason to believe her staff had leaked the information.
Gosh, why wouldn't you trust an office with her as a role model?
The National Party mind has been attacked and corrupted by its own dogwhistle – namely that "Maori = benefit fraudster". As Tolley blabbed away over the clinking glasses of rosé , her assumption of wrongdoing by Peters was inevitable and natural.
James Shaw in his opening speech (of 12 speeches scheduled in the 3rd Reading), has just acknowledged the presence of Kennedy Graham as the originator of the Bill in the House, and also the many other contributors to its passage etc through the House.
FFS Joe, what alternate reality were you inhabiting from 2008 to 2016? And now, for that matter?
“With Donald Trump out of the way, you’re going to see a number of my Republican colleagues have an epiphany. Mark my words. Mark my words,” Biden said.
On the same day Biden made his remarks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was just a few blocks away at the White House, boasting about how he blocked Merrick Garland from getting a seat on the Supreme Court.
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….but now he's declared, "Mr Speaker, National will support this Bill!
I believe that the National Party was swamped with messages from business leaders to stop stalling and join in. Bridges waited till the end of his speech before announcing agreement. Petty little boy.
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story accurately quoted the book as describing "PC" as standing for "politically correct" in characterizing certain Obama administration meetings. The author has since informed Fox News this was due to a misunderstanding between him and his source and that the initials referred to "Principals Committee."
The Principals Committee of the National Security Council is the Cabinet-level senior interagency forum for consideration of national security policy issues.
So, basically, the complaint is that there were too many meetings about national security policy issues.
"SHANE JONES may just have come up with a sure-fire MMP threshold-busting election strategy. He has committed NZ First to formulating a comprehensive “population policy”. If handled adroitly, this exercise will likely evoke a strong electoral response from “native” New Zealanders. Almost certainly powerful enough to guarantee the party’s return to Parliament."
It's not just going forward they need to worry about – NZF made promises prior to the last election in respect of immigration – if they give them up without a visible fight they'll shed a lot of support.
An unremarkable, moderate, 1970's-style social democrat is actually intent on mass murder. The derangement of elites is hugely funny, but dangerous too.
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
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Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
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The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
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Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
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The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
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Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
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Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
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Winston Peters’ much anticipated foreign policy speech last night was a work of two halves. Much of it was a standard “boilerplate” Foreign Ministry overview of the state of the world. There was some hardening up of rhetoric with talk of “benign” becoming “malign” and old truths giving way to ...
Graham Adams assesses the fallout of the Cass Review — The press release last Thursday from the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls didn’t make the mainstream news in New Zealand but it really should have. The startling title of Reem Alsalem’s statement — “Implementation of ‘Cass ...
This open-for-business, under-new-management cliché-pockmarked government of Christopher Luxon is not the thing of beauty he imagines it to be. It is not the powerful expression of the will of the people that he asserts it to be. It is not a soaring eagle, it is a malodorous vulture. This newest poll should make ...
The latest labour market statistics, showing a rise in unemployment. There are now 134,000 unemployed - 14,000 more than when the National government took office. Which is I guess what happens when the Reserve Bank causes a recession in an effort to Keep Wages Low. The previous government saw a ...
Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
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Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
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Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
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This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
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Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy.Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
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. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
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. ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Norton, Professor in the Practice of Higher Education Policy, Australian National University Every year on June 1, student debt in Australia is indexed to inflation. In 2023, high inflation pushed the indexation rate to 7.1%, the highest since 1990. This ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Changes in the May 14 budget will cut the student debt of more than three million people, wiping more than $3 billion from what people owe. The government will cap the HELP indexation rate ...
Asia Pacific Report The prosecutor’s office at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for an end to what it calls intimidation of its staff, saying such threats could constitute an offence against the “administration of justice” by the world’s permanent war crimes court. The Hague-based office of ICC Prosecutor ...
By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A women’s union in New Caledonia has staged a sit-in protest this week to support senior Kanak indigenous journalist Thérèse Waia, who works for public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie la Première, after a smear attack by critics. The peaceful demonstration was held on ...
New Zealand Food Safety is monitoring overseas recalls of Indian packaged spice products manufactured by MDH and Everest due to concerns over a cancer-causing pesticide. ...
By Stephen Wright and Stefan Armbruster of BenarNews Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs. Fiji’s improvement ...
We might be in Invercargill but all anyone can talk about is Gore. Specifically, Salford Street. That’s where three-year-old Lachlan Jones lived, south of the centre of town, between the A&P Showgrounds and the Mataura River. Roughly 1.2 km away from the single level home he lived in with his ...
MONDAY I lined up the latest round of civil servants from city hall against the wall, and signalled for the firing squad to drop their rifles. I stepped up onto a wooden crate to look at the office workers in the eye. But that didn’t feel right, so I found ...
Keen hiker and second-year MSc student Liam Hewson wears two hats when he’s in the great outdoors. “The scientist in me appreciates nature and goes, ‘Oh, there’s that thing and there’s another thing,’ but then the tramper and the outdoorsy person in me thinks, ‘Cool bush.’” Born and bred in ...
After a long and illustrious career as a goal kicker, Dan Carter’s favourite way to unwind is… kicking goals. Why can’t he get enough of it? And what it’s like to watch him do it for an hour straight? A semicircle of people wielding cameras and phones has formed in ...
Dame Susan Devoy takes us through her life in television, including late night ER debriefs, her proudest CTI moment and the show she watches in secret. Quite aside from her four world champion squash titles, Dame Susan Devoy will likely go down in history as one of the best Celebrity ...
Hera Lindsay Bird reveals the best places in Ōtepoti to score more for your apocalypse-prep book hoard.Sometimes I get the feeling I’ve been killed in a car crash, and this second half of my life is just the brain unspooling itself, like one of those episodes of a hospital ...
ThreeNow’s new murder mystery series takes us on a dark, damp journey into the Australian wilderness.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. High Country is ThreeNow’s new Australian eight-part crime drama, set in a remote part of the Victorian highlands. It tells ...
Introducing a new way to read The Spinoff every weekend. After nearly 10 years of being an online magazine, we’re finally embracing the weekend liftout. Despite our best efforts to convince you otherwise, writers and editors at The Spinoff don’t work weekend. It is through the sheer power of technology ...
Tip one: let yourself be nurtured by this big old man. Tip two: don’t ask him to adopt you. So, you’ve arrived at your first session with a new therapist. He tells you to make yourself comfortable and you opt for the tweed armchair, hoping it makes you look like ...
I didn’t know books could open you back up; that there were books that stayed with you, where reading was like a chemical event. I knew nothing.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Not too long ago, I was listening to the American ...
Former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has already started training for the Enhanced games, though says he won’t start taking performance enhancing substances until about nine months out from the competition. The Australian world champion was the first athlete to be announced by Enhanced, but he says the organisation has had ...
Everyone thinks he’s dead. Every day they expect his body to be washed up along the coast. Most likely up Karitane way, the way the tide’s running. But nobody’ll be too surprised if his body’s never found. Even in death he wouldn’t have wished for such attention. He would have ...
Council members voted 21 to 4 in favour of Ahluwalia returning to the Laucala campus following a much-awaited meeting in Vanuatu this week. It comes as USP and its two unions — the Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff (AUSPS) and the Administration and Support Staff Union ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Henry, Professor & Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University Shutterstock Following an emergency meeting of the National Cabinet this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a raft of measures to tackle the problem ...
Analysis - A poll showing the opposition is more popular than the government raises questions, politicians go through their 'trial by pay rise' and a Green MP loses her cool in the debating chamber. ...
The entire stretch of Tokomaru Bay on the East Coast will be subject to a joint customary marine title for two hapū, and extending up to four miles out to sea. A High Court judge has found the two groups, who during the case settled a dispute over boundaries for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Hall, Lecturer, Media & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Siobhan O’Dean, Postdoctoral Research Associate, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney After several highly publicised alleged murders of women in Australia, the Albanese government this week pledged more than A$925 million over five years ...
Political parties have now fully disclosed the donations they received last year - with National getting more than double the cash of any other party. ...
A Pacific regionalism expert has called out New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS military pact. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard de Grijs, Professor of Astrophysics, Macquarie University Bruno Scramgnon/Pexels All systems are “go” for tonight’s launch of China’s next step in a carefully planned lunar exploration program. Placed on top of a powerful Long March 5 rocket, the Chang’e 6 ...
National returned a massive donation the day after a Newsroom story linked the donors to a property being investigated for operating unlawfully as a migrant workers’ hostel. The party’s 2023 donation filings, released on Friday, show it returned a $200,000 donation from Buen Holdings on August 23. That was the ...
Pacific Media Watch New Zealand has slumped to an unprecedented 19th place in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index survey released today on World Press Freedom Day — May 3. This was a drop of six places from 13th last year when it slipped out of its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Political Historian and Administrator Officer, Australian Historical Association, Australian National University Australia has had its fair share of public record-keeping controversies in recent years. Some have been mere farce, as in the case of two formerly government-owned filing cabinets (containing ...
Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations-affiliated organization dedicated to fostering peace through civilian-led initiatives, has issued a statement in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. ...
A poem by Tessa Keenan, from AUP New Poets 10. Mātou These days we are a photograph; one of a farm strewn with cows that used to be bright harakeke or swamp. The kids point at it and say the sun sits behind a smudge (left by someone at Christmas); ...
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 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $25)The masterful Irish writer ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. Key facts Marriages and civil unions In ...
Marriage and civil union statistics record the number of marriages and civil unions registered in New Zealand each year, and divorce statistics record the number of divorces granted in New Zealand each year. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lennon Y.C. Chang, Associate Professor of Cyber Risk and Policy, Deakin University Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety ...
In this excerpt from her new memoir, Dame Susan Devoy remembers her turn as star contestant on the 2022 season of Celebrity Treasure Island. The most anxious time of every day was pre-elimination, when you knew this could be your final day on the show. I felt such contradictory emotions, ...
A week that began in triumph ended in an all-too-familiar disaster for the Green Party. Duncan Greive asks if there’s something in the mission that breaks its best and brightest. A long, strange week for the Green party began with a fantastic poll result. On one level this is hardly ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Vanuatu’s former prime minister and opposition MP Ishmael Kalsakau has stepped down — just two days after he confirmed he was the rightful opposition leader. Kalsakau, MP for Port Vila, confirmed to ABC’s Pacific Beat, and the Vanuatu Daily Post on Thursday that he ...
What’s to blame for the coalition’s choppy start? Six months in, and the mojo meter is in the doldrums. A new poll would put National out of power and sees its leader, Chris Luxon, sliding in popularity. How much is it about policy, how much coalition management and a perception ...
The striking report goes far beyond the proposed repeal of the Oranga Tamariki Act’s Treaty of Waitangi provision, and its impact should be felt far beyond the unique circumstances of the claim it addresses. Earlier this week, the Waitangi Tribunal released an interim report on the government’s proposed repeal of ...
The world has been experiencing a productivity slowdown, from which New Zealand has not been exempt. COVID-19 temporarily boosted labour productivity, but more recently, productivity has retreated. The overall trend since 2007 has been one of slow productivity ...
What’s more wasteful than spending $315k on syrup and machine maintenance? Trying to drum up a controversy about it.Cast your mind back to the pre-pandemic idylls of 2019. A “rat” was a disgusting rodent and not a self-administered plague test; the sixth Labour government was in power; and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Monash University Ken stocker/Shutterstock In the wake of numerous killings of women allegedly by men’s violence in 2024, thousands of Australians have joined rallies across the country to demand action ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock Waiting times for public hospital elective surgery have been in the news ahead of this year’s federal budget. That’s the type of non-emergency surgery ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Amna Artist/Shutterstock One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia on the Black Sea, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Rose, Professor of Sustainable Future Transport, University of Sydney LanaElcova/Shutterstock Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University There is widespread agreement Australia needs to do better when it comes to gender-based violence. Anger and frustration at the numbers of women being killed saw national rallies over the weekend and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Graham, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sydney Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock As home ownership moves further out of reach for many Australians, “rentvesting” is being touted as a lifesaver. Rentvesting is the practice of renting one property to live ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sukhmani Khorana, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, UNSW Sydney Netflix The new season of Heartbreak High is garnering mixed reviews. Critics are writing about the racy story lines, comparing it to other coming-of-age series about teenage relationships and ...
Bob Carr intends to launch legal action against Winston Peters and Julie Anne Genter is facing a second allegation of bullying. Both sucked the air out of an announcement on education, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in ...
In 1995, Sally Clark went out on her own in a bold and unorthodox attempt to join an illustrious group of equestrian riders conquering the world. In the days of glovebox road maps, brick cell phones, and the hit song How Bizarre, Clark refused to follow Sir Mark Todd, Blyth ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Beaglehole, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago niphon/Getty Images The number of people accessing medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Aotearoa New Zealand increased significantly between 2006 and 2022. But the disorder is still under-diagnosed and ...
To celebrate the start of New Zealand music month, we look back at the best local tuneage that managed to weasel its way into Hollywood productions. There’s nothing quite like the thrilling zap of recognition when New Zealand weasels its way into a glamorous Hollywood production. Crack open a Tui ...
People trust other people more than institutions. So how can the media gain that trust through journalists without losing what’s important about the institution? Anna Rawhiti-Connell reflects on two years of curating the news for The Bulletin.Amonth ago, armed cops descended on my neighbourhood as calls to “lock your ...
Opinion: PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a class of thousands of man-made chemicals used widely in everyday consumer items such as textiles, packaging, and cookware, popular for their water, grease and stain-repellent properties. However, the very properties that make PFAS so attractive to manufacturers are also what ...
NONFICTION 1 The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour & Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)’ This is the hottest book in New Zealand, number one with a bullet in its first week, selling more than any overseas title, and demand is so huge that it’s already been reprinted. A ...
True and funny
True – the house of sharts begins to fall
Guess what in The High Court trial over the release of Peters confidential Social Welfare information.
National Ministers lawyers are saying they 'didnt disclose the information'
"Gray said: "They resist this. They say that neither of them disclosed the information."
Yet Tolley has
testifiedher lawyer has said – she told her husband , her sister , the former Prime Minister's chief of staff, Wayne Eagleson, ….also told a senior staff member in her office.But no her lips were sealed ! Tolley will testify today and be cross examined.
Bennett should be a hoot in witness box , acting grander than Dame Kiri !
All these very high profile trials all at once, is this a deliberate strategy by the Chief High Court Judge ?
So, no leopard print but a more demure pink perhaps and still loads of hairspray?
I don't agree with pink. She wore that at last QT in the House. It will be a neutral dress in green or blue with a white jacket symbolising the innocence and purity of her natural personality. 👿
Martyn Bradbury wins settlement over spying on him in wake of Rawshark: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/11/06/breaking-5-years-and-finally-justice-nz-police-formally-apologise-settle-for-breaching-my-civil-rights/
Had a few days off eh DoU. Now back to being the Great Invigilator on every opinion passed for discussion. DoU the pop-up guillotine to freedom of reasonable opinion and discussion. And always with a conservative 20th century bias, with the aim of thinking about new ways to cope with the present and looming difficulties of this century.
[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.]
Are you trying to say something of value or have just swallowed a wasp. Or are your written views so perfectly formed they cant pass scrutiny, or you have scooped up designer socialist views of the highest quality and wish to parade them around
I contribute far more to blogs unrelated completely to NZ or politics, so I only dip in and out here
Grey that is a horrible thing to say! Duke does not need this… and I frankly would rather not see this kind of attack on Invigilators.
Right maui I understand. I also see that you do not share my concern that there are not more people coming here to have discussions and learn from each other and not getting put down and being harassed and stalked by one or two RW people. Perhaps you know who DoU is or feel so aligned to what was done as normal in the 20th century that you can't accept there is a need for change of behaviour.
I am tired of trying to get some people here to accept that we need a wider acceptance of thought and people coming here. Instead it seems that some can't stand any criticism of their favourite people or ideas, including themselves. If DoU is an invigilator is he doing his job reasonably for the purpose of encouraging thought in NZ from the ordinary citizen? Is this blog to be a nice tea party for intelligent people and/or a place for people with a grievance can get sympathy. Or is it looking at our present and our future which is dire?
As we approach tragic outcomes and seem frozen in the headlines I would like to see people here encourage others to contribute and learn and then keep contributing and honing their thoughts about getting outcomes that enable our youngsters to have a life. I am sorry if you want to run a cosy little chatroom. Perhaps I am out of place here. I don't want to waste my time coming here if I am going to be criticised all the time by some cabal of cronies.
In my experience, changing the culture of online spaces takes persistence, and working with people or building what we want, as much as negating what we don't want.
I'm not sure what the wider context is here in this instance. I disagree with DoU a fair bit, and sometimes find his posting style annoying, but he does engage with the topic at hand, is willing to be part of robust debate, and doesn't run lines that are counter to the Policy.
The commenting on TS seems at a low point currently. I'm not happy about it either and am thinking about it a fair bit. Maybe the community should talk about it more. I think attacking commenters is not the way to go, so maybe think about sharing what you want here without the aggro* stuff, then it will be easier to see what you are trying to convey.
*the general rule here is if you are on topic and making a point then you can get away with a degree of rudeness. Comments that have nothing in them other than attacking another commenter will invariably get moderator attention.
Lately there has been a tendency for a few commenters to take offence at another commenter's contribution having misinterpreted the intent of their contribution. It is incumbent on all of us if we make such a mistake to own it and apologise. There has been a notable lack of apology on the part of one or two people in recent times and that does not augur well for morale.
A small point in the scheme of things but a good time to mention it. 🙂
thanks Anne.
Best news of the day/week/month. Tom Watson is gone. Pelosi and Schumer slinging their hooks would top it I guess 🙂
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/06/tom-watson-to-quit-as-labour-deputy-leader-and-stand-down-as-mp
Mandy Henk writes about how the NZ research industry gives away all (most of) it's output so that a few transnational companies can profit from it, and locals can't see it.
Universities and CRIs can't afford to see each other's work, business people and health professionals can;'t get the latest stuff.
Other countries are starting to say enough is enough – Germany, Sweden, California have all refused to pay their subscriptions until access is made more equitable. Should we do that here too?
https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/07-11-2019/how-paywalls-are-poisoning-public-interest-research/
"…profit-focused approach to academic publishing…" sounds like a Joyce legacy to me along with his brutal restructuring and 'refocusing' of Agresearch.
Recall AyaTolley struggling to get their agenda into higher ed….up stepped bovver boy Joyce.
There are some really good open-access journals available these days (e.g. https://www.plos.org/) – people should publish on open-access as much as possible.
Perhaps should be a condition of public funding that all resulting publications must use open access channels?
Agreed, as long as funders are OK with allocating a small proportion of funding to cover the publication/page fees/charges of open access journals.
Much research in NZ is done on the smell of an oily rag, making free-to-publish, pay-to-view journals an attractive option.
https://www.plos.org/publication-fees
Very good point about the fees (Article Processing Charges). They are quite small compared to various government funded / part funded research programs I am familiar with (budgets in the millions), but could be prohibitive to a PhD candidate wanting to publish their findings, for example.
Good thing with PLOS is it is non-profit, so at least none of the fees are funneled to private investors.
Plus they have schemes to assist authors who cannot pay, and institutional /organisational funding schemes. It would not be a huge investment (and they would likely negotiate a bulk deal) for the NZ government to agree to fund all publications on PLOS from NZ authors – and thus solving access issues for all NZ-based research.
Like your idea of the government funding all publications in PLoS journals from NZ authors.
Trying to balance my previous comment, for most fields of research there will (hopefully) be free-to-publish open access journals. According to Wikipedia, these may be classified as 'Diamond' or 'Platinum' open access journals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access#Diamond/platinum_OA
Regrettably, there has been an astounding proliferation of potential/possible/probable predatory open access publishers. https://scholarlyoa.com/publishers/
We talk about wellbeing – it has come into the NZ political language. We might now go further and look at how we reach that. Is it being happy all the time? Is that what we are aiming for.
The Greeks thought about this, in ancient times they came up with delineating the word 'love'. If we want to live in a planet with people who care about it, about each other, and not just their own interests and connections perhaps we should check out the other forms that love can take instead of erotic and narcissistic.
https://www.e-counseling.com/relationships/what-are-the-7-types-of-love/
The all you can eat buffet is almost out of food…what we going to eat then?
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018721039/transition-engineering
Susan Krumdiek is someone to watch and listen to very closely and regularly, Pat. That interview is a valuable one. I'm planning to invite Susan to speak to our council as part of our climate emergency readiness planning
I wish she would be invited to speak to Cabinet (and Treasury for that matter)….but then as she says, politicians arnt going to solve this
Heres an introduction piece for your How to get there series
https://www.the-possible.com/energy-transition-climate-change/
sometimes I read the mournful – "we don't want Asians here, they will change us" – and I remember the truth
Pākehā who find that implication troubling (that we weren't wanted here, that we changed things for the worse), might find it helpful to understand that redressing the *current wrongs would go a long way to making our presence here legitimate. As would thinking what a decolonised NZ might look like.
Love Moana Jackson, he has deep knowledge about the ways out of our predicaments.
Personally I find Moana's brand of sugar coated inflammatory racist speech deeply offensive.
Ha – his style of telling the truth does infuriate some people – I rate him very highly.
that does not surprise me
Funny video worth 9 minutes of your time. Explaining that capitalism did not make tech – but explains who did.
Excellent!!
Re Current Affairs: National is all supportive of Capitalism. Maybe that is why they fail to create or innovate? Wrong mindsets?
Oh Yeah Bernie!!
Mike Joy came to Golden Bay yesterday and gave a great talk on the future of food .
This man is hugely impressive, in his modest demeanour and plain talking. As an academic he could have played it strictly by the book, been careful, not ruffled feathers, and ended up high on the hog(insofar as academics can) but at any rate, led a comfortable, safe life. Instead of which, like Nicky Hager, he bravely opted to speak out and tell his scientific truth.
His talk was not comfortable, particularly if you'd watched Thomas Piketty's doco recently Capital in the 21st century, done by our own Kiwi film maker Justin Pemberton
He stressed the imminence of catastrophic change
Mike does not point to science for a quick fix.He has a simple message .Live simply, live well, the party's over , get back to the basics of life, ditch the damaging trimmings.Keep things local, develop community, grow food using such workable models as permaculture
I agree. Also I think what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative.Preferably before war or climate disaster forces the issue
He's not anti science, or EVs or growing trees, or solar panels, but warns they are not a silver bullet that will enable BAU.
If you can get this guy to come to your home town and give a talk, he's well worth it, very down to earth, very approachable, not in an ivory tower
Cool – good guy and nice report.
We do have some great speakers of recent times in the bay – julie Anne Genter coming up but I fear I'll get angry so doubt I'll get to the muss.
wow, that sounds great. I will go look up and see if he has a video online.
"He's not anti science, or EVs or growing trees, or solar panels, but warns they are not a silver bullet that will enable BAU."
This is so the conversation that we need to be having right now.
"what we need is a radical evolutionary change in consciousness, the next step , where we shift from competitive to co operative"
Indeed.
But we cannot rely on the government to institute such changes. Their raison d'être is not to serve us as individuals but to serve large, mostly foreign owned corporations.
Change will only come about from the ground up.
The Internet is making this possible where goods can be swapped or given freely via social media, produce sold or donated locally etc.
Farcebook does have its uses.
Not independent, instead interdependent.
Humankind, that is; not independent of the non-human world, interdependent with it. Of course, we are anyway, we just don't see it or behave that way. The time’s approaching when we must.
Have Mike and Susan shared a stage yet? I wish they would. I'd MC
Susan who Robert?
Another thing that Mike brought up was that we've (humanity) proved we can set aside our individual wants and aspirations for the common good …as in civilians selflessly helping each other in time of war.But why does it have to be so extreme?
I have the idea that war /disaster and economic depression are great levellers .We're all in the moment, impacted, in need, the notion of "we just have each other" and "we're all in this together" is prevalent.So many people of my mother's generation,who'd been through the Depression said "We were poor, but we were happy and we had such friendships"
After 30 years of neoliberalism we've been trained to be individual consumers rather than citizens
Maybe when the insurance companies stop paying out on climate disasters we'll look to each other again .In fact I have heard of insurance companies broaching the idea that "no , this is not a natural disaster, this is caused by humans who have been in full knowledge of the consequences of their actions"
I'm rambling now , but which Susan ..St John? Kedgley?
Susan Krumdiek?
Yes, indeed; she's one of the front-runners. Listen to her radio interview and you'll hear what I mean.
Yep
Missed the earlier post from Robert
Thanks for that
Trump needs to fire Pense, put in a liberal vp so the senate doesn't impeach him.
As a legal matter, Pence is the one and only person whose employment in the executive branch that Tinyfingers Tantrump can't terminate. Because he was elected to the position, not appointed.
As a practical matter, I'm curious about your opinion that appointing a liberal VP would protect America's prolapsed rectum from impeachment.
Seems to me that's one of the very few things that might actually cause him to be convicted in the senate and booted out of office after impeachment in the House. Because it would enrage his base, possibly to the point of weakening their cultish devotion. And if he no longer commands an army of blindly devoted Drumpfkins ready to primary anyone that squeaks against Glorious Dear Leader, then Repug senators might take some calcium pills, regrow their vestigial spines and principles, and vote to convict.
Trump is not the republicans. The Senate has a choice, get the base angry and get a Christian right president pence, or leave Trump unfettered second term… …and likely impeachment again, as he is just that much of a walking disaster. Trump has been reigned in for now, and so what if a few Republician Senators who were resigning, or unelectable, go out on principle. So a rump of the senate can feed off the anger from trump base, saying they stood their ground. Pence then has momentum for the republican convention.
Uh, so far there's only three sitting senate repugs that are retiring: Pat Roberts of Kansas, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, and Mike Enzi of Wyoming.
Those Repugs listed in that CNN piece are House Representatives.
Um, yeah.
Andre – yeah, my bad
(think I broke the thread, too)
All good.
Tolley quite the gossip, it seems: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12283097
Gosh, why wouldn't you trust an office with her as a role model?
I have always thought that if National did leak it, it was more likely to be Tolley than Bennett. Just a hunch.
The National Party mind has been attacked and corrupted by its own dogwhistle – namely that "Maori = benefit fraudster". As Tolley blabbed away over the clinking glasses of rosé , her assumption of wrongdoing by Peters was inevitable and natural.
wow – I hope she is never given any responsibility again. Even in sievey street confidentiality is a basic concept.
[headdesk]
To recycle an old line: the three "Tees" of Twentieth Century telecommunications: Telegraph, Telephone, and Tell Tolley.
Ha!
Third Reading of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Bill
3rd Reading is currently underway in Parliament and live streaming available on the Parliament website.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/
James Shaw in his opening speech (of 12 speeches scheduled in the 3rd Reading), has just acknowledged the presence of Kennedy Graham as the originator of the Bill in the House, and also the many other contributors to its passage etc through the House.
FFS Joe, what alternate reality were you inhabiting from 2008 to 2016? And now, for that matter?
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….
Channel 31
James Shaw's introduction to the Zero Carbon Bill was superb and he earned a standing ovation from all on the Left. Bridges is speaking now, holding back saying that his party will support the Bill….but now he's declared, "Mr Speaker, National will support this Bill!
Fan-bloody-tastic!
The nat's supporting it is such a win for the planet and for the government because, national voters are losing their shite about it. It's a win win 🙂
I believe that the National Party was swamped with messages from business leaders to stop stalling and join in. Bridges waited till the end of his speech before announcing agreement. Petty little boy.
PC gone mad.
https://twitter.com/RobbieGramer/status/1192046877497348097
EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story accurately quoted the book as describing "PC" as standing for "politically correct" in characterizing certain Obama administration meetings. The author has since informed Fox News this was due to a misunderstanding between him and his source and that the initials referred to "Principals Committee."
https://www.foxnews.com/media/book-cia-staff-obama-white-house
From Wikipedia:
So, basically, the complaint is that there were too many meetings about national security policy issues.
"SHANE JONES may just have come up with a sure-fire MMP threshold-busting election strategy. He has committed NZ First to formulating a comprehensive “population policy”. If handled adroitly, this exercise will likely evoke a strong electoral response from “native” New Zealanders. Almost certainly powerful enough to guarantee the party’s return to Parliament."
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/11/07/has-shane-jones-just-saved-nz-first/
IF handled adroitly it may indeed do just that
It's not just going forward they need to worry about – NZF made promises prior to the last election in respect of immigration – if they give them up without a visible fight they'll shed a lot of support.
An unremarkable, moderate, 1970's-style social democrat is actually intent on mass murder. The derangement of elites is hugely funny, but dangerous too.