We continue to imperil our children’s future by not being good custodians of our land and water.
Why do we allow such mercenaries to destroy our environment?
‘New Zealand King Salmon’s ‘inadequate’ biosecurity plan criticised following salmon death investigation.
Salmon covered in open wounds, unexplained fish deaths, and the discovery of bacteria never previously identified in New Zealand.
A new report has revealed the details of a biosecurity scare in the Marlborough Sounds that put the biggest salmon farmer in the country on notice.
And despite concerns over the presence of the two newly discovered bacteria, the company, New Zealand King Salmon, continued to take risks, the report says.’
More of the same.
If you play with nature, nature bites back….
‘US company applies to bring GM potato products into New Zealand.
A United States company has applied to export genetically modified potato products into New Zealand, but mystery remains as to exactly what the products are.
It is not asking to export GM potato tubers, because no tubers of any sort can come into New Zealand.’
Neoliberalism not only destroys the environment.
It does not care for people either.
‘Rate of farm worker accidents higher than that of employers
Farm workers are more likely to have serious accidents than the people they work for, Worksafe New Zealand’s figures show.
For every 1000 employees (farm assistants, labourers) in the agricultural sector, 20 suffered an injury requiring more than a week off work compared with 12 out of every 1000 farmer or contractor. The time period was for April 2012-March 2015……
…Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff said the Government needed to admit farming was a dangerous occupation, which it has not for legislative purposes.
“Communication isn’t engagement; we need to train workers and there ought to be more WorkSafe representatives out on farms.”
Wagstaff said no-one was advocating for workers because they were not unionised, but farmers would not take kindly to the idea of them being organised. ‘
Says the man parading his unreason to the world using a computer and the Internet…
The most depressing part of that linked story is the mention of Dr Connor: In the 2000s, Dr Tony Conner from Plant and Food Research at Lincoln University developed GM potatoes with increased resistance to bacterial rots and the potato-tuber moth. After opposition to his work, he quit.
The Stuff story doesn’t have it quite correct – it should read “After opposition to his work by irrational, scaremongering wazzocks like the Soil and Health Association, he quit and took his expertise and valuable research elsewhere.
It may be of interest to you to read the background to what Wikipedia refers to as the Pusztai affair – the story behind the approval of the British government for GMO.
It’s the characteristics of the organism that are important to examine, how those characteristics were achieved is very much of secondary importance. If the organism has characteristics that may be risky to the environment, then how they were achieved becomes more important.
So for instance, if a plant is given the ability to express Bt toxins by simply injecting some genetic material through cell wall, like organisms have been swapping genetic material since time immemorial, then it’s fairly likely to spread and I’d ask a lot more questions. But if it was done with a newer technique like CRISPR that directly edits a more stable part of the genome, then I’m satisfied the risk is much lower.
But when we consider that older methods of genetic modification like mutation breeding seem to be accepted without objection, I just find it bizarrely irrational. Seriously, look it up.
Without sarcasm, thanks for that link. Gives an alternative view to Putzai, but does miss the initial background to his appearance on television where he was required to give a summary of his research to the British government, even though he had not published and been peer-reviewed.
This summary was used as justification for government approval for GMO’s.
It was only after he raised concerns about that use, and the development of tumours in rats that he asked permission to (and was given) appear on tv.
He was vilified for presenting his views, even though those views were utilised by the government to make a decision.
The article you link to advocates what you do not. It asks for rigorous science and reviews:
“…Science writer Emily Waltz has catalogued other examples of what looks like overreaction to research suggesting problems with genetically engineered crops. Much of the criticism is legitimate (if ferocious) scientific exchange. But some of it is probably orchestrated by industry. There’s evidence that the Bivings Group, a PR firm, spread false information about Chapela using pseudonyms on an Internet forum for scientists. And we know that Syngenta has stooped to ad hominem attacks.
You could say the same and more about activists campaigning against biotech: Anti-GMO trolls relentlessly bully and defame scientists, while spreading misinformation. Groups of thugs, like those that trampled a plot of Golden Rice recently, try to stop experiments. Swiss researchers running recent GM trials spent 78 percent of their research funds on security.
But there’s a crucial difference: Anti-GMO activists aren’t in positions of power. The Golden Rice experiments, unlike Pusztai’s, will be completed. I haven’t found any example of a scientist losing her job for a finding that’s favorable to biotech.
I’m aware of the Pusztai affair. Researchers have spent the two decades since then trying to find something unsafe about genetically modified foods and haven’t found anything, so it looks like Pusztai’s experiment was as flawed as his opponents’ claimed it was. Which isn’t surprising, because as Andre pointed out, it’s the characteristics of the organism that affect safety, not how the characteristics were achieved.
For me it starts more about the social impact on indigenous farmers and their traditional lands with the introduction of large corporate monocultures.
Many people are losing their land in India and Africa because the investment of large overseas corporations demands vast tracts, without islands of settlement in them.
I don’t have the trust of corporate scientists, or journals funded by corporate advertisements that you seem to. I would like to, but as pointed out in the article linked to by Andre, the current system leaves a lot to be desired. As someone who thinks biodiversity, and ecological systems should be looked at as a whole, the intent of replacing a variety of food sources with one “product” that provides all nutrients, while allowing for liberal use of herbicides misses a bigger picture.
How do subsistence farmers pay for the use of this seed? Do we really believe in market choice, when most consumers don’t want this choice, but it is taken from them? Should we be committing resources and research into sustainable farming practice in order to reduce vulnerable people’s dependence on industrial agriculture – especially in light of climate change? There is also the social impact on cultures: regarding seed sharing, environment and food culture.
A myriad of considerations that should take place asking whether it should be done, before we discuss whether it can be done. Meeting one well-meaning but isolated intent, might cause more problems in other aspects of life.
Those are social, political, and legal questions that are very separate from whether GMOs are safe in the food chain or harmful to the environment.
Corporate dominance, monocultures, shafting indigenous peoples were problems long before any modern genetic engineering techniques were developed, and would continue to be problems even if GM were to be banned.
Tackling those problems needs to be done head-on in a focused way, rather than dreaming that if we just get rid of GM, big ag will stop shafting us all.
As far as helping people adapt their agriculture to climate change, directly inserting genes for drought resistance (or excess water tolerance), pathogen resistance, higher yield and availability of nutrients etc is likely to produce useful results a lot faster than cycles of cross-breeding, growing a generation, selecting the best, more cross-breeding and so on. With accelerating climate change, being able to quickly modify an organisms characteristics is a huge benefit.
That lack of trust should apply to all science carried out by the private sector – again, there’s nothing specific about genetic modification there. Fortunately, a lot of work on GE is carried out by public sector institutions (most of it, in this country at least). Which in turn means that if western countries did turn their backs on GE, the places where it was carried out would be the least-trustworthy ones (Third-World countries and authoritarian dictatorships).
I thought the comment on the end of Andre’s linked article was worth consideration.
How to fund research without relying on bodies that would have a vested interest? Public institutions set up to design and run final trials utilising students and education facilities? I don’t know, but it would be useful to have some kind of discussion about how to reinstate trust in decision making and the information that is provided.
Endgame is a two-volume work by Derrick Jensen, published in 2006, which argues that civilization is inherently unsustainable and addresses the resulting question of what to do about it.
‘Civilization’ is a heat engine, and it cooked our goose 150 plus years ago
The teegal timer has poped and it’s burnt offerings for all of us including the fish
But 99% of the general dumb public don’t get it ie they think voting will change things
Go the greeds and there continued support of GROWTH via Kiwisaver, and as it seems now airtravel
I think it was the late great Russell Norman, who was oh so pro tourism, as opposed to felling soon to be extinct West coast forests
Keep lying you bastards
WASF
Funny as fuck, watching Derrick’s talk at the New York Ocupy protests, he basically said NY needed to go back to the swamp it came from, and all the idiot protesters cheered, ignoring the fact that that would lead to 15 million homeless.
Humans the dumbest spices on the planet, the fungus in my toe nail is smarter 🙂
Start another party, these beltway troughers are part of the problem as they are captured by a broken system serving the wealthy elite.
Labour/greens is the most viable option this GE after 3 terms of damage under nact but we should be seeking a new way to return NZ to the people not foreign interests looking to own this country as a bolthole/gilt edged dividend stream.
You move them left by forcing the issue as it’s far too comfy for the lot of them currently.
“You move them left by forcing the issue as it’s far too comfy for the lot of them currently”
While I agree with yr sentiment tc, I disagree with yr solution.
Voting to the left/non neo-liberal of lab/greens is a far clearer signal to troughers and wanna be troughers.
Re: the G20
Why don’t they have these meetings in say Fiji (no insult on Fiji) or Invercargill ?
Why hold them where they do the most damage, what the fuck is going on in their power control heads
10 to 15,000 protesters against 15,000 cops?.. what a clusterfuck
Any one know if us@sumofus.org is legit? Just been asked for a donation to save Putaruru’s precious Blue Spring from bottlers. Sumofus appears to be an American company.
Safe?
Its not the issue, sure it has value. The issue surely is recycling. Recycling should be a dirty word. By which I mean looking at the planet not as a resource but as our home where all we are has value. There is no waste as waste has its own cycle aka recycling is a dirty word as all exists to be reused as a natural part of our civilisation. Part of the water debate is people living unbalanced with their environment. Fresh water fountains in public places.
“Robertson asked Adams if she had decided against investigating the trust because “those who drove the chief executive out” had close links to the National Party and that the chair of the trust, Margot Hishon, was also the chair of the Clutha-Southland branch of the National Party.”
Acting Clutha-Southland electorate co-chair Margot Hishon said she had “no concerns with Todd’s behaviour at all”.
“Todd’s got a very good following in the electorate and he’s very well supported, that’s all I have to say – everyone I’ve spoken to is delighted with Todd and the work he’s doing.””
“Robertson asked Adams if she had decided against investigating the trust because “those who drove the chief executive out” had close links to the National Party and that the chair of the trust, Margot Hishon, was also the chair of the Clutha-Southland branch of the National Party.”
“The Winton Senior Citizens’ Centre was mentioned by locals as being a sort of “powerhouse” for political power in Clutha-Southland. The suggestion was it was like a council of tribal elders who pull the strings for the entire region.
No one was at the Centre when Stuff visited – but there were lamingtons set out on the tables, a sign of an impending meeting.
A neighbour who did not want to be named, confirmed the Association’s role as a broker of power in region and said they had “lots of meetings”.
“MARGOT HISHON
Margot Hishon was appointed as a Trustee in June 2015 and was elected as Chair of the Trust in November 2016.
Margot lives in Winton and has strong links to the Western Southland district. Margot’s family business interests are in farming and the construction industry and she is also a partner in Matilda Productions which is involved in the entertainment industry.”
“If you had heard the whole message it would bring clarity to your perspective and you would not see the need to sensationalise a portion of this message to harvest a story for ‘fake news’.”
Trump really has provided a role model for conservative arseholes the world over, hasn’t he?
White House officials apparently waited too long to book accommodations for President Trump, leaving him without a hotel in Hamburg, Germany, as world leaders converge for the G20 summit.
Europe’s urban tourism is experiencing an unprecedented boom. But cities like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik can no longer cope with the crowds and are on the verge of collapse. We ask who the actual profiteers are.
Europe’s urban tourism is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Stimulated by cheap flights offered by budget airlines, a growth in cruise ship tourism and clever marketing strategies, cities like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik are being literally overrun by tourists: 30 million flock to Venice every year, 1.7 million to Dubrovnik, and Barcelona soon expects to attract 10 million visitors.
Cities can no longer cope with the crowds and are struggling with problems of congestion, mountains of rubbish, soaring rents and empty city coffers. Mass tourism is destroying exactly what tourists love about these cities: their cultural diversity and cosmopolitan lifestyle.
We show three cities that are turning their authenticity and unique atmosphere more and more into a lucrative business model that is ultimately damaging both citizens and tourists. The winners are international consortiums and investors that support a kind of tourism that brings profits only to a few and socializes the losses. But residents have had enough.
Protest movements are emerging in all three cities. We meet mayors, tourism experts, political activists, residents and victims. Venice & Co are on the verge of collapse. Can they still be saved?
This refers to a video that can be seen on RT at certain times – have to check the site on the link.
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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. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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. ...
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 ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
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 ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
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)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
We continue to imperil our children’s future by not being good custodians of our land and water.
Why do we allow such mercenaries to destroy our environment?
‘New Zealand King Salmon’s ‘inadequate’ biosecurity plan criticised following salmon death investigation.
Salmon covered in open wounds, unexplained fish deaths, and the discovery of bacteria never previously identified in New Zealand.
A new report has revealed the details of a biosecurity scare in the Marlborough Sounds that put the biggest salmon farmer in the country on notice.
And despite concerns over the presence of the two newly discovered bacteria, the company, New Zealand King Salmon, continued to take risks, the report says.’
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/aquaculture/94320845/new-zealand-king-salmons-inadequate-biosecurity-plan-criticised-following-salmon-death-investigation
More of the same.
If you play with nature, nature bites back….
‘US company applies to bring GM potato products into New Zealand.
A United States company has applied to export genetically modified potato products into New Zealand, but mystery remains as to exactly what the products are.
It is not asking to export GM potato tubers, because no tubers of any sort can come into New Zealand.’
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/94437194/us-company-applies-to-bring-gm-potato-products-into-new-zealand
Neoliberalism not only destroys the environment.
It does not care for people either.
‘Rate of farm worker accidents higher than that of employers
Farm workers are more likely to have serious accidents than the people they work for, Worksafe New Zealand’s figures show.
For every 1000 employees (farm assistants, labourers) in the agricultural sector, 20 suffered an injury requiring more than a week off work compared with 12 out of every 1000 farmer or contractor. The time period was for April 2012-March 2015……
…Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff said the Government needed to admit farming was a dangerous occupation, which it has not for legislative purposes.
“Communication isn’t engagement; we need to train workers and there ought to be more WorkSafe representatives out on farms.”
Wagstaff said no-one was advocating for workers because they were not unionised, but farmers would not take kindly to the idea of them being organised. ‘
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/94430021/rate-of-farm-worker-accidents-higher-than-that-of-employers
If you play with nature, nature bites back…
Says the man parading his unreason to the world using a computer and the Internet…
The most depressing part of that linked story is the mention of Dr Connor:
In the 2000s, Dr Tony Conner from Plant and Food Research at Lincoln University developed GM potatoes with increased resistance to bacterial rots and the potato-tuber moth. After opposition to his work, he quit.
The Stuff story doesn’t have it quite correct – it should read “After opposition to his work by irrational, scaremongering wazzocks like the Soil and Health Association, he quit and took his expertise and valuable research elsewhere.
Totally agree.
It may be of interest to you to read the background to what Wikipedia refers to as the Pusztai affair – the story behind the approval of the British government for GMO.
There is a more detailed background to the political shenanigans here.
Despite the subsequent shunning of Árpád Pusztai by the scientific community in Britain, he received a whistleblower award from the Federation of German scientists in 2005.
(Ed, you will probably enjoy the second link. )
For anyone that isn’t triggered into a swivel-eyed conspiracy loon at mere mention of genetic modification, here’s a more nuanced look…
http://grist.org/food/is-extremism-in-defense-of-gm-food-a-vice/
It’s the characteristics of the organism that are important to examine, how those characteristics were achieved is very much of secondary importance. If the organism has characteristics that may be risky to the environment, then how they were achieved becomes more important.
So for instance, if a plant is given the ability to express Bt toxins by simply injecting some genetic material through cell wall, like organisms have been swapping genetic material since time immemorial, then it’s fairly likely to spread and I’d ask a lot more questions. But if it was done with a newer technique like CRISPR that directly edits a more stable part of the genome, then I’m satisfied the risk is much lower.
But when we consider that older methods of genetic modification like mutation breeding seem to be accepted without objection, I just find it bizarrely irrational. Seriously, look it up.
Without sarcasm, thanks for that link. Gives an alternative view to Putzai, but does miss the initial background to his appearance on television where he was required to give a summary of his research to the British government, even though he had not published and been peer-reviewed.
This summary was used as justification for government approval for GMO’s.
It was only after he raised concerns about that use, and the development of tumours in rats that he asked permission to (and was given) appear on tv.
He was vilified for presenting his views, even though those views were utilised by the government to make a decision.
The article you link to advocates what you do not. It asks for rigorous science and reviews:
I’m aware of the Pusztai affair. Researchers have spent the two decades since then trying to find something unsafe about genetically modified foods and haven’t found anything, so it looks like Pusztai’s experiment was as flawed as his opponents’ claimed it was. Which isn’t surprising, because as Andre pointed out, it’s the characteristics of the organism that affect safety, not how the characteristics were achieved.
For me it starts more about the social impact on indigenous farmers and their traditional lands with the introduction of large corporate monocultures.
Many people are losing their land in India and Africa because the investment of large overseas corporations demands vast tracts, without islands of settlement in them.
I don’t have the trust of corporate scientists, or journals funded by corporate advertisements that you seem to. I would like to, but as pointed out in the article linked to by Andre, the current system leaves a lot to be desired. As someone who thinks biodiversity, and ecological systems should be looked at as a whole, the intent of replacing a variety of food sources with one “product” that provides all nutrients, while allowing for liberal use of herbicides misses a bigger picture.
How do subsistence farmers pay for the use of this seed? Do we really believe in market choice, when most consumers don’t want this choice, but it is taken from them? Should we be committing resources and research into sustainable farming practice in order to reduce vulnerable people’s dependence on industrial agriculture – especially in light of climate change? There is also the social impact on cultures: regarding seed sharing, environment and food culture.
A myriad of considerations that should take place asking whether it should be done, before we discuss whether it can be done. Meeting one well-meaning but isolated intent, might cause more problems in other aspects of life.
Those are social, political, and legal questions that are very separate from whether GMOs are safe in the food chain or harmful to the environment.
Corporate dominance, monocultures, shafting indigenous peoples were problems long before any modern genetic engineering techniques were developed, and would continue to be problems even if GM were to be banned.
Tackling those problems needs to be done head-on in a focused way, rather than dreaming that if we just get rid of GM, big ag will stop shafting us all.
As far as helping people adapt their agriculture to climate change, directly inserting genes for drought resistance (or excess water tolerance), pathogen resistance, higher yield and availability of nutrients etc is likely to produce useful results a lot faster than cycles of cross-breeding, growing a generation, selecting the best, more cross-breeding and so on. With accelerating climate change, being able to quickly modify an organisms characteristics is a huge benefit.
For me it starts more about the social impact on indigenous farmers and their traditional lands with the introduction of large corporate monocultures.
Then your issue is with corporate agriculture displacing indigenous farmers, not genetic modification. They’re two different and unrelated things.
I also don’t trust the corporate scientists to be designing, and ethically running trials – and publishing all results.
I’m concerned about both issues, but consider the impact of one to involve the other, which is why I don’t look at it in isolation.
That lack of trust should apply to all science carried out by the private sector – again, there’s nothing specific about genetic modification there. Fortunately, a lot of work on GE is carried out by public sector institutions (most of it, in this country at least). Which in turn means that if western countries did turn their backs on GE, the places where it was carried out would be the least-trustworthy ones (Third-World countries and authoritarian dictatorships).
I thought the comment on the end of Andre’s linked article was worth consideration.
How to fund research without relying on bodies that would have a vested interest? Public institutions set up to design and run final trials utilising students and education facilities? I don’t know, but it would be useful to have some kind of discussion about how to reinstate trust in decision making and the information that is provided.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nkPI6BDZsE
Derrick Jensen on the mass murder of rivers by dams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uN8V81yo4Y
Endgame is a two-volume work by Derrick Jensen, published in 2006, which argues that civilization is inherently unsustainable and addresses the resulting question of what to do about it.
‘Civilization’ is a heat engine, and it cooked our goose 150 plus years ago
The teegal timer has poped and it’s burnt offerings for all of us including the fish
But 99% of the general dumb public don’t get it ie they think voting will change things
Go the greeds and there continued support of GROWTH via Kiwisaver, and as it seems now airtravel
I think it was the late great Russell Norman, who was oh so pro tourism, as opposed to felling soon to be extinct West coast forests
Keep lying you bastards
WASF
Funny as fuck, watching Derrick’s talk at the New York Ocupy protests, he basically said NY needed to go back to the swamp it came from, and all the idiot protesters cheered, ignoring the fact that that would lead to 15 million homeless.
Humans the dumbest spices on the planet, the fungus in my toe nail is smarter 🙂
The old, tired, neoliberal/centrist, quasi-Left policy won’t cut it https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/94448236/andrew-dean-for-the-left-more-of-the-same-wont-cut-it
Move Labour left.
Burn neo-liberalism not buildings.
Start another party, these beltway troughers are part of the problem as they are captured by a broken system serving the wealthy elite.
Labour/greens is the most viable option this GE after 3 terms of damage under nact but we should be seeking a new way to return NZ to the people not foreign interests looking to own this country as a bolthole/gilt edged dividend stream.
You move them left by forcing the issue as it’s far too comfy for the lot of them currently.
“You move them left by forcing the issue as it’s far too comfy for the lot of them currently”
While I agree with yr sentiment tc, I disagree with yr solution.
Voting to the left/non neo-liberal of lab/greens is a far clearer signal to troughers and wanna be troughers.
Re: the G20
Why don’t they have these meetings in say Fiji (no insult on Fiji) or Invercargill ?
Why hold them where they do the most damage, what the fuck is going on in their power control heads
10 to 15,000 protesters against 15,000 cops?.. what a clusterfuck
Any one know if us@sumofus.org is legit? Just been asked for a donation to save Putaruru’s precious Blue Spring from bottlers. Sumofus appears to be an American company.
Safe?
I think they are partnered with Action Station. So Check with them.
I don’t know but I’d vote for any political party who unequivocally stated that all exports of water will cease immediately once they are in power.
Its not the issue, sure it has value. The issue surely is recycling. Recycling should be a dirty word. By which I mean looking at the planet not as a resource but as our home where all we are has value. There is no waste as waste has its own cycle aka recycling is a dirty word as all exists to be reused as a natural part of our civilisation. Part of the water debate is people living unbalanced with their environment. Fresh water fountains in public places.
National under pressure again in Southland.
“Robertson asked Adams if she had decided against investigating the trust because “those who drove the chief executive out” had close links to the National Party and that the chair of the trust, Margot Hishon, was also the chair of the Clutha-Southland branch of the National Party.”
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/94445898/community-trust-of-southland-controversy-debated-in-parliament
It’s time to call in Randy Stone, “The Night Beat ” reporter to sort out the deep south, and then- “Copy boy”.
Hot bed, I tells ya!
When I was young I used to think that was ‘”Coffee boy!”
Todd BarclayVerified account @ToddBarclayMP 7 Dec 2016
I’ll be supporting fellow-Diptonite @honbillenglish for PM. I appreciate all his support in the past & it’s an honour to be able to repay it
Todd BarclayVerified account @ToddBarclayMP 7 Dec 2016
I’ll be supporting @simonjbridges for Deputy PM
Judith CollinsVerified account @JudithCollinsMP 1 Jul 2016
Big congrats to @ToddBarclayMP & Clutha Southland @NZNationalParty Membership stars this year.
“‘NO CONCERNS WITH TODD’S BEHAVIOUR’
Acting Clutha-Southland electorate co-chair Margot Hishon said she had “no concerns with Todd’s behaviour at all”.
“Todd’s got a very good following in the electorate and he’s very well supported, that’s all I have to say – everyone I’ve spoken to is delighted with Todd and the work he’s doing.””
“Robertson asked Adams if she had decided against investigating the trust because “those who drove the chief executive out” had close links to the National Party and that the chair of the trust, Margot Hishon, was also the chair of the Clutha-Southland branch of the National Party.”
“The Winton Senior Citizens’ Centre was mentioned by locals as being a sort of “powerhouse” for political power in Clutha-Southland. The suggestion was it was like a council of tribal elders who pull the strings for the entire region.
No one was at the Centre when Stuff visited – but there were lamingtons set out on the tables, a sign of an impending meeting.
A neighbour who did not want to be named, confirmed the Association’s role as a broker of power in region and said they had “lots of meetings”.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/93992863/searching-for-todd-barclays-people-deep-in-the-murky-heart-of-cluthasouthland
“MARGOT HISHON
Margot Hishon was appointed as a Trustee in June 2015 and was elected as Chair of the Trust in November 2016.
Margot lives in Winton and has strong links to the Western Southland district. Margot’s family business interests are in farming and the construction industry and she is also a partner in Matilda Productions which is involved in the entertainment industry.”
http://www.ctos.org.nz/index.php?pageLoad=48
Thanks for the updates re the community board Robert, really appreciate your insight and information. Southland is a busy place right now
Speaking of Southland, this just came up on Stuff…
Where is Clutha-Southland Member of Parliament Todd Barclay?
The last confirmed sighting is a pub in Queenstown, on Monday afternoon.
Is she a relation of Wee Toddy?
David Fisher writes:
“Investigation: NZDF blunders again over NZSAS raid as fresh details emerge…”
” First the NZ Defence Force said there were none – and the NZ Herald showed it was wrong.
Then they said there was only one camera taking photographs – and now the Herald has proved that was wrong too.
The NZ Defence force is blaming an “administrative error” but it has led to further claims of a cover-up….”
Thank goodness for David.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11887307
Far out an ‘administrative error’ yup blame the office staff and hope it all goes away.
Cheers for the link Ian and big ups to the JOURNALIST 😀
Green MP Jan Logie is right to call out this ignorant man:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11887261
A church spokeswhatsit responds:
“If you had heard the whole message it would bring clarity to your perspective and you would not see the need to sensationalise a portion of this message to harvest a story for ‘fake news’.”
Trump really has provided a role model for conservative arseholes the world over, hasn’t he?
Clueless and incompetent.
White House officials apparently waited too long to book accommodations for President Trump, leaving him without a hotel in Hamburg, Germany, as world leaders converge for the G20 summit.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/marcusengert/donald-trump-hotel-room-g20?utm_term=.lkmoooOjLE#.gne888Pbzo
I s’pose if they couldn’t find a low-rent backpackers for him he could just schlep back to the airport and doss down in his transport.
Polish First Lady slid past Trump to shake Mrs Trumps hand instead. Oops. Tough on Donald’s outstretched hand.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340859-polish-first-lady-appears-to-miss-handshake-with-trump
Yet if you watch the full clip – this is just bullshit.
On RT:
https://www.rt.com/news/392812-french-mayor-arrested-attack-candidate/
‘Intentional violence:’ French mayor arrested for knocking down female ex-minister at campaign rally (19 June 2017)
Things are hotting up politically everywhere.
Tourists – look at these numbers. We are in for the same as our beauty and good nature and stability get milked. For how long?
https://www.rt.com/shows/documentary/385888-europe-tourist-dream-destinations/
2 July 2017
Europe’s urban tourism is experiencing an unprecedented boom. But cities like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik can no longer cope with the crowds and are on the verge of collapse. We ask who the actual profiteers are.
Europe’s urban tourism is experiencing an unprecedented boom. Stimulated by cheap flights offered by budget airlines, a growth in cruise ship tourism and clever marketing strategies, cities like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik are being literally overrun by tourists: 30 million flock to Venice every year, 1.7 million to Dubrovnik, and Barcelona soon expects to attract 10 million visitors.
Cities can no longer cope with the crowds and are struggling with problems of congestion, mountains of rubbish, soaring rents and empty city coffers. Mass tourism is destroying exactly what tourists love about these cities: their cultural diversity and cosmopolitan lifestyle.
We show three cities that are turning their authenticity and unique atmosphere more and more into a lucrative business model that is ultimately damaging both citizens and tourists. The winners are international consortiums and investors that support a kind of tourism that brings profits only to a few and socializes the losses. But residents have had enough.
Protest movements are emerging in all three cities. We meet mayors, tourism experts, political activists, residents and victims. Venice & Co are on the verge of collapse. Can they still be saved?
This refers to a video that can be seen on RT at certain times – have to check the site on the link.