Apartheid Israel, an occupying force for 70 years, gruesomely penning Palestinians into tiny Gaza would be gone by lunchtime if the USA stopped supplying cash and weapons.
US Imperialism, in blunt terms–both substantial cause of and potential solution to–the Palestinian situation.
Arm chair generals and Governments everywhere are tut tutting about terrorism by Hamas–yet when Israeli snipers blow out teens knee caps for approaching a fence, poison water supply, detain and torture, the Euros and all the rest look away. The Israeli military state regularly stops humanitarian aid to Gaza by flotilla as local Kia Ora Gaza supporters like Marama Davidson and Mike Treen (Unite Union) found out.
I don’t support the religious aspect to Hamas, or armed violence, but what do people expect will be the outcome with hundreds of UN Resolutions ignored, and Gaza bombed the shit out of every few months?
There is a very nasty possible conclusion to this latest uprising aka asymmetric engagement, and I don’t want to use the term here–those capable in the international community need to step up immediately.
Nobody seems to complain about the illegal occupation of Palestinian land by the Israelis and the illegal settlements being built there, or about the giant concentration camp that is Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has it right when he says (from The Guardian's live feed today):
"Abbas also pointed to the “denial of the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, their land, and their sacred sites, and the continued terrorism of Israeli settlers,”
“President Abbas stated that ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land with East Jerusalem as its capital, recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to independence and sovereignty, and granting full UN membership would ensure security, stability, and peace in the region,
Pisses me off to see Biden saying "The United States stands with Israel" when he has done bugger all to rectify the above situation.
The scenes of celebratory barbarism as a catharsis against civilians coming from Hamas's successful raid into Southern Israel are sickening.
But you know, if you torment human beings by locking them in a cage like they are wild animals, and then beat them savagely with bombs and missiles, and strip them of all hope and dignity, and you do it for decades, then if they ever get out of the cage you have to expect the dehumanized and savage wild animals you've created will show their tormentor no mercy.
The state of Israel was created as a consequence of the holocaust. Unfortunately for the Zionists, there were people living there already on whom they visited a massive injustice by expelling them from their homes. The Arabs were also lied to by the British who then bailed out as fast as they could.
The abject failure over eight decades to come to terms with the injustices perpetrated by the circumstances leading to creation of Israel are the cause of the huge turmoil in the middle east today.
“I am a child of Lake Alice. I have been through all the institutions. We as kids were abused everywhere we went so we couldn’t respect authority, we couldn't trust authority, so that is more or less why we formed – to protect ourselves because we had no one else to help us.”
This is just off memory – The chap in Dunedin who did long term studies on people finding that the biggest driver of criminality, dysfunction and poor adult outcomes was severe poverty in childhood – this seems to be ringing the same bell to me.
They wouldn't care. I have worked for an organisation that supported survivors through the Royal Commission of Inquiry process. People's experiences were absolutely harrowing and the effects of the abuse had huge impacts on their lives, as you would expect.
Here is an excerpt from the Royal Commission of Inquiry's report "Stolen Lives, Marked Souls – The inquiry into the Order of the Brothers of St John of God at Marylands School and Hebron Trust" – among other things, this report details how the abuse affected survivors' lives. https://www.abuseincare.org.nz/our-progress/reports/stolen-lives-marked-souls/
"187. The Royal Commission finds in relation to the impacts of abuse and neglect:
a. All survivors of abuse and neglect from Marylands, the Hebron Trust and St Joseph’s Orphanage who the Inquiry has heard from, have experienced significant and life-long impacts to many facets of who they are, their relationships, their potential and the life they lead. These impacts include:
› physical injury, health and illness
› devastating mental health impacts, including self-harm and suicidality
› criminal offending and addiction including substance abuse
› struggles with sexual and gender identity
› loss of faith and spirituality
› financial hardship and homelessness
› lack of education, leading to further financial hardship and employment insecurity
› inability to trust and difficulties in relationships with children, partners and whānau."
Middle Eastern politics makes you want to scrub yourself clean in the shower with a stello pad after just thinking about it.
The Israelis, with the connivance of everyone, thought they could normalise relations with Saudi by simply locking the Palestinians in a permanent cage and then throwing away the key. The plan was to assassinate and destabilize any viable civil society in Gaza, paint the place as hopelessly in the thrall of barbaric terrorists and leave the Palestinians to rot forgotten in their ghetto while everyone else got on with plotting with their new buddies against Iran.
Iran wants to scupper Saudi Arabia at every turn because of some religious difference that is even dumber than Europe fighting the thirty years war over transubstantiation, and Iran hates the west because of punitive sanctions and the way they've been shit on at every turn by the USA since the coup that put the Shah into power. None the less, Israel left Hamas and Hizbollah alone because it struck a deal with Putin to not interfere in Syria as long as Russia used its influence to stop Iran using Hamas to wreck its deal with Saudi.
Except mad dog Putin invaded the Ukraine, and now he needs Iran and it's ammunition and drone factories more than Iran thinks it need fear him and the equally mad Mullahs have realized they can't rely on busted-flush Russia for any damn thing by way of security guarantees so Iran has decided to use Hamas to launch an attack on Israel to end any hope of a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Now for the Palestinians the status quo was anyways tantamount to their genocide. Any option was better than the one looming. And the Palestinians have just shown they won't be forgotten and walling them up in Gaza and letting them rot isn't a viable plan, because if they can break into Israel once to wreak indiscriminate slaughter then they can do it again.
So the Palestinians have inflicted a mini 9/11 on Israel. They've demonstrated they're not going to give up and quietly die. Israel now has to change course. It can try to occupy the Gaza strip but last time it tried that the IDF discovered Gaza is an urban fortress capable of inflicting heavy losses on them. It can use its virtual immunity from consequences to inflict an aerial and artillery genocide on Gaza every bit the equivalent of the savagery inflicted on the Poles in the Warsaw uprising, or it will have to come up with a workable peace plan.
Unfortunately, lack of consequence means genocide will be the likely path Israel will go down.
They'll end up doing a Bele and Lokai and nuking each other before the century is out.
The best future for Gaza is UN occupation and development to nation state hood (the Hamas PA relationship is broken and the WB is not a goer with the current regime in Israel).
If Saudi Arabia gave that its backing, a deal whereby 1948 refugees could (if they want) take up citizenship (acquire passports) and be granted residency in Arab league nations or migrate to other places (and be given compensation for 1948 property loss).
Others could choose to remain refugees (these restored to some fit state (eg Lebanon/Syria) and await a West Bank resolution.
Agree +100% bringing in Honest John at the last minute may have done National more harm than good IMHO.
Also I can not see Luxon forming a Government with a NACT First combination, if Winston and NZF can get enough votes say 8-9% we may see a National/NZF Coalition however National and Luxon would have to swallow a number of dead rats.
National are beginning to show nervous jitters. Their advertising is tending towards warning voters that you have to party vote National to avoid eight weeks of confusion whilst a coalition government is formed.
They are perhaps being honest for the first time in (kind of) admitting that it will be difficult to form a government with their pals ACT and NZ First not even wanting to be in the same room together, let alone actually co-operating.
Labour needs to seize on this to show that there will be no such problems if you vote centre-left, WE get along well enough to lead the country, the rabble on the right don't so why would you vote for them?
The National party ad was on Facebook and I am unable to provide a link at this time, sorry.
Labour/Green/TPM looking solid coming up to next Saturday, fear mongering by National is not going down well with voters, evidently the Economy is going well according to all the statistics.
The economy is going well !! Will perhaps like Hipkins you need to get out and leave your protected bubble !! Wages below inflation for many interest rates killing us and the Labour Party gives each family $5/week to butter things over. Tax creep as we progress thru the tax bracket creep takes more from an individuals income, govt gives a token BUT takes more🤫
Our growth is primarily due to immigration and cleanups from the weather. Great base to build an economy on 🤬
Agree Herodotus most of what you are saying is correct, wages are poor here in NZ vs the Cost of Living and Housing, however the Supermarket Owners and the Corporates are doing extremely well, likewise the AU Banks are making record profits however interest rates are not dropping, so I agree we are being screwed. Yes Tax Brackets need to be changed with the first $20k being Tax Free. Immigration needs to be knocked on the head until we look after our own people first, so voting NZF and Uncle Winnie is probably your best bet, however they seem to forget all these things once in Government. Labour is pro Chinese Immigration and wouldn't budge on that in the 2017 Coalition Government. National are also very pro Chinese Investment in NZ Housing & Infrastructure.
Anyone concerned about wage levels and who votes NACT is intellectually challenged.
MW. ACT wants no MW increaaes for 3 years, National wants minimal ones. Labour wants it lifted to the Living Wage level – $1 an hour or more each year ($40 a week extra).
Fair Pay Agreement Industry Awards – as per Oz. NACT would get rid of it. Labour's development will result in wage improvements between the MW-LW and the median wage and maybe above. It will be the only way to guarantee wages go up as fast as rents/inflation.
Public Sector, Labour's record in raising the pay of teachers, nurses and doctors is far superior to that of National.
So where is the proof that voting Labour is any different ?? Many of us have experience nil to inferior pay increases well below inflation.
Don't forget that the pay increases/min wage etc are on the back of, for most unknown inflation rates, tax creep and costs that are lost in CIP calculations as they are excluded. So if the govt had handled and reacted to minimise the rising inflation, perhaps the level of pay increase recently fought over would not have to be as high to lessen the impact on Inflation ? So your justification to support labours rising pay levels is questionable at the least, but don't let that get in the way
Teachers fought hard for what they have achieved. Pity that the agreement was not backdated as in real terms their wage has gone backwards. Previous agreement covered July 2019- June 2022. Current agreement covers July 23- July 25.
The fact that you made a reply without reference to the known facts about MW and LW relativity, or the FPA Industry Awards, or any comparison of increases under Labour compared to National (as per nurses and teachers 2008-2017) says it all.
And you blame the government for inflation (and divert into bracket creep with taxation) – its worldwide mate with the add on here of the flood events on food prices, and the company that filed to get its gib production sorted (housing costs 2022).
PS Inflation will be 4% by the end of the year and its forecast to be 3% at the end of next year.
If I were really informed I would know that those are not the RBNZ projections from the RBNZ household expectations survey….assuming they meant anything anyway.
This is not Politics…(well maybe somewhat)..more a why are "we" stillracing to Planet burn……and why cant we go another way?
Ok….most of us (Deniers excepted) know our Planet is heating …ever more dangerously. This combined with El Nino type events. of course has cumulative effect. So Niwa recently gives warning…In ODT Rural Life..which I do read .
As the El Nino weather phenomenon takes hold across New Zealand, Otago farmers are being urged to prepare for potential pasture and water supply problems caused by dry spells.
A recent long-term Niwa forecast stated there was a 100% chance of El Nino continuing during October through to December, and the chance of it persisting through summer was forecast to be more than 95%.
My why cant we ?……was also in the ODT..randomly, in Life and Style. Connection ? I seen the Regenerative photo. And such a great article by Sean Connelly .
It is past time farming stepped into its future
The report also highlighted how our agricultural sector is also dependent on our natural capital — the rivers, lakes, soils, biodiversity, atmosphere and climate. It emphasised that continuing down the path of intensive agriculture would increasingly put both our economic and environmental wellbeing under threat.
agriculture has intensified, fertiliser use has intensified, irrigation has intensified, and on the whole, environmental indicators have worsened. Synthetic nitrogen use has risen from just over 50,000 tonnes in 1990 to more than 450,000 tonnes by 2020, largely driven by the dairy boom. The ability of our land and water to cope with that injection of nutrients has been stretched beyond limits. Direct greenhouse gas emissions from synthetic nitrogen fertilisers have increased more than 600% since 1990.
Pukekohe Vegetable Growers gearing up for a big drought has to happen soon especially with all the rain we have had over the past 2 years, it is the law of averages.
From the side-bar, Paul Buchanan's latest offering is a must read. "Bully Pulpits and thePolitics of Nastiness", is a summary of the Trump style and how the parties of the Right in NZ are consciously emulating him. The following excerpt imo is worthy of repeat in toto:
… after four years of his presidency and the sequels to it, I realise that his long moment in public life has served as an invitation to and license for others around the world to follow his approach to political and social discourse. The core of this approach is to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the basest of terms, seeking to appeal to the darkest of instincts and deepest ignorance extant in a given political community. This is the politics of nastiness, and the nasty has reached NZ.
It is well known that National has been for some time looking to US rightwing spin doctors for campaign guidance and narratives (crime! waste! taxes!), but now Winston First and ACT’s David Seymour have decided to go full US conspiracy theory (Winston: globalists! mandates!) and pseudo-libertarian racist (David: free speech! bureaucrats! Treaty separatists!). The tone of politics in NZ has gotten cruder (see: Chris Bishop, Judith Collins) and more personal (e.g. treatment of Kiri Allen). The corporate media has clearly decided to go full Murdoch in approach (with a few exceptions duly noted) by stirring partisan and racial division and polemics, focusing on personal foibles and conflicts rather than platforms/proposals and going for “gotcha” moments rather than offering dispassion analyses of the policy platforms of the respective parties.
Why does the Standard continue to give a platform for right-wing propaganda? The Point of Order website (on the sidebar, every day) is a constant barrage of right-wing talking points, and not even interesting ones.
Yes, I know, it's not my blog, you can publish whatever you want, and nobody's stopping you but the question remains … why?
I wonder how many NZ First voters are aware of what they might be getting into? The party appears to have undergone a significant shape-shift lately, and it doesn't seem to be all Winston's doing:
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 27 were:1. The Minister for Ford Rangers strikes againTransport Minister Simeon Brown was again the busiest of the Cabinet ministers this week, announcing an ...
You got a fast carAnd I want a ticket to anywhereMaybe we make a dealMaybe together we can get somewhereAny place is betterYesterday’s newsletter, Trust In Me, on the report of abuse in state care, and by religious organisations, between 1950 and 2019, coupled with the hypocrisy of Christopher Luxon ...
New Zealand is again having to reconcile conflicting pressures from its military and its trade interests. Should we join Pillar Two of AUKUS and risk compromising our markets in China? For a century after New Zealand was founded in 1840, its external security arrangements and external economics arrangements were aligned. ...
The ‘50 Shades of Green’ farmers’ protest in 2019 was heavy on climate change denial, but five years on, scepticism and criticism about the idea that pine forests can save us is growing across the board. File photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate ...
This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Carereport released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced$802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Carereport in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquirypublished its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone iconon the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive:Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloittereport for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’sOliver LewisScoop:Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announcedthe Board of Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Orderimage, ...
Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
Waiting In The Wings:For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSAannounced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
Te Rangi e tu nei (The sky above us) Te Papa e takoto nei (The land beneath us) Tatou katoa te hunga ora (To us all the living) Tena koutou katoa (Greetings) ...
A late change to charter school legislation will cheat educators out of fair pay and negotiating power proving charter schools are just a vehicle to make profit out of our education system. ...
In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori. 20 years later, history is repeating itself. Today the government has announced ...
It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report - Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take action off the back of the International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine. ...
On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967. ...
Labour calls on the Government to act after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian Territories is illegal. ...
The 53.7 percent rise in benefit sanctions over the last year is more proof of this Government’s disdain for our communities most in need of support. ...
Aotearoa could be a country where every child grows up feeling safe, loved and with a sense of belonging in their whānau and community. But for some of our children, this is far from reality. Instead, they are trapped in a maze of intergenerational harm that they can’t escape on ...
Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi. “This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. “Seymour thinks it ...
The soaring price of renting is driving the rise of inflation in this country - with latest figures from Stats NZ showing rents are up 4.8 per cent on average while annual inflation is at 3.3 per cent. ...
National’s Emissions Reduction Plan will take New Zealand further from the economy we need to ensure the next generation has a stable climate and secure livelihoods. ...
Following consultation with named parties and thorough consideration of privacy interests, the Green Party is in a position to release the Executive Summary of the final report from the independent investigation into Darleen Tana. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon should be asking serious questions of his Minister for Resources Shane Jones now it’s been revealed he misled the public about a dinner with mining companies that he didn’t declare and said wasn’t pre-arranged. ...
Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation. “Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks. “This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “Their solution to the housing ...
“National’s campaign was about tackling crime and the best they can do is a two-year long Ministerial Advisory Group,” Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
“There are more examples of charter schools failing their students than there are success stories. The coalition Government is driving to dismantle our public school system and instead promote a privatised, competitive structure that puts profits before kids,” Jan Tinetti said. ...
“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey ...
“Today’s climate announcement by Simon Watts makes clear the National Government is simply paying lip service to meeting its climate change targets,” Megan Woods said. ...
National is choosing to make life harder for workers by taking away the rights our communities have fought hard for. Here's how they’re taking workers backwards. ...
Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue. We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views. “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
Tēnā tātou katoa, Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts. “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet. “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks. “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. At the heart of this report are the ...
For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced. “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024. “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane. “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says. “This will be our third visit to ...
Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today. “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum. While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation. “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan. “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says. “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests. Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone. Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
Last summer when Matairangi burned, Ginny and Tom stood at the window of their lounge, watching kākā shoot skyward from the burning trees. From the distance, they looked to Ginny like pages torn from books and thrown into a bonfire. It was Tom, voice tight, who told her it was ...
Opinion: The Canadian short story writer Alice Munro – winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013 – died in May at the age of 92. Her work was about “the damage people inflict on one another in the name of love”, Deborah Treisman wrote in the New Yorker. ...
This month marks two years since the most powerful telescope ever built sent its first pictures back to earth. From its lofty vantage point, beyond the moon in orbit around the sun, the James Webb Space Telescope was tuned to observe the first stars and galaxies being born soon after ...
Comment: After Climate Change Minister Simon Watts’ preview several weeks ago, I had some optimism about the Government’s emissions reduction plan. Now I’ve read the discussion document, that hope has been dashed. How can the Government propose a plan that wants to take New Zealand taxpayers’ hard-earned money, and spend ...
Christopher Luxon: hurdles The little man from National jumps hurdles in his sleep. He’s quite good at it in his dreams and even though the reality doesn’t quite match up you have to give him credit for getting up every morning and crashing into the very first hurdle of the ...
Comment: It was a good two hours into the conversation when Tyrone Marks raised the most basic of questions when I first spoke to him in 2017. “They didn’t explain the things they did to me. They never told me why. And they still haven’t. There’s no explanation for it. ...
Madeleine Chapman rounds out Death Week on The Spinoff with a final recommendation. You can read all of our Death Week coverage here. Nothing forces you to reflect on your life and relationships quite like proximity to death. For those whose nearest and dearest have died, there are reasonably obvious ...
Whitney Greene takes us through her life in television, including the TV character she’d like to plan a funeral for and her cow lung catastrophe on The Traitors NZ. “If the phone rings, I have to answer it,” Whitney Greene from The Traitors NZ warns as we begin our My ...
Maddie Ballard reviews the debut essay collection of Pōneke writer Flora Feltham.In ‘The Raw Material’, the longest essay in Flora Feltham’s dazzling debut collection, the author heads out for a run after hours of weaving and sees the world turn to textile. “Pounding along the Parade, I saw the ...
Andy Christiansen, one half of the experimental rock-pop duo TRiPS, shares the tunes inspiring the band’s perfect weekend and new release. “Good speakers, good food, good music, no distractions”: that’s all you need to enjoy the psychedelic stylings of TRiPS, a new band formed by Fly My Pretties’ Barnaby Weir ...
Celebrating our quadrennial opportunity to become experts in a bunch of sports we never normally watch.The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are upon us. Paris will host this year’s showcase of sporting and athletic prowess, which means some late-night and early-morning viewing for us in Aotearoa.But what sports ...
The photograph is striking and beautiful, but also disturbing – a reminder that my love for John was often entangled in shame.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.In the spring of 1980, in Dunedin, shortly before his death, someone took a photograph ...
Get to know Babushka, our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Babu’s humans, Jo and Isabel, for their support. Dog name: Babushka (Babu for short) Age: 2Breed: Border Collie X poodleIf rescued, ...
Pacific Media Watch A Lebanese photojournalist who was severely wounded during an Israeli air strike in south Lebanon carried the Olympic torch in Paris this week in honour of her peers who have been wounded and killed in the field — especially in Gaza and Lebanon. Christina Assi of Agence ...
The first report in a five-part web series focused on the 15th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women taking place in the Marshall Islands this week.SPECIAL REPORT:By Netani Rika in Majuro Women continue to fight for justice 70 years after the first nuclear tests by the United States caused ...
Christopher Luxon has joined with Australia and Canada's leaders in voicing support for US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The 2022 election brought the “teal wave” into parliament. The next election will test whether teals, who occupy what were Liberal seats, and other independents can maintain their momentum. Joining us on the Podcast ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of Adelaide Pixavri/Shutterstock A major Federal Court class action has been dismissed this week after Justice Michael Lee ruled there was not enough evidence to prove the weedkiller Roundup causes cancer. Plaintiff Kelvin ...
In The Week in Politics: politicians have to decide what to do about child abuse, Health NZ is booked in for major surgery and Darleen Tana returns. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Corbould, Associate Professor, Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin University Mainstream media are surprisingly muted at the prospect of the world’s most powerful nation being led for the first time by a woman – specifically a woman of colour, Vice President Kamala ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Bennett, PhD Student, Associate Research Fellow, Deakin University Last week, a drone delivery company called Wing (owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet) started operating in Melbourne. Some 250,000 residents in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs can now order food from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Foo, Lecturer, Physiotherapy, Monash University pikselstock/Shutterstock In the next 40 years in Australia, it’s predicted the number of Australians aged 65 and over will more than double, while the number of people aged 85 and over will more than triple. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Grant, Research Associate, Power Institute for Arts and Visual Culture, University of Sydney Jonas Åkerström’s 1790 work, Session of the Accademia dell’Arcadia on August 17 1788.Nationalmuseum/Cecilia Heisser Ever wondered whether you’d have a better chance at winning an Olympic gold ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Program Lead, Food Governance, George Institute for Global Health wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock On Thursday, Australian and New Zealand food ministers at state, federal and national levels met to thrash out what’s next for health star ratings on packaged foods. Now, after ...
The Abuse in Care report found many Pacific survivors lost their connections to their culture and language, resulting in trauma that has been carried from generation to generation. ...
In the regulatory review, ECC intends to suggest that ERO focus on curriculum delivery reviews rather than the Ministry, because it’s not efficient or effective to have two agencies with radically different approaches climbing over each other. ...
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori invites the current government to work in partnership with them to develop a pathway forward, including the development of a parallel pathway and meaningful policy and strategy for Kura Kaupapa Māori ...
If you haven’t started watching yet, Tara Ward begs you to reconsider. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. In the world of New Zealand reality television, we have many gems in our crown. There’s the delicious second season of the Celebrity Treasure ...
A new poem by Fiona Kidman. The clothes of the dead I did not keep my mother’s furry red beret for long nor the stringy scarves that adorned the necks of my aunts, although I have kept tag ends of gold, the rings and trinkets they wore, the brooches no ...
The government’s announcement that it will re-open the foreshore and seabed controversy by changing the rules on recognising centuries-old Māori customary title for a third time goes against the rule of law and New Zealand values,” Mr Tipa says. ...
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 Lioness by Emily Perkins (Bloomsbury, $25) Roarrrr! Perkins’ brilliant, award-winning, Marian-Keyes anointed, darkly funny, long ...
The 2004 Act vested ownership of the foreshore and seabed in the Crown, extinguishing any Māori claims to ownership and causing widespread outrage and protests among Māori communities. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images Despite the connection between institutional harm and gang membership made clear in this week’s mammoth royal commission abuse-in care report, the government seems unlikely to soften its “get tough on ...
From Lewis Clareburt in the swimming to the start of the rowing – the first seven days of Paris 2024 promise to be big for New Zealand. There are few events that bring the country together quite like an Olympic Games. Nothing quite matches the excitement of getting up in ...
Groundbreaking local science just showed up in the most surprising of places: the season finale of The Kardashians. In the season five finale of The Kardashians last night, several members of the family gathered together in one of their signature empty, cream-coloured rooms to hear test results that had been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Elizabeth Eades, Rheumatologist, Monash University Lupus is an inflammatory autoimmune illness, where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself. Lupus can affect virtually any part of the body, although it most commonly affects the skin, joints and kidneys. The symptoms ...
A law firm that specialises in working with survivors of abuse in State care is disappointed that the Government fails to recognise that its boot camps can be directly compared to previous boot camps from the 1990s and 2000s. ...
Dying is a natural part of life, like updating your Wof or seeing your hairdresser, but without the word-of-mouth recs that help guarantee a good service. What if we changed that? Dying Reviews received by The Spinoff have had the names of organisations redacted while Hospice NZ collects further data. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland Mike Lewinski/Flickr, CC BY On any clear night, if you gaze skywards long enough, chances are you’ll see a meteor streaking through the sky. Some nights, however, are better than others. At ...
Despite having no bars or other designated spaces for lesbians, Auckland boasts a small but mighty lesbian museum. So how did it get here? The past 18 months has brought increasing hostility towards the queer community across Aotearoa. Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s anti-trans rally in Tamaki Makaurau last March led to a ...
Poneke Antifascist Coalition has invited Wellingtonians to stand in solidarity with the Kanak people at 12pm today outside the French Embassy in Wellington. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Strategic Studies, Griffith University Drones are the signature technology of the Ukraine war. A few miniature aircraft designs were used in the war’s early days, but an incredible array of drones have now evolved. There are different types, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Slee, Associate Professor, Clinical Academic Neurologist, Flinders University Francisco Gonzelez/Unsplash Migraine is many things, but one thing it’s not is “just a headache”. “Migraine” comes from the Greek word “hemicrania”, referring to the common experience of migraine being predominantly ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lee White, Senior Lecturer and Horizon Fellow, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney Australia was slow to introduce minimum building standards for energy efficiency. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) only came into force in 2003. Older homes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Sherwood, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Sydney The past century of human-induced warming has increased rainfall variability over 75% of the Earth’s land area – particularly over Australia, Europe and eastern North America, new research shows. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Heynen, Program Coordinator, Sustainable Energy, The University of Queensland A temporary stadium in the Champ-de-Mars, ParisEkaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock As Paris prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the sustainability of the event is coming under scrutiny. The organisers have promoted ...
A night of karaoke and community in a pub that feels like a memory. You’d barely even notice it, unless you knew to look. Tucked away behind a liquor store on busy Constable Street is the capital’s last great pub. Newtown Sports Bar is an emblem of the pub culture ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Wright, Professor in Marine Geology, University of Canterbury Louise Corcoran/Getty Images The decline in the number of doctoral candidates at New Zealand universities is a worrying sign for the country’s effort to build a knowledge-based economy. Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laurie Berg, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney defotoberg/Shutterstock Migrant worker exploitation is entrenched in workplaces across Australia. Tragically, a deep fear of immigration consequences means most unlawful employer conduct goes unreported. On Wednesday, however, the government officially launched a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania Paris is about to host its third summer Olympics. While we don’t yet know what the legacy of this year’s games will be, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law, Griffith University In the wake of the assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, there were calls from bothsides of US politics, as well as internationally, to reduce the brutal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Keith Rathbone, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, Macquarie University Two high-profile assaults on Australians in Paris have raised concerns about security ahead of the Olympic Games. On Saturday evening, a young woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by a ...
Dying is inevitable and, so it seems, is it costing a lot, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here.The cost of dying ...
The government took Joyce Harris's first baby and sent her off to a girls' home. Half a century on - and out of oceans of hurt - it asked her to be a mother figure. ...
It’s the deadliest fictional town in the country, but which death has been the most bonkers? Alex Casey looks back at 10 seasons of The Brokenwood Mysteries to find out. Warning: The following ranking story contains famous New Zealand actors appearing to be dead (not alive). The Spinoff has been ...
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/palestinian-group-hamas-launches-surprise-attack-on-israel-what-to-know
Apartheid Israel, an occupying force for 70 years, gruesomely penning Palestinians into tiny Gaza would be gone by lunchtime if the USA stopped supplying cash and weapons.
US Imperialism, in blunt terms–both substantial cause of and potential solution to–the Palestinian situation.
Arm chair generals and Governments everywhere are tut tutting about terrorism by Hamas–yet when Israeli snipers blow out teens knee caps for approaching a fence, poison water supply, detain and torture, the Euros and all the rest look away. The Israeli military state regularly stops humanitarian aid to Gaza by flotilla as local Kia Ora Gaza supporters like Marama Davidson and Mike Treen (Unite Union) found out.
I don’t support the religious aspect to Hamas, or armed violence, but what do people expect will be the outcome with hundreds of UN Resolutions ignored, and Gaza bombed the shit out of every few months?
There is a very nasty possible conclusion to this latest uprising aka asymmetric engagement, and I don’t want to use the term here–those capable in the international community need to step up immediately.
Agree Tiger.
Nobody seems to complain about the illegal occupation of Palestinian land by the Israelis and the illegal settlements being built there, or about the giant concentration camp that is Gaza.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has it right when he says (from The Guardian's live feed today):
"Abbas also pointed to the “denial of the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, their land, and their sacred sites, and the continued terrorism of Israeli settlers,”
“President Abbas stated that ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land with East Jerusalem as its capital, recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to independence and sovereignty, and granting full UN membership would ensure security, stability, and peace in the region,
Pisses me off to see Biden saying "The United States stands with Israel" when he has done bugger all to rectify the above situation.
The scenes of celebratory barbarism as a catharsis against civilians coming from Hamas's successful raid into Southern Israel are sickening.
But you know, if you torment human beings by locking them in a cage like they are wild animals, and then beat them savagely with bombs and missiles, and strip them of all hope and dignity, and you do it for decades, then if they ever get out of the cage you have to expect the dehumanized and savage wild animals you've created will show their tormentor no mercy.
Might we not use the same argument to explain why Israel is tormenting the people of Gaza – the result of their treatment in world War 2?
The state of Israel was created as a consequence of the holocaust. Unfortunately for the Zionists, there were people living there already on whom they visited a massive injustice by expelling them from their homes. The Arabs were also lied to by the British who then bailed out as fast as they could.
The abject failure over eight decades to come to terms with the injustices perpetrated by the circumstances leading to creation of Israel are the cause of the huge turmoil in the middle east today.
The most extreme case of the central problem of all settler colonial societies.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/133064688/election-2023-what-young-mum-gang-member-and-cyclone-victim-think-of-this-election
Maybe someone should show national that sentence on a driver of gang growth, I bet it’s still happening today
This is just off memory – The chap in Dunedin who did long term studies on people finding that the biggest driver of criminality, dysfunction and poor adult outcomes was severe poverty in childhood – this seems to be ringing the same bell to me.
They wouldn't care. I have worked for an organisation that supported survivors through the Royal Commission of Inquiry process. People's experiences were absolutely harrowing and the effects of the abuse had huge impacts on their lives, as you would expect.
Here is an excerpt from the Royal Commission of Inquiry's report "Stolen Lives, Marked Souls – The inquiry into the Order of the Brothers of St John of God at Marylands School and Hebron Trust" – among other things, this report details how the abuse affected survivors' lives. https://www.abuseincare.org.nz/our-progress/reports/stolen-lives-marked-souls/
"187. The Royal Commission finds in relation to the impacts of abuse and neglect:
a. All survivors of abuse and neglect from Marylands, the Hebron Trust and St Joseph’s Orphanage who the Inquiry has heard from, have experienced significant and life-long impacts to many facets of who they are, their relationships, their potential and the life they lead. These impacts include:
› physical injury, health and illness
› devastating mental health impacts, including self-harm and suicidality
› criminal offending and addiction including substance abuse
› struggles with sexual and gender identity
› loss of faith and spirituality
› financial hardship and homelessness
› lack of education, leading to further financial hardship and employment insecurity
› inability to trust and difficulties in relationships with children, partners and whānau."
This Hamas 3000+ rocket attack and multi-town invasion looks like Iran trying to shank the upcoming Israel-Saudi Arabia peace deal.
It will do the reverse.
Middle Eastern politics makes you want to scrub yourself clean in the shower with a stello pad after just thinking about it.
The Israelis, with the connivance of everyone, thought they could normalise relations with Saudi by simply locking the Palestinians in a permanent cage and then throwing away the key. The plan was to assassinate and destabilize any viable civil society in Gaza, paint the place as hopelessly in the thrall of barbaric terrorists and leave the Palestinians to rot forgotten in their ghetto while everyone else got on with plotting with their new buddies against Iran.
Iran wants to scupper Saudi Arabia at every turn because of some religious difference that is even dumber than Europe fighting the thirty years war over transubstantiation, and Iran hates the west because of punitive sanctions and the way they've been shit on at every turn by the USA since the coup that put the Shah into power. None the less, Israel left Hamas and Hizbollah alone because it struck a deal with Putin to not interfere in Syria as long as Russia used its influence to stop Iran using Hamas to wreck its deal with Saudi.
Except mad dog Putin invaded the Ukraine, and now he needs Iran and it's ammunition and drone factories more than Iran thinks it need fear him and the equally mad Mullahs have realized they can't rely on busted-flush Russia for any damn thing by way of security guarantees so Iran has decided to use Hamas to launch an attack on Israel to end any hope of a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Now for the Palestinians the status quo was anyways tantamount to their genocide. Any option was better than the one looming. And the Palestinians have just shown they won't be forgotten and walling them up in Gaza and letting them rot isn't a viable plan, because if they can break into Israel once to wreak indiscriminate slaughter then they can do it again.
So the Palestinians have inflicted a mini 9/11 on Israel. They've demonstrated they're not going to give up and quietly die. Israel now has to change course. It can try to occupy the Gaza strip but last time it tried that the IDF discovered Gaza is an urban fortress capable of inflicting heavy losses on them. It can use its virtual immunity from consequences to inflict an aerial and artillery genocide on Gaza every bit the equivalent of the savagery inflicted on the Poles in the Warsaw uprising, or it will have to come up with a workable peace plan.
Unfortunately, lack of consequence means genocide will be the likely path Israel will go down.
They'll end up doing a Bele and Lokai and nuking each other before the century is out.
The best future for Gaza is UN occupation and development to nation state hood (the Hamas PA relationship is broken and the WB is not a goer with the current regime in Israel).
If Saudi Arabia gave that its backing, a deal whereby 1948 refugees could (if they want) take up citizenship (acquire passports) and be granted residency in Arab league nations or migrate to other places (and be given compensation for 1948 property loss).
Others could choose to remain refugees (these restored to some fit state (eg Lebanon/Syria) and await a West Bank resolution.
Others could choose to remain refugees (their camps restored to some fit state (eg Lebanon/Syria) and await a West Bank resolution.
Sort of, Hamas is seeking alliances against the deal and Iran is one party.
It will complicate the deal being finalised.
The possibility of a second election is canvassed here if the Nats and ACT can't form a government.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2023-national-warns-very-real-possibility-of-no-deal-with-nz-first-sending-voters-back-to-the-polls/SEDJLYGOEVHV5DABMIJQZV3JQ4/
Luxon getting nervous pulling out all the tricks from the old Crosby Textor Handbook.
"Even" with the Nats calling up their ring-in, slimy sir Key..they are looking less and less so sure of themselves.
Also their coalition of chaos infighting also proceeds ..apace.
We on the Left must have Solidarity. And..I think we will prevail !
Agree +100% bringing in Honest John at the last minute may have done National more harm than good IMHO.
Also I can not see Luxon forming a Government with a NACT First combination, if Winston and NZF can get enough votes say 8-9% we may see a National/NZF Coalition however National and Luxon would have to swallow a number of dead rats.
Anecdotal – yes, and hardly scientific – but the people I meet driving an uber two nights a week are
– solidly Green or TPM voters, lesser number favouring Labour
– quite disparaging of Luxon and think Act is a bit of a joke
– hardly ever mention Winston, and usually not in a complimentary way.
I think we're (the left) going to be in for a very pleasant surprise on Election night!
Totally agreed PLA – National is sounding increasingly uncertain, chaotic, and desperate![smiley smiley](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png?x42494)
Looks like bringing out the old politicians is par for the course in this election campaign. Labour have rolled out Helen.
Election 2023: Helen Clark releases video calling for people to vote Labour | Newshub
Hi J – great vid, but why no mention of "limbo land" or "lots of moving parts"?![wink wink](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png?x42494)
Quite telling that "Minister of Flap" Chris Bishflap Bishop is winding up the scare siren. Oooer… second election !
Of course its only scary for the Nats. Gotta love it : )
National are beginning to show nervous jitters. Their advertising is tending towards warning voters that you have to party vote National to avoid eight weeks of confusion whilst a coalition government is formed.
They are perhaps being honest for the first time in (kind of) admitting that it will be difficult to form a government with their pals ACT and NZ First not even wanting to be in the same room together, let alone actually co-operating.
Labour needs to seize on this to show that there will be no such problems if you vote centre-left, WE get along well enough to lead the country, the rabble on the right don't so why would you vote for them?
The National party ad was on Facebook and I am unable to provide a link at this time, sorry.
If someone else could, thanks.
Labour/Green/TPM looking solid coming up to next Saturday, fear mongering by National is not going down well with voters, evidently the Economy is going well according to all the statistics.
The economy is going well !! Will perhaps like Hipkins you need to get out and leave your protected bubble !! Wages below inflation for many interest rates killing us and the Labour Party gives each family $5/week to butter things over. Tax creep as we progress thru the tax bracket creep takes more from an individuals income, govt gives a token BUT takes more🤫
Our growth is primarily due to immigration and cleanups from the weather. Great base to build an economy on 🤬
Agree Herodotus most of what you are saying is correct, wages are poor here in NZ vs the Cost of Living and Housing, however the Supermarket Owners and the Corporates are doing extremely well, likewise the AU Banks are making record profits however interest rates are not dropping, so I agree we are being screwed. Yes Tax Brackets need to be changed with the first $20k being Tax Free. Immigration needs to be knocked on the head until we look after our own people first, so voting NZF and Uncle Winnie is probably your best bet, however they seem to forget all these things once in Government. Labour is pro Chinese Immigration and wouldn't budge on that in the 2017 Coalition Government. National are also very pro Chinese Investment in NZ Housing & Infrastructure.
If NAct + NZF do get over the line, then at least Willis will have a chaotic 'out' for her hollow promise to resign as finance minister.
The Hollow, the Shallow and the Crusty. F**k me, what a shambolic prospect![crying crying](https://cdn2.thestandard.org.nz/wp-content/plugins/ark-wysiwyg-comment-editor/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/cry_smile.png?x42494)
Anyone concerned about wage levels and who votes NACT is intellectually challenged.
MW. ACT wants no MW increaaes for 3 years, National wants minimal ones. Labour wants it lifted to the Living Wage level – $1 an hour or more each year ($40 a week extra).
Fair Pay Agreement Industry Awards – as per Oz. NACT would get rid of it. Labour's development will result in wage improvements between the MW-LW and the median wage and maybe above. It will be the only way to guarantee wages go up as fast as rents/inflation.
Public Sector, Labour's record in raising the pay of teachers, nurses and doctors is far superior to that of National.
So where is the proof that voting Labour is any different ?? Many of us have experience nil to inferior pay increases well below inflation.
Don't forget that the pay increases/min wage etc are on the back of, for most unknown inflation rates, tax creep and costs that are lost in CIP calculations as they are excluded. So if the govt had handled and reacted to minimise the rising inflation, perhaps the level of pay increase recently fought over would not have to be as high to lessen the impact on Inflation ? So your justification to support labours rising pay levels is questionable at the least, but don't let that get in the way
Teachers fought hard for what they have achieved. Pity that the agreement was not backdated as in real terms their wage has gone backwards. Previous agreement covered July 2019- June 2022. Current agreement covers July 23- July 25.
https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/School/Collective-Employment-Agreements/Primary-Teachers-Collective-Agreement/Primary-Teachers-Collective-Agreement-2019-2022.pdf
https://www.education.govt.nz/school/people-and-employment/employment-agreements/collective-agreements/changes-to-primary-teachers-collective-agreement-2023/
The fact that you made a reply without reference to the known facts about MW and LW relativity, or the FPA Industry Awards, or any comparison of increases under Labour compared to National (as per nurses and teachers 2008-2017) says it all.
And you blame the government for inflation (and divert into bracket creep with taxation) – its worldwide mate with the add on here of the flood events on food prices, and the company that filed to get its gib production sorted (housing costs 2022).
PS Inflation will be 4% by the end of the year and its forecast to be 3% at the end of next year.
"PS Inflation will be 4% by the end of the year and its forecast to be 3% at the end of next year."
Thats a confident and specific statement….you must have made a fortune with such forecasting ability
If you were informed you would know its the forecast of the RB.
The former is more likely to be accurate than the latter (more uncertain as per election etc)
If I were really informed I would know that those are not the RBNZ projections from the RBNZ household expectations survey….assuming they meant anything anyway.
'I'll call Winston. I won't call Winston.' Make up your mind.
This is what happens when you invite John Key to stick his oar in. Key does what's good for Key, no one else.
Absolute chaos.
National are looking lost, no clear policy apart from selling $2.0 million homes to the Saudi's.
This is not Politics…(well maybe somewhat)..more a why are "we" still racing to Planet burn……and why cant we go another way?
Ok….most of us (Deniers excepted) know our Planet is heating …ever more dangerously. This combined with El Nino type events. of course has cumulative effect. So Niwa recently gives warning…In ODT Rural Life..which I do read .
My why cant we ?……was also in the ODT..randomly, in Life and Style. Connection ? I seen the Regenerative photo. And such a great article by Sean Connelly .
IMO he sums the case for change so well. I struggle to understand anyone that wouldnt?
Pukekohe Vegetable Growers gearing up for a big drought has to happen soon especially with all the rain we have had over the past 2 years, it is the law of averages.
From the side-bar, Paul Buchanan's latest offering is a must read. "Bully Pulpits and the Politics of Nastiness", is a summary of the Trump style and how the parties of the Right in NZ are consciously emulating him. The following excerpt imo is worthy of repeat in toto:
Like +100% good analysis
Politics still goes on in Britain. While we look forward to crazy possibilities post-election their bizarre environment simply continues.
Proves Buchanan's point. 🙂
Why does the Standard continue to give a platform for right-wing propaganda? The Point of Order website (on the sidebar, every day) is a constant barrage of right-wing talking points, and not even interesting ones.
Yes, I know, it's not my blog, you can publish whatever you want, and nobody's stopping you but the question remains … why?
I'd love to know.
'If you want to defeat your enemy, whistle their tune'.
I posted something similar last week Obs.
What is worse Points of Order pretends to be balanced….but ends up always supporting the Right/slagging off the Left.
I wonder how many NZ First voters are aware of what they might be getting into? The party appears to have undergone a significant shape-shift lately, and it doesn't seem to be all Winston's doing:
https://www.thepost.co.nz/a/politics/350084986/awakening-how-freedom-movement-found-its-man-winston-peters
And here’s what the Graun has to say about next Saturday:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/08/tired-broke-and-eager-for-change-new-zealand-expected-to-shift-right-at-coming-election