Ocean Cleanup's team consists of 120 engineers, researchers, scientists, computational modelers, and supporting roles, working daily to rid the world's oceans of plastic. Dutch inventor Boyan Slat founded The Ocean Cleanup at the age of 18 in his hometown of Delft, the Netherlands.
Their organisation uses the non-profit donation-driven model. It's a good example of the original `neither left nor right, but in front' ethos that originated the Green movement.
To effectively solve the problem, we need to both halt the trash flow from rivers, and remove legacy plastics from the oceans at the same time. The Ocean Cleanup, is developing and scaling technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. In April, we celebrated a significant milestone: 10 million kg of waste extracted. This achievement was the result of 6 years of river and ocean operations. Only 7 months later, last November, we reached an astounding 20 million kg of plastic removed.
David Seymour has been quietly plotting the passage of his real agenda ‘The regulatory Standards bill’. This pernicious piece of legislation if passed, as seems highly likely, will signal a final victory in his twenty year travail to foist this ‘Libertarian’ vision for the future of New Zealand. One that will see real power and wealth transfered for ever, from parliamentary democracy, into the hands and pockets of an increasingly smaller cabal of elite business and corporate interests.
The explainer, link posted by Incognito here the other day, says there are barbs in the legislation: that firms can sue the government of the day if they lose money as a consequence of legislative change. This is a direct corporate benefit, where (multinational) corporations are given power against NZ as a nation.
People are starting to wake up, when it's almost too late. There's a couple of letters on the subject in today's Post, one of them making the very point that I've been pushing – that the TPB is being used to distract attention from the real danger of the RSB (but doesn't add that the media are being compliant in the business).
You might have to wait till tomorrow, if my attempts to find them are anything to go by. Entering this URL right now only brings you yesterday's offerings:
If you like I could transcribe the contents. Might violate some sort of copyright, but what the hell – Stuff/The Post make it too hard altogether to get at things (can't log in at all right now because of unspecified "difficulties").
Sorry, Incognito: something queer going on. I've just tried getting to what should be the on-line letters page for 9th January. I can reach the ones for the 8th and the 10th, but the one for the 9th is simply not there. Whether that's intentional or just an "unfortunate" glitch I wouldn't like to say. Meanwhile, I still have the hard-copy version ready for transcription if wanted.
(I've sent The Post a feedback email about this, but I won't be holding my breath for any meaningful response.)
Many of us have falsely envisioned Luxon as a weak fool or poodle to Seymour's Machievellian machinations with either no stomach, or political savvy, to understand or grasp what is happening around him, when the reality is, he's been a player all along!!! Every bit as captured and complicit in this ‘libertarian coup d’etat’. Why else would Luxon not give one jot about the crass public image he entertains us with, from tiktok to Facebook and Instagram? He is laughing at us!
Luxon is laughing at us but so also is Winston. All his rhetoric about NZ sovereignty is out the window with this piece of legislation. He also has given over to the urge to grovel when confronted by the money men.
I doubt if Luxon, a typical corporate boot licker promoted beyound his competence level, , has the capability, however his string pullers have almost infinite resources.
It is clever tactics by this Coalition Government, not just ACT, to try and sneak in the Regulatory Standards Bill in the shadows of the Treaty Principles Bill; even the cynical timing of the two submission processes would support this suspicion. The alleged ‘crashing’ of parliamentary website for submissions on the TPB is further grist on the mill of a wannabe conspiracist by creating another useful distraction from the real danger that is the RSB.
The opposition has been conspicuously silent on the Regulatory Standards Bill. Do they lack the intellectual power or just will power to deal with this?
In contrast, the opposition has been spending much (too much?) oxygen on the Treaty Principles Bill, as expected (by the Coalition Government and its tacticians).
Te Pāti Māori have been emailing members directly over the Regulatory Standards Bill. I've been firing off the some of the posts and comments from the standard to Te Pāti Māori staffers I know.
I'm Bloody worried about this Bill, and others are starting to see it's ability to wreak our country too.
Good to hear that but that amounts to off-radar opposition against a dangerous Bill that flies under the radar that needs strong visible opposition and at least as much activism as the Treaty Principles Bill. I really hope that our politicians and their staff of advisors are not a bunch of wannabe amateurs who’ve been hamstrung by incompetence, disinterest, and summer apathy.
Guyon Espiner's reprise of the case against the shifty Casey Costello this morning on RNZ was damning, and he basically came as close as possible to accusing her of being corrupt without actually saying ("you might say that but I couldn't possibly comment" stuff from Guyon).
But one little thing stuck out foe. Casey has refused to be interviewed by Espiner for over a year now. Espiner noted "she appears on other platforms". And I wondered why the MSM doesn't damned well call a spade a spade and fight back. Espiner could have said that she appears of far right misinformation platforms without affecting RNZs credibility. And why doesn't he just door stop Costello if she won't be interviewed? Sure, it is a last resort dirty trick to lie in wait with a film crew outside a miniasters flat – but also, a minister who refuses to be accountable deserves to be confronted and it would make for some juicy ratings….
That ACT is a totally bought and paid for project to steal NZ, shouldn't be news to anyone.
Seymour and his bunch of twits, are "useful idiots", But his strings are operated by some very wealthy and devious actors, with access to the worlds top propaganda and "smoke and mirrors" merchants.
there are entrenched institutional liberal forces, not only in formal politics but in the universities, the press, the legal system, the nonprofit sector, and even the corporate world, that intone the threat Trumpism poses to democracy and the rule of law, yet work every day to defeat their own internal left-wing challengers: student protests, labor struggles, “woke excesses.” When they raid encampments (student or unhoused) or bust unions, they do Trump’s work for him, remaking Americans in authoritarian ways. What Trump represents can only be defeated if liberal institutionalists cease trying to quash the insurgent left in the name of protecting democracy, and instead look to it as an ally and a source of strength.
There's a fault-line running between aspirational left idealists and moderate left politicos which I've observed more than half a century. The first bunch want a better world (like me). The second bunch want to join the establishment as power brokers.
Gabriel Winant is an associate professor of history at the University of Chicago, a member of the executive council of AAUP/AFT Local 6741, and a member of the Dissent editorial board. https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/exit-right/
The obstacle now presented by liberalism is especially frustrating because Trump’s coalition suffers from its own internal contradiction, isomorphic with that of the Democrats. J.D. Vance and Elon Musk would appear to want quite different things: Vance praises Lina Khan, for example, and seems to offer a vision of welfare chauvinism; Musk proposes to fire Khan, radically cut the state, and deliberately induce economic misery.
Trudeau, the paradigmatic liberal exemplar, recently announced his intention to resign – after his approval rating clocked in at 16%, down from 65% a decade back when he became PM of Canada. The liberal option is a feeble simulation of progress.
There's a fault-line running between aspirational left idealists and moderate left politicos which I've observed more than half a century. The first bunch want a better world (like me). The second bunch want to join the establishment as power brokers.
Indeed. Both "bunches" take ultimate victory by the left for granted, and rather than make certain of it, they prefer to concentrate on ensuring that their "bunch" will be in the driver's seat afterwards.
Worked out all right for the Bolsheviks after 1917; not such a happy result for the Republicans in Spain in the 1930s.
Token democracy is all the establishment really wants…
Consultant Louisa Taylor has about two decades' of experience in the tech field and said the errors she observed on the website could be caused by two things. "One is that there's high traffic on their website which has taken it out of action because they haven't prepared enough server capacity. That's the negligent part of it.The second part was that the same sort of error might come from an attack. If a nefarious actor sent a lot of traffic to the site they could actually take it down." Taylor said whatever the cause, Parliament's tech infrastructure clearly wasn't up to scratch and it could be down to the coalition's cost-cutting measures. "It was highly foreseeable that there would be a large number of submissions so the server needed to be sized. They just needed to get more machinery, more kit, ready."
Another tech expert Sam Sehnert said it was "mind-boggling" Parliament's website wasn't up to handling high volumes of traffic and any investment made would be worthwhile. "It does take some time to set up but as you can see the value of doing that is well worth it and usually it's a result of cutting corners or trying to save a buck. If you do that sort of thing, you cut those corners, then outages like this can happen."
This govt assumed that apparent democracy would suffice. Users discovered the facade. Reminds us that simulation is a left/right shared political strategy. Authenticity takes time & money, so establishment operatives avoid it.
The thought about the site being bombed by outside actors came to me last night. On a networked PC, I was able to easily resend my submission by going back to the start of the filled-in form. That seemed like a double verification set up to deter simple spamming.
A transparent access system to our legislation process means that anyone, or any entity in the world, can hijack that process. I believe, from now on a formal verification process will have to take place for people to make submissions, and be identified, as citizens, permanent residents, or local and extra-national companies or organisations.
This smacks of Big Brother, I know, but is the only way I can see that we can protect our democratic process.
Good point, seemingly, but I'll leave it to any experts in the tech admin field.
Given that democracy is our commons, the procedures that implement it ought to be robust. If they can't be transparent as well, folks will trend towards a lack of faith in the system. Therefore it is in the public interest that assurance is provided.
I don't mean the usual bland assurance from any Nat/Lab PM that they still have confidence in the minister responsible. I mean a statement from the head of the dept that they believe their system is delivering what's required – or that they aim to rectify any operational problem by a specific date. Yes I know everyone expects National and Labour to keep hiding behind their 19th-century evasion of public service accountability but we can give them a pat on the head and encourage them to enter the 21st century now, telling them it ain't really that scary.
Well, media imagery aside, she's trying to persuade Labour to be proactive. Labour knows its better to rely on realpolitik, from your link:
Even if his approval rating was higher, even if he had that star power fairy dust, the fact is that he lost the last election because we wanted anyone but him and his Labour party. So, can they really get back with him as Boss? Nope. And, if we bear in mind that principle that opposition never wins elections – Governments always lose them….Actually, that’s good news for Labour. All they need to do is keep letting Luxon lose.
Only works if Lux keeps on losing. So far he's not obviously a loser to mainstreamers, as indicated by his poll relativity with Hipkins. Most swing-voters are mainstreamers watching him sail a tight ship, no sign of mutiny. And Kieran's body language since the election signals to us he ain't aiming to be an alternative leader…
Luxon compared to Ardern is an exceedingly lucky Prime Minister.
He has dealt with zero crises, zero Ministerial fuckups, and has had plenty of luck esp with law and order.
Ardern dealt with successive political and natural crises of increasing magnitude throughout her first term, each shifting her attention away from programme delivery.
We should presume Luxon will continue to be lucky – in no small part because so many developed-economy governments have near-identical policy frameworks.
If Chippie isn't up to it I hope the Opposition leadership vacuum gets filled fast – for all our sakes.
Love Verity's burn: "It feels like we’re being led by a bunch of Teletubbies who learned governance from Youtube, a one half-day leadership workshop and a lifetime fan-girling Maggie Thatcher. And the only thing we agree on is that it feels like we don’t have a plan."
Of course the plan is to open up NZ to internationals ready to strip our resources, by removing all protections in the way and by making that process hard to reverse for future governments.
It's a tradition down under to pontificate with ones new lightsaber onto paper about the fate of the nation in the summertime.
When the sand is beneath the feet, rather than snow, sometimes politicians get flighty and plan a coup – which gives the winner the chance to turn the Crown representative into their sock puppet reading out their speech to parliament.
It is different this year. Leaders of the opposition do not get rolled when there is a loss of confidence in the governments ability to fill out a stocking like Rhys Darby (aka Terry Pole lifeguard).
Instead we get the attempt to end the Treaty and indigenous people as an obstacle to a neo-liberal regulatory straight-jacket so international capital obtains sovereign power over future of the nation state. Why? Because the Atlas Network mocking jay (the mockingjay is a bird that was created through the unintended mating of mockingbirds and jabberjays, a bit like a donkey and a horse making a mule) brays TINA TINA.
FYI, here on TS fact-checking is mostly done by the community and they effectively call out commenters for spreading mis- and/or disinformation. When the commentariat is vigilant and informed the Mods have light work, as it should be.
Parliament's select committee has allowed more time (to 1pm on 14 Jan) for people to make submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill.
Only problem is the Parliamentary website still lists the bill as having closed for submissions on 7 Jan. It does not appear on the list of bills awaiting public comment, so no electronic submissions can be made.
I suppose I can chisel out my submission on a stone tablet and carry it to Wellington.
The theme of the submission, legislation that establishes an order of rule over the nation on behalf of an ideology that is inimical to the values that others want for their democracy, is so obviously of a partisan template that it is unacceptable governance.
By design it is not of any consensus, it as an imposed regime.
The next administration should and would remove it, from day one.
Reference to it as part of a revolutionary agenda to make investor capital sovereign, rather than the nation state citizen – as exemplified by the attempt to diminish the Treaty (trade agreements) and indigenous rights.
He's not in power yet, and I said I wouldn't comment until he was, but national emergencies are the excuses of any any anti-democratic state to remove citizen rights, and, in this case, to shit all over international trade treaties.
I watched an interesting doco on Merkel, and one of her interviewers said “Trump is someone who doesn’t believe in international laws, but in ‘deals’.” This is Trump playing mind games to push the boundaries of existing trade treaties. Does he know what he is doing? Instead of co-operative partners in Mexico and Canada, he will engineer them to compete with the US in common markets.
Given enough time, the rest of the world will route themselves around the US economic system. BRICS looks more enticing by the minute.
BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, and South Africa was added in 2010. Last year, the alliance expanded to embrace Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited to join but has not yet done so. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and a few others have expressed interest. The organisation was created as a counterweight to the Group of Seven, comprised of developed nations.
Its name was derived from an economic term used in the early 2000s to describe rising countries expected to dominate the global economy by 2050. Before Indonesia’s membership, the bloc accounted for nearly 45% of the world’s population and 35% of global gross domestic product, measured using purchasing power parity.
The CFR portal provides the global public with an insight into its advisory framing for US politicians, so its take is worth considering…
BRICS countries seek to build an alternative to what they see as the dominance of the Western viewpoint in major multilateral groupings, such as the World Bank, the Group of Seven (G7), and the UN Security Council. The group’s 2024 expansion comes with a range of geopolitical implications. It represents growing economic and demographic heft: the ten BRICS countries now comprise more than a quarter of the global economy and almost half of the world’s population.
The NDB and the CRA were designed as an alternative to the so-called Bretton Woods arrangement, the mainstream global financial system founded by leading industrial countries in the aftermath of World War II. Many countries of the Global South believe those institutions, especially the World Bank and the IMF, are failing to meet the needs of poorer nations, especially in areas such as climate financing.
The NDB is more than five times smaller than the World Bank, and experts doubt it could completely replace it. Others contend that its ambitions to redesign the global financial system have fallen short as it maintains many of the practices of its competitors. It has also faced criticism for vague commitments on environmental and social impact standards… A BRICS currency would require major political compromises, including a banking union, a fiscal union, and general macroeconomic convergence. The dollar, long the world’s principal reserve currency, is still used in more than 80 percent of global trade
Interesting discussion about dedollarisation, removal of the $US as the international default reserve currency, which is one of the aims of BRICS.
"Bank of America economist Claudio Irigoyen recently discussed international fears surrounding U.S. debt levels and the impact that debt could have on the dollar in the long term. Irigoyen says the U.S. will likely not default on its massive debt load, but global economists are concerned the U.S. will instead choose to erode away the value of that debt via inflation.
"If the U.S. moves to a point where the preferred policy is one of financial repression that allows to inflate the debt away, the market will start wondering about alternatives to the dollar as a store of value," Irigoyen said in a note."
Very cool to see the Danish King playing such an important part in the relationship of Greenland to Denmark both now and in the future. Very important now given Trump's stated desire to simply take Greenland over for the USA.
Imagine if our Governor-General or indeed King Charles stepped in to the current Treaty of Waitangi contests now underway.
France's foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, said… he did not believe the U.S. would invade. Denmark's military capabilities there are limited to four inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance plane and dog sled patrols.
I wonder if he called for military intelligence advice to form that opinion.
Hopefully whoever Trump finally gets to run the State Department has an Under Secretary well aware of the existing substantial defence treaty the US already has with Denmark over Greenland, which dates back to WW2:
Are you sure you mean the Tropic of Cancer? That is, after all, south of the entire US except for Hawaii. Or are the islands you are talking about places like Cuba?
Imagine if our Governor-General or indeed King Charles stepped in to the current Treaty of Waitangi contests now underway.
He damn well should step into the RSB business. If proposing to surrender New Zealand's sovereignty in this shameful manner doesn't constitute conspiracy to commit treason, then I don't know what does.
King John did something of the kind in 1215 to wriggle out of honouring his side of the Magna Carta – surrendering England to the Pope and receiving it back again as the latter's vassal. He was rightly reviled for it. (The arrangement didn't last, since both parties conveniently died the following year, but unfortunately faceless international "courts" don't disappear quite that readily.)
I come here only in the wish to bring some enlightenment to the ignorant. Some are able to be reasoned with. Many are not.
Now just answer the question. Do you really think that the peak interest in this topic occurred at 11 pm? Really? Is there not the slightest doubt in your mind?
I am well aware with where the tropic of Cancer is. It is a line of latitude about 23 degrees 37 minutes north of the equator. Greenland is, IIRC, above the 60 degree line of latitude. Why would they be considering places which may be more than 4,000 km south of Greenland and which, down near the Tropic of Cancer are surely not considered to be in the North Atlantic?
I wasn't accusing you of misquoting the item. I was wondering why somewhere so far south of Greenland should be of interest to the question of defense bases in Greenland.
OK, now I understand where I was getting confused. Thank you for the explanation
I thought you were talking about the agreement Ad linked to in 11.2.1, which was only talking about Greenland defense arrangements.
I didn't realise that you actually talking a much wider agreement that was the NATO agreement as a whole and as such it had concern for the much wider territorial area. I was looking at just a limited part of it of the area that concerned the linked to document.
Alwyn, is there the slightest possibility in your mind that online interest in ACT's Treaty Principles Bill in NZ did actually peak one hour before submissions on the bill were due to close [11:59 pm, 7 Jan], as per the evidence? Perhaaps consider the possibility that your ‘evidence’ is merely a personal reckon.
The closing date for submissions has now been extended to 1.00 pm Tuesday, 14 January 2025.
Open an email and put RSBconsultation@regulation.govt.nz in the address field. If you wish, send a copy of your submission to your MP and ask them to oppose the Bill.
Begin with any variation of “I oppose the proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. It prioritises big business over people and the environment. Instead, we need regulations that protect New Zealand’s resources, our whānau, and future generations.”
Keep it simple – I included statements like: “It gives far too much power to its architect Minister for Regulation David Seymour” and “This bill has been rejected three times already” and “Taxpayers are put at risk of having to pay the losses of a corporate's profits resulting from legislation even if that legislation protects workers or the environment or the public.” Get more info here.
End your email with any variation of “Please abandon the Regulatory Standards Bill 2021 and its proposed updates. There is no need for this bill and it should not go to an expensive and unnecessary referendum.”
Celebrate! You did your bit to stand up against greedy corporates and exploitative business, protect future generations, our precious whenua, and our values as a country.
The possibility did occur to me but I thought it most unlikely that there were that many people who would still up to be putting in submissions at that time. There aren't a lot of comments being posted on blogs at that hour are there?
It would of course be a likely possibility if they were created by bots in an automated attack, as suggested in the RNZ story.
I hadn't thought of that possibility when I made the original comment. That one was simply based on the idea that people may leave things late but they don't usually leave things until 11 o'clock at night and I wondered whether there was something wrong with the way the Google numbers were being put in the wrong time bracket.
The possibility did occur to me but I thought it most unlikely that there were that many people who would still up to be putting in submissions at that time.
The graph @12 shows the trend in the (relative) number of times the search term "Treaty Principles Bill" was used in NZ, not the trend in the number of submissions on the bill – a record 150,000 on 7 January.
Is conflating "Interest over time" with submissions on the bill an example of your "wish to bring some enlightenment to the ignorant"?
It would of course be a likely possibility if they were created by bots in an automated attack, as suggested in the RNZ story.
That RNZ article suggests that an automated attack was unlikely.
But another expert Sam Sehnert has since checked the now re-opened Treaty Principles Bill submission form and said the submission forms appeared to be protected from bots.
…
RNZ has asked the Clerk of the House, David Wilson’s office if Parliament’s website has protections against DDoS attacks.
Wilson has already said the website issues were caused by an unprecedented volume of submissions coming in at the same time and wasn't aware they were the result of anything untoward.
"To my knowledge, there is no evidence that issues were due to nefarious activity," he said.
The country's cyber watchdog, the National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of the GCSB, said it has no information to believe this was a cyber security incident.
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Small businesses will be exempt from complying with some of the requirements of health and safety legislation under new reforms proposed by the Government. The living wage will be increased to $28.95 per hour from September, a $1.15 increase from the current $27.80. A poll has shown large opposition to ...
Summary A group of senior doctors in Nelson have spoken up, specifically stating that hospitals have never been as bad as in the last year.Patients are waiting up to 50 hours and 1 death is directly attributable to the situation: "I've never seen that number of patients waiting to be ...
Although semiconductor chips are ubiquitous nowadays, their production is concentrated in just a few countries, and this has left the US economy and military highly vulnerable at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. While the ...
Health and Safety changes driven by ACT party ideology, not evidence said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff. Changes to health and safety legislation proposed by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden today comply with ACT party ideology, ignores the evidence, and will compound New ...
In short in our political economy this morning:Fletcher Building is closing its pre-fabricated house-building factory in Auckland due to a lack of demand, particularly from the Government.Health NZ is sending a crisis management team to Nelson Hospital after a 1News investigation exposed doctors’ fears that nearly 500 patients are overdue ...
Exactly 10 years ago, the then minister for defence, Kevin Andrews, released the First Principles Review: Creating One Defence (FPR). With increasing talk about the rising possibility of major power-conflict, calls for Defence funding to ...
In events eerily similar to what happened in the USA last week, Greater Auckland was recently accidentally added to a group chat between government ministers on the topic of transport.We have no idea how it happened, but luckily we managed to transcribe most of what transpired. We share it ...
Hi,When I look back at my history with Dylan Reeve, it’s pretty unusual. We first met in the pool at Kim Dotcom’s mansion, as helicopters buzzed overhead and secret service agents flung themselves off the side of his house, abseiling to the ground with guns drawn.Kim Dotcom was a German ...
Come around for teaDance me round and round the kitchenBy the light of my T.VOn the night of the electionAncient stars will fall into the seaAnd the ocean floor sings her sympathySongwriter: Bic Runga.The Prime Minister stared into the camera, hot and flustered despite the predawn chill. He looked sadly ...
Has Winston Peters got a ferries deal for you! (Buyer caution advised.) Unfortunately, the vision that Peters has been busily peddling for the past 24 hours – of several shipyards bidding down the price of us getting smaller, narrower, rail-enabled ferries – looks more like a science fiction fantasy. One ...
Completed reads for March: The Heart of the Antarctic [1907-1909], by Ernest Shackleton South [1914-1917], by Ernest Shackleton Aurora Australis (collection), edited by Ernest Shackleton The Book of Urizen (poem), by William Blake The Book of Ahania (poem), by William Blake The Book of Los (poem), by William Blake ...
First - A ReminderBenjamin Doyle Doesn’t Deserve ThisI’ve been following posts regarding Green MP Benjamin Doyle over the last few days, but didn’t want to amplify the abject nonsense.This morning, Winston Peters, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, answered the alt-right’s prayers - guaranteeing amplification of the topic, by going on ...
US President Donald Trump has shown a callous disregard for the checks and balances that have long protected American democracy. As the self-described ‘king’ makes a momentous power grab, much of the world watches anxiously, ...
They can be the very same words. And yet their meaning can vary very much.You can say I'll kill him about your colleague who accidentally deleted your presentation the day before a big meeting.You can say I'll kill him to — or, for that matter, about — Tony Soprano.They’re the ...
Back in 2020, the then-Labour government signed contracted for the construction and purchase of two new rail-enabled Cook Strait ferries, to be operational from 2026. But when National took power in 2023, they cancelled them in a desperate effort to make the books look good for a year. And now ...
The fragmentation of cyber regulation in the Indo-Pacific is not just inconvenient; it is a strategic vulnerability. In recent years, governments across the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, have moved to reform their regulatory frameworks for cyber ...
Welcome to the March 2025 Economic Bulletin. The feature article examines what public private partnerships (PPPs) are. PPPs have been a hot topic recently, with the coalition government signalling it wants to use them to deliver infrastructure. However, experience with PPPs, both here and overseas, indicates we should be wary. ...
Willis announces more plans of plans for supermarketsYesterday’s much touted supermarket competition announcement by Nicola Willis amounted to her telling us she was issuing a 6 week RFI1 that will solicit advice from supermarket players.In short, it was an announcement of a plan - but better than her Kiwirail Interislander ...
This was the post I was planning to write this morning to mark Orr’s final day. That said, if the underlying events – deliberate attempts to mislead Parliament – were Orr’s doing, the post is more about the apparent uselessness of Parliament (specifically the Finance and Expenditure Committee) in holding ...
Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC’s plan to build a plant in the United States looks like a move made at the behest of local officials to solidify US support for Taiwan. However, it may eventually lessen ...
This is a Guest Post by Transport Planner Bevan Woodward from the charitable trust Movement, which has lodged an application for a judicial review of the Governments Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024 Auckland is at grave risk of having its safer speed limits on approx. 1,500 local streets ...
We're just talkin' 'bout the futureForget about the pastIt'll always be with usIt's never gonna die, never gonna dieSongwriters: Brian Johnson / Angus Young / Malcolm YoungMorena, all you lovely people, it’s good to be back, and I have news from the heartland. Now brace yourself for this: depending on ...
Today is the last day in office for the Governor of the Reserve Bank, Adrian Orr. Of course, he hasn’t been in the office since 5 March when, on the eve of his major international conference, his resignation was announced and he stormed off with no (effective) notice and no ...
Treasury and Cabinet have finally agreed to a Crown guarantee for a non-Government lending agency for Community Housing Providers (CHPs), which could unlock billions worth of loans and investments by pension funds and banks to build thousands of more affordable social homes. Photo: Lynn GrievesonMōrena. Long stories shortest:Chris Bishop ...
Australia has plenty of room to spend more on defence. History shows that 2.9 percent of GDP is no great burden in ordinary times, so pushing spending to 3.0 percent in dangerous times is very ...
In short this morning in our political economy:Winston Peters will announce later today whether two new ferries are rail ‘compatible’, requiring time-consuming container shuffling, or the more efficient and expensive rail ‘enabled,’ where wagons can roll straight on and off.Nicola Willisthreatened yesterday to break up the supermarket duopoly with ...
A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 23, 2025 thru Sat, March 29, 2025. This week's roundup is again published by category and sorted by number of articles included in each. The formatting is a ...
For prospective writers out there, Inspired Quill, the publisher of my novel(s) is putting together a short story anthology (pieces up to 10,000 words). The open submission window is 29th March to 29th April. https://www.inspired-quill.com/anthology-submissions/ The theme?This anthology will bring together diverse voices exploring themes of hope, resistance, and human ...
Prime minister Kevin Rudd released the 2009 defence white paper in May of that year. It is today remembered mostly for what it said about the strategic implications of China’s rise; its plan to double ...
In short this morning in our political economy:Voters want the Government to retain the living wage for cleaners, a poll shows.The Government’s move to provide a Crown guarantee to banks and the private sector for social housing is described a watershed moment and welcomed by Community Housing Providers.Nicola Willis is ...
The recent attacks in the Congo by Rwandan backed militias has led to worldwide condemnation of the Rwandan regime of Paul Kagame. Following up on the recent Fabian Zoom with Mikela Wrong and Maria Amoudian, Dr Rudaswinga will give a complete picture of Kagame’s regime and discuss the potential ...
New Zealand’s economic development has always been a partnership between the public and private sectors.Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) have become fashionable again, partly because of the government’s ambitions to accelerate infrastructural development. There is, of course, an ideological element too, while some of the opposition to them is also ideological.PPPs come in ...
How Australia funds development and defence was front of mind before Tuesday’s federal budget. US President Donald Trump’s demands for a dramatic lift in allied military spending and brutal cuts to US foreign assistance meant ...
Questions 1. Where and what is this protest?a. Hamilton, angry crowd yelling What kind of food do you call this Seymour?b.Dunedin, angry crowd yelling Still waiting, Simeon, still waitingc. Wellington, angry crowd yelling You’re trashing everything you idiotsd. Istanbul, angry crowd yelling Give us our democracy back, give it ...
Two blueprints that could redefine the Northern Territory’s economic future were launched last week. The first was a government-led economic strategy and the other an industry-driven economic roadmap. Both highlight that supporting the Northern Territory ...
Abortion care at Whakatāne Hospital has been quietly shelved, with patients told they will likely have to travel more than an hour to Tauranga to get the treatment they need. ...
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...
“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...
The Green Party is calling for the compassionate release of Dean Wickliffe, a 77-year-old kaumātua on hunger strike at the Spring Hill Corrections Facility, after visiting him at the prison. ...
The Green Party is calling on Government MPs to support Chlöe Swarbrick’s Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence and illegal actions in Palestine, following another day of appalling violence against civilians in Gaza. ...
The Green Party stands in support of volunteer firefighters petitioning the Government to step up and change legislation to provide volunteers the same ACC coverage and benefits as their paid counterparts. ...
At 2.30am local time, Israel launched a treacherous attack on Gaza killing more than 300 defenceless civilians while they slept. Many of them were children. This followed a more than 2 week-long blockade by Israel on the entry of all goods and aid into Gaza. Israel deliberately targeted densely populated ...
Living Strong, Aging Well There is much discussion around the health of our older New Zealanders and how we can age well. In reality, the delivery of health services accounts for only a relatively small percentage of health outcomes as we age. Significantly, dry warm housing, nutrition, exercise, social connection, ...
Shane Jones’ display on Q&A showed how out of touch he and this Government are with our communities and how in sync they are with companies with little concern for people and planet. ...
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...
Progressing a holistic strategy to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources, possibly in applications beyond energy generation, is at the centre of discussions with mana whenua at a hui in Rotorua today, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is in the early stages ...
New annual data has exposed the staggering cost of delays previously hidden in the building consent system, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I directed Building Consent Authorities to begin providing quarterly data last year to improve transparency, following repeated complaints from tradespeople waiting far longer than the statutory ...
Increases in water charges for Auckland consumers this year will be halved under the Watercare Charter which has now been passed into law, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The charter is part of the financial arrangement for Watercare developed last year by Auckland Council ...
There is wide public support for the Government’s work to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity protections, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The Ministry for Primary Industries recently completed public consultation on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act and the submissions show that people understand the importance of having a strong biosecurity ...
A new independent review function will enable individuals and organisations to seek an expert independent review of specified civil aviation regulatory decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Director of Civil Aviation, Acting Transport Minister James Meager has announced today. “Today we are making it easier and more affordable ...
The Government will invest in an enhanced overnight urgent care service for the Napier community as part of our focus on ensuring access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown has today confirmed. “I am delighted that a solution has been found to ensure Napier residents will continue to ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey attended a sod turning today to officially mark the start of construction on a new mental health facility at Hillmorton Campus. “This represents a significant step in modernising mental health services in Canterbury,” Mr Brown says. “Improving health infrastructure is ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has welcomed confirmation the economy has turned the corner. Stats NZ reported today that gross domestic product grew 0.7 per cent in the three months to December following falls in the June and September quarters. “We know many families and businesses are still suffering the after-effects ...
The sealing of a 12-kilometre stretch of State Highway 43 (SH43) through the Tangarakau Gorge – one of the last remaining sections of unsealed state highway in the country – has been completed this week as part of a wider programme of work aimed at improving the safety and resilience ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters says relations between New Zealand and the United States are on a strong footing, as he concludes a week-long visit to New York and Washington DC today. “We came to the United States to ask the new Administration what it wants from ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee has welcomed changes to international anti-money laundering standards which closely align with the Government’s reforms. “The Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) last month adopted revised standards for tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism to allow for simplified regulatory measures for businesses, organisations and sectors ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he welcomes Medsafe’s decision to approve an electronic controlled drug register for use in New Zealand pharmacies, allowing pharmacies to replace their physical paper-based register. “The register, developed by Kiwi brand Toniq Limited, is the first of its kind to be approved in New ...
The Coalition Government’s drive for regional economic growth through the $1.2 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund is on track with more than $550 million in funding so far committed to key infrastructure projects, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. “To date, the Regional Infrastructure Fund (RIF) has received more than 250 ...
[Comments following the bilateral meeting with United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; United States State Department, Washington D.C.] * We’re very pleased with our meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon. * We came here to listen to the new Administration and to be clear about what ...
The intersection of State Highway 2 (SH2) and Wainui Road in the Eastern Bay of Plenty will be made safer and more efficient for vehicles and freight with the construction of a new and long-awaited roundabout, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop. “The current intersection of SH2 and Wainui Road is ...
The Ocean Race will return to the City of Sails in 2027 following the Government’s decision to invest up to $4 million from the Major Events Fund into the international event, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown says. “New Zealand is a proud sailing nation, and Auckland is well-known internationally as the ...
Improving access to mental health and addiction support took a significant step forward today with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announcing that the University of Canterbury have been the first to be selected to develop the Government’s new associate psychologist training programme. “I am thrilled that the University of Canterbury ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened the new East Building expansion at Manukau Health Park. “This is a significant milestone and the first stage of the Grow Manukau programme, which will double the footprint of the Manukau Health Park to around 30,000m2 once complete,” Mr Brown says. “Home ...
The Government will boost anti-crime measures across central Auckland with $1.3 million of funding as a result of the Proceeds of Crime Fund, Auckland Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee say. “In recent years there has been increased antisocial and criminal behaviour in our CBD. The Government ...
The Government is moving to strengthen rules for feeding food waste to pigs to protect New Zealand from exotic animal diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. ‘Feeding untreated meat waste, often known as "swill", to pigs could introduce serious animal diseases like FMD and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held productive talks in New Delhi today. Fresh off announcing that New Zealand and India would commence negotiations towards a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the two Prime Ministers released a joint statement detailing plans for further cooperation between the two countries across ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the forestry sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Agriculture and Trade Minister Todd McClay signed a new Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) today during the Prime Minister’s Indian Trade Mission, reinforcing New Zealand’s commitment to enhancing collaboration with India in the horticulture sector. “Our relationship with India is a key priority for New Zealand, and this agreement reflects our ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of two new Family Court Judges. The new Judges will take up their roles in April and May and fill Family Court vacancies at the Auckland and Manukau courts. Annette Gray Ms Gray completed her law degree at Victoria University before joining Phillips ...
Health Minister Simeon Brown has today officially opened Wellington Regional Hospital’s first High Dependency Unit (HDU). “This unit will boost critical care services in the lower North Island, providing extra capacity and relieving pressure on the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and emergency department. “Wellington Regional Hospital has previously relied ...
Namaskar, Sat Sri Akal, kia ora and good afternoon everyone. What an honour it is to stand on this stage - to inaugurate this august Dialogue - with none other than the Honourable Narendra Modi. My good friend, thank you for so generously welcoming me to India and for our ...
Nearly 25 years after the "corngate" saga, the debate on genetic modification is back thanks to the Gene Technology Bill currently in select committee. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephanie Brodie, Research Scientist in Marine Ecology, CSIRO jittawit21, Shutterstock Picture this: you’re lounging on a beautiful beach, soaking up the sun and listening to the soothing sound of the waves. You run your hands through the warm sand, only to ...
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist Although New Zealand and Australia seem to have escaped the worst of Donald Trump’s latest tariffs, some Pacific Islands stand to be hit hard — including a few that aren’t even “countries”. The US will impose a base tariff of 10 percent on all ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton both agree Australia should react to US President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff regime by continuing to seek a special deal. They just disagree about which of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher, Digital Literacy and Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer met with Adolescence writer Jack Thorne to discuss adolescent safety at Downing Street on Monday. Jack Taylor/ GettyImages Netflix’s Adolescence has ignited global debate. ...
By Anneke Smith,RNZ News political reporter A stoush between the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and a Jewish community leader has flared up following a showdown at Parliament. Appearing before a parliamentary select committee today, Dr Stephen Rainbow was asked about his recent apology for incorrect comments he made about ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rakesh Gupta, Associate Professor of Accounting & Finance, Charles Darwin University US President Donald Trump’s new trade war will not only send shockwaves through the global economy – it also upsets efforts to tackle the urgent issue of climate change. Trump has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Toohey, Professor of Law, UNSW Sydney It had the hallmarks of a reality TV cliffhanger. Until recently, many people had never even heard of tariffs. Now, there’s been rolling live international coverage of so-called “Liberation Day”, as US President Donald Trump ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nick Fuller, Clinical Trials Director, Department of Endocrinology, RPA Hospital, University of Sydney mavo/Shutterstock In the ever-changing wellness industry, one diet obsession has captured and held TikTok’s attention: protein. Whether it’s sharing snaps of protein-packed meals or giving tutorials to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sebastian Maslow, Associate Professor, International Relations, University of Tokyo Two months into US President Donald Trump’s second term, the liberal international order is on life support. Alliances and multilateral institutions are now seen by the United States as burdens. Europe and ...
Starving public services of resources, gutting the workforce and then proposing private market solutions has been a key strategy of this government, says Vanessa Cole, spokesperson for Public Housing Futures. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hayley Geyle, Ecologist, Charles Darwin University Sarah Maclagan/Author provided The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is one of Australia’s most iconic yet at-risk animals — and the last surviving bilby species. Once found across 70% of Australia, its range has contracted by ...
The government’s own Regulatory Impact Statement acknowledges that organic producers will bear the financial burden of adapting to the risks posed by GMO expansion. ...
The committee has "rammed it through with outrageous haste", with a report now expected tomorrow, but excluding thousands of submissions, Duncan Webb says. ...
The US president’s sweeping programme of global tariffs will hit every country abroad, including New Zealand, and dramatically raise prices at home. This is an excerpt from The World Bulletin, our weekly global current affairs newsletter exclusively for Spinoff Members. Sign up here.In a dramatic, flag-draped address from the White ...
Alex Casey talks to Bariz Shah and Saba Afrasyabi, the couple who launched a project to change 51 lives in honour of those lost in the Christchurch mosque attacks. When Bariz Shah and Saba Afrasyabi walked into Naeem’s house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, they knew immediately that he needed their help. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Deane, Professor of Trade Law, Taxation and Climate Change, Queensland University of Technology US President Donald Trump has imposed a range of tariffs on all products entering the US market, with Australian exports set to face a 10% tariff, effective April ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump singled out Australia’s beef trade for special mention in his announcement that the United States would impose a 10% global tariff as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on many countries. In ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hayley Geyle, Ecologist, Charles Darwin University Sarah Maclagan/Author provided The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is one of Australia’s most iconic yet at-risk animals — and the last surviving bilby species. Once found across 70% of Australia, its range has contracted by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump singled out Australia’s beef trade for special mention in his announcement that the United States would impose a 10% global tariff as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on many countries. In ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Shutterstock Recent media coverage in the Nine newspapers highlights a surge in non-medical ultrasound providers offering “reassurance ultrasounds” to expectant parents. The service has resulted in serious harms, such as misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancies and ...
The three MPs whose rule-breaking haka caught the world’s attention didn’t attend their scheduled hearing yesterday. Constitutional law expert Andrew Geddis has the rundown of what happened, why, and what’s likely to come next. I see Te Pāti Māori and the privileges committee are in some sort of stand-off – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Turner, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland.Nido Huebl/Shutterstock Earth is the only known planet which has plate tectonics today. The constant movement of these giant slabs of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra US President Donald Trump singled out Australia’s beef trade for special mention in his announcement that the United States would impose a 10% global tariff as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on many countries. In ...
Meta has stolen millions of books to train its AI, including books by kaituhi Māori. What does that mean for mātauranga and its status as taonga? New Zealand authors are among the millions whose books have been pirated and scraped by Meta to train its AI. The New Zealand Society of ...
Some hoped the open of the New Zealand markets would open with a bounce as certain tariffs fell short of the worst-case scenario, but investors were met with a deflated thud.The New Zealand market fell immediately as stock market darling Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s shares were punished, with no update ...
Healthcare dominated the debate in an unusually sober and serious question time. “Hey David!” a group of high school students in the public gallery called out as Act leader David Seymour entered the debating chamber. Standing in the middle of the floor, before any other MPs had arrived, he happily ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Heaslip, Senior Lecturer in Naval History, University of Portsmouth How the Shuqiao barges may be used to ferry troops ashore. X (formerly Twitter) China’s intentions when it comes to Taiwan have been at the centre of intense discussion for years. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kiera Vaclavik, Professor of Children’s Literature & Childhood Culture, Queen Mary University of London This spring, Babe is returning to cinemas to mark the 30th anniversary of its release in 1995. The much-loved family film tells the deceptively simple but emotionally powerful ...
Some good Green news for a change…
Their organisation uses the non-profit donation-driven model. It's a good example of the original `neither left nor right, but in front' ethos that originated the Green movement.
Glad that they're thinking of prevention, rather than just doing a cleanup job without changing the way people live.
Now if only that approach could be applied to dairy waste in this country.
I understand Boyan Slat dropped out of university (he was studying engineering) to do the ocean cleanup. He's really started something.
Regulatory Standards bill – by Mike Friend
Could it not be repealed by a future regime?
The explainer, link posted by Incognito here the other day, says there are barbs in the legislation: that firms can sue the government of the day if they lose money as a consequence of legislative change. This is a direct corporate benefit, where (multinational) corporations are given power against NZ as a nation.
People are starting to wake up, when it's almost too late. There's a couple of letters on the subject in today's Post, one of them making the very point that I've been pushing – that the TPB is being used to distract attention from the real danger of the RSB (but doesn't add that the media are being compliant in the business).
Do you have a link to those letters; I’m interested (obviously).
You might have to wait till tomorrow, if my attempts to find them are anything to go by. Entering this URL right now only brings you yesterday's offerings:
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360540343/post-letters-editor-january-9
If you like I could transcribe the contents. Might violate some sort of copyright, but what the hell – Stuff/The Post make it too hard altogether to get at things (can't log in at all right now because of unspecified "difficulties").
No need to breach copyright and I can wait a day or so.
Sorry, Incognito: something queer going on. I've just tried getting to what should be the on-line letters page for 9th January. I can reach the ones for the 8th and the 10th, but the one for the 9th is simply not there. Whether that's intentional or just an "unfortunate" glitch I wouldn't like to say. Meanwhile, I still have the hard-copy version ready for transcription if wanted.
(I've sent The Post a feedback email about this, but I won't be holding my breath for any meaningful response.)
Ok, thanks for trying and letting me know, but please don’t sweat it, it’s mainly to satisfy my curiosity and not all that important really.
And from further into that piece:
Luxon is laughing at us but so also is Winston. All his rhetoric about NZ sovereignty is out the window with this piece of legislation. He also has given over to the urge to grovel when confronted by the money men.
I doubt if Luxon, a typical corporate boot licker promoted beyound his competence level, , has the capability, however his string pullers have almost infinite resources.
Thank you!
It is clever tactics by this Coalition Government, not just ACT, to try and sneak in the Regulatory Standards Bill in the shadows of the Treaty Principles Bill; even the cynical timing of the two submission processes would support this suspicion. The alleged ‘crashing’ of parliamentary website for submissions on the TPB is further grist on the mill of a wannabe conspiracist by creating another useful distraction from the real danger that is the RSB.
The opposition has been conspicuously silent on the Regulatory Standards Bill. Do they lack the intellectual power or just will power to deal with this?
I found only one meagre Blog post on the Labour website from just before Christmas: https://www.labour.org.nz/news-rule_czar_bill_a_right_wing_power_grab
Nothing on the Green Party website.
Zilch on Te Pāti Māori’s website.
In contrast, the opposition has been spending much (too much?) oxygen on the Treaty Principles Bill, as expected (by the Coalition Government and its tacticians).
QED
Te Pāti Māori have been emailing members directly over the Regulatory Standards Bill. I've been firing off the some of the posts and comments from the standard to Te Pāti Māori staffers I know.
I'm Bloody worried about this Bill, and others are starting to see it's ability to wreak our country too.
Good to hear that but that amounts to off-radar opposition against a dangerous Bill that flies under the radar that needs strong visible opposition and at least as much activism as the Treaty Principles Bill. I really hope that our politicians and their staff of advisors are not a bunch of wannabe amateurs who’ve been hamstrung by incompetence, disinterest, and summer apathy.
Guyon Espiner's reprise of the case against the shifty Casey Costello this morning on RNZ was damning, and he basically came as close as possible to accusing her of being corrupt without actually saying ("you might say that but I couldn't possibly comment" stuff from Guyon).
But one little thing stuck out foe. Casey has refused to be interviewed by Espiner for over a year now. Espiner noted "she appears on other platforms". And I wondered why the MSM doesn't damned well call a spade a spade and fight back. Espiner could have said that she appears of far right misinformation platforms without affecting RNZs credibility. And why doesn't he just door stop Costello if she won't be interviewed? Sure, it is a last resort dirty trick to lie in wait with a film crew outside a miniasters flat – but also, a minister who refuses to be accountable deserves to be confronted and it would make for some juicy ratings….
That ACT is a totally bought and paid for project to steal NZ, shouldn't be news to anyone.
Seymour and his bunch of twits, are "useful idiots", But his strings are operated by some very wealthy and devious actors, with access to the worlds top propaganda and "smoke and mirrors" merchants.
She's got the good ol' buf Jacinda didnt appear on Hosking's show defence
An in-depth critique of establishment leftism:
There's a fault-line running between aspirational left idealists and moderate left politicos which I've observed more than half a century. The first bunch want a better world (like me). The second bunch want to join the establishment as power brokers.
Gabriel Winant is an associate professor of history at the University of Chicago, a member of the executive council of AAUP/AFT Local 6741, and a member of the Dissent editorial board. https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/exit-right/
Trudeau, the paradigmatic liberal exemplar, recently announced his intention to resign – after his approval rating clocked in at 16%, down from 65% a decade back when he became PM of Canada. The liberal option is a feeble simulation of progress.
Indeed. Both "bunches" take ultimate victory by the left for granted, and rather than make certain of it, they prefer to concentrate on ensuring that their "bunch" will be in the driver's seat afterwards.
Worked out all right for the Bolsheviks after 1917; not such a happy result for the Republicans in Spain in the 1930s.
Token democracy is all the establishment really wants…
This govt assumed that apparent democracy would suffice. Users discovered the facade. Reminds us that simulation is a left/right shared political strategy. Authenticity takes time & money, so establishment operatives avoid it.
The thought about the site being bombed by outside actors came to me last night. On a networked PC, I was able to easily resend my submission by going back to the start of the filled-in form. That seemed like a double verification set up to deter simple spamming.
A transparent access system to our legislation process means that anyone, or any entity in the world, can hijack that process. I believe, from now on a formal verification process will have to take place for people to make submissions, and be identified, as citizens, permanent residents, or local and extra-national companies or organisations.
This smacks of Big Brother, I know, but is the only way I can see that we can protect our democratic process.
Good point, seemingly, but I'll leave it to any experts in the tech admin field.
Given that democracy is our commons, the procedures that implement it ought to be robust. If they can't be transparent as well, folks will trend towards a lack of faith in the system. Therefore it is in the public interest that assurance is provided.
I don't mean the usual bland assurance from any Nat/Lab PM that they still have confidence in the minister responsible. I mean a statement from the head of the dept that they believe their system is delivering what's required – or that they aim to rectify any operational problem by a specific date. Yes I know everyone expects National and Labour to keep hiding behind their 19th-century evasion of public service accountability but we can give them a pat on the head and encourage them to enter the 21st century now, telling them it ain't really that scary.
This commentator thinks governing the country is just another version of Game of Thrones………Star Wars even…….definitely not Get Smart………
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360542182/verity-johnson-labour-dont-waste-crisis
Well, media imagery aside, she's trying to persuade Labour to be proactive. Labour knows its better to rely on realpolitik, from your link:
Only works if Lux keeps on losing. So far he's not obviously a loser to mainstreamers, as indicated by his poll relativity with Hipkins. Most swing-voters are mainstreamers watching him sail a tight ship, no sign of mutiny. And Kieran's body language since the election signals to us he ain't aiming to be an alternative leader…
Luxon compared to Ardern is an exceedingly lucky Prime Minister.
He has dealt with zero crises, zero Ministerial fuckups, and has had plenty of luck esp with law and order.
Ardern dealt with successive political and natural crises of increasing magnitude throughout her first term, each shifting her attention away from programme delivery.
We should presume Luxon will continue to be lucky – in no small part because so many developed-economy governments have near-identical policy frameworks.
If Chippie isn't up to it I hope the Opposition leadership vacuum gets filled fast – for all our sakes.
Love Verity's burn: "It feels like we’re being led by a bunch of Teletubbies who learned governance from Youtube, a one half-day leadership workshop and a lifetime fan-girling Maggie Thatcher. And the only thing we agree on is that it feels like we don’t have a plan."
Of course the plan is to open up NZ to internationals ready to strip our resources, by removing all protections in the way and by making that process hard to reverse for future governments.
It's a tradition down under to pontificate with ones new lightsaber onto paper about the fate of the nation in the summertime.
When the sand is beneath the feet, rather than snow, sometimes politicians get flighty and plan a coup – which gives the winner the chance to turn the Crown representative into their sock puppet reading out their speech to parliament.
It is different this year. Leaders of the opposition do not get rolled when there is a loss of confidence in the governments ability to fill out a stocking like Rhys Darby (aka Terry Pole lifeguard).
https://www.reddit.com/r/OurFlagMeansDeath/comments/ugsgik/i_need_more_of_rhys_darbys_legs_in_season_2/
Instead we get the attempt to end the Treaty and indigenous people as an obstacle to a neo-liberal regulatory straight-jacket so international capital obtains sovereign power over future of the nation state. Why? Because the Atlas Network mocking jay (the mockingjay is a bird that was created through the unintended mating of mockingbirds and jabberjays, a bit like a donkey and a horse making a mule) brays TINA TINA.
Argen TINA, Argoing back to Stralia.
Fact-checking Meta’s misinformation about fact-checking and censorship, i.e., Zuckerberg is full of shit.
https://theconversation.com/meta-is-abandoning-fact-checking-this-doesnt-bode-well-for-the-fight-against-misinformation-246878
FYI, here on TS fact-checking is mostly done by the community and they effectively call out commenters for spreading mis- and/or disinformation. When the commentariat is vigilant and informed the Mods have light work, as it should be.
Parliament's select committee has allowed more time (to 1pm on 14 Jan) for people to make submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill.
Only problem is the Parliamentary website still lists the bill as having closed for submissions on 7 Jan. It does not appear on the list of bills awaiting public comment, so no electronic submissions can be made.
I suppose I can chisel out my submission on a stone tablet and carry it to Wellington.
A distraction from making submissions on the bill the C of C intends on making legislation.
https://e-tangata.co.nz/comment-and-analysis/the-dangerous-bill-flying-under-the-radar/
The theme of the submission, legislation that establishes an order of rule over the nation on behalf of an ideology that is inimical to the values that others want for their democracy, is so obviously of a partisan template that it is unacceptable governance.
By design it is not of any consensus, it as an imposed regime.
The next administration should and would remove it, from day one.
Reference to it as part of a revolutionary agenda to make investor capital sovereign, rather than the nation state citizen – as exemplified by the attempt to diminish the Treaty (trade agreements) and indigenous rights.
Trump considers declaring national economic emergency to impose tariffs.
He's not in power yet, and I said I wouldn't comment until he was, but national emergencies are the excuses of any any anti-democratic state to remove citizen rights, and, in this case, to shit all over international trade treaties.
I watched an interesting doco on Merkel, and one of her interviewers said “Trump is someone who doesn’t believe in international laws, but in ‘deals’.” This is Trump playing mind games to push the boundaries of existing trade treaties. Does he know what he is doing? Instead of co-operative partners in Mexico and Canada, he will engineer them to compete with the US in common markets.
Given enough time, the rest of the world will route themselves around the US economic system. BRICS looks more enticing by the minute.
Xi will be smiling!
The CFR portal provides the global public with an insight into its advisory framing for US politicians, so its take is worth considering…
I hope Trump doing the loose cannon thing will catalyse more focus and enterprise in developing this alternative system.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-brics-group-and-why-it-expanding
Interesting discussion about dedollarisation, removal of the $US as the international default reserve currency, which is one of the aims of BRICS.
"Bank of America economist Claudio Irigoyen recently discussed international fears surrounding U.S. debt levels and the impact that debt could have on the dollar in the long term. Irigoyen says the U.S. will likely not default on its massive debt load, but global economists are concerned the U.S. will instead choose to erode away the value of that debt via inflation.
"If the U.S. moves to a point where the preferred policy is one of financial repression that allows to inflate the debt away, the market will start wondering about alternatives to the dollar as a store of value," Irigoyen said in a note."
Face time with the white guy keeping up with fashion trends.
https://youtube.com/shorts/9EyOeXHBDJY?si=zF4a8R7RYr9d9EpW
Very cool to see the Danish King playing such an important part in the relationship of Greenland to Denmark both now and in the future. Very important now given Trump's stated desire to simply take Greenland over for the USA.
Imagine if our Governor-General or indeed King Charles stepped in to the current Treaty of Waitangi contests now underway.
https://www.reuters.com/world/greenland-leader-meet-danish-king-amid-trump-bid-take-over-territory-2025-01-08/
France and Germany have noted that NATO faces a threat from both the west and the east from those that do not respect international borders.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg9gvg3452o
T may not invade – he could just do a fly-over.
That puts it between Invercargill (14th) & Napier (13th) on our city population list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_New_Zealand
I wonder if he called for military intelligence advice to form that opinion.
Hopefully whoever Trump finally gets to run the State Department has an Under Secretary well aware of the existing substantial defence treaty the US already has with Denmark over Greenland, which dates back to WW2:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/den001.asp
Maybe the Director of National Intelligence …could be asked at her confirmation hearings if she has knowledge of the winter Avalon … as per article 6
Are you sure you mean the Tropic of Cancer? That is, after all, south of the entire US except for Hawaii. Or are the islands you are talking about places like Cuba?
Are you colour blind reading the word north?
Cancer = North
Capricorn = South
He damn well should step into the RSB business. If proposing to surrender New Zealand's sovereignty in this shameful manner doesn't constitute conspiracy to commit treason, then I don't know what does.
King John did something of the kind in 1215 to wriggle out of honouring his side of the Magna Carta – surrendering England to the Pope and receiving it back again as the latter's vassal. He was rightly reviled for it. (The arrangement didn't last, since both parties conveniently died the following year, but unfortunately faceless international "courts" don't disappear quite that readily.)
Using Google Trends, interest in NZ in the Treaty Principles Bill peaked in mid-November 2024 and early-January 2025.
The highest peak was at 11:00 PM on 7 Jan 2025.
Are you sure about the time? A peak at 11 pm seems to be very late in the day to happen if the interest was from people in New Zealand.
Why don’t you fact-check it?
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=now%207-d&geo=NZ&q=%2Fg%2F11ldyg6m46&hl=en-US
That is what it says but I find it very hard to believe. Even a night owl like me would be considering getting ready for bed.
I've never used Google Trends, or even heard of it but that is very late in the day for something to peak.
Are you sure about that? You did comment in a thread that was about Google Trends not that long ago: https://thestandard.org.nz/daily-review-02-10-2023/#comment-1970639.
Anyway, I refer to Kat’s reply to you yesterday: https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07-01-2025/#comment-2020817.
TTFN
I come here only in the wish to bring some enlightenment to the ignorant. Some are able to be reasoned with. Many are not.
Now just answer the question. Do you really think that the peak interest in this topic occurred at 11 pm? Really? Is there not the slightest doubt in your mind?
IF only. You challenged my quote of the NATO articles. As if I had made an error of fact by doing so (11 above).
I am well aware with where the tropic of Cancer is. It is a line of latitude about 23 degrees 37 minutes north of the equator. Greenland is, IIRC, above the 60 degree line of latitude. Why would they be considering places which may be more than 4,000 km south of Greenland and which, down near the Tropic of Cancer are surely not considered to be in the North Atlantic?
I wasn't accusing you of misquoting the item. I was wondering why somewhere so far south of Greenland should be of interest to the question of defense bases in Greenland.
To include all islands of NATO members … north of the Tropic of Cancer covered them all (including Puerto Rico and Greenland).
OK, now I understand where I was getting confused. Thank you for the explanation
I thought you were talking about the agreement Ad linked to in 11.2.1, which was only talking about Greenland defense arrangements.
I didn't realise that you actually talking a much wider agreement that was the NATO agreement as a whole and as such it had concern for the much wider territorial area. I was looking at just a limited part of it of the area that concerned the linked to document.
I looked at the NATO articles and there was of course no specific mention of any extra territory island, just all those north of the tropic of cancer.
Thus the UK was on its own as per the Falklands.
Alwyn, is there the slightest possibility in your mind that online interest in ACT's Treaty Principles Bill in NZ did actually peak one hour before submissions on the bill were due to close [11:59 pm, 7 Jan], as per the evidence? Perhaaps consider the possibility that your ‘evidence’ is merely a personal reckon.
The closing date for submissions has now been extended to 1.00 pm Tuesday, 14 January 2025.
Consultation on another ACT pro-exploitation, anti-sovereignty bill, the Regulatory Standards Bill, closes 11:59 pm on Monday 13 Jan 2025.
https://thestandard.org.nz/this-govt-legislation-will-change-our-country-like-never-before-learn-about-it-like-your-country-depends-on-it-because-it-does/
"Alwyn, is there the slightest possibility … "
The possibility did occur to me but I thought it most unlikely that there were that many people who would still up to be putting in submissions at that time. There aren't a lot of comments being posted on blogs at that hour are there?
It would of course be a likely possibility if they were created by bots in an automated attack, as suggested in the RNZ story.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/record-treaty-submissions-could-be-result-of-nefarious-activity-tech-expert/JQGQVDGHKRDIXPHHJKJSI4TALA/
I hadn't thought of that possibility when I made the original comment. That one was simply based on the idea that people may leave things late but they don't usually leave things until 11 o'clock at night and I wondered whether there was something wrong with the way the Google numbers were being put in the wrong time bracket.
The graph @12 shows the trend in the (relative) number of times the search term "Treaty Principles Bill" was used in NZ, not the trend in the number of submissions on the bill – a record 150,000 on 7 January.
Is conflating "Interest over time" with submissions on the bill an example of your "wish to bring some enlightenment to the ignorant"?

That RNZ article suggests that an automated attack was unlikely.