Lprent has been doing site maintenance, plugin trimming, fixing stuff, et cetera. I believe tweets also don’t embed at present. It is like reading MSM online with an ad-blocker, i.e., I quite like it this way!
I wonder if Teachers and Nurses are going hard because they know that if Nat/Act are in power they will get no pay rise and if anything a pay reduction.
Probably – National scrapped the Pay Equity unit shortly after winning the 2008 election, so there's something to be said for getting things done under the current government and avoiding that as a possibility.
Any future pay increases that don’t keep up with inflation are a pay cut in real dollar terms. IIRC, National would not commit to increasing pay [of nurses] in line with inflation. Which is ironic given that they bleat a lot about indexing tax brackets.
A Japanese film that explores involuntary euthanaesia in drama form. The director has made it in order to pre-empt a slow creep in Japanese society towards demonising those who are not financially secure.
'Over the past decade, [the director] adds, the Japanese concept of self-responsibility has become an obsession. “It means that we have to take care of ourselves instead of relying on the government or being a burden to society – and it has created a kind of hatred towards the elderly and the weak.” '
I used to joke to my son growing up that his could be the first generation to have the chance to live for ever. And that his probably would also be the first generation with the legal power to euthanise their parents.
Of course, I started from the age of four or five to inculcate him with "you'll look after me when I'm old, won't you" (no question mark). We talked about fun stuff, too, in case you judge me as morbid. I'm of the school 'prepare (psychologically) for the worst, hope for the best'. Oops, reading this through I realise I need to emphasise the /sarc.
Sounds like the evil twin of Bill English's "social investment". You identify a set of people as being in themselves problematic. Then you can either pretend to give them extra support (the Blinglish model), or you withdraw whatever support they might already have in order to kill them. Same underlying pathological idea, just some sentimental surface differences in treatment.
New Zealand Green Investment Finance, created thanks to the Greens, has been allocated another $300 million in the 2023 Budget:
Budget 2023 will accelerate the uptake of low-emissions technologies across Aotearoa and help create new jobs and opportunities, Climate Change Minister James Shaw announced today.
“Pioneering green investor, NZGIF, will be provided with an additional $300 million to invest in solutions to stimulate clean, green investment into low carbon companies and projects, and mobilise private capital.
“Since its establishment in 2019 New Zealand Green Investment Finance has been a major player in the work to finance and incentivise climate innovation and drive down emissions,” said James Shaw.
…
“This capital investment will support existing and future projects, including transport, process heat, infrastructure and early-stage companies. It will also open up new parts of the market and enable NZGIF to attract larger sums of private capital.
“As at June 2022, the total estimated lifetime emissions reductions of its investments was 580,000 to 710,000 tonnes of CO2e. That is equivalent to 480,000 to 590,000 homes energy use for one year.
“We know we can’t plant our way out of the climate crisis. We have to stop putting pollution into the atmosphere that causes climate change. The great thing about NZGIF is that it invests capital into companies, technologies, and projects that focus on abating emissions rather than offsetting.
“In addition to generating a rate of return on investments, the capital is recycled and can be invested into other projects. It’s a win win.
“NZGIF shows that it is possible to deliver low carbon benefits alongside investment returns – and that capital coupled with purpose makes economic sense.
“It is a Government and climate success story that not enough people know about”, James Shaw said.
Yes, targetted profiling a big theme for neolibs. The UK runs such a system of focussing on "problem families". That way you can blame the individuals and not societal conditions/pay rates. I prefer Labour's approach of investment to uplift a class, in this case Māori, who dominate in negative health and prison stats. The Nat/neolib approach smacks of the classist "undeserving poor".
That seems to be baseless speculation – Mahuta has been explicit that she has no intention of following Whaitiri to TPM
Mahuta told the Herald that following Whaitiri out the door was “not going to happen”.
“Fundamentally, the mandate I’ve been put into Parliament to represent is one that has been firmly based on Labour policies but also the needs within my electorate, which ostensibly have always been bread and butter issues.”
Yeah it is just speculation – but you have to admit it has some logic to it. It likely hangs on this calculus – have I peaked with Labour, or can I achieve more with TMP?
What happens when middle NZ becomes aware of just how radical the separatist Maori sovereignty agenda really is?
Well they are not that worried about the crazy far right radicalism of the act party, and the economic melt down their election would cause.
Māori sovereignty or let me rephrase it so you don't have to run with your fearmongering line, up lifting Māori out of economic bondage seems quite tame in comparison.
Criticising a political policy is not the same as 'fearmongering'. No more than your not unreasonable objections to 'crazy far right radicalism' of ACT.
As for "lifting Māori out of economic bondage" – the Māori I meet here in Australia seem more than capable of doing this for themselves. Not sure what is holding back the ones still living in NZ.
Yep very poor decision and likely very tragic consequences. To enter a cave system which contains a waterway when rain any rain is forecast let alone when there have been numerous weather warnings is complete insanity.
I'm sure the bereaved family will entirely support your position /sarc/
I'm not quite sure what conclusions I'm supposed to have jumped to. The death of the student has now been confirmed. We all know what the weather conditions were. There is no question but that this was an 'official' school trip.
What more information do you need to have?
Can you think of *any* circumstances where this would have been a sensible and responsible trip to take, given the forecast weather?
You can't even say that the consequences would have been unforseen – we've had previous tragedies where school trips have been overcome by bad weather.
In a statement to Newshub, the family said they're deeply grateful for the help and support from search and rescuers – and they wish for their privacy to be respected.
[…]
"WorkSafe has opened an investigation into the incident, but cannot comment further while the investigation is underway."
[…]
[David] Seymour is urging people to take a breath before criticising people involved in organizing the trip.
"I can understand why people will say, 'It's hard to believe how they could go with a rain warning being a cave.' But, having said that, you shouldn't judge people before you know all the circumstances they faced at the time," he said.
"I'm a bit worried that there'll be a national pile-on today when maybe there were circumstances or factors we don't all understand yet."
Education Minister Jan Tinetti shared similar thoughts to Seymour, saying it was a day of grieving.
[…]
"I will be talking to my officials today about just that but at the same time being mindful that today is a time of grief.
[…]
"We [Police] acknowledge this event has been very distressing for the school and wider community, and that there are a number of questions the public will have.
"At the moment, police's focus is on supporting those affected and we remind people to please not make assumptions as to what has occurred."
I look forward to you imposing the same level of proof on all of your political commentary.
And countering your selective quoting
“The mother who spoke to Stuff said the school group should have never been in the caves given the weather warnings.
She said communication from the police and school was “shocking”, with police urging the students not to answer their phones after they were rescued as distressed parents tried to reach them.”
…..
“Parents posted online criticising the school’s “absolutely insane” decision.
Questions about why the outing was not called off remain unanswered, and intensified after Stuff revealed students were meant to be rock climbing but the forecast downpours forced the trip underground instead.”
Valid commentary based on the publicly available information.
If we are required to wait for the official W&S investigation before commenting – surely you will also wish to apply that 'level of proof' requirement to other commentary. /sarc/
Nah, you can jump the gun, if you must, even before the poor boy’s body was found and recovered. I find it insensitive, disrespectful, and premature, which is neither a requirement nor an imposition. You may want to be more careful with jumping to conclusions and accusing others – it seems a bit of a habit of yours.
Sure thing. I'll continue to make valid commentary.
And, always happy to respond to additional information as it is presented.
I call it forming an opinion, based on publicly available evidence. You call it jumping to conclusions.
I note that you didn't express this opinion in any of the criticism which has been presented on non-Labour politicians or figures (you might want to look at the Charlotte Bellis debacle – not TS's finest hour).
Wilson makes an important point about our news media as well. Broken glass is more newsworthy than routine white collar crime, even though the scale is vastly different and impacts are systemic and hurt more people eventually
There is a blogsite I look at regularly where anger about ram raiders is common and ideas about what should happen to ram raiders (and their families) are freely shared. Ruthless treatment is to be meted out.
Some young people do things which have profound impacts on victims. We know that.
If a lawyer or businessperson operating in the same block of shops or offices of a ram raider ruthlessly destroys the lives of a number of people with crooked dealings, ripoffs and treachery do they get the same attention and contempt in that same forum? No, or at least very seldom and certainly not with the same venom and sustained attack. That stuff is ignored.
Why? Because they are highly likely to not be young Māori offenders.
Broken glass is so much more tangible and easier to prove than 'pretty legal' white-collar crime. Court cases are highly technical, long, and thus boring.
I (for better or worse – usually the latter) subscribe to NZ Herald – the comments to Simon's article are just so predictable, most of them are frothing at the mouth and possibly other places as well! One or two brave souls had the utter temerity to support what Simon said and they got shot down in flames as well.
Kia Ora. I have not been here for quite some time.
I noted on a recent Open Mike there was a bit of discussion around Chloe Swarbrick talking about the cruelty of Greyhound racing.
I have been campaigning for many years, along with others, for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public. I have been motivated from an animal welfare perspective, after knowing of the loss of animals to fireworks, permanent disability and evolving psychological disorders.
This is a move formally supported by FENZ, NZ Police, SAFE, NZ Veterinary Association, SPCA and others. that I have possibly forgotten.
I've been through two Select Committees. The first report published in August 2020 was full of top notch evidence from the above organisations, and I think I put up a fairly good fight.
The second Select Committee was a pared back version of the first and the report, written by Nat Jacqui Dean was verging on insulting and patronising.
I am here to tell you that, if you are considering animal welfare when you vote, think about the Green Party. They have been the only ones who have actively engaged with me and supporting a ban. They also really mean it. It's not lip service for the feels.
I’d be fine with a ban on public sales. The other aspect is people going to beaches and letting off fireworks and leaving all the shit behind from that (as well as impact on wildlife). And in many parts of the country November is a fire risk and this will only get worse with climate change.
Are sparklers included in the ban? The biggest challenge is removing family fund and tradition.
I think part of the problem has been the H&S bar for local community fireworks displays being ridiculously and unreasonably high. It used to be a great little fundraiser for rugby clubs, Playcentres and schools to hold a 'bonfire night' event. Families would pay as small amount, and bring along their own fireworks to 'pool' for everyone to enjoy.
Sausage sizzles, food sales, softdrinks etc. – were the major funding stream for the hosting organization.
Many also did this as a community goodwill gesture – making a family-friendly, fun event.
The requirement for OTT safety plans, and personal liability for risk for the organizers, has killed off all of these local events. In the last 15 years it's gone from a choice of 3 or 4 within walking distance – to nothing.
Families have the choice of attending a large event, costing a lot of money, held miles away, and which is often not suitable for small children; or holding back-yard celebrations (often moving, illicitly, to beaches or local parks).
What people really want is a community event: a safe space for kids to play (supervised) with sparklers, and seeing mid-size fireworks (catherine wheels, rockets, etc.) – touched off by adults or older children under supervision; with a picnic space, and with the odd treat food and drink option.
If there's a community event, where they can freely participate, teens are much less likely to sneak off to the bush or the beach to let off their rockers and bangers. And people are much more likely to join in to the local event/s rather than letting off their own fireworks on their own schedule.
There's space for the mega-events as well – but they can't be the only option.
Hi weka. Yes, it's a problem with fireworks on beaches. In many cases there will be council by law in place that prevents fireworks being lit on beaches or council reserves. This can be enforced by Police. If in doubt contact your local council prior to fireworks going on sale to check whether there is a by law in place preventing people from using fireworks in public spaces.
FENZ have already commented on the fact that this is a terrible time of year to be letting off fireworks. After all, they are heavily affected at this time of the year putting out fireworks related bush and scrub fires.
As for us campaigners the resistance is not coming from families (largely they have the good sense to go to safety approved public displays) and tradition doesn't count as there is nothing to do with modern Aotearoa acknowledging the gun powder plot of 1605 in England. Our challenge is merely political apathy.
Public polling was used as evidence in submissions to both SC's but later a man bv the name of Johnathon Hill commissioned a private survey showing that 65% want an end to public sales.
"Helm’s call to ban fireworks has been backed up by a survey commissioned by Wellington man Jonathan Hill which shows two thirds (65%) of the 1085 people asked, now oppose the private sale of fireworks."
Yes, sparklers need to included in a ban given recent concern about the explosives toxins creating respiratory problems in children, however sparklers can be used in animal torture too.
One of the many things that happen when same sex attracted people are force teamed with straight people with a bunch of medical and psychological conditions.
"Resist Gender Education (RGE) objects in the strongest terms to our group being named in the above Stuff report about harassment and threats against teachers, librarians, trans people and their allies, and the implication that we have participated in such behaviour. We do not advocate for, nor condone, threats or harassment towards anyone and certainly not towards the rainbow community, which many of our group are part of.
Stuff’s coverage of this issue is, as usual, one dimensional, implying that anyone who might challenge schools on education policies regarding sexuality and gender must necessarily be against same-sex relationships. RGE is a non-partisan and non-religious group of parents and educators, including lesbians and gays, who are (obviously) supportive of same-sex relationships and the marriage equality laws in NZ. Our challenge to education policies is focused solely on the teaching of gender identity beliefs as if they are fact and on teaching these concepts to children who are too young to be able to grasp the complexities involved.”
Looking at RGE's website, of the three links with NZ content, one is from Family First, one is a very old article from 2016 about a student at an all-girls' school who didn't like the idea of sharing a bathroom with a transgender student, an issue which was resolved at the time with little fuss, plus a link to the I'm Local NZ Rainbow Youth resource site.
"Kicked off in 2014 by RainbowYOUTH, the I’m Local project focuses on contacting high schools, medical centres, hospitals, libraries, marae and community centres in more rural or isolated area of Aotearoa and supplying them with free resources about gender and sexuality."
The educational material is clearly targetted at high schools, not primary schools, is voluntary, and seems quite a good idea to proovide support for gender-diverse adolescents in small rural towns. No kiddie grooming here, as far as I can see.
The other site links are to overseas articles, eg, from the right-wing Spectator and culture wars mag The Critic, and refer to situations not relevant to us here. Full of the usual horror and indignation, though.
"The educational material is clearly targetted at high schools, not primary schools, is voluntary, and seems quite a good idea to proovide support for gender-diverse adolescents in small rural towns. "
Where was the reference to the source material, and the indication who it was for?
Holy fsck Seymour is an annoying prat. After all the RW scaremongering about 3 Waters he has suddenly realised it might be a good idea to build drains.
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
Cleo Paskal writes – WASHINGTON, D.C.: ‘Many of us have received phone calls from [the opposing camp] telling them if they join the camp they will be given projects for their wards and $300,000 [around US$35,000] each’, says former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani. The elections in Solomon Islands aren’t ...
With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
Placards and mourners outside the Kilbirnie Mosque following the Christchurch terror attack: MSD has terminated the Kaiwhakaoranga service, which has been used by 415 families since the attacks. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The Government’s pledge to only cut ‘back office’ staff rather than ‘frontline’ services is on increasingly shaky ground, with ...
There’s been a few smaller public transport announcements over the last week or so that I thought I’d cover in a single post. Fareshare I’ve long called for Auckland Transport to offer a way to enable employer-subsidised public transport options. The need for this took on even more importance ...
Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate ConnectionsA farmworker cleans the solar panels of a solar water pump in the village of Jagadhri, Haryana Country, India. (Photo credit: Prashanth Vishwanathan/ IWMI) Decisions made in India over the next few years will play a key role in global ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
Geoffrey Miller writes – The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. ...
Brian Easton writes – This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be (I will report on them ...
TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to May 12 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will give a pre-budget speech on Thursday.Parliament sits from Question Time at 2pm on ...
The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 28, 2024 thru Sat, May 4, 2024. Story of the week "It’s straight out of Big Tobacco’s playbook. In fact, research by John Cook and his colleagues ...
Yesterday I received come lovely feedback following my Star Wars themed newsletter. A few people mentioned they’d enjoyed reading the personal part at the beginning.I often begin newsletters with some memories, or general thoughts, before commencing the main topic. This hopefully sets the mood and provides some context in which ...
April 30 was going to be the day we’d be calling Mum from London to wish her a happy birthday. Then it became the day we would be going to St. Paul's at Evensong to remember her. The aim of the cathedral builders was to find a way to make their ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
Eric Crampton writes – Grudges are bad. Better to move on. But it can be fun to keep a couple of really trivial ones, so you’re not tempted to have other ones. For example, because of the rootkit fiasco of 2005, no Sony products in our household. ...
A new report warns an estimated third of the adult population have unmet need for health care.Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāHere’s the six key things I learned about Aotaroa’s political economy this week around housing, climate and poverty:Politics - Three opinion polls confirmed support for PM Christopher Luxon ...
Today is May the fourth. Which was just a regular day when my mother took me to see the newly released Star Wars at the Odeon in Rotorua. The queue was right around the corner. Some years later this day became known as Star Wars Day, the date being a ...
Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba has described the Post-Courier’s front page story yesterday regarding a meeting between Bougainville and national government leaders as “sensationalised” and without substance. The Autonomous Bougainville Government (AGB) had warned it might use “other avenues to gain its independence” should the PNG government “continue ...
Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
The March results are reported against forecasts based on the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update 2023 (HYEFU 2023), published on 20 December 2023 and the results for the same period for the previous year. ...
Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
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This sort of thing is unbelievably grim. BTW – how come youtube videos no longer embed automatically?
https://youtu.be/TeOdxKozra0
Health and Safety in the workplace.
Lprent has been doing site maintenance, plugin trimming, fixing stuff, et cetera. I believe tweets also don’t embed at present. It is like reading MSM online with an ad-blocker, i.e., I quite like it this way!
Land of the free
Home of the brave!!!
The URLs still show though
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131986127/meka-whaitiri-breaks-silence-explains-why-it-was-time-to-leave-labour-and-join-te-pti-mori
How can you potentially go into Government with someone you do not trust?
The answer is:
With a written agreement that you then fulfil over multiple budgets.
See: 2017-2020 coalition agreement
If TMP has a brain, they will bargain for a specific agreement with dumptrucks of money attached, just as Winston Peters did.
Assuming you are older than 5, you do still think the world is B&W!?
Trust is fundamental, no matter what your age
Indeed, but this doesn’t mean it is unconditional, complete, absolute, infinite, permanent, or blind.
Smells like BS to me. Looks like an attempt at self preservation. Waka jumping doesn't exactly demonstrate trustworthiness
Misleading headlines!
No wonder there’s staff shortages in NZ schools.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/489548/has-sexism-suppressed-teachers-pay-education-ministry-launches-investigation
I wonder if Teachers and Nurses are going hard because they know that if Nat/Act are in power they will get no pay rise and if anything a pay reduction.
Probably – National scrapped the Pay Equity unit shortly after winning the 2008 election, so there's something to be said for getting things done under the current government and avoiding that as a possibility.
Took the Nats 19 days in government to scrap the Employment Equity Act 1990.
Any future pay increases that don’t keep up with inflation are a pay cut in real dollar terms. IIRC, National would not commit to increasing pay [of nurses] in line with inflation. Which is ironic given that they bleat a lot about indexing tax brackets.
Stories like this probably don't help either.
'WorkSafe investigates treatment of staff at Christchurch Boys’ High School'
Behind paywall.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/worksafe-investigation-launched-after-former-staff-concerns-raised-at-christchurch-boys-high-school/JZAT7ZZYYBGLXGCHTRODRFKOOU/
What’s that got to do with the price of fish?
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/08/plan-75-ageing-japan-euthanasia-suicide
A Japanese film that explores involuntary euthanaesia in drama form. The director has made it in order to pre-empt a slow creep in Japanese society towards demonising those who are not financially secure.
'Over the past decade, [the director] adds, the Japanese concept of self-responsibility has become an obsession. “It means that we have to take care of ourselves instead of relying on the government or being a burden to society – and it has created a kind of hatred towards the elderly and the weak.” '
I used to joke to my son growing up that his could be the first generation to have the chance to live for ever. And that his probably would also be the first generation with the legal power to euthanise their parents.
Of course, I started from the age of four or five to inculcate him with "you'll look after me when I'm old, won't you" (no question mark). We talked about fun stuff, too, in case you judge me as morbid. I'm of the school 'prepare (psychologically) for the worst, hope for the best'. Oops, reading this through I realise I need to emphasise the /sarc.
Sounds like the evil twin of Bill English's "social investment". You identify a set of people as being in themselves problematic. Then you can either pretend to give them extra support (the Blinglish model), or you withdraw whatever support they might already have in order to kill them. Same underlying pathological idea, just some sentimental surface differences in treatment.
New Zealand Green Investment Finance, created thanks to the Greens, has been allocated another $300 million in the 2023 Budget:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/pioneering-green-investor-gets-significant-boost
Yes, targetted profiling a big theme for neolibs. The UK runs such a system of focussing on "problem families". That way you can blame the individuals and not societal conditions/pay rates. I prefer Labour's approach of investment to uplift a class, in this case Māori, who dominate in negative health and prison stats. The Nat/neolib approach smacks of the classist "undeserving poor".
boom!
Pocket•Cindy
@Pocket_Cindy
Saw this on Facebook, and The Men are foaming at the mouth. Way to prove the point.
https://twitter.com/Pocket_Cindy/status/1655656375513382914
Thank you. That was beautiful.
Noah's flood is deluging Auckland again, arrrgh! At least I got the washing done.
Heard a rumour that Naniah Mahuta is not well and dropping portfolios?
via Barry Soper on ZB (03:22)
Likely well enough to waka jump when the moment is right.
That seems to be baseless speculation – Mahuta has been explicit that she has no intention of following Whaitiri to TPM
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/nanaia-mahuta-rules-out-maori-party-as-meka-whaitiri-prepares-for-big-return-to-parliament/NLR2R6ZV2ZFBTME6JIJBF37PI4/
Yeah it is just speculation – but you have to admit it has some logic to it. It likely hangs on this calculus – have I peaked with Labour, or can I achieve more with TMP?
What happens when middle NZ becomes aware of just how radical the separatist Maori sovereignty agenda really is?
Well they are not that worried about the crazy far right radicalism of the act party, and the economic melt down their election would cause.
Māori sovereignty or let me rephrase it so you don't have to run with your fearmongering line, up lifting Māori out of economic bondage seems quite tame in comparison.
Criticising a political policy is not the same as 'fearmongering'. No more than your not unreasonable objections to 'crazy far right radicalism' of ACT.
As for "lifting Māori out of economic bondage" – the Māori I meet here in Australia seem more than capable of doing this for themselves. Not sure what is holding back the ones still living in NZ.
Is “radical separatist Māori sovereignty agenda” your dysphemism for “co-governance”?
Nope. I just rely on TPM's policy page on to inform me:
https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/mana_motuhake
Faced between a choice of ACT's radical economics amd TMP's radical constitutional and social agenda's – it's not all that clear which I'd pick.
I'm more worried that TPM is positioning itself as kingmaker with potential to form govt with the right. Big turn-off
Rubbish Red !! Stop telling porkies. Nanaia is staunch Labour.
It seems beyond belief that a school felt that it was a good idea to send students on a caving expedition in the teeth of a warning of heavy rainfall
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/northland-weather-police-and-fire-respond-to-students-trapped-in-abbey-caves/4EBTF2452JHLPGZH7TN6QUHNPY/
My heart goes out to the family of the missing student.
Yep very poor decision and likely very tragic consequences. To enter a cave system which contains a waterway when rain any rain is forecast let alone when there have been numerous weather warnings is complete insanity.
I think you may jumped to conclusions prematurely, but I feel it is too early to start waving fingers and go tsss, tsss …
I'm sure the bereaved family will entirely support your position /sarc/
I'm not quite sure what conclusions I'm supposed to have jumped to. The death of the student has now been confirmed. We all know what the weather conditions were. There is no question but that this was an 'official' school trip.
What more information do you need to have?
Can you think of *any* circumstances where this would have been a sensible and responsible trip to take, given the forecast weather?
You can't even say that the consequences would have been unforseen – we've had previous tragedies where school trips have been overcome by bad weather.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/centres-guilty-pleas-over-canyon-tragedy-welcomed/Y3CJ747JVU5OWCJ2MQ23FGMUXQ/
Schools know that weather is a risk factor, and school trips are routinely cancelled because of weather conditions.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/05/body-found-in-search-for-missing-student-in-whang-rei-s-abbey-caves.html
The conclusions you jumped to last night have not changed, it seems.
Each to their own.
I look forward to you imposing the same level of proof on all of your political commentary.
And countering your selective quoting
“The mother who spoke to Stuff said the school group should have never been in the caves given the weather warnings.
She said communication from the police and school was “shocking”, with police urging the students not to answer their phones after they were rescued as distressed parents tried to reach them.”
…..
“Parents posted online criticising the school’s “absolutely insane” decision.
Questions about why the outing was not called off remain unanswered, and intensified after Stuff revealed students were meant to be rock climbing but the forecast downpours forced the trip underground instead.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/abbey-caves-tragedy-lost-a-much-loved-and-treasured-son-and-brother-whangarei-boys-principal-pays-tribute-to-dead-student/TRCLN7XBFVD2VMSX6RXI4UFLAY/
What level of proof am I imposing and on whom?
"Jumping to conclusions"
Valid commentary based on the publicly available information.
If we are required to wait for the official W&S investigation before commenting – surely you will also wish to apply that 'level of proof' requirement to other commentary. /sarc/
Nah, you can jump the gun, if you must, even before the poor boy’s body was found and recovered. I find it insensitive, disrespectful, and premature, which is neither a requirement nor an imposition. You may want to be more careful with jumping to conclusions and accusing others – it seems a bit of a habit of yours.
Sure thing. I'll continue to make valid commentary.
And, always happy to respond to additional information as it is presented.
I call it forming an opinion, based on publicly available evidence. You call it jumping to conclusions.
I note that you didn't express this opinion in any of the criticism which has been presented on non-Labour politicians or figures (you might want to look at the Charlotte Bellis debacle – not TS's finest hour).
I said you “may [have] jumped to conclusions prematurely”. You couldn’t even wait till the body had been found.
Instead of sarcasm you’re now opting for deflection and whataboutism!? Not your finest comment.
I don’t expect you to change your spots, almost nobody here does anyway.
You said:
"The conclusions you jumped to last night have not changed, it seems."
Nothing about "may" or "prematurely"
However, little profit in debating form with a moderator.
Enjoy your evening.
Your subesequent comments removed any doubt.
Simon Wilson pulls no punches: “Tax avoidance is the ram-raiding of the uber-rich”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/simon-wilson-tax-avoidance-is-the-ram-raiding-of-the-uber-rich/XYERIHPL7VHGFGOP7E5P5JN3AM/
Well said Simon. Thanks Rob.
Of course the givers of huge amounts for Nat/Act expect nothing at all in return. Not a thing. The givers are just being kind as is their custom.
Wilson makes an important point about our news media as well. Broken glass is more newsworthy than routine white collar crime, even though the scale is vastly different and impacts are systemic and hurt more people eventually
There is a blogsite I look at regularly where anger about ram raiders is common and ideas about what should happen to ram raiders (and their families) are freely shared. Ruthless treatment is to be meted out.
Some young people do things which have profound impacts on victims. We know that.
If a lawyer or businessperson operating in the same block of shops or offices of a ram raider ruthlessly destroys the lives of a number of people with crooked dealings, ripoffs and treachery do they get the same attention and contempt in that same forum? No, or at least very seldom and certainly not with the same venom and sustained attack. That stuff is ignored.
Why? Because they are highly likely to not be young Māori offenders.
Excellent points Peter.
Broken glass is so much more tangible and easier to prove than 'pretty legal' white-collar crime. Court cases are highly technical, long, and thus boring.
I (for better or worse – usually the latter) subscribe to NZ Herald – the comments to Simon's article are just so predictable, most of them are frothing at the mouth and possibly other places as well! One or two brave souls had the utter temerity to support what Simon said and they got shot down in flames as well.
Didn't know they still allowed comments. Probably not a good idea for the Boomers' blood pressure
Kia Ora. I have not been here for quite some time.
I noted on a recent Open Mike there was a bit of discussion around Chloe Swarbrick talking about the cruelty of Greyhound racing.
I have been campaigning for many years, along with others, for a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public. I have been motivated from an animal welfare perspective, after knowing of the loss of animals to fireworks, permanent disability and evolving psychological disorders.
This is a move formally supported by FENZ, NZ Police, SAFE, NZ Veterinary Association, SPCA and others. that I have possibly forgotten.
I've been through two Select Committees. The first report published in August 2020 was full of top notch evidence from the above organisations, and I think I put up a fairly good fight.
The second Select Committee was a pared back version of the first and the report, written by Nat Jacqui Dean was verging on insulting and patronising.
I am here to tell you that, if you are considering animal welfare when you vote, think about the Green Party. They have been the only ones who have actively engaged with me and supporting a ban. They also really mean it. It's not lip service for the feels.
Thank you and that is all.
Catherine AKA We Care, No Fireworks Here
Labour Party member, Ohariu Electorate
I’d be fine with a ban on public sales. The other aspect is people going to beaches and letting off fireworks and leaving all the shit behind from that (as well as impact on wildlife). And in many parts of the country November is a fire risk and this will only get worse with climate change.
Are sparklers included in the ban? The biggest challenge is removing family fund and tradition.
I think part of the problem has been the H&S bar for local community fireworks displays being ridiculously and unreasonably high. It used to be a great little fundraiser for rugby clubs, Playcentres and schools to hold a 'bonfire night' event. Families would pay as small amount, and bring along their own fireworks to 'pool' for everyone to enjoy.
Sausage sizzles, food sales, softdrinks etc. – were the major funding stream for the hosting organization.
Many also did this as a community goodwill gesture – making a family-friendly, fun event.
The requirement for OTT safety plans, and personal liability for risk for the organizers, has killed off all of these local events. In the last 15 years it's gone from a choice of 3 or 4 within walking distance – to nothing.
Families have the choice of attending a large event, costing a lot of money, held miles away, and which is often not suitable for small children; or holding back-yard celebrations (often moving, illicitly, to beaches or local parks).
What people really want is a community event: a safe space for kids to play (supervised) with sparklers, and seeing mid-size fireworks (catherine wheels, rockets, etc.) – touched off by adults or older children under supervision; with a picnic space, and with the odd treat food and drink option.
If there's a community event, where they can freely participate, teens are much less likely to sneak off to the bush or the beach to let off their rockers and bangers. And people are much more likely to join in to the local event/s rather than letting off their own fireworks on their own schedule.
There's space for the mega-events as well – but they can't be the only option.
Hi weka. Yes, it's a problem with fireworks on beaches. In many cases there will be council by law in place that prevents fireworks being lit on beaches or council reserves. This can be enforced by Police. If in doubt contact your local council prior to fireworks going on sale to check whether there is a by law in place preventing people from using fireworks in public spaces.
FENZ have already commented on the fact that this is a terrible time of year to be letting off fireworks. After all, they are heavily affected at this time of the year putting out fireworks related bush and scrub fires.
As for us campaigners the resistance is not coming from families (largely they have the good sense to go to safety approved public displays) and tradition doesn't count as there is nothing to do with modern Aotearoa acknowledging the gun powder plot of 1605 in England. Our challenge is merely political apathy.
Public polling was used as evidence in submissions to both SC's but later a man bv the name of Johnathon Hill commissioned a private survey showing that 65% want an end to public sales.
"Helm’s call to ban fireworks has been backed up by a survey commissioned by Wellington man Jonathan Hill which shows two thirds (65%) of the 1085 people asked, now oppose the private sale of fireworks."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/130533495/call-for-ban-on-fireworks-after-temuka-woman-has-to-put-seriously-injured-foal-down
Yes, sparklers need to included in a ban given recent concern about the explosives toxins creating respiratory problems in children, however sparklers can be used in animal torture too.
"insulting and patronising" describes Jacqui Dean quite well.
One of the many things that happen when same sex attracted people are force teamed with straight people with a bunch of medical and psychological conditions.
"Resist Gender Education (RGE) objects in the strongest terms to our group being named in the above Stuff report about harassment and threats against teachers, librarians, trans people and their allies, and the implication that we have participated in such behaviour. We do not advocate for, nor condone, threats or harassment towards anyone and certainly not towards the rainbow community, which many of our group are part of.
Stuff’s coverage of this issue is, as usual, one dimensional, implying that anyone who might challenge schools on education policies regarding sexuality and gender must necessarily be against same-sex relationships. RGE is a non-partisan and non-religious group of parents and educators, including lesbians and gays, who are (obviously) supportive of same-sex relationships and the marriage equality laws in NZ. Our challenge to education policies is focused solely on the teaching of gender identity beliefs as if they are fact and on teaching these concepts to children who are too young to be able to grasp the complexities involved.”
https://resistgendereducation.substack.com/p/challenging-harmful-policies-is-not?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&fbclid=IwAR1VKIFdx6EeIil0Dns59fDew83awiArjiWc9_VIJ6BCuBt8K0wSQ9EMGpQ
https://www.resistgendereducation.nz/information/gender-in-education
Looking at RGE's website, of the three links with NZ content, one is from Family First, one is a very old article from 2016 about a student at an all-girls' school who didn't like the idea of sharing a bathroom with a transgender student, an issue which was resolved at the time with little fuss, plus a link to the I'm Local NZ Rainbow Youth resource site.
https://www.imlocal.co.nz/#freestuff
"Kicked off in 2014 by RainbowYOUTH, the I’m Local project focuses on contacting high schools, medical centres, hospitals, libraries, marae and community centres in more rural or isolated area of Aotearoa and supplying them with free resources about gender and sexuality."
The educational material is clearly targetted at high schools, not primary schools, is voluntary, and seems quite a good idea to proovide support for gender-diverse adolescents in small rural towns. No kiddie grooming here, as far as I can see.
The other site links are to overseas articles, eg, from the right-wing Spectator and culture wars mag The Critic, and refer to situations not relevant to us here. Full of the usual horror and indignation, though.
[deleted because of unlinked quote]
I've deleted your comment. I'll reinstate it when you provide links for the quotes.
Where was the reference to the source material, and the indication who it was for?
In quote marks at the start I give the self-description from the Rainbow Youth site, where they state who they think will benefit from the resources.
I made a mistake in that the material is targetted at Rainbow Youth generally.
Holy fsck Seymour is an annoying prat. After all the RW scaremongering about 3 Waters he has suddenly realised it might be a good idea to build drains.
https://twitter.com/StrayDogNZ/status/1655809769427570688?s=20
FYI Seymour CC is real. You utter womble.
The thick blue line is 2023. Other lines are rainfall data back to 1963, measured at Auckland Airport.
from https://twitter.com/REasther/status/1655754262142648320?s=20