Open mike 09/12/2024
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6:00 am, December 9th, 2024 - 18 comments
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Maybe people are only just beginning to notice the close alignment of Russia and China. It’s discussed as a sudden new phenomenon in world affairs, but in fact it’s not new at all. The two ...2 hours ago - The dishonest crown
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- Hine Ruhi (Slice Of Heaven)
Ko kōpū ka rere i te paeMe ko Hine RuhiTīaho mai tō arohaMe ko Hine RuhiDa da da ba du da da ba du da da da ba du da da da da da daDa da da ba du da da ba du da da da ba du da da ...7 hours ago - ‘We can afford more drones, but not more homes’
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I’ve inserted a tidbit and rumours section1. Colonoscopy wait times increase, procedures drop under NationalWait times for urgent, non-urgent and surveillance colonoscopies all progressively worsened last year. Health NZ data shows the total number of publicly-funded colonoscopies dropped by more than 7 percent.Health NZ chief medical officer Helen Stokes-Lampard blamed ...9 hours ago - Tuesday 8 April
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Aged care workers rallying against potential roster changes say Bupa, which runs retirement homes across the country, needs to focus on care instead of money. More than half of New Zealand workers wish they had chosen a different career according to a new survey. Consumers are likely to see a ...6 days ago
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Long-serving Labour MP and former Minister David Parker has today announced his intention to leave Parliament. ...5 hours ago
- Release: Flaws in Govt’s climate strategy will cost us money
The Government’s plan to achieve our climate goals falls short, and will cost New Zealanders money and jobs. ...1 day ago
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- Release: Govt guts Kāinga Ora, third of workforce under axe
The gutting of Kāinga Ora shows public housing is not a priority for this Government as it removes a third of the roles at the housing agency. ...5 days ago
- Release: Thousands of submissions excluded from Treaty Principles Bill report
Thousands of New Zealanders’ submissions are missing from the official parliamentary record because the National-dominated Justice Select Committee has rushed work on the Treaty Principles Bill. ...5 days ago
- Release: Uncertainty remains over the impact of tariffs
Today’s announcement of 10 percent tariffs for New Zealand goods entering the United States is disappointing for exporters and consumers alike, with the long-lasting impact on prices and inflation still unknown. ...5 days ago
- Release: Worst February for building consents in over a decade
The National Government’s choices have contributed to a slow-down in the building sector, as thousands of people have lost their jobs in construction. ...6 days ago
- Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act
Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country. ...6 days ago
- Te Pāti Māori MPs Denied Fundamental Rights in Privileges Committee Hearing
The Privileges Committee has denied fundamental rights to Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Rawiri Waititi and Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, breaching their own standing orders, breaching principles of natural justice, and highlighting systemic prejudice and discrimination within our parliamentary processes. The three MPs were summoned to the privileges committee following their performance of a haka ...1 week ago
- Release: Govt health and safety changes put workers at risk
Changes to New Zealand’s health and safety laws will strip back key protections for small businesses and put working Kiwis at greater risk. ...1 week ago
- Release: Kiwis worse off this April thanks to Govt choices
April 1 used to be a day when workers could count on a pay rise with stronger support for those doing it tough, but that’s not the case under this Government. ...1 week ago
- Release: Three more years for Interislander ferries
Winston Peters is shopping for smaller ferries after Nicola Willis torpedoed the original deal, which would have delivered new rail enabled ferries next year. ...1 week ago
- Release: Myanmar junta must stop the airstrikes
The Government should work with other countries to press the Myanmar military regime to stop its bombing campaign especially while the country recovers from the devastating earthquake. ...1 week ago
- Release: National failing to deliver on supermarkets
National is paying lip service to its promises to bring down the cost of living, failing to make any meaningful change in the grocery sector. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour backs farmers’ call for better process on GE
Labour shares farmers’ concerns that the Gene Technology Bill is moving too fast. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Bar still too high for small mental health providers
Small mental health providers will still be locked out of co-funding from the Mental Health Innovation Fund despite a lower threshold. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens call for Govt to scrap proposed ECE changes
The Green Party is calling for the Government to scrap proposed changes to Early Childhood Care, after attending a petition calling for the Government to ‘Put tamariki at the heart of decisions about ECE’. ...2 weeks ago
- NZ First Introduces Bill That Gives Democracy Back To The People
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill today that will remove the power of MPs conscience votes and ensure mandatory national referendums are held before any conscience issues are passed into law. “We are giving democracy and power back to the people”, says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters. ...2 weeks ago - Speech: Navigating the New World (Dis)order in Turbulent Times
Welcome to members of the diplomatic corp, fellow members of parliament, the fourth estate, foreign affairs experts, trade tragics, ladies and gentlemen. ...2 weeks ago
- Te Pāti Māori Call for Mandatory Police Body Cameras
In recent weeks, disturbing instances of state-sanctioned violence against Māori have shed light on the systemic racism permeating our institutions. An 11-year-old autistic Māori child was forcibly medicated at the Henry Bennett Centre, a 15-year-old had his jaw broken by police in Napier, kaumātua Dean Wickliffe went on a hunger ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis lose faith in job market
Confidence in the job market has continued to drop to its lowest level in five years as more New Zealanders feel uncertain about finding work, keeping their jobs, and getting decent pay, according to the latest Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens question Govt commitment to environmental protection with RMA reform
The Greens are calling on the Government to follow through on their vague promises of environmental protection in their Resource Management Act (RMA) reform. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt must tackle meth use crisis
New data shows methamphetamine use is spiralling out of control while the Government sits on its hands. ...2 weeks ago
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“Make New Zealand First Again” Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, thank you for being here today. We know your lives are busy and you are working harder and longer than you ever have, and there are many calls on your time, so thank you for the chance to speak ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Govt’s continued lack of action on Gaza condemned
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: National at sea over Defence jobs
National is looking to cut hundreds of jobs at New Zealand’s Defence Force, while at the same time it talks up plans to increase focus and spending in Defence. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: National standards returning by stealth
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...3 weeks ago
- Release: Kiwis still struggling as economy stumbles along
Kiwis aren’t feeling any better off despite figures showing a very slight growth in GDP in the December quarter. ...3 weeks ago
- New planning laws to end the culture of ‘no’
The Government’s new planning legislation to replace the Resource Management Act will make it easier to get things done while protecting the environment, say Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court. “The RMA is broken and everyone knows it. It makes it too hard to build ...2 weeks ago - New Zealand & India Comprehensive FTA consultation begins
Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay has today launched a public consultation on New Zealand and India’s negotiations of a formal comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. “Negotiations are getting underway, and the Public’s views will better inform us in the early parts of this important negotiation,” Mr McClay says. We are ...2 weeks ago
- Cost of living support coming for 1.5 million New Zealanders
More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 ...2 weeks ago
- Iwi join discussion on geothermal potential
Progressing a holistic strategy to unlock the potential of New Zealand’s geothermal resources, possibly in applications beyond energy generation, is at the centre of discussions with mana whenua at a hui in Rotorua today, Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is in the early stages ...3 weeks ago
- Building consent data shows need for bold reforms
New annual data has exposed the staggering cost of delays previously hidden in the building consent system, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “I directed Building Consent Authorities to begin providing quarterly data last year to improve transparency, following repeated complaints from tradespeople waiting far longer than the statutory ...3 weeks ago
- Reining in water price increases for Aucklanders
Increases in water charges for Auckland consumers this year will be halved under the Watercare Charter which has now been passed into law, Local Government Minister Simon Watts and Auckland Minister Simeon Brown say. The charter is part of the financial arrangement for Watercare developed last year by Auckland Council ...3 weeks ago
- Strong interest in modernising biosecurity law
There is wide public support for the Government’s work to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity protections, says Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard. “The Ministry for Primary Industries recently completed public consultation on proposed amendments to the Biosecurity Act and the submissions show that people understand the importance of having a strong biosecurity ...3 weeks ago
- New independent review function for civil aviation decisions
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- Enhanced urgent care service for Napier
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- Construction begins on new adult mental health building in Christchurch
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey attended a sod turning today to officially mark the start of construction on a new mental health facility at Hillmorton Campus. “This represents a significant step in modernising mental health services in Canterbury,” Mr Brown says. “Improving health infrastructure is ...3 weeks ago
- It’s official: Kiwis can look forward to better days
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- Sealing improves safety on Forgotten World Highway
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- NZ – US relations on strong footing
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- Labor’s $1 billion for mental health is good news for young people in particular – but leaves so...
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- Government’s green investment bank to be shut down
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- Greenpeace Corrects Federated Farmers’ Impotent Attack
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- ‘Never our intention to mock Jesus’ – Naked Samoans respond to backlash over controversial pos...
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- Here’s who topped the rankings in this year’s scorecard for sustainable chocolate – and which ...
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6 hour wait for ambulance in Whangarei
Kinda means the PM lied about no impact to front line services, and lets face reality Reti is also a lying scum bag.
Don't even bother in Pukekohe. The last time, one had to be sent from the North Shore, took quite some time. A few days ago after 1.5 hours an ambulance still hadn't even been assigned. (Very ill relative). Said relative made the comment she could see how people die just waiting for the ambos.
To be slightly fair on this govt (with gritted teeth)- the ambulance system has been in serious trouble for a few years now.
Google ‘serious delays with ambulances nz’ and some horrible stories from recent years show up. Too many to link
And in postcode-healthcare-positive Wanaka, you get St Johns within minutes and if needed you get helicoptered out to Dunedin. Such an egregiously unequal country now.
There are some consolations from the seasonal influxes of visitors to these parts, requiring more ambulances and staff. Also had instances where we've been asked to make our own way to ED because they were too busy.
We also get the dubious pleasure of a 5 – 6 hour round trip to hospital for a 20 minute consultation. Sudden emergencies or surgery entails family having to camp in town for a period to support. Just had a week in Invercargill for partner's surgery and had a month camped / commuting when Mum broke her hip a year ago. It's odd that staff and patients from town don't understand what's involved.
I hope all is okay Adam, agree 100% re Reti. I hate that he's our MP.
[I fixed user handle; please pay more care in future, thanks – Incognito]
Mod note
You have my sympathy and understanding–has happened to several of my family members too.
Reti is the classic Māori who barely realises he is one–set up by a Mormon upbringing to be a “chosen one”. His conflicts of interest abound with his holdings via trust in Kensington Private Hospital.
https://wheretheystand.nz/people/shane-reti/interests
Being a registered medical doctor who is happy to go along with all that smoking tax crap for the sake of holding onto power is also a major conflict of interest.
Petition to send Simeon Brown to the depth of suburban LA, particularly to a suburb where cars are the only option and make him commute to an office in the city. If he likes it great! He can stay there. If he doesn’t, he gets the point and he has to stay anyway…
And if the mothers float, they're in league with the devil..
//
The “lung float” test claims to help determine if a baby was born alive or dead, but many medical examiners say it’s too unreliable. Yet the test is still being used to bring murder charges — and get convictions.
Inside the medical examiner’s office, two pathologists removed a baby’s lungs from his chest, clamped them together and placed them in a container of water. Then they watched.
They were examining the suspicious death of the baby whose body was found in a Maryland home; his mother said he was stillborn.
If the lungs floated, the theory behind the test holds, the baby likely was born alive. If they sank, the baby likely was stillborn.
“A very simple premise,” the assistant medical examiner later testified.
The lungs floated — and the mother was charged with murder.
https://www.propublica.org/article/is-lung-float-test-reliable-stillbirth-medical-examiners-murder
Amnesty has joined the chorus of voices depicting the obvious. The brutal destruction of Gaza is unequivocally a genocide. They particularly focus on intent dedicating nearly one third of the almost 300 page document to this topic.
It is this that largely has driven Israel to negotiate in bad faith even to the extent of assassinating the man they are negotiating with. Genocide is easier under conditions of assumed conflict even if one party only has access to the effective equivalence of sticks and stones.
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/12/israels-genocide-in-gaza-is-fully-intentional-and-other-takeaways-from-the-amnesty-international-report/
Marina Hyde, Guardian satirist, rips into Justin Welby, resigning AB of Canterbury, on his tone-deaf resignation speech in the UK Lords, Here.
Well I guess this bloke has learnt a valuable life lesson.
Man hospitalised after alleged copper theft attempt | Stuff
Is ACC still covering people who were injured during the commission of a crime?
If they are, then screw his valuable life lessons.
Someone here at TS swallows Ozzie Liberal Party propaganda regarding nuclear power being economically viable in Australia (and maybe here).
CSIRO with others have thoroughly refuted the Lib Party case. Nuclear power station build times and costs, plant lifetime and likely power grid contribution all place nuclear as less efficient, and far more expensive, than wind and solar options.
Somewhere out there nuclear power plant companies are just pumping their disinformation into the small brains of gullible political parties who are keen to undermine greener options as their USP.
TVNZ poll at 6 pm.
"What I would say to you is I don't believe this poll, or all the other polls, I'm awesome, everybody loves me …"
Two announcements coming up shortly from the CoC.
Kiwibank and the ferries.
From the noises coming from the Beehive it sounds like privatisation of both.
Yeah. Ideological asset sales disguised as some sort of emergency response. Willis, who I believe is genuinely thick in general and way too thick to be stinking up the job she has somehow blagged her way into, did say in months gone by there would be no reduction in the government's investment, so she is not selling as such but they think listing Kiwibank is going to save the New Zealand banking system for the consumer, I guess.
I heard on the radio that Kiwibank is doing very well on market share right now and is being aggressive with low mortgage rates and consequently low savings rates. Government interference will no doubt blunt their ability to pursue such challenging rate settings.
These f*ckwits don't care though. The only thing they care about is a return to house price inflation.