Open mike 09/10/2014

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:30 am, October 9th, 2014 - 169 comments
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Sanctuary 1

9 October 2014 at 7:41 am

People who run around claiming DOC are poisoning our water with chemical warfare and getting generally hysterical about 1080 annoy the sh*t outta me.

Why? because they are dullards, immune to science and reason, whose OTT hyperbole undermines the credibility of actually important environmental stuff like global warming and fisheries depletion and loss of habitat.

Go.Away.You.Annoying.People.

And that especially means you, the lady with the pamphlets in the next office along whose response when I asked her for credible scientific source for her anti-1080 rubbish declared I was a arrogant and stupid person who should ask all the dead trout and kiwis.

Yeah, really scientific she is.
- Tom Jackson 1.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 8:59 am
  
  Well, I guess someone who thinks dead trout and kiwi can talk has problems.
- wyndham 1.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:16 am
  
  Such folk are always with us. Some don’t believe in the advantages of vaccination; others think that flouridation of water supplies will kill us. It’s OK to kill stoats to protect our native birds but cats are sacrosanct. The list is endless – – – some people are even agin the gummint.
  
  Reason doesn’t come into it and that’s what makes us the diverse and rich community that we are.
  
  Go 1080 I say !
- vto 1.3
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:19 am
  
  The Ban-1080 Party got more votes than United Future.
  
  The Ban-1080 Party got more votes than ACT.
  
  The votes came from places where 1080 is most widely used.
  
  But yeah nah always believe the official line when it comes to chemicals eh … like we did with formaldehyde, like we did with 245T, like we did with asbestos, like we did with …… on it goes ……
  
  And yeah nah, that we are pretty much the last country to still not ban the shit is meaningless too …….
  
  And yeah nah, that DOC refuse themselves to use the shit in their kiwi areas is meaningless too …..
  
  always believe the official line eh yeah
  - lurgee 1.3.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 9:23 am
    
    ike we did with formaldehyde
    
    You mean thalidomide?
    - vto 1.3.1.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 9:35 am
      
      that too lurgee
  - rawshark-yeshe 1.3.2
    
    9 October 2014 at 9:54 am
    
    kudos, vto .. well said
  - Chooky 1.3.3
    
    9 October 2014 at 10:32 am
    
    +100 vto…NZ takes 80% of 1080 world production!
    
    …made by a sole family company in USA
    
    …banned for years in environmentally aware Oregon
    
    …used very very sparingly in other States in USA
    
    …it is killing off the kea…it kills other birds including endangered kiwi…
    
    NZ needs to pay hunters to keep possums down….and needs to reinstate the publically funded Rabbit Boards to keep down rabbits on farmland
    - joe90 1.3.3.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 12:15 pm
      
      NZ needs to pay hunters to keep possums down
      
      Possum population – >30,000000.
      
      Nah.
      - vto 1.3.3.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 12:32 pm
        
        Weka is right below that 1080 seems to work. The problem is that it never completely works – there are always remnants which then reproduce the population again.
        
        What I think is needed is a combo of current approach plus a bounty on possums so the remainder can be taken out after a 1080 drop. Combo of 1080 and trapping/hunting post-drop to really clean out the catchments totally.
        
        Draco T Bastard 1.3.3.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:49 pm
        
        The last time that bounty was used to cull possums we ended up with a worse situation as some hunters decided that they wanted to work closer to home and so spread the possums into areas where they weren’t.
        
        Personally, I think that the solution will be the infertility drugs that they’re working on but until then we get to use 1080 because nothing else is practical given the large area and rugged terrain.
  - wekarawshark 1.3.4
    
    9 October 2014 at 10:54 am
    
    “And yeah nah, that DOC refuse themselves to use the shit in their kiwi areas is meaningless too”
    
    The problem is that 1080 works. The kill of native species is more than offset by the increase in breeding and survival of those species over time, that’s the point. I don’t know what DOC do re the kiwi, but it makes sense to not use it in areas where you have failing populations of ground birds.
    
    I think the crucial question is how many of the anti-1080 people voted National? There is no way in hell that there will be less 1080 use so long as we have a govt that cuts funding to DOC.
    
    It also concerns me that 1080 is being used more and more by councils and even private property owners. It looks like there has been a change somewhere in how easily accessible it is, its price, and I’m guessing a push from consultants or sales reps. Has there been a change in regulations too?
    
    I’d also like to know if anyone is keeping a log of increase in use, and areas where it is being used.
- wekarawshark 1.4
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:52 am
  
  “People who run around claiming DOC are poisoning our water with chemical warfare and getting generally hysterical about 1080 annoy the sh*t outta me.”
  
  Is it just the hysterical ones, or anyone who has criticisms of the 1080 use in NZ? Because it looked like you might just have said there are no valid critiques of 1080 use, which would be not hysterical so much as fundamentalist.
- wekarawshark 1.5
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:57 am
  
  as an aside to the hysteria, I heard a rumour that one of the Nat MPs (from a previous govt I think) who approved 1080 use also had business connections to the manufacturer. Anyone know if that’s true or got more detail?
  - vto 1.5.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 10:05 am
    
    Don’t know but that would be in line with the National Party approach….
    
    Apparently though one of the main reasons it is being used is that the gummint bought tons and tons of the stuff, way more than was needed, quite some time ago and it is all too expensive to throw out. Perhaps linked to what you have heard weka..
  - Chooky 1.5.2
    
    9 October 2014 at 10:37 am
    
    i heard that an Act associated company lobbies and promotes it…dont know if this is true…try Catherine Isaac ‘Awaroa Partners’ ?
- Chooky 1.6
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:54 am
  
  ‘North and South’ did a feature on 1080 debate and scientific evidence a number of years ago ….and really according to two USA scientists (PHDs in stats and environmental science) living at the time in NZ…. there has been no real scientific studies of the fall out from 1080 drops conducted in New Zealand .
  
  From their cursory studies they were appalled at NZ’s negligence!!!!.
  
  Personally i prefer to believe the evidence of NZ hunters and fishers and farmers…those who have lived in the drop zones….and my own observations…lack of bird calls , silent forests….no kiwi, no kea ( endangered bird species)…when once upon a time the bird call noise particularly at dawn was deafening…that is evidence!
  - b waghorn 1.6.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 12:12 pm
    
    I worked in Ohura for a farmer who went there in 1958 he said that until they 1080 d the bush pigeons were a rare site , I was there only two years ago and they were plentyful. Not very scientific but hard to argue with
    - wekarawshark 1.6.1.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 3:18 pm
      
      +1
      
      Every bit of bush I’ve been in that’s been 1080-ed has better bird life than the bush that doesn’t. The quiet bush effect is post the drop. But the pick up in wildlife happens in the years afterwards.
      
      However, 1080 isn’t the only option. There are other successful ways of controlling predators and they generally don’t kill native species.
      
      I’d like to see research done on possum bodies being left in the bush by fur pluckers and whether that is increasing rat and stoat populations. Or even some anecdotal evidence that the bodies are getting eaten.
      - b waghorn 1.6.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:48 pm
        
        Done a bit of possum control and yes they do get eaten , its a tough Job and asking trappers to carry out carcases is impractical lmo. I also had a good yak to a very experienced possum control guy recently and he reakoned they have improved there 1080 methods greatly and use a fraction per hectare that they used to.
        
        wekarawshark 1.6.1.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 4:09 pm
        
        not all terrain is the same, so some body recovery is possible. The problem here is that the fur industry is trying to work to niche marketing in a market economy and that’s being done separately from pest control. Possum pluckers should be being paid to run stoat lines as well, and there is the opportunity to offer incentives to not leave bodies lying round. Getting a good skin price established would help too.
        
        “I also had a good yak to a very experienced possum control guy recently and he reakoned they have improved there 1080 methods greatly and use a fraction per hectare that they used to.”
        
        Interesting. Problem is, usage is going up and its being used in more and more places where it wasn’t before. It should be kept for situations where there really is no other option, like high conservation value areas that are inacessible.
        
        b waghorn …
        
        9 October 2014 at 5:40 pm
        
        I agree ground control is best but as we can’t get NZ unemployed to pick apples or milk cows I can’t see them carrying heavy packs on trackless forest.
Skinny 2

9 October 2014 at 8:02 am

Supreme High Commander John Key & his cohorts decides on whether to send New Zealand troops to war. No bipartisan decision by the whole of parliament, just a dictatorship call. Disgraceful breech of power could lead to a terrible terrorist attack on our shores, by Key saying “our SIS will provide targets for drones & airstrikes.”

Problem is a dampened down New Zealand society, like sheep they will follow the shepard to the slaughter house.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11339342
- Chooky 2.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:26 am
  
  …will he send his own son?…I doubt it ! ( it is the acid test )
  
  (…even the Royals have their sons involved and at risk …not John Key)
  
  …will he go himself?….hell no!….he will just send OUR sons and daughters
  
  ….will he put all New Zealanders at risk of terrorist reprisals on our own shores?…YES!
  
  …. will he be held responsible?…YES!
  
  Helen Clark did not take us into the Iraq war…she is a hero
- Murray Rawshark 2.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:22 pm
  
  This, along with all the corrupt behaviour exposed by Rawshark, really convinces me that we need a constitution. Going into an aggressive war should involve at least 2/3 of parliament, and everyone who votes for it should either have to go themselves, or nominate a close family member.
  - Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 2.2.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 10:34 pm
    
    has to be a close family member they love dearly
ScottGN 3

9 October 2014 at 8:10 am

Stuff reporting that employment law reform is a third term priority for the government. Is this the term that Key’s backers call in the favours and push for lower wages? I guess we can kiss goodbye to the public holiday penalty rates that Clark restored during her time as PM
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10595483/Priorities-for-third-term-revealed
- dv 3.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 8:26 am
  
  AND education reforms.
  What will that mean???
  - phillip ure 3.1.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 8:34 am
    
    smash the teachers-unions..and a serious roll-out of charter schools..
    
    ..and the other ‘reforms’ they have heralded..
    
    ..(that rustling-sound in the background you can hear..is the various factions of the right..
    
    ..writing up their wish-lists..for the next three yrs..
    
    ..they are gonna go apeshit/gangbuusters..)
    
    ..and is it too soon to adopt the phrase/catch-cry?..
    
    ..’don’t blame me..i didn’t vote for the bastards’..?..
- Tracey 3.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 8:54 am
  
  They have been paying back in employment law for six years…
Ad 4

9 October 2014 at 8:19 am

I would like the editors to consider inviting regular columns from the new Parliaments’ Green, Labour and NZFirst members.

I think we can help prepare the ground for an alternative government.
- phillip ure 4.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 8:30 am
  
  that wd be good..but the deal shd be that they also take/answer questions..
  
  ..not just do a seagull-appearance..
  
  ..then we cd ask the green whoever why they gifted peter dunnes’ seat to him..
  
  ..and for the umpteenth-time..
  - Skinny 4.1.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 8:45 am
    
    And Auckland Central ‘again’ mind you Labour messed them around on running on the same policy ticket like they do in OZ.
    - phillip ure 4.1.1.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 9:02 am
      
      yeah..and epsom…again/still..
      
      ..until they learn how to play-mmp together..nicely..!
      
      ..the left/progressives are screwed…
      
      ..the other option is to lower the threshold..
      
      ..but that ain’t gonna happen in the near future..
      
      ..and of course the simplest option is the nz first one..
      
      ..end progressive vote-splitting forever..
      
      ..and don’t stand electorate candidates..
      
      ..just have a clear/simple/single-option for anyone even slightly green..
      
      ..party vote is it..
      
      ..i dunno why they persist in that electorate-circus..
      
      ..i can’t work out for fucken why?..
      
      ..they have no chance of winning one..
      
      (unless they do a deal with labour..well cent…where robertson came third in the party vote..wd be an obvious candidate..)
      
      ..and they have to spend/expend all that money/energy in what is largely an exercise in futility..
      
      ….when a focused party-vote only campaign wd do as well..and likely better..
      
      ..’cos you wd end that problem of voters giving one vote to the green candidate..and their party vote elsewhere..
      
      ..it’s a no fucken brainer..really..
      
      ..(and the same message should/must apply to mana..in 2017..esp. in auckland..)
      - The Al1en 4.1.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:05 am
        
        “..i dunno why they persist in that electorate-circus….i can’t work out for fucken why?….they have no chance of winning one..”
        
        Maybe because you’re a bit retarded?
        To be able to participate in candidate meetings, to push the party vote only message, one has be listed as a candidate in the electorate race.
        
        “..it’s a no fucken brainer..really..”
        
        You’ve convinced me 😉
      - Skinny 4.1.1.1.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:23 am
        
        The problem is list only candidates are notorious for doing no work, Shane Jones was a classic example. Even Peters the same can be said. A electorate MP has to do some work locally is my point.
        
        Tracey 4.1.1.1.2.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:28 am
        
        Might be true for lp, but not for greens
        
        Te Reo Putake …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:13 am
        
        More likely to be true of the greens, I would have thought. None of their MP’s have any tie to an electorate. The LP list MP’s have actually done a great job as buddy MP’s in the last few years, keeping up the party presence in Tory electorates and assisting in the smooth operation of the regional hubs. This may, in part, explain the LP’s good results in electorates this time round.
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:32 am
        
        “More likely to be true of the greens, I would have thought.”
        
        That’s kind of a bizarre statement to make. The implication is that if you don’t have an electorate you have more time to twiddle your thumbs. Do you have any evidence that this is true of GP MPs, as opposed to them using that time to do other MP, parliamentary or party related jobs?
        
        “None of their MP’s have any tie to an electorate.”
        
        AFAIK the GP list MPs are involved in their electorates or wider rohe despite not being electorate MPs.
        
        Te Reo Putake …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:41 am
        
        That’s the point I was making Weka! Tracey assumed list MP’s do fuck all, and I gave an example of what they actually do (from my knowledge of the LP) and what success may have come from that. I’m not really slagging Green MP’s, but they don’t have the same relationship to the electorates as the LP MP’s do, not least because there’s only 14 of them to cover 70 seats and no Green MP has a realistic chance of winning an electorate, so their relationship is different.
        
        If Tracey wanted a good example, she could have used NZF. Who knows what those people do to fill their days. Suduko? Crosswords?
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:47 am
        
        Hmmm, I read Tracey’s comment to mean the other way, but I can see it’s a bit ambiguous. Your comment seemed to be pretty clearly saying that the GP MPs do less work because they’re not electorage MPs, and I’m asking for evidence of that (as opposed to assumptions based on FPP ideas of what MPs do). You also said that GP MPs don’t have ties to their electorates, which is plainly wrong.
        
        You can reframe that diplomatically as the LP have a different relationship with their electorates than the GP, but it’s not valid to assume that means the GP MPs work less or have no ties. Of course the relationships are different. You just seem to not be appreciating those differences 😉
        
        Te Reo Putake …
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:05 am
        
        Well, to follow the sequence, the original comment was skinny’s “The problem is list only candidates are notorious for doing no work …”
        
        Tracey said that didn’t apply to the Greens, but maybe Labour Party list MP’s.
        
        So, it was a wee backhander, presumably out of ignorance. I gave an example of what work I know LP list MP’s do and what positive outcome might be attributable to that work. I also suggested that because the GP has bugger all MP’s to cover 70 electorates and they are not serious contenders to win any electorate seat anyway, their relationship to the electorates would be different.
        
        Does that make my thinking clearer? I genuinely believe the GP MP’s do work hard, but not so much on electorate issues, for practical reasons. ie former Green MP Sue Bradford isn’t remembered for her electorate work, but for making the lives of our children just a little but safer.
        
        I also think that within the GP there may be issues about electorate representation anyway. My understanding is that the GP list is chosen on the basis of finding the best list MP’s and geographical representation is not a significant factor. If it was, Hamilton, for example, would have a Green list MP too.
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 1:04 pm
        
        Tracey did NOT assume that at all. The poster above her did. This hatred and blame some here have for the greens for nats being back in is just bizarre… The person used shane jones as an example which suggested he/she was referring to the LP.
        
        Te Reo Putake …
        
        9 October 2014 at 1:16 pm
        
        Hmmm. Must have been another Tracey that wrote “Might be true for lp, but not for greens”.
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 1:23 pm
        
        There’s too much confusion
        I can’t get no relief
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:20 pm
        
        Might be true for lp, was a nod only to the comment skinny made about shane jones as his example of not working on the list…
        
        Weka read my comment as I intended it, you didnt.
        
        Ron …
        
        9 October 2014 at 8:57 pm
        
        Well if its crosswords I bet they are not cryptic ones
        
        If Tracey wanted a good example, she could have used NZF. Who knows what those people do to fill their days. Suduko? Crosswords
        
        The Pink Postman …
        
        10 October 2014 at 3:27 pm
        
        The best example of a list MP who works very hard and is a credit to the Labour Party is Sue Moroney who,really deserves a safe seat but is dedicated to Hamilton.The two Hamilton MPs are not in the same class as Sue Moroney when it comes to working hard for the people of Hamilton.
        
        Anne …
        
        10 October 2014 at 4:30 pm
        
        And a very pleasant personality she has too.
        
        Skinny …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:19 am
        
        A broad statement I know however I can name a couple of GP slackers.
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:21 am
        
        go on then.
        
        Skinny …
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:44 am
        
        I have to maintain relationships with their non slackers like Norman so I choose not too Weka just like naming ex Labour MP. We all know Peters prefers not to stand in a seat so naming him should come as no great surprise.
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:21 pm
        
        🙄
      - lurgee 4.1.1.1.3
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:26 am
        
        (unless they do a deal with labour..well cent…where robertson came third in the party vote..wd be an obvious candidate..)
        
        But Robertson was elected by the voters of Wellington Central, with an increased majority. They obviously quite like him.
        
        phillip ure 4.1.1.1.3.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:41 am
        
        yes..my anti-robertson for leader bias was clearly showing thru there..
        
        ..but you get my point..i hope..
        
        miravox 4.1.1.1.3.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:21 pm
        
        “They obviously quite like him.”
        
        Yeah – nah. I voted for him because he was the Labour candidate, not because I like him.
      - The Lone Haranguer 4.1.1.1.4
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:09 am
        
        If they are too dopey to do a deal and vote strategically Phillip, whatever makes you think that they could:
        
        1) write a decent column that resonates with the readers (aka potential voters) ?
        2) understand your question regarding strategic voting?
        3) construct a half decent reply that explains why they didnt vote strategically?
  - The Al1en 4.1.2
    
    9 October 2014 at 8:52 am
    
    “..then we cd ask the green whoever why they gifted peter dunnes’ seat to him…. for the umpteenth-time..”
    
    So the green party are responsible for how some voters in Dunne’s electorate cast their vote? Typically very unfair singling out green voters and their party, but as each vote is our own, we have to accept we can’t use others votes for them.
    For example, mip supporters should have voted for the labour candidate in rotorua and gotten rid of Flavell, but they didn’t, however, It would be churlish to blame the mip party for their voters error, even if mip didn’t publicly announce the vote switch tactics… Unless you have an ulterior motive or are a bit of a mongo*.
    
    * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongo_(Blazing_Saddles)
    - Tracey 4.1.2.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 8:57 am
      
      Plus 1
      
      And conveniently leaving out TTT and labour ruling greens out of cabinet.
      
      If the green party is the enemy of the Left some people need to clear the mist before their eyes
      - phillip ure 4.1.2.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:05 am
        
        good one tracey..!
        
        ..so we’ll just do it all again in 2017..eh..?
        
        ..that’s be real fucken clever..wouldn’t it..?
        
        The Al1en 4.1.2.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:09 am
        
        Single issue – Check
        Hammer – Check
        
        🙄
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:17 am
        
        When he directly addresses you he is not engaging in dialogue by which he means he intends having the last word, or period.
        
        Its all the greens fault. Labour chose nzf as its pre election fuck buddy. Lp chose to state greens wldnt get cabinet position in labour led govt. Lp deprive the left of 3-4 seats through their TTT decision… Greens didnt campaign for party vore in epsom or ohariu. ?. But dunne and goldsmith are the greens fault for being so selfish.
        
        Hope that clears it up….
        
        phillip ure …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:20 am
        
        once again..with yr words..you astound me that you actually trained as a lawyer..(and passed..(!)..)
        
        ..you clearly cannot understand/comprehend what i am saying..?
        
        ..were you away the day they explained vote-splitting to those other dewy-eyed law-students..?
        
        The Al1en …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:26 am
        
        I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m sure you’re being understood, just what you opine is mostly donkey bollocks.
        
        Tracey 4.1.2.1.1.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:13 am
        
        Who did you party vote for
        
        The Al1en …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:21 am
        
        Party vote green, electorate Sue Moroney as a privateer tactical vote.
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:25 am
        
        Cool. Thanks. ?pee ewww.. Voted IMP, is that your recollection?
        
        My question was for peeee ewwww tho.
        
        The Al1en …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:27 am
        
        Well it’s out in the open – A greenie didn’t for the green electorate candidate, putting the tactical voting onus on the vote giver. And I didn’t even need to be told by politicians or wannabe hack pundits how to cast my votes.
        
        I don’t think he voted at all, I think he got the election result he wanted in order to continue his anti green campaign for months after the fact as well as before.
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:31 am
        
        Its a bit odd, because had the LP been more accomodating of the greens, imp and understanding of MMP we might have some kind of leftish govt today…
        
        Te Reo Putake …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:26 am
        
        “Its a bit odd, because had the LP been more accomodating of the greens, imp and understanding of MMP we might have some kind of leftish govt today…”
        
        Can you expand on how the LP could have been more accommodating to the Greens, Tracey? I would have thought explicitly offering them cabinet posts was pretty positive. I’m sure Cunliffe would have preferred a 2 party coalition, but the numbers were never there for that, so NZF had to be the 3rd leg of the stool. No way to avoid that, unfortunately.
        
        As for IMP, they reaped what they sowed, as KDC has acknowledged. Their fundamental strategic mistake was delegating the political campaign to the IP. If Hone had control of the process, I think he’d still be an MP. Laila Harre’s mistake was not taking control within the IP. KDC should have been following her plan, not the other way around. And, tactically, if they wanted a deal in the north, it was up to them to do something about it. Months ago, in fact. They needed to approach Labour and put a case for cooperation. They didn’t, and they lost everything as a result.
        
        Tracey …
        
        9 October 2014 at 1:10 pm
        
        Didnt labour reject the green party approach to pre election cooperation.
        
        The greens cost labour nothing. Labout achieved nothing all by themselves
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 4:21 pm
        
        “And, tactically, if they wanted a deal in the north, it was up to them to do something about it. Months ago, in fact. They needed to approach Labour and put a case for cooperation. They didn’t, and they lost everything as a result.”
        
        You’ve said that before, but everything in the public domain suggests otherwise (that Labour would in no way do concession deals). So unless you can provide some back up to your belief I think it will have to be wishful thinking.
        
        If Labour were so open to working with other parties why didn’t they work with the GP when it was offered? (am guessing you will somehow make this the GP’s fault).
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 4:26 pm
        
        “I’m sure Cunliffe would have preferred a 2 party coalition, but the numbers were never there for that, so NZF had to be the 3rd leg of the stool. No way to avoid that, unfortunately.”
        
        I know this is an unpopular view, but fuck Peters. He’s basically been holding the country to ransom for twenty years. I think NZF will be a useful part of the NZ political landscape once Peters is gone (or at least I hope they will). But at the moment he basically says that people on the left of Labour are to be disenfranchised because they’re not like normal NZers. That’s anti-democratic. He’s also an arch manipulator and uses his power in ways that too many people admire but can’t cope with personally.
        
        Labour’s problem isn’t a 3 legged govt, it’s that they still believe that having power is more important than effecting change. Hence all this interminable dithering about whether to go to the centre or not.
    - phillip ure 4.1.2.2
      
      9 October 2014 at 9:12 am
      
      @ allen..
      
      ..no..dur-brain..if the greens don’t stand a candidate..dunne is gone..
      
      ..he won by 700 votes..
      
      ..the green candidate got over 2,500 votes..
      
      ,.i’m sure even a person with yr limited intelligence/comprehension-skills cd do that basic-math..eh..?
      
      ..(and no..i am not commencing a dialogue with you..resume normal position..!..)
      - The Al1en 4.1.2.2.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 9:24 am
        
        “..(and no..i am not commencing a dialogue with you..resume normal position..!..)”
        
        To be fair, that’s a bonus not a penalty.
        
        “.i’m sure even a person with yr limited intelligence/comprehension-skills cd do that basic-math..eh..?”
        
        My comprehension is just fine, it’s appears it’s you who has the limited grasp on the reality of the political scene in NZ.
      - Chooky 4.1.2.2.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:15 am
        
        pu..you are funny!
        
        …and it seems like The Allen has taken bad12’s place as your sparring partner
        
        Tiger Mountain 4.1.2.2.2.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:28 am
        
        bad12–when he was truly bad he was very bad indeed…
        
        “he who makes a beast of himself takes away some of the pain of being human”
        
        Te Reo Putake 4.1.2.2.2.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:30 am
        
        Only because I can’t be arsed, chooky! I’m waiting for Phil to follow through on his announcement a couple of days ago that he was cutting back on his contributions here. No sign of it yet, sadly. Open Phil is still littered with his pipe dreams.
        
        However, I do agree with him about Ohariu. WTF were the Greens thinking?
        
        Chooky …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:41 am
        
        @TRP…yes agree about Ohariu also
        
        and phil is great entertainment value …..and i often agree with what he says…even although i have had a few run ins with him myself
        
        ( and he has put me off my chops….bugger!)
        
        Te Reo Putake …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:50 am
        
        Yep, the other thing I agree with him on (though his vegan righteousness is a bit OTT).
        
        Edit, just remembered I wrote this in my first ever post on TS:
        
        “To put it simply, you cannot be a socialist, a greenie or any kind of progressive and eat meat.”
        
        Maybe Phil and I have more in common than I thought!
        
        http://thestandard.org.nz/world-vegetarian-day-october-1st/
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:01 am
        
        “To put it simply, you cannot be a socialist, a greenie or any kind of progressive and eat meat.”
        
        That’s quite a statement there TRP. I would say that you cannot be a socialist, a greenie or any kind of progressive if you believe it’s impossible to eat meat ethically, or that it’s wrong to eat meat irrespective of context.
        
        It’s pretty easy to argue that being vegan does more damage than eating meat, or vice versa, but of course it depends on what the vegan or omnivore is eating.
        
        Eating imported, monsanto-sponsored, commercially processed soy from overseas does far more damange than eating a rabbit that was killed anyway by a local farmer doing pest control.
        
        phillip ure …
        
        9 October 2014 at 2:26 pm
        
        @ chooky..
        
        “..( and he has put me off my chops….bugger!)..”
        
        ..excellent..!..(said while rubbing hands in monty burns style..)
        
        Richard AKA RAWSHARK …
        
        9 October 2014 at 6:29 pm
        
        Can you live on peanuts? There is not enough vege”s I like> I loathe eating meat< but fat tastes so nice specially fatty bacon
        
        I was a vegetarian for years as a teenager and early 20's aenemic (can't guess spell check on that word.)as a ghost.
        
        Peanuts to save the animals. i'll waste way working on that diet.
        
        PiE!
        
        😛
        
        Murray Rawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:16 pm
        
        Anaemic.
        A vegan friend of mine was recently in Cambodia for a few months. She couldn’t stay healthy on a vegan diet with what was available there and began to eat a little meat besides her regular diet of pussy. Made me wonder how much being vegan is a first world privilege.
        
        wekarawshark …
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:26 pm
        
        Indeed. It’s actually pretty hard to sustain a vegan diet if you grow your own food or eat locally. Some people will be able to do that in a powerdown world, but most will not.
        
        I think the reason why there are virtually no vegan cultures is that you can’t keep the species/tribe going on a vegan diet either (hmm, that might be the best pro-vegan for Westerners argument I’ve come across)
        
        The Al1en …
        
        9 October 2014 at 10:51 am
        
        “However, I do agree with him about Ohariu. WTF were the Greens thinking?”
        
        Labour did reject the green party advance for closer electoral cooperation, so I guess it was everyone for themselves in the end, though I’m quite sure a number of green party voters gave their vote to labour to unseat pd and elsewhere up and down the country like I did.
        
        “Only because I can’t be arsed”
        
        I get the same feeling, partly out of boredom, having to rebuff the frequent same old same old, and partly out of fear of being linked to banned members who wrote nasty sh!t to a female mod.
        But then it’s not about me (even though it is), so I too pick my moments these days.
        
        I hope he puts his egoism in check, broadens his world view and stays, but he needs much better material.
      - NeutObserver 4.1.2.2.3
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:12 am
        
        @Mr Ure: don’t you see the Green Party fielded a candidate not to help Labour but to compete against it?
        
        The Greens sole interest is to become the largest opposition party to national and they could well achieve their objective.
        
        The Al1en 4.1.2.2.3.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 11:19 am
        
        “The Greens sole interest is to become the largest opposition party to national and they could well achieve their objective.”
        
        Looking at the divide in labour, with the dinosaurs and righties circling like pterodactyls and vultures in the ascendency, one can only hope so.
        Would be nice to have a left of center party as official opposition, rather than the disaster we’ve had since 08
        
        greywarshark 4.1.2.2.3.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 4:09 pm
        
        @ Newt Observer 11.12
        so-called Neut what do you know about the Greens? The Greens sole interest is to become the largest opposition party to national If they had concentrated on just growing the size of the party as their sole interest, they would not have been able to achieve so many useful, good things for our society. Of course they are interested and welcoming of supportive membership. But they have possibly been going since before you were born, and achieved much.
        
        Just so that you can think about something different. Here is a discussion about the word ‘newt’. It is as irrelevant as your remark is.
        http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=NEWT
        
        Murray Rawshark 4.1.2.2.3.3
        
        10 October 2014 at 12:35 am
        
        I am beginning to doubt your neutrality. My doubts increase every time you post. I think you are either very bad at spelling Tory, or the neutral bit is dishonest.
- b waghorn 4.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:45 am
  
  I don’t know much about politics but I do know you would be mad to rely on NZ first to change government
greywarshark 5

9 October 2014 at 9:19 am

What about the story that Maori graduate nurses can’t get work. Some have trained because they knew there was need for them in their rohe but can’t find a place that will employ them. Some going to Australia, for experience, some still looking after a year.
Shouldn’t the grant to Maori for their particular self-help of their people be used to grab these dedicated trained people exactly right for the mission?

And a comment from Min of health or some bureaucrat that the waiting time for the Maori nurses is not longer than for any others. How strange – that we can’t find work for such valuable people.

I am sure there are many older nurses who would think of working part-time if they could receive early super to top up their salaries. They could start off mentoring these young nurses who apparently need experience to be fully useful, and then go onto part-time, perhaps job sharing with others of similar experience. That would keep experienced people in the pipeline, and enable younger ones to enter prepared for the responsibility of the special workplace that hospitals are. In that way we would be using our work force efficiently, and it would be a win-win situation.
- Colonial Rawshark 5.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:31 am
  
  There is plenty of work available for teachers and nurses; our current system and leadership refuses to provide the funding to turn that work into paying jobs, however.
- Ergo Robertina 5.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:03 am
  
  Yes it’s mad given nearly half of nurses are aged over 50. There is a huge hole looming when the baby boomers retire, but it seems DHBs are driven by short term considerations that allow them to look no further than the end of the next financial year.
Pat O'Dea 6

9 October 2014 at 9:32 am

As John Key crawls up to the US with his offer of Kiwi cannon fodder for the Syria/Iraq meat grinder of US construction.

In a show of false bravado the Prime Minister tries to justify his craven subservience to the US super power.

Reprisal threat won’t sway PM on terror

“If you weren’t prepared to do anything solely on the basis of that [increased risk], then you actually start losing your independent foreign policy because by definition you’re saying that the actions of terrorists will stop you standing up to those terrorists.”
John Key Stuff.co.nz, September 9, 2014

However, just a little change to this Stuff.co headline, and a couple of changes to his following quote, better reflects the truly servile character of our Prime Minister, over a perceived risk to our trading relationship with America.

To illustrate my point, let me paraphrase the Prime Minister’s above quote;
‘If you weren’t prepared to do anything solely on the basis of that [increased risk], then you actually start losing your independent foreign policy because by definition you’re saying that the actions of [Americans] will stop you standing up to those [Americans].’

In 2003, with just the slightest perceived threat to our trading relationship with the US, John Key delivers a hysterical screaming speech demanding we go to war.

Reprisal threat will sway John Key on trade

“Our traditional allies are in there, (in this agreement). We, in our name are missing.

MIA, just like it was in the war in Iraq. Missing.

And this country will… This country will pay for that, don’t you worry about that. Don’t you worry about that!

There will be no free trade arrangement here in New Zealand.

There will be one thing we won’t have to worry about, that is container ships going to America, because there will none of them leaving from out of this country, because there will no free trade arrangement……”
John Key

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpIXgJ7r2vU

(Thanks to Travellerev @ A Wider Perspective)
- Pat O'Dea 6.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:05 am
  
  John Key weighs Kiwi cannon fodder on the free trade scale.
  
  Money – Lives, Money – Lives,
  
  Which will John Key choose?
  
  Rather than a tough on terror hard man that John Key tries to portray himself as, Key reveals himself as an unprincipled toady, who rather than defending New Zealand’s hard earned independent foreign policy is prepared to sell it to the highest bidder.
- Murray Rawshark 6.2
  
  10 October 2014 at 12:39 am
  
  “Don’t you worry about that” was one of Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s favourite phrases. That’s not the only similarity. Key may well go down in history as our Bjelke-Petersen.
paddy 7

9 October 2014 at 9:38 am

Read the following and weep.
http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/electorate-60.html
Grant Robertson ran a token PV campaign but concentrated on his personal vote. He merely gave lip service to the PV to have plausible deniability.
He gained a massive 19,807 personal votes but a miserable 9,306 PV.
Apples will bleat that the electorate lost Wadestown but proportionately it lost as many National and Green votes as Labour ones. Thus no net change.
Robertson wanted Cunliffe to lose so that Robertson could take over the leadership. Such treachery should be noted and he should be purged from the Party.
- phillip ure 7.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:47 am
  
  “..@ paddy..
  
  “..Robertson wanted Cunliffe to lose so that Robertson could take over the leadership..”
  
  (plus one..)
  
  ..him and all those other rightwing-ratbags in labour..doing all they can to ensure defeat..
  
  ..their personal ambitions/political-games outweighing the/any good to the labour party..
  
  ..let alone the voters/country..
  - Pat O'Dea 7.1.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 11:14 am
    
    No doubt their personal careers and parliamentary Super continue just as well in opposition as it does in government. With the added benefit that they don’t have to do anything to earn them.
    
    They cannot advocate winning strategies or policies because they have no vision.
    
    Having no vision they are scared of taking power, because they wouldn’t know what to do with it.
    
    Having no vision they are at the mercy of every corporate lobbyist, and conservative civil servant.
  - Richard AKA RAWSHARK 7.1.2
    
    9 October 2014 at 6:33 pm
    
    If Robertson wins over Little and Cunliffe both experienced ministers where Robertson is green as the day is long, Seriously, i’ll vote National next Election.
    
    and as a NAtional voter(NOT) i’ll wait three years hope no one remembers this and not vote National. 🙂
- Hami Shearlie 7.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:01 am
  
  +1
coaster 8

9 October 2014 at 9:47 am

1080. Is a poison that kills mammals, including very large mammals very effectively.
when it is dumped in your town water supply catchment, and out the back of your property you have valid reasons to be concerned.
im yet to see anyone in favour of it mix a small amount in a glass, leave it to settle for a day and then give it too someone close to them to drink.
if they do that, then I might beleive the scientific research supplied by non independant sources.

on another matter, can someone explain to me the process whaleoil used to get the labour party members details from the labour website. Also what assurances do we have that those who received the data wont use credit card details for there own personal gain. Also was there any recomendation from labour about changing financial details?
music4menz 9

9 October 2014 at 9:50 am

I see contributors are continuing to fight the 2014 elections. Move on, guys- only another 3 years till 2017!

Little for Labour leader!
- Te Reo Putake 9.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 9:57 am
  
  Feel the fear, folks.
- Skinny 9.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:58 am
  
  It’s off to war we go, orders of the despot dictator John Key. Go enlist Music Man follow your great leaders orders into battle, don’t forget to post regular updates and change ya name too SISmusicman. Just make sure you know how to read a compass, it would be a real shame if you dialed a drone strike in on yourself…or would it?
  - Murray Rawshark 9.2.1
    
    10 October 2014 at 1:08 am
    
    Maybe Obama promised to let Key nominate a drone target or two? He could wear his AB uniform while he gives the order. Could be more addictive than smack.
phillip ure 10

9 October 2014 at 9:57 am

“..10 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About the History of Pot..

.Did Henry Ford actually develop a hemp-based automobile?..”

(cont..)

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/10-surprising-things-you-didnt-know-about-history-pot
- Murray Rawshark 10.1
  
  10 October 2014 at 1:12 am
  
  Umm, no. He apparently made a prototype that had body panels of something like fibreglass, but made from hemp and other fibres. It’s hardly accurate to say the car was based on it.
NeutObserver 11

9 October 2014 at 10:11 am

What is Stuart Nash doing and who is behind him?
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/labour-mp-nash-wanted-own-party-2014100822
- wekarawshark 11.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:42 am
  
  Two words: Patrick Gower.
- Not a PS Shark Sashimi 11.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 10:43 am
  
  I’m concerned that Nash was head of Shearer’s “Leader of the Opposition” office up to April 2012.
  
  During this time he enaged regularly, and happily, with Matthew Hooton, Simon Lusk and other operators of the National Party’s strategies to destabilise Labour.
  
  As a Labour member I expect David Shearer to make comment on his knowledge of these discussions.
  I also expect David Shearer to give us a credible reason why Nash left his role after four months.
  
  http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/6734372/Shearers-right-hand-man-poised-to-go
  - Tracey 11.2.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 1:12 pm
    
    Please dont hold your breath
wekarawshark 12

9 October 2014 at 10:17 am

Insightful piece about trole culture, from someone involved in geek/tech early on. It’s in the context of gender trole-ing, but takes in a whole range of issues that affect everyone. Although it’s different than Dirty Politics, I thought about Slater quite a bit as I read, could see many overlaps, similar techniques and similar world views.

http://seriouspony.com/trouble-at-the-koolaid-point
- Tracey 12.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 1:18 pm
  
  Given the hager raid, i wonder if those stories allegedly being compiled based around rawshark emails will ever actually materialise?
  
  Thanks for the link weka
  
  “.From the hater’s POV, you (the Koolaid server) do not “deserve” that attention. You are “stealing” an audience. From their angry, frustrated point of view, the idea that others listen to you is insanity. From their emotion-fueled view you don’t have readers you have cult followers. That just can’t be allowed.
  
  You must be stopped. And if they cannot stop you, they can at least ruin your quality of life. A standard goal, in troll culture, I soon learned, is to cause “personal ruin”. They aren’t all trolls, though. Some of those who seek to stop and/or ruin you are misguided/misinformed but well-intended. They actually believe in a cause, and they believe you (or rather the Koolaid you’re serving) threatens that cause. “
Morrissey 13

9 October 2014 at 10:39 am

“They’re offensive and they attack people, but they’re so BRILLIANT!”
Television One Breakfast, Thursday 9 October 2014, 8:35 a.m.

We join the mirthful chatterboxes shortly before the 8:30 news…..

NADINE CHALMERS-ROSS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
ALI PUGH: He he he he he!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Ha ha ha ha ha! …..[Several seconds of vacuous silence as the team gathers its breath]…. Coming up soon: we have EVIDENCE that the Top Gear incident with the number plate in Argentina was not entirely innocent. They KNEW what they were doing! Ha ha ha!
NADINE CHALMERS-ROSS: Ha ha ha ha ha!
ALI PUGH: He he he he he he he!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Hey, um, now Sammy, I wanna ask you about the Jeremy Clarkson Argentina number plate incident, because we now have evidence that they KNEW what they were doing.
SAM WALLACE: Oh NO! Hur hur hur hur hur!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: But we’ll do that after the weather.

Sam Wallace spends a couple of minutes delivering the weather forecast, but he’s obviously burning to find out about the number plate evidence….

SAM WALLACE: Yeah, so whaddya got? Whaddya found?
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Well, you remember that stunt in Argentina where they were attacked because they had that number plate H982FKL.
SAM WALLACE: [snorting with mirth] Which we KNOW was more than coincidence! Yeah.
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Here it is. [He holds up a picture of the BMW with the number plate H982FKL] Anyway, Jeremy Clarkson and the BBC said “No! It was all a terrible misunderstanding!”
SAM WALLACE: Hur hur hur hur hur!
ALI PUGH: He he he he he!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Well, they’ve found ANOTHER number plate!
SAM WALLACE: Oh, NO! Hur hur hur hur hur!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Here it is! [Holds up picture of a number plate, BELLEND]
SAM WALLACE: Hur hur hur hur hur! “BELLEND”! Yeah, I get it!
ALI PUGH: He he he he he he he!
SAM WALLACE: Hur hur hur! Yeah!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: The plan was to go out and get abused by some Argentinians for the first plate, and then they would replace it with the BELLEND plate!
SAM WALLACE: Yeah, very funny. Not innocent though! Look, to be honest, they’re storytellers. They’re offensive and they attack people, but they’re so BRILLIANT!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: That’s right! They often attack people, but they’re just BRILLIANT!
ALI PUGH: They’re just so FUNNY!
RAWDON CHRISTIE: Hard not to love them!
SAM WALLACE: Yeah!
ALI PUGH: They do it VERY WELL!

…..[Extended awkward vacuous silence]…..

RAWDON CHRISTIE: Anyway. ….[Another few moments of awkward vacuous silence]….So, the Rolling Stones are coming to Auckland…..

If you can bear it, here’s some more idiocy from this lot…..
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17072013/#comment-663905
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-02102013/#comment-704507
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-05122013/#comment-740099
http://thestandard.org.nz/tuwhera-mike-06022014/#comment-769085
- ropata mako shark 13.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 12:36 pm
  
  too much watching that stuff will lower your IQ mate.
  these people are hired for their charisma on camera (and to support whatever bullsh1t the network is selling),
  not for their brains
cogito 14

9 October 2014 at 10:53 am

Top Gear should have gone to the Falklands instead – then they could have engaged in every form of anti-Argie insult they liked and they would have been absolutely adored by everyone.
- Morrissey 14.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:16 am
  
  They’re in the brave British comic tradition of baiting officially designated targets.
  Sacha Baron Cohen, a fanatical ideologue if ever there was one, does the same thing, more brutally…..
  http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-24122012/#comment-566434
  - cogito 14.1.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 1:28 pm
    
    🙂 I’m a big fan of Top Gear and of their send-ups. But it can backfire… Hope they don’t give up.
Not a PS Shark Sashimi 15

9 October 2014 at 11:08 am

Andrew Little has throw his hat in the ring. Announced on Radio Live.
- Bill 15.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:20 am
  
  Well, well, well. That changes things somewhat. Now, if somebody can perfect some kind of Vulcan mind meld so that we have the sharpness of Cunliffe and the staunchness of Little in one entity….
  - adam 15.1.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 12:08 pm
    
    You forgot Charisma
    - Bill 15.1.1.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 12:16 pm
      
      It’s widely acknowledged that charisma is an unavoidable side effect of the mind melding 😉
      - adam 15.1.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 12:23 pm
        
        I’ll get the Enterprise warmed up then.
        
        Richard AKA RAWSHARK 15.1.1.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 6:40 pm
        
        If you can warm up the Enterprise, then get scotty to beam us all the fuck out of here before Planet key explodes.
  - Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 15.1.2
    
    9 October 2014 at 1:20 pm
    
    sharpness of Cunliffe and the staunchness of Little in one entity
    
    speaking of which, why is it such a bad idea for the deputy to be chosen from similar kind of wide membership-affiliates-caucus voting?
    - lprent 15.1.2.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 2:09 pm
      
      Nah, imagine the scenario where your bitterest rival winds up as your deputy.
      - Kiwiri - Raided of the Last Shark 15.1.2.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 2:49 pm
        
        Mmm, the scenario you point out could be the outcome of only caucus’ votes being determinative, as well as being the outcome where the wide membership-affiliates-caucus have all had a say. Would the latter be worse than the former?
      - DoublePlus Good 15.1.2.1.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:18 pm
        
        I think you’d make a terrible supervillain. Your bitterest rival should of course end up as your Grand Vizier, in full knowledge that he wants to topple you and will undermine you at every turn.
        Setting your Key enemies up as your deputy (or Granting them the leadership of a patsy opposition…), you can arrange things so that it will be worse for your rival if they try to topple you. You can also make it worthwhile for them to off your less bitter rivals, and get them to fight amongst themselves (with no Little amount of Whaleing and Nashing of teeth) instead of challenging you. That saves you a lot of Labour in the long term.
        But of course, that’s probably not your style because you know, you have ethics.
        
        McFlock 15.1.2.1.2.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:25 pm
        
        but that’s exactly what they’ll be expecting you to do! 🙂
    - Richard AKA RAWSHARK 15.1.2.2
      
      9 October 2014 at 6:41 pm
      
      @kiwiri
      
      That would be Mallard wouldn’t it.
      
      Grabs popcorn, sits back.
paddy 16

9 October 2014 at 11:08 am

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2782906/The-terrible-truth-cannabis-British-expert-s-devastating-20-year-study-finally-demolishes-claims-smoking-pot-harmless.html

The cannabis nutters need to read the evidence of harm. The Greens and Internet party need to drop their anti-scientific policies on cannabis.
- Morrissey 16.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:12 am
  
  So, Paddy, are you railing against alcohol as well? And if not, why not?
  - The Lone Haranguer 16.1.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 12:06 pm
    
    So your argument is that because alcohol is dangerous, and legal, dope which is also dangerous, should also be legal??
    
    I suspect we should be thankful that one dangerous product is illegal and we should try to reduce the influence of the dangerous, but legal product.
    
    But thats not the collective will of our Parliament, who seem to have sold out to the liquor industry.
    - framu 16.1.1.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 12:40 pm
      
      no –
      
      1) alcohol is vastly MORE dangerous
      2) making pot legal means we can get tax revenue to address the health issues and save money on the criminal issues
      
      for gods sake –
      
      pots here, everywhere.
      Were one of the biggest global consumers of it – even though its illegal.
      Kids already have access to it readily.
      Its illegal status doesnt make it hard to get hold of.
      Most of the issues are solely due to its illegal status
      We spend vast sums of money in the police, courts and prisons due to its illegal status
      Any $$ spent on it via the state comes from our taxes
      Normally law abiding people are instantly classed as criminals
      The whole synthetic cannabis debacle got so big because pot was illegal – that was the number one reason given by buyers of synth cannabis for using synth cannabis
      
      Making it legal gives it a taxable revenue stream to address health issues
      Making it legal means an instant saving on enforcement
      Making it legal reduces its appeal to gangs as a money scheme
      Making it legal creates a legit industry for all those places where they already grow illegally
      Making it legal means we can address the health issues
      Making it legal doesnt magically change its availability (its all ready available remember)
      Making it legal means people wont buy synthetic cannabis – which is now a black market drug
      
      theres more i could add
      
      which scenario do you think is better for society? The one where we spend vast sums of money and go backwards or the one where we make some attempts for the substance to pay for its own downside?
      - politikiwi 16.1.1.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 5:06 pm
        
        The fact that possession / use of cannabis is criminal offence creates more harm than cannabis itself. Think of the money wasted on enforcement costs and the associated enforcement costs (courts, drug raids). Think of the otherwise law-abiding citizens who have their lives destroyed by a criminal conviction.
        
        Given the current legal regime has done **nothing** to reduce the use of cannabis, and has arguably increased the harm, we should be thinking about how to actually address the very real harms of cannabis usage. Making criminals out of people who would otherwise not be, whilst spending millions of dollars enforcing laws which don’t solve the problem, is just lunacy. It’s time for that lunacy to end.
      - Richard AKA RAWSHARK 16.1.1.1.2
        
        9 October 2014 at 6:47 pm
        
        Studies and practising countries have shown that legalizing it actually reduces use and related problems. That might seem an oxymoron but it’s true. It also allows addicts to seek help without fear of prosecution.
        
        Not only pot should be legalized, everything should be decriminalized and a selection of safer products allowed to be sold,and it should be controlled.
        
        At present if you do use, you have to buy from the street, if you go to gang tinny houses who’s to say they are not spiking the tinnies with P to hook you.
      - Murray Rawshark 16.1.1.1.3
        
        10 October 2014 at 1:31 am
        
        +1 framu
        I’d add that the war on drugs in Aotearoa is a war on young Maori where marijuana is concerned.
- wekarawshark 16.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:42 am
  
  The Daily Mail as scientific experts on cannabis use and effect, lolz.
  
  Here’s the article that the DM appears to be referring to. Note the review is of chronic cannabis use (daily or near daily), and it’s a review, not research.
  
  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.1506/full
- joe90 16.3
  
  9 October 2014 at 12:09 pm
  
  Too funny.
  
  All the review’s conclusions were based on the results of observational studies. So while it seems probable that cannabis use increases the risk of some adverse outcomes, it is also possible there are differences between cannabis smokers and non-smokers that explain some of the differences seen.
  
  http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/10October/Pages/cannabis-labelled-harmful-and-as-addictive-as-heroin.aspx
- bearded rawshark 16.4
  
  9 October 2014 at 12:24 pm
  
  the 0.46% mostly Lefties who voted for the legalise cannabis party should vote for the Left, can the LCP and lobby the mainstream parties instead.
  
  That would be another half seat for the Left.
  
  I notice phillip ure doesn’t mention this when he correctly slags off the greens and labour for not getting their act together in epsom and ohariau.
  - The Al1en 16.4.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 12:27 pm
    
    To be fair, he did write an open letter to the LCP and tell them to vote mip as they’d be wasting their votes otherwise.
    Guess they couldn’t read it, didn’t understand it or decided thanks but no thanks.
    - wekarawshark 16.4.1.1
      
      9 October 2014 at 12:30 pm
      
      ironical.
    - bearded rawshark 16.4.1.2
      
      9 October 2014 at 3:33 pm
      
      thanks Allen I didn’t know that. Still the way to go is to chuck the party thus chucking most of the votes to lab/gr.
      - phillip ure 16.4.1.2.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 3:51 pm
        
        i wrote the open letter..
        
        http://whoar.co.nz/2014/comment-whoar-an-open-letter-to-the-aotearoa-legalise-cannabis-party/
        
        ..but as the comment-thread shows cannabis-activist dakta green was the one who used it as a tool to persuade alcp-voters to vote imp..
        
        ..and it wd seem..on the surface..that he had some success..
        
        ..in 2011 alcp got 12,000+ votes..
        
        ..in 2014 it dropped to 8,000+ votes..
        
        bearded rawshark 16.4.1.2.1.1
        
        9 October 2014 at 5:06 pm
        
        accepted phillip but 6000 votes to the left and 2000 to the right would be a much better outcome (or7000-1000 more likely). I am in no way attempting to belittle the cause they support, in fact these are people who, all praise to them, do actually get out and vote unlike many.
        
        Getting lab/gr into power may one day help loosen cannabis law. 8000 wasted votes will never do this.
        
        phillip ure …
        
        9 October 2014 at 5:14 pm
        
        “..8000 wasted votes will never do this..”
        
        which was the point of my letter to them..
        
        ..that had things gone as planned..
        
        ..int/mana..with that clear promise/pledge from harre..
        
        ..was the best anti-prohibition choice for voters since forever..
        
        ..and i stand by that call..
        
        Murray Rawshark …
        
        10 October 2014 at 1:36 am
        
        I agree that Mana is the best hope for legalisation. Hone doesn’t want to change the law so he can puff in peace, he wants to change it because the war on drugs has a direct and negative effect on the people he represents.
        
        I think Labour are actually less likely than NAct to do anything positive in this area. Not unless they’re forced to, at least.
        
        ropata mako shark …
        
        10 October 2014 at 1:41 am
        
        ACT is supposedly the ‘liberal’ party that champions our freedom and that sort of thing. (Except when Banks or Brash is the leader.) Who knows, National have the political capital to legalise if it comes up on the ballot and their pollster/pimp has the numbers.
        
        phillip ure …
        
        10 October 2014 at 6:15 am
        
        @ ropata..
        
        the only problem is that all of that ‘individual-freedom’ stuff preached by the right is utter horse-shit..
        
        ..here they have a majority in parl..
        
        ..and polling showing 84% supporting an end to prohibition..
        
        ..the only argument is what form that ‘end’ should morph into..
        
        ..but act/national..?..individual/personal freedoms..?
        
        ..when push comes to shove..?
        
        ..yeah..nah..eh..?
        
        phillip ure …
        
        10 October 2014 at 6:11 am
        
        @ murray..
        
        “..I think Labour are actually less likely than NAct to do anything positive in this area…”
        
        ..agreed..
- framu 16.5
  
  9 October 2014 at 12:28 pm
  
  ‘If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin or alcohol,’ he said.
  ‘It is often harder to get people who are dependent on cannabis through withdrawal than for heroin – we just don’t know how to do it.’
  Professor Hall writes that it is impossible to take a fatal overdose of cannabis, making it less dangerous at first glance than heroin or cocaine.”
  
  i think professor hall has illustrated the problem here in his own words
  
  anti science you say? – or anti raving looney?
  
  and the big bit you fail to realise is that much of modern pro legalisation/decriminalisation policy is against young people having access – something which they have now due to its black market nature
  
  its all about approaching it from the fact that the vast bulk of the problems are due to its illegal status, which prevent society from addressing the negative health aspects
  
  prohibition doesnt work
  
  maybe go and educate yourself before making a fool of yourself
  
  i will forewarn you on this one – this argument has been done here before
  - phillip ure 16.5.1
    
    9 October 2014 at 3:54 pm
    
    @ framu..
    
    “..‘It is often harder to get people who are dependent on cannabis through withdrawal than for heroin – we just don’t know how to do it.’..”
    
    and just that statement/claim proves this professor hall is a delusional fucken fool..
- minshark 16.6
  
  9 October 2014 at 1:23 pm
  
  Notably, the study didn’t find or identify many effects that were actually definitively caused by marijuana use if you read the entire study, and Street dealers don’t ask for ID, so how is prohibition really keeping cannabis away from young people anyway?
  
  I wonder who paid Prof. Wayne Hall to conduct this so-called ‘study’? Also, considering Mr. Hall is on the editorial board of ‘Addiction’ journal that this article was published in, how much peer-review scrutiny did this article get?
  
  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291360-0443
  
  He could have at least had the decency to list this clear conflict of interest in the Disclosure section, but he didn’t.
- Draco T Bastard 16.7
  
  9 October 2014 at 6:02 pm
  
  One in six teenagers who regularly smoke the drug become dependent
  It doubles risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia
  Heavy use in adolescence appears to impair intellectual development
  Driving after smoking cannabis doubles risk of having a car crash
  Study’s author said: ‘If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin’
  
  1. And how many teenagers who regularly drink alcohol become dependent?
  2. Doubling the risk is meaningless if the initial chance isn’t mentioned. I suspect that was left out on purpose as a doubling from 0.1% to 0.2% is probably within statistical error even over 20 years.
  3. I’m pretty sure that some people find it addictive and some don’t. The question, which isn’t answered and not apparently asked, is: What’s the proportion of people who use cannabis who do become addicted compared to other drugs?
  
  But his main finding is that regular use, especially among teenagers, leads to long-term mental health problems and addiction.
  
  The problem with that assertion would be that we wouldn’t be legalising it for teenagers. Same as we don’t legalise alcohol for teenagers (I get the feeling from the article that they use teenagers for people around 13 through 17 and over that become “young adults”).
  
  That entire article comes across as a scare article with absolutely no credibility.
adam 17

9 October 2014 at 12:06 pm

Yes this is a link to @peace – no, not that song. But this hip-hop number sums up NZ and our current predicament, rather well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPcN_s5v_Oo

And then the truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJwV0n36IuU
minshark 18

9 October 2014 at 1:19 pm

New studies: ‘Conspiracy theorists’ sane; government dupes crazy, hostile

Recent studies by psychologists and social scientists in the US and UK suggest that contrary to mainstream media stereotypes, those labeled “conspiracy theorists” appear to be saner than those who accept the official versions of contested events.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/12/313399/conspiracy-theorists-vs-govt-dupes/
- McFlock 18.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 2:06 pm
  
  That’s an interesting interpretation of an interesting interpretation, in my view.
  
  E.g. the first study mentioned argued that the frequency of comments on news websites related to conventional vs unconventional views.
  
  It’s essentially like the climate change debate: as soon as the validity of the actual evidence is ignored, all viewpoints are regarded as equal.
  
  Personally, there are occasions when even having a so-called rational debate is in itself an irrational act. Sometimes it’s just plain appropriate to call a nutjob a nutjob.
- Draco T Bastard 18.2
  
  9 October 2014 at 5:38 pm
  
  I linked to an audio of a NZ academic who covered the same topic a few weeks back.
joe90 19

9 October 2014 at 1:59 pm

Oddly enough the quotations from that article don’t appear in the study. This bit’s my fav –

Likewise, Clarke (2007) observed that conspiracy theories are often extremely vague, particularly in the Internet age.

If this is the case, then for people who hold a conspiracist worldview, the specifics of a conspiracy theory are less important than its identity as a conspiracy and its opposition to the official explanation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703523/
joe90 20

9 October 2014 at 5:28 pm

meh!

Although there is no vaccine or established treatment for Ebola, its transmission can be stopped. In Liberia, the Firestone [4] rubber company used its money to open its own hospital and treat local residents in its company town. Patients were isolated and health workers were properly protected. This protocol is effective and results were predictable. Contagion was stopped and fatalities were minimal.

In a just and equitable world, a corporation which didn’t want hampered operations or sick workers would not be the only example of an EVD success story. The rest of Liberia isn’t as lucky as Firestone’s employees. Before the outbreak there were only fifty physicians [5] in a nation of 4 million people. Such a paucity of resources makes any communicable disease a catastrophe.

[…]

While the fear of illness and death is understandable it is not logical to turn what should be a reasoned analysis into foolish hysteria. Anyone who wants to look for Ebola conspiracies should spread this story instead. White health care workers who become infected are taken to Europe or the United States for treatment but black doctors are left to die [6]. That information is worth spreading to the whole world.

http://www.blackagendareport.com/print/14450

via – #ebolaethics.
Morrissey 21

9 October 2014 at 5:29 pm

LIARS OF OUR TIME 
No. 43: Assistant Commissioner Alan Boreham

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Look, integrity is absolutely critical to the New Zealand Police. It’s a core value.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

—Assistant Police Commissioner Alan Boreham, talking to Mary Wilson
Radio NZ National Checkpoint, 5:10 p.m. Thursday 9 October 2014.
At least four police officers are under investigation for giving false evidence after Tasering a man in front of his young daughter.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10597676/Taser-use-was-excessive-force

More liars….
No. 42 John Key: ““We’ve been given a tremendous gift tonight, the trust and goodwill of New Zealanders, and I do not take that trust for granted.”
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-30082014/#comment-876265
No. 41 Richard Prebble: “What I do know is that John will consider everything. He’s an honorable man….”
No. 40 Colin Craig: “I’m interested in raising the level of debate.”
No. 39 George W. Bush: “We will be standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq until their hopes for freedom and liberty are fulfilled.”
No. 38 Jeremy Hansen: “I read a great column by Paul Thomas in the Herald….”
No. 37 Alan Seay: “You know, we respect the rights of people to protest….”
No. 36 Paul Dykzeul: “No we won’t be changing the Listener; it’s got a terrific editor….”
No. 35 Mark Jennings: “I think Paul’s a bright guy and he will be able to bring a discipline to his performance….”
No. 34 Willie Jackson: “I thought we’d been sensitive with her yesterday….”
No. 33 Supt. Bill Searle: “I think what’s happened here is the police officers have done their very best….”
No. 32 Sonny-Bill Williams: “It’s good to get the win over Papua-New Guinea, a strong Papua-New Guinea side, aahhhh….”
No. 31 John Palino: “Suggestions that I am somehow orchestrating some grand right-wing conspiracy to unseat Len after the election are so wrong…”
No. 30 Alan Dershowitz: “I will give $10,000 to the PLO if you can find a historical fact in my book that you can prove to be false.”
No. 29 John Banks: “I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. And never, ever would I ever knowingly sign a false electoral return. Never ever would I ever.” 
No. 28 John Kerry: “…we are especially sensitive, Chuck and I, to never again asking any member of Congress to take a vote on faulty intelligence.”
 No. 27 Lyse Doucet: “I am there for those without a voice.”
 No. 26 Sam Wallace: “So here we are—Otahuhu. It’s just a great place to be, really.”  
No. 25 Margaret Thatcher: “…no British government involvement of any kind…with Khmer Rouge…”  
No. 24 John Key: “…at the end of the day I, like most New Zealanders, value the role of the fourth estate…”
   No. 23 Jay Carney: “…expel Mr Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice…”
   No. 22 Mike Bush: “Bruce Hutton had integrity beyond reproach.”
   No. 21 Tim Groser: “I think the relationship is genuinely in outstanding form.”
   No. 20 John Key: “But if the question is do we use the United States or one of our other partners to circumvent New Zealand law then the answer is categorically no.”
   No. 19 Matthew Hooton: “It is ridiculous to say that unions deliver higher wages! They DON’T!”  
No. 18 Ant Strachan: “The All Blacks won the RWC 2011 because of outstanding defence!”   
No. 17 Stephen Franks: “Peter has been such a level-headed, safe pair of hands.”   
No. 16 Phil Kafcaloudes: “Tony Abbott…hasn’t made any mistakes over the past eighteen months.”   
No. 15 Donald Rumsfeld: “I did not lie… Colin Powell did not lie.”
   No. 14 Colin Powell: “a post-9/11 nexus between Iraq and terrorist organizations…connections are now emerging…”
 No. 13 Barack Obama: “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives.”
     No. 12 U.K. Ministry of Defence: “Protecting the Afghan civilian population is one of ISAF and the UK’s top priorities.”
   No. 11 Brendan O’Connor: “Australia’s approach to refugees is compassionate and generous.”   
No. 10 Boris Johnson: “Londoners have the best police in the world to look after us and keep us safe.”
   No. 9 NewstalkZB PR dept: “News you NEED! Fast, fair, accurate!”
   No. 8 Simon Bridges: “I don’t mean to duck the question….”   
No. 7 Nigel Morrison: “Quite frankly, they’ve been VERY tough.”    
No. 6 Herald PR dept: “Congratulations—you’re reading New Zealand’s best newspaper.”    
No. 5 Rawdon Christie: “…a FORMIDABLE replacement, it seems, is Claudette Hauiti.”
     No. 4 Willie Jackson: “The X-Factor. Nah, nah, there’s some GREAT talent there!”
    No. 3 John Key: “Yeah we hold MPs to a higher standard.”
    No. 2 Colin Craig: “Oh, I have a GREAT sense of humour.”    
No. 1 Barack Obama: “Margaret Thatcher was one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
- Clemgeopin 21.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 8:45 pm
  
  Enjoyed your compilation. Very revealing. Thanks.
  
  [I would add another one : ‘I did not have sex with that woman’—-Bill Clinton]
  - Murray Rawshark 21.1.1
    
    10 October 2014 at 1:44 am
    
    When Masters and Johnson did their famous study, they found that most men went to prostitutes to not have sex with them. They were willing to pay for this, because not having sex was not available from their wives.
RedBaronCV 22

9 October 2014 at 9:13 pm

Sounds like the police might be feeling a little of the heat. Well they had better hurry up and search the filing cabinets for that core value.

Probably stuffed at the back under all the ignored complaints, uncompleted reports and poorly filled out statistics. After all “crime is dropping” isn’t it so they can’t need more resources or be too busy now can they.
joe90 23

9 October 2014 at 10:15 pm

Vile little man.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzajEnPCQAEs74E.jpg:large
- Clemgeopin 23.1
  
  9 October 2014 at 11:56 pm
  
  Who is he?
  - ropata mako shark 23.1.1
    
    10 October 2014 at 1:21 am
    
    david farrar, national party pollster slash pimp

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Just trying to stay upright
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
3 days ago

“Unprecedented”
Today, former Port of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson went on trial on health and safety charges for the death of one of his workers. The Herald calls the trial "unprecedented". Firstly, it's only "unprecedented" because WorkSafe struck a corrupt and unlawful deal to drop charges against Peter Whittall over Pike ...
No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
3 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Time for “Fast-Track Watch”
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
3 days ago

Gordon Campbell on fast track powers, media woes and the Tiktok ban
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
3 days ago

The Government’s new fast-track invitation to corruption
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Point of OrderBy gadams1000
3 days ago

Maori push for parallel government structures
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
3 days ago

An announcement about an announcement
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
3 days ago

All the Green Tech in China.
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
3 days ago

Western Express Success
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
Greater AucklandBy Matt L
3 days ago

Bernard’s pick ‘n’ mix of the news links at 7:16am on Monday, April 22
TL;DR: These six news links stood out in the last 24 hours to 7:16am on Monday, April 22:Labour says Kiwis at greater risk from loan sharks as Govt plans to remove borrowing regulations NZ Herald Jenee TibshraenyHow did the cost of moving two schools blow out to more than $400m?A ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
3 days ago

The Kaka’s diary for the week to April 29 and beyond
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
3 days ago

2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #16
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
Skeptical Science
4 days ago

Bryce Edwards: The Government’s new fast-track invitation to corruption
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
4 days ago

Thank you
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
4 days ago

Determining the Engine Type in Your Car
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Become a Race Car Driver: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How Many Cars Are There in the World in 2023? An Exploration of Global Automotive Statistics
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How Long Does It Take for Car Inspection?
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Who Makes Mazda Cars?
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How Often to Replace Your Car Battery A Comprehensive Guide
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Can You Register a Car Without a License?
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the Rule If you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Mazda: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Reliability, Value, and Performance
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

What Are Struts on a Car?
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

What Does Car Registration Look Like: A Comprehensive Guide
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Share Computer Audio on Zoom
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How Long Does It Take to Build a Computer?
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Put Your Computer to Sleep
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

What is Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT)?
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

iPad vs. Tablet Computers A Comprehensive Guide to Differences
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How Are Computers Made?
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Add Voice Memos from iPhone to Computer
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Why My Laptop Screen Has Lines on It: A Comprehensive Guide
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Right-Click on a Laptop
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Where is the Power Button on an ASUS Laptop?
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Start a Dell Laptop: A Comprehensive Guide
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Bryce Edwards: Serious populist discontent is bubbling up in New Zealand
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
5 days ago

How to Take a Screenshot on an Asus Laptop A Comprehensive Guide with Detailed Instructions and Illu...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

How to Factory Reset Gateway Laptop A Comprehensive Guide
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

The Folly Of Impermanence.
“You talking about me?” The neoliberal denigration of the past was nowhere more unrelenting than in its depiction of the public service. The Post Office and the Railways were held up as being both irremediably inefficient and scandalously over-manned. Playwright Roger Hall’s “Glide Time” caricatures were presented as accurate depictions of ...
Bowalley Road
5 days ago

A crisis of ambition
Roger Partridge writes – When the Coalition Government took office last October, it inherited a country on a precipice. With persistent inflation, decades of insipid productivity growth and crises in healthcare, education, housing and law and order, it is no exaggeration to suggest New Zealand’s first-world status was ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

Have 308 people in the Education Ministry’s Curriculum Development Team spent over $100m on a 60-p...
Rob MacCulloch writes – In 2022, the Curriculum Centre at the Ministry of Education employed 308 staff, according to an Official Information Request. Earlier this week it was announced 202 of those staff were being cut. When you look up “The New Zealand Curriculum” on the Ministry of ...
Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
5 days ago

'This bill is dangerous for the environment and our democracy'
Chris Bishop’s bill has stirred up a hornets nest of opposition. Photo: Lynn Grieveson for The KākāTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate from the last day included:A crescendo of opposition to the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill is ...
The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
5 days ago

The Bank of our Tamariki and Mokopuna.
Monday left me brokenTuesday, I was through with hopingWednesday, my empty arms were openThursday, waiting for love, waiting for loveThe end of another week that left many of us asking WTF? What on earth has NZ gotten itself into and how on earth could people have voluntarily signed up for ...
Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
5 days ago

The worth of it all
Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.State of humanity, 20242024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?Full story Share ...
More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
5 days ago

What is the Hardest Sport in the World?
Determining the hardest sport in the world is a subjective matter, as the difficulty level can vary depending on individual abilities, physical attributes, and experience. However, based on various factors including physical demands, technical skills, mental fortitude, and overall accomplishment, here is an exploration of some of the most challenging ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

What is the Most Expensive Sport?
The allure of sport transcends age, culture, and geographical boundaries. It captivates hearts, ignites passions, and provides unparalleled entertainment. Behind the spectacle, however, lies a fascinating world of financial investment and expenditure. Among the vast array of competitive pursuits, one question looms large: which sport carries the hefty title of ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Pickleball On the Cusp of Olympic Glory
Introduction Pickleball, a rapidly growing paddle sport, has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions around the world. Its blend of tennis, badminton, and table tennis elements has made it a favorite among players of all ages and skill levels. As the sport’s popularity continues to surge, the question on ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

The Origin and Evolution of Soccer Unveiling the Genius Behind the World’s Most Popular Sport
Abstract: Soccer, the global phenomenon captivating millions worldwide, has a rich history that spans centuries. Its origins trace back to ancient civilizations, but the modern version we know and love emerged through a complex interplay of cultural influences and innovations. This article delves into the fascinating journey of soccer’s evolution, ...
Gareth’s WorldBy admin
5 days ago

Release: Working together on consistent support for veterans this Anzac Day
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. ...
Labour Blog
20 hours ago

Release: Penny drops – but what about Seymour and Peters?
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. ...
Labour Blog
21 hours ago

Release: Budget blunder shows Nicola Willis could cut recovery funding
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. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Further environmental mismanagement on the cards
The Government’s resource management reforms will add to the heavy and ever-growing burden this Government is loading on to our environment. ...
Greens
2 days ago

Release: RMA changes will be a disaster for environment
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 Blog
2 days ago

Release: Labour supports urgent changes to emergency management system
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. ...
Labour Blog
2 days ago

Release: Labour calls for New Zealand to recognise Palestine
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. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: Three strikes law political posturing of worst kind
The Government is bringing back a law that has little evidential backing just to look tough, Labour justice spokesperson Duncan Webb said. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: Government cuts unbelievably target child exploitation, violent extremism, ports and airpor...
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. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Three strikes has failed before and will fail again
Resurrecting the archaic three-strikes legislation is an unwelcome return to a failed American-style approach to justice. ...
Greens
3 days ago

Release: Environmental protection vital, not ‘onerous’
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. ...
Labour Blog
3 days ago

Release: Govt cuts doctors and nurses in hiring freeze
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. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Fast-track submissions period must be extended
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. ...
Greens
6 days ago

Release: Progress on climate will be undone by Govt
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. ...
Labour Blog
6 days ago

Release: Dark day for Kiwi kids as a third of Govt cuts affect them
News that 1000 jobs at the Ministry of Education and Oranga Tamariki could go is devastating for future generations of New Zealanders. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Alarm as Government signals further blow to school lunches
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Quick, submit – stop Govt’s dodgy approvals bill
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Government throws coal on the climate crisis fire
The Government’s policy announced today to ease consenting for coal mining will have a lasting impact across generations. ...
Greens
1 week ago

Release: Public transport costs to double as National looks at unaffordable roading project instead
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Release: Cost of living in Auckland still not a priority
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Labour Blog
1 week ago

Greens look to fast-track submissions on harmful law
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Govt should stop making people’s lives harder and build more homes
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Melissa Lee missing in action on media
The action Melissa Lee promised to protect democracy and the media sector is missing, Media and Communications spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Landlord Government leaves little hope for renters
The Government’s announcement on tenancy rules prove that it does not care about renters. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Opportunity to build a more sustainable economy
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Significant step forward in fixing cruel and unjust past
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Missed opportunity but NZ will surely one day recognise the right to a sustainable environment
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Don’t cut our lunches – clear message sent to Government
Tens of thousands of people are demanding the Government commits to fully funding free and healthy school lunches. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Release: Govt makes U-turn on Suicide Prevention Office
Labour welcomes the Government’s U-turn on the closure of the Suicide Prevention Office, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

CCC issues warning over further climate delay
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Luxon targets lame and lousy example of leadership
If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Luxon targets are lousy example of leadership
If talk is cheap, Chris Luxon’s “targets” are bankrupt. ...
Greens
2 weeks ago

Release: Commitment to disability communities missing from Govt priorities
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Labour Blog
2 weeks ago

Methane target review is dangerous duplication
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
Greens
3 weeks ago

Release: Government must commit to school building project for disabled students
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Labour Blog
3 weeks ago

PM announces changes to portfolios
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
23 hours ago

New catch limits for unique fishery areas
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 day ago

Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Overseas decommissioning models considered
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
2 days ago

Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

New diplomatic appointments
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
3 days ago

Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

Trade relationship with China remains strong
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
4 days ago

PM’s South East Asia mission does the business
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
5 days ago

$41m to support clean energy in South East Asia
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Minister releases Fast-track stakeholder list
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Judicial appointments announced
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Education Minister heads to major teaching summit in Singapore
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Value of stopbank project proven during cyclone
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Anzac commemorations, Türkiye relationship focus of visit
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Minister to Europe for OECD meeting, Anzac Day
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
6 days ago

Comprehensive Partnership the goal for NZ and the Philippines
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Government commits $20m to Westport flood protection
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Taupō takes pole position
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Cost of living support for low-income homeowners
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Government backing mussel spat project
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
7 days ago

Government focused on getting people into work
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Clean energy key driver to reducing emissions
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Earthquake-prone buildings review brought forward
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Thailand and NZ to agree to Strategic Partnership
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Government consults on extending coastal permits for ports
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Inflation coming down, but more work to do
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

School attendance restored as a priority in health advice
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Unnecessary bureaucracy cut in oceans sector
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Patterson promoting NZ’s wool sector at International Congress
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

Removing red tape to help early learners thrive
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

RMA changes to cut coal mining consent red tape
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

McClay reaffirms strong NZ-China trade relationship
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
1 week ago

If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
31 mins ago

Governor-General's Anzac Day Dawn Service Address
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Scoop politics
31 mins ago

Angling-Conservation Group Sees Fast Track Bill As Undemocratic
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Scoop politics
1 hour ago

Remembering the great TrueBliss vs Bardot national anthem sing-off
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff. First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
The SpinoffBy Jamie Wall
1 hour ago

Help Me Hera: Do I even want the public sector job I might be about to lose?
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nz Dear Hera, May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
The SpinoffBy Hera Lindsay Bird
3 hours ago

ANZAC Day Wreath Calls For No Future Deaths From AUKUS
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Scoop politics
4 hours ago

Swimmer does everything and more to get to Paris
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
NewsroomBy Dave Crampton
6 hours ago

Seize the day
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell. First published in 2022. The high school’s head girl and ...
The SpinoffBy David Hill
6 hours ago

The first, forgotten Anzacs, more than 50 years before Gallipoli
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association. First published in 2018. When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
The SpinoffBy Scott Hamilton
6 hours ago

Poem for Anzac Day: ‘Hoki Mai’ by Tayi Tibble
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble. Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
The SpinoffBy Tayi Tibble
7 hours ago

Poem for Anzac Day: ‘My World War I Poem’ by Bill Manhire
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin. My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
The SpinoffBy Bill Manhire
7 hours ago

Book of the Week: Talia Marshall on living legend Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
NewsroomBy Talia Marshall
7 hours ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April
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NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles
7 hours ago

Daily crossword, Thursday 25 April
The post Daily crossword, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles
7 hours ago

High Court overturns Waitangi Tribunal summons to Minister for Children Karen Chhour
The minister was due to give evidence on Friday regarding the government's plans to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act ...
Radio NZ – political
15 hours ago

Sydney University students set up Gaza solidarity camp as war marks 200 days
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australia’s University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
15 hours ago

Most bees don’t die after stinging – and other surprising bee facts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

How Anzac deaths changed the way we mourn to this day
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/Flickr Victor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

Sugar gums have a reputation as risky branch-droppers but they’re important to bees, parrots and p...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne’s Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

Inflation is slowly falling, while student debt is climbing: 6 graphs that explain today’s CPI
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

Our housing system is broken and the poorest Australians are being hardest hit
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this week’s Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

‘It bucked our lads up wonderfully’: the lightning-quick WWI battle that marked the birth of the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918. Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tracey Holmes, Professorial Fellow in Sport, University of Canberra When the news broke last weekend that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive to a banned drug in early 2021 and were allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games six months later ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

First Nations Anzacs sacrificed life and limb for Country. Why aren’t their stories shown onscreen...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cally Jetta, Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead; College for First Nations, University of Southern Queensland Australian War Memorial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people, as well as sensitive historical information ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
16 hours ago

NZ’s Media Minister Melissa Lee demoted after Newshub crisis
RNZ News Melissa Lee has been ousted from New Zealand’s coalition cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a reshuffle. Climate Change and Revenue Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in cabinet. Simmonds was a minister outside of cabinet. ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
16 hours ago

Our tall, wet forests were not open and park-like when colonists arrived – and we shouldn’t be b...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University laurello/Shutterstock Some reports and popular books, such as Bill Gammage’s Biggest Estate on Earth, have argued that extensive areas of Australia’s forests were kept open through frequent burning by ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

Aces in their places: Luxon plays coy over ministers' competence
Analysis - Christopher Luxon framing the demotion of two ministers as the portfolios getting "too complex" is a charitable way of saying they weren't up to the job. ...
Radio NZ – political
17 hours ago

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra With Jim Chalmers’s third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief – beyond the tax cuts – although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
17 hours ago

Melissa Lee’s media Hail Mary comes up short
Analysis: Melissa Lee has lost the media portfolio and her spot in Cabinet after multiple failed attempts to find solutions for a media industry in crisis. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister announced Lee would be losing her spot in Cabinet along with her media and communications ministerial portfolio. The job ...
NewsroomBy Laura Walters
17 hours ago

Northland council continues four-year Māori ward fight in face of government changes
A council that played a key role in getting Māori ward polling removed is now lobbying against government plans to reinstate binding referendums. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

Education Ministry cuts: Roles providing support for disabled kids among those proposed to be axed
Leaked documents show which divisions will bear the brunt of hundreds of proposed job cuts at the Ministry of Education. ...
Radio NZ – political
18 hours ago

Land Information New Zealand proposes 57 job cuts
It is the latest department to announce job cuts as part of the government's cost-cutting measures. ...
Radio NZ – political
19 hours ago

Watch: Government's 'wheels are falling off already', Hipkins says, after ministers d...
The Labour leader says the demotion of two ministers today shows the PM "didn't have particularly good judgement". ...
Radio NZ – political
19 hours ago

The stories of Australia’s Muslim Anzacs have long been forgotten. It’s time we honour them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Wilmot, Senior Lecturer, Film, Deakin University Among the many Australian who served during the second world war, there is a small group of people whose stories remain largely untold. These are the Muslim men and women who, while small in number, ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
20 hours ago

National emergency response facing 26 separate inquiries: What have we learned
The country's emergency response is besieged by inquiries, despite years of reviews and efforts to make laws that deliver. ...
Radio NZ – political
20 hours ago

Sexual assault victims give evidence in court, but alleged perpetrators don’t have to. Bruce Lehrm...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Saunders, PhD Candidate, University of Canberra There has been much analysis and praise of Justice Michael Lee’s recent judgement in Bruce Lehrmann’s defamation case against Channel Ten. Many people were openly relieved to read Lee’s “forensic” and “nuanced” application of law ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
21 hours ago

What’s the difference between ADD and ADHD?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathy Gibbs, Program Director for the Bachelor of Education, Griffith University zEdward_Indy/Shutterstock Around one in 20 people has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It’s one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and often continues into adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
21 hours ago

Watch: Government's 'wheels are falling off already', Hipkins says, after minsters de...
The Labour leader says the demotion of two ministers today shows the PM "didn't have particularly good judgement". ...
Radio NZ – political
21 hours ago

Anti-Poverty Groups Urge New Minister For Disability Issues To Reverse Funding Cuts
The Fairer Future coalition of anti-poverty groups say Whaikaha must be properly funded going forward, and that to argue that poor financial management of the new Ministry is a red herring by the Prime Minister. ...
Scoop politics
21 hours ago

New Media Minister Must Rule Out State Intervention In Private Media
The Taxpayers’ Union is today congratulating Hon. Paul Goldsmith on his appointment as Minister for Media and Communications and urges him to rule out state intervention in the private media sector. ...
Scoop politics
21 hours ago

OPM leader’s open letter condemns Australia’s ‘treachery’ over Papua
Asia Pacific Report The West Papuan resistance OPM leader has condemned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Joe Biden, accusing their countries of “six decades of treachery” over Papuan independence. The open letter was released today by OPM chairman Jeffrey P Bomanak on the eve of ANZAC Day ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
21 hours ago

‘Emily Dickinson made me into a writer’: Lauren Groff on the power of reading
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits and quirks of New Zealanders at large. This week: writer and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024, Lauren Groff. The book I wish I’d written If I wish I’d written a ...
The SpinoffBy The Spinoff Review of Books
22 hours ago

Watch live: Chris Hipkins speaks after ministers Melissa Lee, Penny Simmonds lose portfolios
The Labour leader speaks from Parliament after the prime minister's sudden Cabinet reshuffle. ...
Radio NZ – political
22 hours ago

What kind of diner are you? 6 types of diners who avoid plant-based meat dishes
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Fechner, Research Fellow, Social Marketing, Griffith University mavo/Shutterstock Imagine having dinner at a restaurant. The menu offers plant-based meat alternatives made mostly from vegetables, mushrooms, legumes and wheat that mimic meat in taste, texture and smell. Despite being given that ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
22 hours ago

Auckland University Criminologist Slams ‘Racist’ Three Strikes Law
“Three Strikes is a dead-end policy proposed by a dead-end government. The Three Strikes law ignores the causes of crime, instead just brutalising people already crushed by the cost of living.” ...
Scoop politics
22 hours ago

Australia-born judge facing potential deportation from Kiribati
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist An Australian-born judge in Kiribati could well face deportation later this week after a tribunal ruling that he should be removed from his post. The tribunal’s report has just been tabled in the Kiribati Parliament and is due to be debated by MPs ...
Evening ReportBy Asia Pacific Report
22 hours ago

Can Body-Worn Cameras Work In Australia And New Zealand? Lessons From Milestone’s Denmark Survey
With its clear mandate for police use, political nuances, and nuanced public trust, Denmark's insights provide valuable considerations for Australia and New Zealand. ...
Scoop politics
23 hours ago

Media Minister Melissa Lee demoted from Cabinet, Penny Simmonds stripped of portfolio
Melissa Lee has been stripped of the Media portfolio, while Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues role. Follow as the PM explains. ...
Radio NZ – political
23 hours ago

Climate change and human rights: how a landmark legal victory in Europe could affect NZ
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vernon Rive, Associate Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images A seven-year campaign by a group of over 2,000 Swiss women – average age 73 – recently ended with a European Court of Human Rights decision variously ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
23 hours ago

Page-turning rural gothic: Ash by Louise Wallace, reviewed
Books editor Claire Mabey reviews poet Louise Wallace’s debut novel. A famous poet once said to me that he’s always suspicious when a poet publishes a novel. I never really understood why but maybe it’s something to do with cheating on your first form. Louise Wallace is a poet. She’s ...
The SpinoffBy Claire Mabey
23 hours ago

Lower catch limits in force for Fiordland, Chatham Islands
New catch limits in Fiordland mean recreational fishers will only be able to take much smaller bags of finfish and shellfish. ...
Radio NZ – political
24 hours ago

New emergency management legislation delayed after bill pulled by Government
The bill was introduced by the previous government in June last year. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

‘It was my Eras tour’: Meet the world’s biggest TrueBliss fans
For a few months at the turn of the millennium, TrueBliss burned bright as the biggest pop stars in the country. Alex Casey chats to two superfans who still hold the flame. During a humble backyard wedding in Nelson, 1999, one of the cordially invited guests had to excuse themselves ...
The SpinoffBy Alex Casey
1 day ago

No more Census forms? Stats NZ mulls form of future surveys
The traditional Census form could become a thing of the past, as Stats NZ starts to rely more heavily on administrative data. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

The voices that vanish in a decimated newsroom
How will the recent wave of job cuts impact ethnic diversity in the media? In November last year, I was working a very busy day in the newsroom of a large online news site, interviewing whānau about their concerns over the imminent closure of one of the few puna reo ...
The SpinoffBy Eda Tang
1 day ago

Half our colleagues suffer pain and discomfort from periods. But they’re still a taboo subject at ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology Have you ever felt sick at work? Perhaps you had food poisoning or the flu. Your belly hurt, or you felt tired, making it hard to concentrate and be productive. How likely would you be ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

'We're going to be banning gang patches' – Police Minister adamant
Despite heavy criticism and an ongoing select committee process, the Police Minister says the Government will forge ahead with a ban on gang patches. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Is it possible to ‘objectively’ judge music? We asked 5 experts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Whiting, Lecturer – Creative Industries, University of South Australia Shutterstock Everyone has a favourite band, or a favourite composer, or a favourite song. There is some music which speaks to you, deeply; and other music which might be the current ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

Gloomy vibe from infrastructure sector as RMA changes unveiled
A new survey says ‘outlook not great’ for those charged with building infrastructure, while RMA changes delight farmers and depress environmentalists, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. First RMA changes announced ...
The SpinoffBy Anna Rawhiti-Connell
1 day ago

From Gallipoli to Gaza: remembering the Anzacs not as a ‘coming of age’ tale but as a lesson for...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Olli Hellmann, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Waikato Getty Images When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also ...
Evening ReportBy The Conversation
1 day ago

The end of the Census? Stats NZ to look at whether survey is still needed
The traditional Census survey could become a thing of the past as Stats NZ starts to rely more heavily on administrative data. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Leaked document reveals millions of dollars of cuts at Te Whatu Ora
A leaked document shows the Canterbury/Waitaha arm of health agency Te Whatu Ora is scurrying to save $13.3 million by July. The “financial sustainability target”, which was “allocated” to Waitaha, is consistent with what’s happening in other districts, says Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. ...
NewsroomBy David Williams
1 day ago

Hiring freeze leaves Oranga Tamariki with no lawyers in Gisborne or Southland
The ministry's lawyers work with vulnerable children across the country, often in the youth and family courts. ...
Radio NZ – political
1 day ago

Is KiwiBuild finally on its last legs?
A look at the state of the previous government’s affordable housing scheme, and what could come next. Remind me: What’s KiwiBuild again? First announced in 2012, KiwiBuild was a flagship policy of the Labour Party heading into both its 2014 and 2017 election campaigns. With Jacinda Ardern as prime minister, ...
The SpinoffBy Stewart Sowman-Lund
1 day ago

Labour has forgotten it was in government
Labour in opposition will be shocked to learn which party had six years in power but squandered any chance to make real change. Grant Robertson’s valedictory speech was a predictably entertaining trip down memory lane. The acid-tongued incoming Otago University chancellor administered a sick burn to the coalition government. He ...
The SpinoffBy Hayden Donnell
1 day ago

Lessons identified must become lessons learned for emergency preparedness
Opinion: It cost too much, apparently, to implement a ‘common operational picture’ The post Lessons identified must become lessons learned for emergency preparedness appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Lianne Dalziel
1 day ago

The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is seen some as its ‘silicon shield’ against invasion – but how will overseas expansion affect that protection? The post The state of Taiwan’s silicon shield appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Sam Sachdeva
1 day ago

Quake rules in for a shake-up
There’s relief for building owners bending under the weight of earthquake strengthening rules – and costs – that came into force seven years ago. Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk has announced a scheduled 2027 review of the earthquake-prone building regulations will now start this year. Owners will also get ...
NewsroomBy Tom Kitchin
1 day ago

Kiwis are learning how to fight climate change – polls
Bucking a common misconception, NZers no longer say recycling is the most effective action they can take to reduce climate pollution The post Kiwis are learning how to fight climate change – polls appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Marc Daalder
1 day ago

Daily crossword, Wednesday 24 April
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles
1 day ago

Child protection decimation a ‘callous razor gang response’
Opinion: It has been announced that nine percent of roles at Oranga Tamariki will be disestablished, presumably to help fund the tax cuts promised by the coalition Government. I am reminded of the graphics used to illustrate pandemic events, where five thousand people are standing in a field and then ...
NewsroomBy Dr Ian Hyslop
1 day ago

‘Lesser Spotted Kiwi’ survives one of world’s toughest races
After more than two sleepless days, running through savage terrain, Greig Hamilton didn’t know if he was going to finish one of the most gruelling psychological assaults in sport. He was metres away from the finish line, a yellow gate made famous in a Netflix documentary; a race he’d dreamed ...
NewsroomBy Eugene Bingham
1 day ago

Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 24 April
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 24 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Newsroom Puzzles
1 day ago

‘I was in awe of Germaine Greer’s face, her neck, her hands’
The following interview with former Green Party MP Sue Kedgley came about because she features in the new memoir Hine Toa by activist Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku; the two knew each other at the University of Auckland in the early 70s, when they were both took on leadership roles in the ...
NewsroomBy Steve Braunias
1 day ago

Can social investment shift the dial on welfare and wellbeing?
Exploring the arguments for and against a social investment approach The post Can social investment shift the dial on welfare and wellbeing? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
NewsroomBy Emma Hatton
1 day ago

Open mike 09/10/2014

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