The Cuban Authorities have just announced that any Cuban national or foreigner caught with illegal drugs (whether the quantity is either small or large), at the border or inside Cuban territory they will be sentenced to a minimum of 42 years hard labour in a Cuban Prison.
If we had a law like that here in NZ this may influence the decision making of the Asian crime syndicates bringing methamphetamine into NZ, and may deter the Mongrel Mob and the Headhunters from distributing these drugs to our children and family members ?
We are weak gutted in this country when it comes to serious drug issues and organised crime ?
Some times it wakes you wonder whether there are vested interests here in NZ ?
NZ Police & Intelligence Services need to focus on the importers, financiers and distributors rather than focusing on small time users and pot smokers who are the small fry, they need to get out the big game fishing rods.
We need to destroy the supply chain.
A colleague of mine in customs believes they are only picking up 5-6% of the illicit drugs coming into the country.
the only way to destroy the supply chain is to go the way of Portugal or at the very least like Holland.
De-criminalize the whole business, regulate it, set price limits, tax it and for those that are addicted and that want to quit provide the medical services to do so.
Fact is that the war on Drugs saved no one, made a lot of money for banks and other money washers, ,locked up a lot of people for a long time for using, ripped families apart and destroyed the life of many.
So what do you actually want Tamati……minimum 42 years for anyone caught in possession in NZ as you suggest @1 above?……that would of course include your life shattered addict brother/sister/nephew/niece……or having agreed with Gosman as to the health issue …….do you want an approach less ridiculous than the OTT one you announce @ 1, and more in line with the intelligible one you propound @1.2.1 ? Which would leave heaps of money free to go the sensible way.
Your mate in Customs…….how the fuck would he actually know? The problem is bad enough without going into hysterical rave. Tends to support the thick old wahanui whose primary focus is to bash the underclass at the end of the line. “That’ll teach ’em. That’ll fix addiction”. Ha ! That’s shit and I suspect you know it.
My work constantly brings me into contact with good people who complain that it’s members of their own whanau who are making their 14 year old girls into crack whores. My suggestion when I hear that: if you really know that go to Auckland, get into a phone box, dial the anonymous Crime Line, give names, addresses, telephone numbers, car number plates. In terms of supportable, sensible solutions it’s pissing into the wind to darkly suggest vested interests and offer 42 years for the afflicted.
All of the above said I understand your frustration. I share it.
They have known there was a massive problem for years. The government and the surrounding industries seem pretty complacent that so many people in this country are effected by P and the supply is mostly from Asia and as usual focusing on political slogans like ‘the war on P’ instead of actually stopping P from getting into the country, getting the big players or stopping them running their op’s from prison. Not much interest in getting onto China and Hong Kong about stopping it from their end.
I guess P addiction is another way to keep the masses under control and emptying a decent percentage of former residents of Auckland out into the streets, prisons, rehabs and so forth. And it sounds like it is big all around the country and in particular Northland where one Mike Sabin seems to have found it profitable with his Methcon business.
Impossible. When something which people enjoy using is prohibited, there will always be a black market for it and there will always be a supply chain. The best thing to do is try and ensure the supply chain is a safe and regulated one, thus minimizing the harm.
NZ police and intelligence services need to focus on issues which are really dangerous, such as violent crime, tax evasion, the spread of Islam, etc, not recreational drug use, which will always continue regardless and is far less dangerous to society (If you take out use of the recreational drug alcohol, which is the most damaging recreational drug to society by a long long way).
Good to see that the Authoritarian left as stupid as the Authoritarian right.
If there was any back bone in this, then the factories that produces the base Methamphetamine, would be dismantled. We looking at you Recordati
Pharmaceutical company.
Here I’ll start, I’ll give a dollar. If everyone else did they same I’m sure someone would take the job.
The base chemical, or working off the base chemical? Because my understanding was to make methamphetamine is tricky and needs a big clean modern lab, to turn that base into a street drug, not so much is needed.
But if the case is their are labs in Burma, then lets get rid of those too.
“Because my understanding was to make methamphetamine is tricky…”
Not at all. The hardest part is obtaining the precursor and equipment. Anyone can perform the actual ‘making’ process, it’s quite a simple one which you don’t need much chemistry knowledge to perform.
Tamati countries that have Draconian Drug laws increase the profit for the king pins who bank all their profits in the same Banks as the corrupt dictators who Impose these laws.
So long as that ‘hard labour’ has a healthy market value and is enough to pay for bed and board and some of the pay for those who have to supervise.
They can have pocket money, if they earn enough – with a big chunk going toward any children until the kids turn 25.
Unless they paid tax on their ill-gotten earnings. In which case they can help fund the rehab programmes and trainings for their kinfolk outside.
Definitely is a mental health issue however we have had successive Governments running our mental health services into the ground.
It started with the Labour Government under the first Neoliberal Government under David Lange and Roger Douglas, when they brought the nut job Harold Titter over from the UK to redesign our Mental Health Service,
Tamati tautuhi….@ 2.1.1. What has improved is our knowledge about mental health disorders and how to treat them. What are the most effective evidence based treatments. If you want info on this google Nice guidelines. It’s a bit involved but if you are genuinely interested I will write more, just it’s a bit late at night.
And there have been pockets where these services have been delivered. If you read my posting further down I also talk about crisis services that used to be well resourced and good but rapidly deteriorated over last 9 years
Sometimes it makes one wonder if the dismantling of our Mental Health System was deliberate under Neoliberalism and the Bildebergers like Roger Douglas ?
Yep, emptying out the mental institutions so that they could be sold off or reutilised while pushing the mentally ill into the community to support (or the police/prisons). Bit like the State houses of now.
Rather than modernising the institutions themselves into 21century help and rehabilitation centres. If we still had them, maybe they could also have some drug rehab spaces or homeless… instead of selling off the institutions and then paying $1000 p/w for 1 room unsuitable hotels…
It’d be interesting to go back and look at the reasons for the closure of various institutions, and how they all stack up now.
Whether it’s rotting facilities just outside Levin, or Hanmer Springs, or maybe even a CareNZ facility in Marton.
Jesus! Now there’s a ‘bug’ that could keep Lyn lying awake at night in the pursuit of programatic perfection whilst his partner screams “FFS Lyn – give it a bloody rest will ya!”
But anyway….. even more interesting would be to see where the protaginists who were busy advocating for the closure/privatisation/outsourcing/etc. are today.
I suspect there are one or two masquerading as ‘officials’ still providing policy advice to their Ministers (and ain’t THAT [Minister] just an ever so quaint term -going forward)
The dismantling that occurred in terms of deinstitutionalisation was part of a worldwide trend and likely appealed to neo liberals because potentially it would save money.
From a clinical point of view as treatment options have improved it became unnecessary to keep people institutionalised. However the majority of people miss out on optimal treatment. I think personally I would prefer to live in an institution than being left homeless or in some terrible boarding house, struggling on a benefit
The dismantling occurred during the free market capitalist experiment foisted on the citizens of New Zealand by both Labour and National.
This economic trial was started by Douglas, and continues to this day, with its most severe experiments occurring under Richardson and Key.
Deinstitutionalisation was a long process. I can assure that when Helen c was minister of housing, she was very proactive about housing of the mentally ill and I was working in an area that directly benefited from this. So to as min of health and then PM. They sold off carrington etc, but the money did follow through initially to the community.
What I am unfortunately really aware of is the profound deterioration of mental under the key govt. there were services available at primary health care for people with depression and anxiety disorders. That shrunk till it virtually disappeared. We use to have crisis services that would visit people in their own homes, which sometimes meant people didn’t need to go to hospital most often better all round for everyone. Where I am based now (big city) no such service exists. People who are seriously unwell get a 10 minute phone triage. This is inadequate to say the least. I am often in the position of telling people to go straight to a and e. Of course there is a monstrously long wait, but they do get seen.
By the way no disrespect to the hardworking staff doing their best in difficult circumstances. It is extremely demanding work, often thankless, not well paid. You get sick of seeing people like Titter, someone mentioned him earlier coming in and earning the big money but not doing the real work
The money from the State Asset Sales was supposed to go into additional Healthcare facilities however appeared to go in a Chinese Investment Bank and the Clinton Foundation ?
Alwyn 90% of patients prior to 1989 when those mental hospitals were closed should not have been in institutions and were to be cared for in the community .
Tax cuts have meant mental health care is at the bottom of the list and as many as 1/3 of prisoners are being locked up because of untreated mental health problems at $100,000 per pppy.
Alwyn that’s why we don’t need mega prisons to warehouse untreated mental patients.
It isn’t me you should be complaining to.
Try savenz and Ankerrawshark.
They are the ones who are trying to jump on people who they accuse of closing them.
I don’t believe I have jumped on anyone nor have I accused anyone of shutting me down. I do have strong opinions about this informed from my professional experience.
@ Alwyn, I’m saying the institutions should have been modernised so they were still utilised for the mentally ill NOT kept the way it was. Being in an institution does not necessarily mean the way mentally ill were kept in the past, but the model could have been refreshed into 21 century institutions or care centres with community help. Now the mentally ill have no where to go which is the issue!
Likewise state house tenants, wonderful idea to sell them, sarc. but oh shit, what now with all the poor people?
Alwyn shifting your lame argument.
National took over in 1990 cutting health funding continuously over 9 years leaving more patients untreated.
Similar to the last 9 years National claiming to spend $100.s of millions more on health care that statement being True.
But the actual amount spent per person went down given a rapidly expanding and aging population .
No increase in 9 years below inflation well below health care inflation which runs at 7% because of price gouging by monopoly cartel private materials service providers who National allow to pay no tax.
Tricledrown: “and were to be cared for in the community .”
Which was a truly lovely, enlightened, humane, compassionate thing to do – except – who was supposed to do the ‘caring’? Older women, as usual?
And where were the fabulous wraparound support and respite care and training/work opportunities?
Some people have accessed this care. IDEA provides quite a lot. Yet, for those who aren’t special needs? What? And how widely available is it?
Are there careers to be pursued here? Are there regular recruitment drives and ongoing trainings available? Or is it more of the over-worked and under-resourced situation at which the DHBs excel?
Otherwise it’s weasel words over the despair of family and friends who are forced to become experts, carers, and hunters of wandering kin.
The wrap around services didn’t even last a year. I still support people who have never managed on their own in the community ; they have not had quality lives. Not enough services exist to provide ongoing consistent care.
Had a relative who lived in Bay of Plenty, and who got a job as an ACC carer. Basically they had to give it up as they were expected to drive around using their own car at close to minimum wages for short periods of work (aka 2-4 hours) and travel long distances without pay for the time travel or proper maintenance contribution for her car, and of course the circumstances were often difficult with people needing a carer.
Now the system seems to have a work around to employ overseas workers often who don’t speak good English or can do the job property, but it keeps the flawed system limping along and makes the rest of the taxpayers pick up the bill for yet another well educated local person in the provinces still unemployed who would do an excellent job, but not prepared to be exploited, while another low wager worker is bought in, and their employment/health care/general needs subsidised by the state at a level that is more Ponzi than good practise and putting more pressure on affordable housing and hospitals etc because somehow new low wage people live in ghost affordable house and use ghost health care and somehow are able to ghost support themselves on the ghost wages when local’s can’t.
We say; – we need the rail line opened to Gisborne as well after the first train finally left Napier last wednesday for final repairing the Wairoa rail line.
Over the next month, the Government committee on zero carbon emissions bill will be travelling around the country talking about the Zero Carbon Bill so that as many New Zealanders as possible can join the conversation.
We will produce a submission to this event at the “Napier conference centre” on 19th June at between 5 to 7 pm on regional rail freight/passenger services as being a major contributor method at reducing carbon emissions in our zero carbon target policy in future.
NIWA claims that for “each tonnne of freight moved one km by rail uses less than a fifth of fuel than if it was moved by truck/road freight.”
NIWA states also that “one truck emits 100 times more air pollution than one car does.”
These facts must be used to reasonably argue that we must now balmce half the freight to rail instead of sending 90% by road and less than 6% by rail as we do today.
We welcome any partners/stakeholders into this event, if you can attend in support of your group attendance .
Home » Climate change » Popular pages
Have your say on the Zero Carbon Bill
• Have your say
• Latest Update
• Public meetings
Over the next month, we will be travelling around the country talking about the Zero Carbon Bill so that as many New Zealanders as possible can join the conversation. Have a look at the times and places below to find one that suits you.
CITY/TOWN DATE TIME LOCATION
Whangarei Friday 8 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Toll Stadium, 51 Okara Drive, Whangarei
New Plymouth Monday 11 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Waitangi Room, Novotel New Plymouth Hobson, Hobson & Leach Streets, New Plymouth
Hamilton Thursday 14 June 5.30pm – 7.30pm TBC
Gisborne Monday 18 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Hawke’s Bay Tuesday 19 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Napier Conference Centre, 48 Marine Parade, Bluff Hill, Napier
Auckland Friday 22 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Christchurch Monday 25 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Dunedin Tuesday 26 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Forsyth Barr Stadium, 130 Anzac Avenue, Dunedin
Invercargill Wednesday 27 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Masonic Centre Venue, 80 Forth Street, Invercargill
Nelson Tuesday 3 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm Old St John’s, 320 Hardy Street, Nelson
Wellington Thursday 5 July 6.00pm – 8.00pm TBC
Palmerston North TBC 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Tauranga 9 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm Greerton Hall, 1263 Cameron Road, Greerton, Tauranga
Rotorua 10 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
NIWA claims that for “each tonnne of freight moved one km by rail uses less than a fifth of fuel than if it was moved by truck/road freight.”
NIWA states also that “one truck emits 100 times more air pollution than one car does.”
If our economic system properly accounted for costs trucks would not be used for long haul freight at all. The cost of doing so would far exceed that of using trains.
“If our economic system properly accounted for costs trucks would not be used for long haul freight at all”
All good apart from major haul routes where the rail doesn’t go any more, or where it’s never gone. Queenstown, Wanaka and Central Otago being case in point. Everything here, and I mean everything, comes in on the back of a truck, which generally goes back empty. Mostly from Christchurch at least. Closest rail is 200km away over not the most efficient roads for trucking. It costs the same or less to truck from Christchurch as from Dunedin. And the old rail line to Cromwell was marginal with 4 wheel stock at 40 kmh, bogied stock in the 80s was still going at 40 kmh, then the line was abandoned.
A new line providing a better option than road and air would be a huge undertaking with at least three 10 – 15 km tunnels through difficult geology. Would be a huge benefit to the region, but will take a dramatic shift in cost benefit methodologies to allow a project of this scale to proceed. Can see it in an alternative future but will take some changes in how we do things.
All good apart from major haul routes where the rail doesn’t go any more, or where it’s never gone.
Oh noes, we need to build more rail.
And the old rail line to Cromwell was marginal with 4 wheel stock at 40 kmh, bogied stock in the 80s was still going at 40 kmh, then the line was abandoned.
And it was abandoned because of those costs not being properly accounted for which make trucking look better when it’s actually far worse.
Would be a huge benefit to the region, but will take a dramatic shift in cost benefit methodologies to allow a project of this scale to proceed.
It’s very difficult to do a cost/benefit analysis when some very real costs are purposefully left out.
DTB after the Clyde Dam was built their wasn’t enough freight to make the Dunedin to Clyde Rail pay very seasonal agricultural products then.The rail trail has reinvigorated the economy on the old line.
The Clyde Dam that National /Social Credit coalition built.
Was much higher and 10x the price $2.4 billion than the original 2 Damn Labour proposal which would have left the existing rail road orchards historical mining settlements in place adding many more millions to the economy.
The Central Otago line was built for an economy that had long dissapeared by the 1970s. The Clyde Dam gave it another 10 years, but it was so restricted and unreliable that it gave poor utility. We trucked more cement direct from Dunedin than we got by rail. Had a couple of close calls with cement supply.
The point I was trying to highlight is how do we as a society and economy transition from truck to rail where we don’t have existing rail infrastructure. And really that’s because it was too hard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when our rail infrastructure was established. The last major new rail builds were the Picton and Gisborne lines in the 40s, everything since has been upgrades, repairs or deviations.
In that time our economy has moved and changed dramatically. The growth and transformation here in Central Otago, along with what’s happening in Northland, Poverty Bay and Nelson are placing huge demands on the road network in those regions that can’t be shifted to rail because there’s no rail, or ineffective rail.
Brownlee said there couldn’t be a business case made for commuter rail from Rangiora to Rolleston – so cars sit in traffic jams on the north and south motorways into Christchurch.
+1 Draco. Not to mention all the accidents and all the congestion truck drivers are involved in. Practically every week in Auckland a motorway is closed due to a truck driver having an accident. Last week, they even managed to knock out the trains as well by driving into a pillar.
Pope Francis has told oil company chiefs that the world must switch to clean energy because climate change risks destroying humanity.
“Civilisation requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilisation,” he said at the end of a two-day conference at the Vatican.
The pontiff said climate change was a challenge of epochal proportions, and that the world needed to come up with an energy mix that combatted pollution, eliminated poverty and promoted social justice.
The unprecedented conference, held behind closed doors at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, brought together oil executives, investors and Vatican experts. Like the pope, they back scientific opinion that climate change is caused by human activity and that global warming must be curbed.
“We know that the challenges facing us are interconnected. If we are to eliminate poverty and hunger … the more than 1 billion people without electricity today need to gain access to it,” Francis told them.
“But that energy should also be clean, by a reduction in the systematic use of fossil fuels. Our desire to ensure energy for all must not lead to the undesired effect of a spiral of extreme climate changes due to a catastrophic rise in global temperatures, harsher environments and increased levels of poverty,” he said.
Seems the Pope and many other people can see this but Heather Duplicity Allan either can’t/ won’t/or is paid to shill for big oil.
An excerpt from her latest Herald piece putting the boot into the Greens and continuing to spread the lies that the Green are “loony”, “crazy” and “fever-crazy”:
In February it was oil and gas. Last week it was plastic bags and meat. Shaw, the Climate Change Minister, started the week telling us to cut out a meat meal a week to save the planet. Days later, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage picked up the loony baton and declared she planned to ban all single-use plastic bags by the end of the year. Don’t worry, she’s cooled her extremely ambitious plans.
Then, Shaw opened consultation on his bill to cut New Zealand’s carbon emissions to zero. The documents admit doing that will slow economic growth and probably hurt poorer families most. We’ll be clean but poor.
The Greens and their crazy ideas make Peters look decidedly sane. It might be quite nice to have an adult in charge for six weeks.
Yep saving trying to save planet and continue the existence of the human race is crazy all right. Du Plessis Allan is not only not very bright but she is dangerous. Lightweights like her are given soap boxes for a reason.
I take it that the lady concerned is not flavour of the week this week?
Amazing how she goes from being wonderful one week and a madwoman the next.
Rather like the woman’s magazines in the heyday of posh and becs.
Idyllically happy in one issue and divorcing in the next. Repeat for 20 years.
Look surprised when it is pointed out that they are still, apparently, happily married.
No problem. One of these days to justify my ignore list I’m going to do a speculative family tree linking alwyn, Gosman, Tuppence Shrewsbury, James, Baba Yoga/babayoga, and a few others.
And Plastic-Allan is an insufferable cackling yuppie (as if to celebrate marriage to scruffy old Barely Soper)……who views the world through that insecure lens. Much like Dame The Strange Corset in my book. Snot-arse wee snob.
That’s nice dear.
Have you managed to find a Publisher for that auto-biography of yours or are even the vanity publishers put off by its title?
“Snot-arse wee snob” may be an accurate description of you but it isn’t likely to sell more than a couple of copies is it?
So another Sunday morning, another sad list of incidents at our E.D.
Drugs, alcohol, violence, mental health, under staffed, zealous St John workers… the list goes on.
Underpinning all of this is the ‘general fuckwittery’ trajectory of society.
The lack of regard/esteem for the self and others.
How to cope or minimize the impact on others (nurses, the vulnerable public, security) would be a great first step.
Akin to the trial down in Wellington hospital. A pre triage, where the drunks were siphoned off separately.
Add a third ‘gate’ for mental health crises.
Of course this is doable, but requires $ and a priority from the powers that be.
Stop all alcohol advertising.
Tax alcohol heavily and use the funds for the health and other social impacts of this class B drug.
Stop its sale in supermarkets.
Stop its connection to all sports teams and cultural events.
Introduce a much lower level for drink driving.
Solutions to general selfishness and ‘fuckwittery.’
End the disastrous experiment of free market capitalism.
Create local communities.
Adopt socialist and ecological policies that expet and enforce behaviours that community above the individual.
Of course those solutions have not been taken as governments beholden to our extreme capitalist model believe in the free market.
These weak governments are also open to bribes and lobbying from multinational liquor corporations.
“Dr Jackson said in fact, hazardous binge-drinking had been getting worse, and the government needed to raise the price of alcohol.
“Since 2011 we haven’t seen any positive change in 18 to 24 year old drinking so you know this is great, they’re protecting their brains while they’re very very vulnerable but we’ve got to make sure that when they hit that age they’re not just stepping into that culture,” she said.”
So Jenny Shipley & National’s policy of reducing the alcohol drinking age to 18 did not work out as they thought it would, by making young people more responsible with their drinking habits ?
Peter Dunne on the payroll National on the pay roll of the Alcohol lobbyists.
After paying for a comprehensive royal commission
National did nothing but placate the Drugpushing alcohol industry.
As someone so aptly said on here recently, “The media is scum”.
“Red flags were raised in the media about meth-testing well before the PM’s science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman’s report last week – but they didn’t stop the evictions, unnecessary repairs and the growth of an unregulated industry.”
What a revelation I heard on RNZ 7 am news. 10 state homes are to be trialled for women with gang connections who are trying to escape family violence but do not have an affordable home to live in.
I have raised the unaffordabilty of housing being connected to family violence approx 2 years ago.
This idea needs to be extended to any person who is going back into a violent situation because they cannot afford the cost of housing.
Subsidising rent for those escaping family violence needs to be considered as well.
Sounds interesting although there are so many struggling with rent at this point how does family violence get prioritize against say serious health issues? Really splitting the hairs as to who gets housed versus not. All options are shitty.
I shall point all of you to this excellent article by Bomber Bradbury.
‘The real reason Simon Bridges isn’t connecting with National Voters.
An excerpt.
” Watching the Northcote by-election was instructive with National Party supporters screaming ‘Communist’, and ‘Go home to Russia’, at the Labour candidate.
In a world with Netflix, can you imagine the effort required to go to a bloody by-election debate mid week to scream juvenile abuse? It takes an enormous amount of bitterness to do that.
And that’s what National are now, a Party supported by bitter individuals who want leaders who strike with the same spiteful resentment they want to strike with.”
Yea Gods, just having a wee look at the NZ Herald Homepage and came across this little gem from Audrey Young. I attended Putaruru Primary School back in the 1950s and there was a lad with a surname Bidois who was Maori and who will no doubt be related to the new MP for Northcote. I can tell you that we all didn’t pronounce his surname ‘correctly’, nor did he. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12067940
Good morning The Am Show the Auckland fuel tax has not even started an the effect seem to have knocked 5 min off our 40 min ride to work when if does start it will be 10 mins saved on our ride to work.
The rescue Hellies service that is being reviewed who do you think creams this service .
Eco Maori sees who is creaming this job its similar to another new industry that was being creamed by people .
The NZ Quoter Fisherys manage system has not worked in my view .In reality they have set fishing Quoters to high and when they notice a decline in fish stocks they then cut fish Quoters so that the stock recovers. Well that system never protected Orangeruffy
stocks this park the ambulance at the bottom of the hill strategy is only convenient for the $$$$$$$$$men who have a hold on the industry. When some species are over fished they just cannot bounce back and now they have the ph change in the water and warming Oceans 1 degree dose not seem like much but to a living organism that change can be life or death to that organism .
Ka kate ano
Newshub Duncan guess what happened after Eco Maori post that last post some thing flew over the house the Red flag effect ka kite ano P.S Happy birth day Mark
IEco Maori had that call correct on the central North Island rescue service.
The sirens went off when I went out side.
I’m getting pretty good at reading there reality.
As for the 3 strike law that has not affected many people so I won’t be condemning anyone about not supporting that. I do like Robert Rakere call for compulsory voting that will even out the political field and give all Kiwis a voice not just the ones with a axe to grind. Ka kite ano P.S don’t poke the Bear
Good evening Newshub te minster of justice did not look to upset about the minor setback in his reforms of the justice system repealing the 3 strike law not being supported by NZF they are just pandering to the media .
I’m still assessing Mayor of Gisborne we will see how he shapes up.
There you go civil servant not doing there job its good that they are being held accountable for there actions.
Its awesome that the miss Universe winner appreciated Our Maori culture it a pity that a lot of people just want to exploit it for monetary gains and as soon as they get a chance put down tangata whenua at every turn.
Ka kite ano
The last few days have been a bit too much of a whirl for me to manage a fresh edition each day. It's been that kind of year. Hope you don't mind.I’ve been coming around to thinking that it doesn't really matter if you don't have something to say every ...
The worms will live in every hostIt's hard to pick which one they eat the mostThe horrible people, the horrible peopleIt's as anatomic as the size of your steepleCapitalism has made it this wayOld-fashioned fascism will take it awaySongwriter: Twiggy Ramirez Read more ...
Hi,It’s almost Christmas Day which means it is almost my birthday, where you will find me whimpering in the corner clutching a warm bottle of Baileys.If you’re out of ideas for presents (and truly desperate) then it is possible to gift a full Webworm subscription to a friend (or enemy) ...
This morning’s six standouts for me at 6.30am include:Rachel Helyer Donaldson’s scoop via RNZ last night of cuts to maternity jobs in the health system;Maddy Croad’s scoop via The Press-$ this morning on funding cuts for Christchurch’s biggest food rescue charity;Benedict Collins’ scoop last night via 1News on a last-minute ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 15, 2024 thru Sat, December 21, 2024. Based on feedback we received, this week's roundup is the first one published soleley by category. We are still interested in ...
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...
So the Solstice has arrived – Summer in this part of the world, Winter for the Northern Hemisphere. And with it, the publication my new Norse dark-fantasy piece, As Our Power Lessens at Eternal Haunted Summer: https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/issues/winter-solstice-2024/as-our-power-lessens/ As previously noted, this one is very ‘wyrd’, and Northern Theory of Courage. ...
The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on UnsplashEvery morning I get up at 3am to go around the traps of news sites in Aotearoa and globally. I pick out the top ones from my point of view and have been putting them into my Dawn Chorus email, which goes out with a podcast. ...
Over on Kikorangi Newsroom's Marc Daalder has published his annual OIA stats. So I thought I'd do mine: 82 OIA requests sent in 2024 7 posts based on those requests 20 average working days to receive a response Ministry of Justice was my most-requested entity, ...
Welcome to the December 2024 Economic Bulletin. We have two monthly features in this edition. In the first, we discuss what the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update from Treasury and the Budget Policy Statement from the Minister of Finance tell us about the fiscal position and what to ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi have submitted against the controversial Treaty Principles Bill, slamming the Bill as a breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and an attack on tino rangatiratanga and the collective rights of Tangata Whenua. “This Bill seeks to legislate for Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles that are ...
I don't knowHow to say what's got to be saidI don't know if it's black or whiteThere's others see it redI don't get the answers rightI'll leave that to youIs this love out of fashionOr is it the time of yearAre these words distraction?To the words you want to hearSongwriters: ...
Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...
Twas the Friday before Christmas and all through the week we’ve been collecting stories for our final roundup of the year. As we start to wind down for the year we hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and new year. If you’re travelling please be safe on ...
The podcast above of the weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers on Thursday night features co-hosts & talking about the year’s news with: on climate. Her book of the year was Tim Winton’s cli-fi novel Juice and she also mentioned Mike Joy’s memoir The Fight for Fresh Water. ...
The Government can head off to the holidays, entitled to assure itself that it has done more or less what it said it would do. The campaign last year promised to “get New Zealand back on track.” When you look at the basic promises—to trim back Government expenditure, toughen up ...
Open access notables An intensification of surface Earth’s energy imbalance since the late 20th century, Li et al., Communications Earth & Environment:Tracking the energy balance of the Earth system is a key method for studying the contribution of human activities to climate change. However, accurately estimating the surface energy balance ...
Photo by Mauricio Fanfa on UnsplashKia oraCome and join us for our weekly ‘Hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with myself , plus regular guests and , ...
“Like you said, I’m an unreconstructed socialist. Everybody deserves to get something for Christmas.”“ONE OF THOSE had better be for me!” Hannah grinned, fascinated, as Laurie made his way, gingerly, to the bar, his arms full of gift-wrapped packages.“Of course!”, beamed Laurie. Depositing his armful on the bar-top and selecting ...
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed a significant slowdown in the economy over the past six months, with GDP falling by 1% in September, and 1.1% in June said CTU Economist Craig Renney. “The data shows that the size of the economy in GDP terms is now smaller ...
One last thing before I quitI never wanted any moreThan I could fit into my headI still remember every single word you saidAnd all the shit that somehow came along with itStill, there's one thing that comforts meSince I was always caged and now I'm freeSongwriters: David Grohl / Georg ...
Sparse offerings outside a Te Kauwhata church. Meanwhile, the Government is cutting spending in ways that make thousands of hungry children even hungrier, while also cutting funding for the charities that help them. It’s also doing that while winding back new building of affordable housing that would allow parents to ...
It is difficult to make sense of the Luxon Coalition Government’s economic management.This end-of-year review about the state of economic management – the state of the economy was last week – is not going to cover the National Party contribution. Frankly, like every other careful observer, I cannot make up ...
This morning I awoke to the lovely news that we are firmly back on track, that is if the scale was reversed.NZ ranks low in global economic comparisonsNew Zealand's economy has been ranked 33rd out of 37 in an international comparison of which have done best in 2024.Economies were ranked ...
Remember those silent movies where the heroine is tied to the railway tracks or going over the waterfall in a barrel? Finance Minister Nicola Willis seems intent on portraying herself as that damsel in distress. According to Willis, this country’s current economic problems have all been caused by the spending ...
Similar to the cuts and the austerity drive imposed by Ruth Richardson in the 1990’s, an era which to all intents and purposes we’ve largely fiddled around the edges with fixing in the time since – over, to be fair, several administrations – whilst trying our best it seems to ...
String-Pulling in the Dark: For the democratic process to be meaningful it must also be public. WITH TRUST AND CONFIDENCE in New Zealand’s politicians and journalists steadily declining, restoring those virtues poses a daunting challenge. Just how daunting is made clear by comparing the way politicians and journalists treated New Zealanders ...
Dear Nicola Willis, thank you for letting us know in so many words that the swingeing austerity hasn't worked.By in so many words I mean the bit where you said, Here is a sea of red ink in which we are drowning after twelve months of savage cost cutting and ...
The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral organisation committed to advancing open government. Countries which join are supposed to co-create regular action plans with civil society, committing to making verifiable improvements in transparency, accountability, participation, or technology and innovation for the above. And they're held to account through an Independent ...
Today I tuned into something strange: a press conference that didn’t make my stomach churn or the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Which was strange, because it was about the torture of children. It was the announcement by Erica Stanford — on her own, unusually ...
This is a must watch, and puts on brilliant and practical display the implications and mechanics of fast-track law corruption and weakness.CLICK HERE: LINK TO WATCH VIDEOOur news media as it is set up is simply not equipped to deal with the brazen disinformation and corruption under this right wing ...
NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Acting Secretary Erin Polaczuk is welcoming the announcement from Minister of Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden that she is opening consultation on engineered stone and is calling on her to listen to the evidence and implement a total ban of the product. “We need ...
The Government has announced a 1.5% increase in the minimum wage from 1 April 2025, well below forecast inflation of 2.5%. Unions have reacted strongly and denounced it as a real terms cut. PSA and the CTU are opposing a new round of staff cuts at WorkSafe, which they say ...
The decision to unilaterally repudiate the contract for new Cook Strait ferries is beginning to look like one of the stupidest decisions a New Zealand government ever made. While cancelling the ferries and their associated port infrastructure may have made this year's books look good, it means higher costs later, ...
Hi there! I’ve been overseas recently, looking after a situation with a family member. So apologies if there any less than focused posts! Vanuatu has just had a significant 7.3 earthquake. Two MFAT staff are unaccounted for with local fatalities.It’s always sad to hear of such things happening.I think of ...
Today is a special member's morning, scheduled to make up for the government's theft of member's days throughout the year. First up was the first reading of Greg Fleming's Crimes (Increased Penalties for Slavery Offences) Amendment Bill, which was passed unanimously. Currently the House is debating the third reading of ...
We're going backwardsIgnoring the realitiesGoing backwardsAre you counting all the casualties?We are not there yetWhere we need to beWe are still in debtTo our insanitiesSongwriter: Martin Gore Read more ...
Willis blamed Treasury for changing its productivity assumptions and Labour’s spending increases since Covid for the worsening Budget outlook. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, December 18 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above ...
Today the Auckland Transport board meet for the last time this year. For those interested (and with time to spare), you can follow along via this MS Teams link from 10am. I’ve taken a quick look through the agenda items to see what I think the most interesting aspects are. ...
Hi,If you’re a New Zealander — you know who Mike King is. He is the face of New Zealand’s battle against mental health problems. He can be loud and brash. He raises, and is entrusted with, a lot of cash. Last year his “I Am Hope” charity reported a revenue ...
Probably about the only consolation available from yesterday’s unveiling of the Half-Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) is that it could have been worse. Though Finance Minister Nicola Willis has tightened the screws on future government spending, she has resisted the calls from hard-line academics, fiscal purists and fiscal hawks ...
The right have a stupid saying that is only occasionally true:When is democracy not democracy? When it hasn’t been voted on.While not true in regards to branches of government such as the judiciary, it’s a philosophy that probably should apply to recently-elected local government councillors. Nevertheless, this concept seemed to ...
Long story short: the Government’s austerity policy has driven the economy into a deeper and longer recession that means it will have to borrow $20 billion more over the next four years than it expected just six months ago. Treasury’s latest forecasts show the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s fiscal strategy of ...
Come and join myself and CTU Chief Economist for a pop-up ‘Hoon’ webinar on the Government’s Half Yearly Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) with paying subscribers to The Kākā for 30 minutes at 5 pm today.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream to watch our chat. Don’t worry if ...
In 1998, in the wake of the Paremoremo Prison riot, the Department of Corrections established the "Behaviour Management Regime". Prisoners were locked in their cells for 22 or 23 hours a day, with no fresh air, no exercise, no social contact, no entertainment, and in some cases no clothes and ...
New data released by the Treasury shows that the economic policies of this Government have made things worse in the year since they took office, said NZCTU Economist Craig Renney. “Our fiscal indicators are all heading in the wrong direction – with higher levels of debt, a higher deficit, and ...
At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...
AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...
The NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi are saying that the Government should do the right thing and deliver minimum wage increases that don’t see workers fall further behind, in response to today’s announcement that the minimum wage will only be increased by 1.5%, well short of forecast inflation. “With inflation forecast ...
Oh, I weptFor daysFilled my eyesWith silly tearsOh, yeaBut I don'tCare no moreI don't care ifMy eyes get soreSongwriters: Paul Rodgers / Paul Kossoff. Read more ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob HensonIn this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...
In August, I wrote an article about David Seymour1 with a video of his testimony, to warn that there were grave dangers to his Ministry of Regulation:David Seymour's Ministry of Slush Hides Far Greater RisksWhy Seymour's exorbitant waste of taxpayers' money could be the least of concernThe money for Seymour ...
Willis is expected to have to reveal the bitter fiscal fruits of her austerity strategy in the HYEFU later today. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/TheKakaMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Tuesday, December 17 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast ...
On Friday the government announced it would double the number of toll roads in New Zealand as well as make a few other changes to how toll roads are used in the country. The real issue though is not that tolling is being used but the suggestion it will make ...
The Prime Minister yesterday engaged in what looked like a pre-emptive strike designed to counter what is likely to be a series of depressing economic statistics expected before the end of the week. He opened his weekly post-Cabinet press conference with a recitation of the Government’s achievements. “It certainly has ...
This whooping cough story from south Auckland is a good example of the coalition government’s approach to social need – spend money on urging people to get vaccinated but only after you’ve cut the funding to where they could get vaccinated. This has been the case all year with public ...
And if there is a GodI know he likes to rockHe likes his loud guitarsHis spiders from MarsAnd if there is a GodI know he's watching meHe likes what he seesBut there's trouble on the breezeSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan Read more ...
Here’s a quick round up of today’s political news:1. MORE FOOD BANKS, CHARITIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND YOUTH SOCIAL SERVICES SET TO CLOSE OR SCALE BACK AROUND THE COUNTRY AS GOVT CUTS FUNDINGSome of Auckland's largest foodbanks are warning they may need to close or significantly reduce food parcels after ...
Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...
This is a guest post by Tim Adriaansen, a community, climate, and accessibility advocate.I won’t shut up about climate breakdown, and whenever possible I try to shift the focus of a climate conversation towards solutions. But you’ll almost never hear me give more than a passing nod to ...
A grassroots backlash has forced a backdown from Brown, but he is still eyeing up plenty of tolls for other new roads. And the pressure is on Willis to ramp up the Government’s austerity strategy. Photo: Getty ImagesMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 8, 2024 thru Sat, December 14, 2024. Listing by Category Like last week's summary this one contains the list of articles twice: based on categories and based on ...
I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...
Once, long before there was Harry and Meghan and Dodi and all those episodes of The Crown, they came to spend some time with us, Charles and Diana. Was there anyone in the world more glamorous than the Princess of Wales?Dazzled as everyone was by their company, the leader of ...
The collective right have a problem.The entire foundation for their world view is antiscientific. Their preferred economic strategies have been disproven. Their whole neoliberal model faces accusations of corporate corruption and worsening inequality. Climate change not only definitely exists, its rapid progression demands an immediate and expensive response in order ...
National has only been in power for a year, but everywhere you look, its choices are taking New Zealand a long way backwards. In no particular order, here are the National Government's Top 50 Greatest Misses of its first year in power. ...
The Government is quietly undertaking consultation on the dangerous Regulatory Standards Bill over the Christmas period to avoid too much attention. ...
The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...
The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...
Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has today launched a Member’s Bill to sanction Israel for its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the All Out For Gaza rally reaches Parliament. ...
After years of advocacy, the Green Party is very happy to hear the Government has listened to our collective voices and announced the closure of the greyhound racing industry, by 1 August 2026. ...
In response to a new report from ERO, the Government has acknowledged the urgent need for consistency across the curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools. ...
The Green Party is appalled at the Government introducing legislation that will make it easier to penalise workers fighting for better pay and conditions. ...
Thank you for the invitation to speak with you tonight on behalf of the political party I belong to - which is New Zealand First. As we have heard before this evening the Kinleith Mill is proposing to reduce operations by focusing on pulp and discontinuing “lossmaking paper production”. They say that they are currently consulting on the plan to permanently shut ...
Auckland Central MP, Chlöe Swarbrick, has written to Mayor Wayne Brown requesting he stop the unnecessary delays on St James Theatre’s restoration. ...
Kiwis planning a swim or heading out on a boat this summer should remember to stop and think about water safety, Sport & Recreation Minister Chris Bishop and ACC and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand’s beaches, lakes and rivers are some of the most beautiful in the ...
The Government is urging Kiwis to drive safely this summer and reminding motorists that Police will be out in force to enforce the road rules, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“This time of year can be stressful and result in poor decision-making on our roads. Whether you are travelling to see ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says Health New Zealand will move swiftly to support dozens of internationally-trained doctors already in New Zealand on their journey to employment here, after a tripling of sought-after examination places. “The Medical Council has delivered great news for hardworking overseas doctors who want to contribute ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has appointed Sarah Ottrey to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). “At my first APEC Summit in Lima, I experienced firsthand the role that ABAC plays in guaranteeing political leaders hear the voice of business,” Mr Luxon says. “New Zealand’s ABAC representatives are very well respected and ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced four appointments to New Zealand’s intelligence oversight functions. The Honourable Robert Dobson KC has been appointed Chief Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, and the Honourable Brendan Brown KC has been appointed as a Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants. The appointments of Hon Robert Dobson and Hon ...
Improvements in the average time it takes to process survey and title applications means housing developments can progress more quickly, Minister for Land Information Chris Penk says. “The government is resolutely focused on improving the building and construction pipeline,” Mr Penk says. “Applications to issue titles and subdivide land are ...
The Government’s measures to reduce airport wait times, and better transparency around flight disruptions is delivering encouraging early results for passengers ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Improving the efficiency of air travel is a priority for the Government to give passengers a smoother, more reliable ...
The Government today announced the intended closure of the Apollo Hotel as Contracted Emergency Housing (CEH) in Rotorua, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. This follows a 30 per cent reduction in the number of households in CEH in Rotorua since National came into Government. “Our focus is on ending CEH in the Whakarewarewa area starting ...
The Government will reshape vocational education and training to return decision making to regions and enable greater industry input into work-based learning Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds says. “The redesigned system will better meet the needs of learners, industry, and the economy. It includes re-establishing regional polytechnics that ...
The Government is taking action to better manage synthetic refrigerants and reduce emissions caused by greenhouse gases found in heating and cooling products, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says. “Regulations will be drafted to support a product stewardship scheme for synthetic refrigerants, Ms. Simmonds says. “Synthetic refrigerants are found in a ...
People travelling on State Highway 1 north of Hamilton will be relieved that remedial works and safety improvements on the Ngāruawāhia section of the Waikato Expressway were finished today, with all lanes now open to traffic, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“I would like to acknowledge the patience of road users ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister, Penny Simmonds, has announced a new appointment to the board of Education New Zealand (ENZ). Dr Erik Lithander has been appointed as a new member of the ENZ board for a three-year term until 30 January 2028. “I would like to welcome Dr Erik Lithander to the ...
The Government will have senior representatives at Waitangi Day events around the country, including at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but next year Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has chosen to take part in celebrations elsewhere. “It has always been my intention to celebrate Waitangi Day around the country with different ...
Two more criminal gangs will be subject to the raft of laws passed by the Coalition Government that give Police more powers to disrupt gang activity, and the intimidation they impose in our communities, Police Minister Mark Mitchell says. Following an Order passed by Cabinet, from 3 February 2025 the ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Justice Christian Whata as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Whata’s appointment as a Judge of the Court of Appeal will take effect on 1 August 2025 and fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Hon Justice David Goddard on ...
The latest economic figures highlight the importance of the steps the Government has taken to restore respect for taxpayers’ money and drive economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Data released today by Stats NZ shows Gross Domestic Product fell 1 per cent in the September quarter. “Treasury and most ...
Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Associate Minister of Education David Seymour today announced legislation changes to strengthen freedom of speech obligations on universities. “Freedom of speech is fundamental to the concept of academic freedom and there is concern that universities seem to be taking a more risk-averse ...
Police Minister, Mark Mitchell, and Internal Affairs Minister, Brooke van Velden, today launched a further Public Safety Network cellular service that alongside last year’s Cellular Roaming roll-out, puts globally-leading cellular communications capability into the hands of our emergency responders. The Public Safety Network’s new Cellular Priority service means Police, Wellington ...
State Highway 1 through the Mangamuka Gorge has officially reopened today, providing a critical link for Northlanders and offering much-needed relief ahead of the busy summer period, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“The Mangamuka Gorge is a vital route for Northland, carrying around 1,300 vehicles per day and connecting the Far ...
The Government has welcomed decisions by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Ashburton District Council confirming funding to boost resilience in the Canterbury region, with construction on a second Ashburton Bridge expected to begin in 2026, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Delivering a second Ashburton Bridge to improve resilience and ...
The Government is backing the response into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Otago, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard says. “Cabinet has approved new funding of $20 million to enable MPI to meet unbudgeted ongoing expenses associated with the H7N6 response including rigorous scientific testing of samples at the enhanced PC3 ...
Legislation that will repeal all advertising restrictions for broadcasters on Sundays and public holidays has passed through first reading in Parliament today, Media Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “As a growing share of audiences get their news and entertainment from streaming services, these restrictions have become increasingly redundant. New Zealand on ...
Today the House agreed to Brendan Horsley being appointed Inspector-General of Defence, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “Mr Horsley’s experience will be invaluable in overseeing the establishment of the new office and its support networks. “He is currently Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, having held that role since June 2020. ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government has agreed to the final regulations for the levy on insurance contracts that will fund Fire and Emergency New Zealand from July 2026. “Earlier this year the Government agreed to a 2.2 percent increase to the rate of levy. Fire ...
The Government is delivering regulatory relief for New Zealand businesses through changes to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act. “The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which was introduced today, is the second Bill – the other being the Statutes Amendment Bill - that ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed further progress on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway Road of National Significance (RoNS), with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board approving funding for the detailed design of Stage 1, paving the way for main works construction to begin in late 2025.“The Government is moving at ...
The Government today released a request for information (RFI) to seeking interest in partnerships to plant trees on Crown-owned land with low farming and conservation value (excluding National Parks) Forestry Minister Todd McClay announced. “Planting trees on Crown-owned land will drive economic growth by creating more forestry jobs in our regions, providing more wood ...
Court timeliness, access to justice, and improving the quality of existing regulation are the focus of a series of law changes introduced to Parliament today by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee. The three Bills in the Regulatory Systems (Justice) Amendment Bill package each improve a different part of the ...
A total of 41 appointments and reappointments have been made to the 12 community trusts around New Zealand that serve their regions, Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones says. “These trusts, and the communities they serve from the Far North to the deep south, will benefit from the rich experience, knowledge, ...
The Government has confirmed how it will provide redress to survivors who were tortured at the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit (the Lake Alice Unit). “The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care found that many of the 362 children who went through the Lake Alice Unit between 1972 and ...
It has been a busy, productive year in the House as the coalition Government works hard to get New Zealand back on track, Leader of the House Chris Bishop says. “This Government promised to rebuild the economy, restore law and order and reduce the cost of living. Our record this ...
“Accelerated silicosis is an emerging occupational disease caused by unsafe work such as engineered stone benchtops. I am running a standalone consultation on engineered stone to understand what the industry is currently doing to manage the risks, and whether further regulatory intervention is needed,” says Workplace Relations and Safety Minister ...
Mehemea he pai mō te tangata, mahia – if it’s good for the people, get on with it. Enhanced reporting on the public sector’s delivery of Treaty settlement commitments will help improve outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders, Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka says. Compiled together for the ...
Mr Roger Holmes Miller and Ms Tarita Hutchinson have been appointed to the Charities Registration Board, Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Louise Upston says. “I would like to welcome the new members joining the Charities Registration Board. “The appointment of Ms Hutchinson and Mr Miller will strengthen the Board’s capacity ...
More building consent and code compliance applications are being processed within the statutory timeframe since the Government required councils to submit quarterly data, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “In the midst of a housing shortage we need to look at every step of the build process for efficiencies ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey is proud to announce the first three recipients of the Government’s $10 million Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund which will enable more Kiwis faster access to mental health and addiction support. “This fund is part of the Government’s commitment to investing in ...
New Zealand is providing Vanuatu assistance following yesterday's devastating earthquake, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. "Vanuatu is a member of our Pacific family and we are supporting it in this time of acute need," Mr Peters says. "Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu, and we will be ...
The Government welcomes the Commerce Commission’s plan to reduce card fees for Kiwis by an estimated $260 million a year, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says.“The Government is relentlessly focused on reducing the cost of living, so Kiwis can keep more of their hard-earned income and live a ...
Regulation Minister David Seymour has welcomed the Early Childhood Education (ECE) regulatory review report, the first major report from the Ministry for Regulation. The report makes 15 recommendations to modernise and simplify regulations across ECE so services can get on with what they do best – providing safe, high-quality care ...
The Government‘s Offshore Renewable Energy Bill to create a new regulatory regime that will enable firms to construct offshore wind generation has passed its first reading in Parliament, Energy Minister Simeon Brown says.“New Zealand currently does not have a regulatory regime for offshore renewable energy as the previous government failed ...
By Litia Cava, FBC News multimedia journalist Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has revealed how arms and ammunition used to conduct the 1987 military coup were secretly brought into Fiji on board a naval survey ship. Speaking at the commissioning of a new research vessel for the Lands and Mineral ...
Youth advocates are worried tighter rules for emergency housing could lead to someone dying due to the impacts on mental health and physical safety for those denied shelter. ...
“We urge the Health Select Committee to extend the date for submissions,” concluded Rev Bush. “There is too much at stake to leave the outcome of this review only in the hands of politicians or those with vested interests.” ...
A separate passport, citizenship and membership of the United Nations are only available to fully independent nations, Winston Peters' office says. ...
By Emma Andrews, Henare te Ua Māori Journalism Intern at RNZ News The New Zealand fuel company Z Energy is swapping out street names for “correct” kupu on service stops around the country, with the help of local hapū. When Z took over 226 fuel sites from Shell in 2010, ...
Summer reissue: Was it a false measurement, a full-blown conspiracy or just some mild incompetence? Mad Chapman uncovers the truth of Maddi Wesche’s final throw. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Old, Associate Professor, Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Western Sydney University Dmitry Chulov, Shutterstock At this time of year, images of reindeer are everywhere. I’ve had a soft spot for reindeer ever since I was a little girl. Doesn’t everyone? ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Grozdana Manalo, Career Services Manager (Education), University of Sydney hedgehog94/Shutterstock Getting casual work over summer, or a part-time job that you might continue once your tertiary course starts, can be a great way to get workplace experience and earn some extra ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ty Ferguson, Research associate in exercise, nutrition and activity, University of South Australia Peera_Stockfoto/Shutterstock It’s never been easier to stay connected to work. Even when we’re on leave, our phones and laptops keep us tethered. Many of us promise ourselves we ...
The NZ Media Council upheld the complaint under principle four: comment and fact On 5 September 2024, The Spinoff published a brief article titled Made in Palestine, found in 1970s Hastings, which highlighted an upcoming art exhibition featuring photographs of vintage cosmetic products labelled “Made in Palestine.” The piece, described ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kasey Symons, Lecturer of Communication, Sports Media, Deakin University We are well and truly in cricket season. The Australian men’s cricket team is taking centre stage against India in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series while the Big Bash League is underway, as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Woods, Lecturer, Nursing, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University FTiare/Shutterstock Summer is here and for many that means going to the beach. You grab your swimmers, beach towel and sunscreen then maybe check the weather forecast. Did you think to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Saman Khalesi, Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Nutrition, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity Australia Dean Clarke/Shutterstock The holiday season can be a time of joy, celebration, and indulgence in delicious foods and meals. However, for many, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia Late Night With The Devil. Maslow Entertainment Marketing is critical to the success of commercial films, and companies will often spend half as much again on top of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francisco Jose Testa, Lecturer in Earth Sciences (Mineralogy, Petrology & Geochemistry), University of Tasmania The Conversation As a kid, it was tough for me to grasp the massive time scale of Earth’s history. Now, with nearly two decades of experience as ...
Te Pāti Māori has had to adopt a new way of debating, operating and even thinking in Parliament in response to the Government’s “onslaught” against te ao Māori, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says.In an end-of-year interview with Newsroom, the Te Tai Hauauru MP reflected on how 2024 has differed from her ...
Opinion: The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science report was announced earlier this month, yet it didn’t get the flurry of media attention and political hand-wringing that typically accompanies these announcements. This might be because it presented good news, or you could argue, no news; the results paint a ...
NewsroomBy Dr Lisa Darragh, Dr Raewyn Eden and Dr David Pomeroy
At long last, The Spinoff shells out for a nut ranking. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today.It recently came to The Spinoff’s attention ...
I was one of hundreds of people who lost my government job this week. Here’s exactly how it played out. The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a ...
Summer reissue: One anxiously attentive passenger pays attention to an in-flight safety video, and wonders ‘Why can’t I pick up my own phone?’ The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up ...
Summer reissue: Why do those Lange-Douglas years cast such a long shadow 40 years on? The Spinoff needs to double the number of paying members we have to continue telling these kinds of stories. Please read our open letter and sign up to be a member today. First published June ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('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, Monday 23 December appeared first on Newsroom. ...
The Government’s social housing agency has backed out of a billion-dollar infrastructure alliance that would have built about 6000 new homes in Auckland – less than 18 months after signing a five-year extension.Labour says the decision to rip up the contract and sell off existing state houses could lead to ...
An unrelenting faith in “swift transition” has driven Tauranga Whai to their first Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa championship. At a boisterous Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, the visiting Tokomanawa Queens were blown away 90-71 in the final.Whai led by 20 points at halftime as their urgent movement and unflinching faith in three-point shooting from anywhere ...
ByKoroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) says impending bad weather for Port Vila is now the most significant post-quake hazard. A tropical low in the Coral Sea is expected to move into Vanuatu waters, bringing heavy rainfall. Authorities have issued warnings to people ...
Cosmic CatastropheThe year draws to a close.King Luxon has grown tired of the long eveningsListening to the dreary squabbling of his Triumvirate.He strolls up to the top floor of the PalaceTo consult with his Astronomer Royal.The Royal Telescope scans the skies,And King Luxon stares up into the heavensFrom the terrestrial ...
Spinoff editor Mad Chapman and books editor Claire Mabey debate Carl Shuker’s new novel about… an editor. Claire: Hello Mad, you just finished The Royal Free – overall impressions? Mad: Hi Claire, I literally just put the book down and I would have to say my immediate impression is ...
Christmas and its buildup are often lonely, hard and full of unreasonable expectations. Here’s how to make it to Jesus’s birthday and find the little bit of joy we all deserve. Have you found this year relentless? Has the latest Apple update “fucked up your life”? Have you lost two ...
Despite overwhelming public and corporate support, the government has stalled progress on a modern day slavery law. That puts us behind other countries – and makes Christmas a time of tragedy rather than joy, argues Shanti Mathias. Picture the scene on Christmas Day. Everyone replete with nice things to eat, ...
Asia Pacific Report “It looks like Hiroshima. It looks like Germany at the end of World War Two,” says an Israeli-American historian and professor of holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University about the horrifying reality of Gaza. Professor Omer Bartov, has described Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza as an ...
The New Zealand government coalition is tweaking university regulations to curb what it says is an increasingly “risk-averse approach” to free speech. The proposed changes will set clear expectations on how universities should approach freedom of speech issues. Each university will then have to adopt a “freedom of speech statement” ...
Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism” in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as ...
Pacific Media Watch The union for Australian journalists has welcomed the delivery by the federal government of more than $150 million to support the sustainability of public interest journalism over the next four years. Combined with the announcement of the revamped News Bargaining Initiative, this could result in up to ...
The Cuban Authorities have just announced that any Cuban national or foreigner caught with illegal drugs (whether the quantity is either small or large), at the border or inside Cuban territory they will be sentenced to a minimum of 42 years hard labour in a Cuban Prison.
If we had a law like that here in NZ this may influence the decision making of the Asian crime syndicates bringing methamphetamine into NZ, and may deter the Mongrel Mob and the Headhunters from distributing these drugs to our children and family members ?
We are weak gutted in this country when it comes to serious drug issues and organised crime ?
Some times it wakes you wonder whether there are vested interests here in NZ ?
Drug use us a health issue. Why treat it as a criminal one?
And the Asian and NZ gangs that supply drugs are health workers?
Cuba and the United States finally agree on something.
And it is catastrophically wrong.
I fully support Minister Nash in his drive to smash gangs, but simply filling jails for drug possession hasn’t worked here.
NZ Police & Intelligence Services need to focus on the importers, financiers and distributors rather than focusing on small time users and pot smokers who are the small fry, they need to get out the big game fishing rods.
We need to destroy the supply chain.
A colleague of mine in customs believes they are only picking up 5-6% of the illicit drugs coming into the country.
the only way to destroy the supply chain is to go the way of Portugal or at the very least like Holland.
De-criminalize the whole business, regulate it, set price limits, tax it and for those that are addicted and that want to quit provide the medical services to do so.
Fact is that the war on Drugs saved no one, made a lot of money for banks and other money washers, ,locked up a lot of people for a long time for using, ripped families apart and destroyed the life of many.
And i include Alcohol .
So what do you actually want Tamati……minimum 42 years for anyone caught in possession in NZ as you suggest @1 above?……that would of course include your life shattered addict brother/sister/nephew/niece……or having agreed with Gosman as to the health issue …….do you want an approach less ridiculous than the OTT one you announce @ 1, and more in line with the intelligible one you propound @1.2.1 ? Which would leave heaps of money free to go the sensible way.
Your mate in Customs…….how the fuck would he actually know? The problem is bad enough without going into hysterical rave. Tends to support the thick old wahanui whose primary focus is to bash the underclass at the end of the line. “That’ll teach ’em. That’ll fix addiction”. Ha ! That’s shit and I suspect you know it.
My work constantly brings me into contact with good people who complain that it’s members of their own whanau who are making their 14 year old girls into crack whores. My suggestion when I hear that: if you really know that go to Auckland, get into a phone box, dial the anonymous Crime Line, give names, addresses, telephone numbers, car number plates. In terms of supportable, sensible solutions it’s pissing into the wind to darkly suggest vested interests and offer 42 years for the afflicted.
All of the above said I understand your frustration. I share it.
They have known there was a massive problem for years. The government and the surrounding industries seem pretty complacent that so many people in this country are effected by P and the supply is mostly from Asia and as usual focusing on political slogans like ‘the war on P’ instead of actually stopping P from getting into the country, getting the big players or stopping them running their op’s from prison. Not much interest in getting onto China and Hong Kong about stopping it from their end.
I guess P addiction is another way to keep the masses under control and emptying a decent percentage of former residents of Auckland out into the streets, prisons, rehabs and so forth. And it sounds like it is big all around the country and in particular Northland where one Mike Sabin seems to have found it profitable with his Methcon business.
“We need to destroy the supply chain. ”
Impossible. When something which people enjoy using is prohibited, there will always be a black market for it and there will always be a supply chain. The best thing to do is try and ensure the supply chain is a safe and regulated one, thus minimizing the harm.
NZ police and intelligence services need to focus on issues which are really dangerous, such as violent crime, tax evasion, the spread of Islam, etc, not recreational drug use, which will always continue regardless and is far less dangerous to society (If you take out use of the recreational drug alcohol, which is the most damaging recreational drug to society by a long long way).
Good to see that the Authoritarian left as stupid as the Authoritarian right.
If there was any back bone in this, then the factories that produces the base Methamphetamine, would be dismantled. We looking at you Recordati
Pharmaceutical company.
Here I’ll start, I’ll give a dollar. If everyone else did they same I’m sure someone would take the job.
I think I read an article today about rogue chemical labs in Myanmar manufacturing methamphetamine ?
The base chemical, or working off the base chemical? Because my understanding was to make methamphetamine is tricky and needs a big clean modern lab, to turn that base into a street drug, not so much is needed.
But if the case is their are labs in Burma, then lets get rid of those too.
“Because my understanding was to make methamphetamine is tricky…”
Not at all. The hardest part is obtaining the precursor and equipment. Anyone can perform the actual ‘making’ process, it’s quite a simple one which you don’t need much chemistry knowledge to perform.
Tamati countries that have Draconian Drug laws increase the profit for the king pins who bank all their profits in the same Banks as the corrupt dictators who Impose these laws.
Distributing? I thought they wanted payment.
So long as that ‘hard labour’ has a healthy market value and is enough to pay for bed and board and some of the pay for those who have to supervise.
They can have pocket money, if they earn enough – with a big chunk going toward any children until the kids turn 25.
Unless they paid tax on their ill-gotten earnings. In which case they can help fund the rehab programmes and trainings for their kinfolk outside.
Good may yet come of it.
Agree 100% Gossie
Definitely is a mental health issue however we have had successive Governments running our mental health services into the ground.
It started with the Labour Government under the first Neoliberal Government under David Lange and Roger Douglas, when they brought the nut job Harold Titter over from the UK to redesign our Mental Health Service,
Tamati tautuhi you are incorrect.
I work in mental health and have done so for over 30 years.
Mental health has been much better funded under labour (although I can’t comment about Lange govt was out of the country.
I could give you endless examples of this. Mental health services over the last 9 years under national have deteriorated to a frightening state………
So Ankerrawshark you are saying mental health treatment has improved in NZ over the past 30 years ?
Tamati tautuhi….@ 2.1.1. What has improved is our knowledge about mental health disorders and how to treat them. What are the most effective evidence based treatments. If you want info on this google Nice guidelines. It’s a bit involved but if you are genuinely interested I will write more, just it’s a bit late at night.
And there have been pockets where these services have been delivered. If you read my posting further down I also talk about crisis services that used to be well resourced and good but rapidly deteriorated over last 9 years
Sometimes it makes one wonder if the dismantling of our Mental Health System was deliberate under Neoliberalism and the Bildebergers like Roger Douglas ?
Yep, emptying out the mental institutions so that they could be sold off or reutilised while pushing the mentally ill into the community to support (or the police/prisons). Bit like the State houses of now.
Rather than modernising the institutions themselves into 21century help and rehabilitation centres. If we still had them, maybe they could also have some drug rehab spaces or homeless… instead of selling off the institutions and then paying $1000 p/w for 1 room unsuitable hotels…
It’d be interesting to go back and look at the reasons for the closure of various institutions, and how they all stack up now.
Whether it’s rotting facilities just outside Levin, or Hanmer Springs, or maybe even a CareNZ facility in Marton.
Jesus! Now there’s a ‘bug’ that could keep Lyn lying awake at night in the pursuit of programatic perfection whilst his partner screams “FFS Lyn – give it a bloody rest will ya!”
But anyway….. even more interesting would be to see where the protaginists who were busy advocating for the closure/privatisation/outsourcing/etc. are today.
I suspect there are one or two masquerading as ‘officials’ still providing policy advice to their Ministers (and ain’t THAT [Minister] just an ever so quaint term -going forward)
…. or Spookers out at Kingseat ?
The dismantling that occurred in terms of deinstitutionalisation was part of a worldwide trend and likely appealed to neo liberals because potentially it would save money.
From a clinical point of view as treatment options have improved it became unnecessary to keep people institutionalised. However the majority of people miss out on optimal treatment. I think personally I would prefer to live in an institution than being left homeless or in some terrible boarding house, struggling on a benefit
Weren’t most of the Mental Hospitals closed when Helen Clark was Minister of Health and Roger Douglas a back-bencher?
The dismantling occurred during the free market capitalist experiment foisted on the citizens of New Zealand by both Labour and National.
This economic trial was started by Douglas, and continues to this day, with its most severe experiments occurring under Richardson and Key.
Deinstitutionalisation was a long process. I can assure that when Helen c was minister of housing, she was very proactive about housing of the mentally ill and I was working in an area that directly benefited from this. So to as min of health and then PM. They sold off carrington etc, but the money did follow through initially to the community.
What I am unfortunately really aware of is the profound deterioration of mental under the key govt. there were services available at primary health care for people with depression and anxiety disorders. That shrunk till it virtually disappeared. We use to have crisis services that would visit people in their own homes, which sometimes meant people didn’t need to go to hospital most often better all round for everyone. Where I am based now (big city) no such service exists. People who are seriously unwell get a 10 minute phone triage. This is inadequate to say the least. I am often in the position of telling people to go straight to a and e. Of course there is a monstrously long wait, but they do get seen.
By the way no disrespect to the hardworking staff doing their best in difficult circumstances. It is extremely demanding work, often thankless, not well paid. You get sick of seeing people like Titter, someone mentioned him earlier coming in and earning the big money but not doing the real work
The money from the State Asset Sales was supposed to go into additional Healthcare facilities however appeared to go in a Chinese Investment Bank and the Clinton Foundation ?
Deinstitutilizaion was the right thing to do, failure to ensure enough social housing being available a crime.
Alwyn 90% of patients prior to 1989 when those mental hospitals were closed should not have been in institutions and were to be cared for in the community .
Tax cuts have meant mental health care is at the bottom of the list and as many as 1/3 of prisoners are being locked up because of untreated mental health problems at $100,000 per pppy.
Alwyn that’s why we don’t need mega prisons to warehouse untreated mental patients.
It isn’t me you should be complaining to.
Try savenz and Ankerrawshark.
They are the ones who are trying to jump on people who they accuse of closing them.
Alwyn
I don’t believe I have jumped on anyone nor have I accused anyone of shutting me down. I do have strong opinions about this informed from my professional experience.
@ Alwyn, I’m saying the institutions should have been modernised so they were still utilised for the mentally ill NOT kept the way it was. Being in an institution does not necessarily mean the way mentally ill were kept in the past, but the model could have been refreshed into 21 century institutions or care centres with community help. Now the mentally ill have no where to go which is the issue!
Likewise state house tenants, wonderful idea to sell them, sarc. but oh shit, what now with all the poor people?
Alwyn shifting your lame argument.
National took over in 1990 cutting health funding continuously over 9 years leaving more patients untreated.
Similar to the last 9 years National claiming to spend $100.s of millions more on health care that statement being True.
But the actual amount spent per person went down given a rapidly expanding and aging population .
No increase in 9 years below inflation well below health care inflation which runs at 7% because of price gouging by monopoly cartel private materials service providers who National allow to pay no tax.
Tricledrown: “and were to be cared for in the community .”
Which was a truly lovely, enlightened, humane, compassionate thing to do – except – who was supposed to do the ‘caring’? Older women, as usual?
And where were the fabulous wraparound support and respite care and training/work opportunities?
Some people have accessed this care. IDEA provides quite a lot. Yet, for those who aren’t special needs? What? And how widely available is it?
Are there careers to be pursued here? Are there regular recruitment drives and ongoing trainings available? Or is it more of the over-worked and under-resourced situation at which the DHBs excel?
Otherwise it’s weasel words over the despair of family and friends who are forced to become experts, carers, and hunters of wandering kin.
Good old community.
The wrap around services didn’t even last a year. I still support people who have never managed on their own in the community ; they have not had quality lives. Not enough services exist to provide ongoing consistent care.
Had a relative who lived in Bay of Plenty, and who got a job as an ACC carer. Basically they had to give it up as they were expected to drive around using their own car at close to minimum wages for short periods of work (aka 2-4 hours) and travel long distances without pay for the time travel or proper maintenance contribution for her car, and of course the circumstances were often difficult with people needing a carer.
Now the system seems to have a work around to employ overseas workers often who don’t speak good English or can do the job property, but it keeps the flawed system limping along and makes the rest of the taxpayers pick up the bill for yet another well educated local person in the provinces still unemployed who would do an excellent job, but not prepared to be exploited, while another low wager worker is bought in, and their employment/health care/general needs subsidised by the state at a level that is more Ponzi than good practise and putting more pressure on affordable housing and hospitals etc because somehow new low wage people live in ghost affordable house and use ghost health care and somehow are able to ghost support themselves on the ghost wages when local’s can’t.
So the police and corrections staff are now the new mental healthcare workers under neoliberal economics ?
We say; – we need the rail line opened to Gisborne as well after the first train finally left Napier last wednesday for final repairing the Wairoa rail line.
Over the next month, the Government committee on zero carbon emissions bill will be travelling around the country talking about the Zero Carbon Bill so that as many New Zealanders as possible can join the conversation.
We will produce a submission to this event at the “Napier conference centre” on 19th June at between 5 to 7 pm on regional rail freight/passenger services as being a major contributor method at reducing carbon emissions in our zero carbon target policy in future.
NIWA claims that for “each tonnne of freight moved one km by rail uses less than a fifth of fuel than if it was moved by truck/road freight.”
NIWA states also that “one truck emits 100 times more air pollution than one car does.”
These facts must be used to reasonably argue that we must now balmce half the freight to rail instead of sending 90% by road and less than 6% by rail as we do today.
We welcome any partners/stakeholders into this event, if you can attend in support of your group attendance .
Warmest regards,
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/have-your-say-zero-carbon
Home » Climate change » Popular pages
Have your say on the Zero Carbon Bill
• Have your say
• Latest Update
• Public meetings
Over the next month, we will be travelling around the country talking about the Zero Carbon Bill so that as many New Zealanders as possible can join the conversation. Have a look at the times and places below to find one that suits you.
CITY/TOWN DATE TIME LOCATION
Whangarei Friday 8 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Toll Stadium, 51 Okara Drive, Whangarei
New Plymouth Monday 11 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Waitangi Room, Novotel New Plymouth Hobson, Hobson & Leach Streets, New Plymouth
Hamilton Thursday 14 June 5.30pm – 7.30pm TBC
Gisborne Monday 18 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Hawke’s Bay Tuesday 19 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Napier Conference Centre, 48 Marine Parade, Bluff Hill, Napier
Auckland Friday 22 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Christchurch Monday 25 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Dunedin Tuesday 26 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Forsyth Barr Stadium, 130 Anzac Avenue, Dunedin
Invercargill Wednesday 27 June 5.00pm – 7.00pm Masonic Centre Venue, 80 Forth Street, Invercargill
Nelson Tuesday 3 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm Old St John’s, 320 Hardy Street, Nelson
Wellington Thursday 5 July 6.00pm – 8.00pm TBC
Palmerston North TBC 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
Tauranga 9 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm Greerton Hall, 1263 Cameron Road, Greerton, Tauranga
Rotorua 10 July 5.00pm – 7.00pm TBC
If our economic system properly accounted for costs trucks would not be used for long haul freight at all. The cost of doing so would far exceed that of using trains.
“If our economic system properly accounted for costs trucks would not be used for long haul freight at all”
All good apart from major haul routes where the rail doesn’t go any more, or where it’s never gone. Queenstown, Wanaka and Central Otago being case in point. Everything here, and I mean everything, comes in on the back of a truck, which generally goes back empty. Mostly from Christchurch at least. Closest rail is 200km away over not the most efficient roads for trucking. It costs the same or less to truck from Christchurch as from Dunedin. And the old rail line to Cromwell was marginal with 4 wheel stock at 40 kmh, bogied stock in the 80s was still going at 40 kmh, then the line was abandoned.
A new line providing a better option than road and air would be a huge undertaking with at least three 10 – 15 km tunnels through difficult geology. Would be a huge benefit to the region, but will take a dramatic shift in cost benefit methodologies to allow a project of this scale to proceed. Can see it in an alternative future but will take some changes in how we do things.
Oh noes, we need to build more rail.
And it was abandoned because of those costs not being properly accounted for which make trucking look better when it’s actually far worse.
It’s very difficult to do a cost/benefit analysis when some very real costs are purposefully left out.
DTB after the Clyde Dam was built their wasn’t enough freight to make the Dunedin to Clyde Rail pay very seasonal agricultural products then.The rail trail has reinvigorated the economy on the old line.
The Clyde Dam that National /Social Credit coalition built.
Was much higher and 10x the price $2.4 billion than the original 2 Damn Labour proposal which would have left the existing rail road orchards historical mining settlements in place adding many more millions to the economy.
The Central Otago line was built for an economy that had long dissapeared by the 1970s. The Clyde Dam gave it another 10 years, but it was so restricted and unreliable that it gave poor utility. We trucked more cement direct from Dunedin than we got by rail. Had a couple of close calls with cement supply.
The point I was trying to highlight is how do we as a society and economy transition from truck to rail where we don’t have existing rail infrastructure. And really that’s because it was too hard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when our rail infrastructure was established. The last major new rail builds were the Picton and Gisborne lines in the 40s, everything since has been upgrades, repairs or deviations.
In that time our economy has moved and changed dramatically. The growth and transformation here in Central Otago, along with what’s happening in Northland, Poverty Bay and Nelson are placing huge demands on the road network in those regions that can’t be shifted to rail because there’s no rail, or ineffective rail.
How do we change that?
The only way it can be changed – build new and better rail.
Which is not really how infrastructure works. It’s not a profit driven item.
And if there isn’t enough for trains then there most certainly isn’t enough to run trucks because trucks cost more.
“It’s not a profit driven item.”
Quite true, Draco. Or at least, it should be.
Brownlee said there couldn’t be a business case made for commuter rail from Rangiora to Rolleston – so cars sit in traffic jams on the north and south motorways into Christchurch.
18th Century thinking!
+1 Draco. Not to mention all the accidents and all the congestion truck drivers are involved in. Practically every week in Auckland a motorway is closed due to a truck driver having an accident. Last week, they even managed to knock out the trains as well by driving into a pillar.
Pope Francis has told oil company chiefs that the world must switch to clean energy because climate change risks destroying humanity.
“Civilisation requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilisation,” he said at the end of a two-day conference at the Vatican.
The pontiff said climate change was a challenge of epochal proportions, and that the world needed to come up with an energy mix that combatted pollution, eliminated poverty and promoted social justice.
The unprecedented conference, held behind closed doors at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, brought together oil executives, investors and Vatican experts. Like the pope, they back scientific opinion that climate change is caused by human activity and that global warming must be curbed.
“We know that the challenges facing us are interconnected. If we are to eliminate poverty and hunger … the more than 1 billion people without electricity today need to gain access to it,” Francis told them.
“But that energy should also be clean, by a reduction in the systematic use of fossil fuels. Our desire to ensure energy for all must not lead to the undesired effect of a spiral of extreme climate changes due to a catastrophic rise in global temperatures, harsher environments and increased levels of poverty,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/09/pope-francis-tells-oil-bosses-world-must-wean-itself-off-fossil-fuels
Seems the Pope and many other people can see this but Heather Duplicity Allan either can’t/ won’t/or is paid to shill for big oil.
An excerpt from her latest Herald piece putting the boot into the Greens and continuing to spread the lies that the Green are “loony”, “crazy” and “fever-crazy”:
In February it was oil and gas. Last week it was plastic bags and meat. Shaw, the Climate Change Minister, started the week telling us to cut out a meat meal a week to save the planet. Days later, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage picked up the loony baton and declared she planned to ban all single-use plastic bags by the end of the year. Don’t worry, she’s cooled her extremely ambitious plans.
Then, Shaw opened consultation on his bill to cut New Zealand’s carbon emissions to zero. The documents admit doing that will slow economic growth and probably hurt poorer families most. We’ll be clean but poor.
The Greens and their crazy ideas make Peters look decidedly sane. It might be quite nice to have an adult in charge for six weeks.
Yep saving trying to save planet and continue the existence of the human race is crazy all right. Du Plessis Allan is not only not very bright but she is dangerous. Lightweights like her are given soap boxes for a reason.
She only has a job because she says what big corporations want people to read in the media.
I take it that the lady concerned is not flavour of the week this week?
Amazing how she goes from being wonderful one week and a madwoman the next.
Rather like the woman’s magazines in the heyday of posh and becs.
Idyllically happy in one issue and divorcing in the next. Repeat for 20 years.
Look surprised when it is pointed out that they are still, apparently, happily married.
I have never commented in favour of duplicity Allen.
She is a paid puppet for global banking and interests.
Don’t waste your time Ed. He’s on my ignore list.
Thanks for the heads up.
No problem. One of these days to justify my ignore list I’m going to do a speculative family tree linking alwyn, Gosman, Tuppence Shrewsbury, James, Baba Yoga/babayoga, and a few others.
Yes, so many of them have such similar stylisms that one wonders about strangely incestuous relationships.
They are definitely all related as they all preach of the same bible and sing from the same hymn sheet.
And Plastic-Allan is an insufferable cackling yuppie (as if to celebrate marriage to scruffy old Barely Soper)……who views the world through that insecure lens. Much like Dame The Strange Corset in my book. Snot-arse wee snob.
That’s nice dear.
Have you managed to find a Publisher for that auto-biography of yours or are even the vanity publishers put off by its title?
“Snot-arse wee snob” may be an accurate description of you but it isn’t likely to sell more than a couple of copies is it?
Contemptibly pathetic, alwyn. You really need a healthier pastime.
So another Sunday morning, another sad list of incidents at our E.D.
Drugs, alcohol, violence, mental health, under staffed, zealous St John workers… the list goes on.
Underpinning all of this is the ‘general fuckwittery’ trajectory of society.
The lack of regard/esteem for the self and others.
How to cope or minimize the impact on others (nurses, the vulnerable public, security) would be a great first step.
Akin to the trial down in Wellington hospital. A pre triage, where the drunks were siphoned off separately.
Add a third ‘gate’ for mental health crises.
Of course this is doable, but requires $ and a priority from the powers that be.
Solutions to alcohol.
Stop all alcohol advertising.
Tax alcohol heavily and use the funds for the health and other social impacts of this class B drug.
Stop its sale in supermarkets.
Stop its connection to all sports teams and cultural events.
Introduce a much lower level for drink driving.
Solutions to general selfishness and ‘fuckwittery.’
End the disastrous experiment of free market capitalism.
Create local communities.
Adopt socialist and ecological policies that expet and enforce behaviours that community above the individual.
Of course those solutions have not been taken as governments beholden to our extreme capitalist model believe in the free market.
These weak governments are also open to bribes and lobbying from multinational liquor corporations.
And so they tinker…
and fail.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/359229/law-changes-to-curb-binge-drinking-largely-failed-research
And thereby betray their citizens……
“Dr Jackson said in fact, hazardous binge-drinking had been getting worse, and the government needed to raise the price of alcohol.
“Since 2011 we haven’t seen any positive change in 18 to 24 year old drinking so you know this is great, they’re protecting their brains while they’re very very vulnerable but we’ve got to make sure that when they hit that age they’re not just stepping into that culture,” she said.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/348066/young-drinkers-consuming-more-alcohol-than-ever
35 years of free market economic theory has laid waste to an independent, egalitarian and proud South Pacific nation.
It makes me weep.
So Jenny Shipley & National’s policy of reducing the alcohol drinking age to 18 did not work out as they thought it would, by making young people more responsible with their drinking habits ?
The experiment was a failure ?
It has worked very well from a human rights perspective. Given how many messed up early twenties people there are on the streets why not set it at 25?
Peter Dunne on the payroll National on the pay roll of the Alcohol lobbyists.
After paying for a comprehensive royal commission
National did nothing but placate the Drugpushing alcohol industry.
Nick Leggett just the most recent politician who took big liquors money.
And then pimped for them.
Scum.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/alcohol-lobby-group-takes-aim-at-new-health-report/
Random breath testing for ceos during work hours.
Can’t disagree with any of that (curbs around alcohol/sale).
As to the direction of society, I agree with your points especially the societal change that we have been through since the reforms of the eighties.
It’d be a lot more effective to reduce the GINI. Cf: Prohibition.
As someone so aptly said on here recently, “The media is scum”.
“Red flags were raised in the media about meth-testing well before the PM’s science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman’s report last week – but they didn’t stop the evictions, unnecessary repairs and the growth of an unregulated industry.”
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018648254/bringing-the-big-meth-myth-mess-to-light
And, as if to prove the point, duplicity Allen clearly vomited in the Herald on Sunday today.
What a revelation I heard on RNZ 7 am news. 10 state homes are to be trialled for women with gang connections who are trying to escape family violence but do not have an affordable home to live in.
I have raised the unaffordabilty of housing being connected to family violence approx 2 years ago.
This idea needs to be extended to any person who is going back into a violent situation because they cannot afford the cost of housing.
Subsidising rent for those escaping family violence needs to be considered as well.
Darn. I can’t find the link to the story.
Sounds interesting although there are so many struggling with rent at this point how does family violence get prioritize against say serious health issues? Really splitting the hairs as to who gets housed versus not. All options are shitty.
Great cartoon by Sharon Murdoch.
Gives a new meaning to trickle down…….
https://mobile.twitter.com/domesticanimal/status/1005571778092007424/photo/1
I shall point all of you to this excellent article by Bomber Bradbury.
‘The real reason Simon Bridges isn’t connecting with National Voters.
An excerpt.
” Watching the Northcote by-election was instructive with National Party supporters screaming ‘Communist’, and ‘Go home to Russia’, at the Labour candidate.
In a world with Netflix, can you imagine the effort required to go to a bloody by-election debate mid week to scream juvenile abuse? It takes an enormous amount of bitterness to do that.
And that’s what National are now, a Party supported by bitter individuals who want leaders who strike with the same spiteful resentment they want to strike with.”
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/06/10/the-real-reason-simon-bridges-isnt-connecting-with-national-voters/
Yea Gods, just having a wee look at the NZ Herald Homepage and came across this little gem from Audrey Young. I attended Putaruru Primary School back in the 1950s and there was a lad with a surname Bidois who was Maori and who will no doubt be related to the new MP for Northcote. I can tell you that we all didn’t pronounce his surname ‘correctly’, nor did he. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12067940
Good morning The Am Show the Auckland fuel tax has not even started an the effect seem to have knocked 5 min off our 40 min ride to work when if does start it will be 10 mins saved on our ride to work.
The rescue Hellies service that is being reviewed who do you think creams this service .
Eco Maori sees who is creaming this job its similar to another new industry that was being creamed by people .
The NZ Quoter Fisherys manage system has not worked in my view .In reality they have set fishing Quoters to high and when they notice a decline in fish stocks they then cut fish Quoters so that the stock recovers. Well that system never protected Orangeruffy
stocks this park the ambulance at the bottom of the hill strategy is only convenient for the $$$$$$$$$men who have a hold on the industry. When some species are over fished they just cannot bounce back and now they have the ph change in the water and warming Oceans 1 degree dose not seem like much but to a living organism that change can be life or death to that organism .
Ka kate ano
Newshub Duncan guess what happened after Eco Maori post that last post some thing flew over the house the Red flag effect ka kite ano P.S Happy birth day Mark
Here we go A great Australian person pushing the solar industry to new hights of advancement this is a good story it shows that its not just the advance in technology that is needed its the political ideals that need to change for new technology to flourish$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Ka kite ano link below
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/09/move-over-elon-global-energy-prize-goes-to-australias-solar-guru
IEco Maori had that call correct on the central North Island rescue service.
The sirens went off when I went out side.
I’m getting pretty good at reading there reality.
As for the 3 strike law that has not affected many people so I won’t be condemning anyone about not supporting that. I do like Robert Rakere call for compulsory voting that will even out the political field and give all Kiwis a voice not just the ones with a axe to grind. Ka kite ano P.S don’t poke the Bear
Good evening Newshub te minster of justice did not look to upset about the minor setback in his reforms of the justice system repealing the 3 strike law not being supported by NZF they are just pandering to the media .
I’m still assessing Mayor of Gisborne we will see how he shapes up.
There you go civil servant not doing there job its good that they are being held accountable for there actions.
Its awesome that the miss Universe winner appreciated Our Maori culture it a pity that a lot of people just want to exploit it for monetary gains and as soon as they get a chance put down tangata whenua at every turn.
Ka kite ano