That's a good example not for more taxes but for a maximum income. And, no, it won't be set at 18 or 20 eggs but at 9 or 10. More than enough each but not so much that it automatically forces others into poverty.
BTW, the high taxes that we used to have were exactly that – a maximum income. Although they weren't really high enough to achieve that and the rich could, and still do, structure their income in such a way so as to avoid it thus proving that using taxes as an indirect income ceiling doesn't work.
That piece makes the mistake of starting out be buying into the false framing of the "tax is theft" crowd by only talking about transfers from individuals to individuals.
Seems to me the better framing is around contributing back to maintaining the society that made it possible to gather lots of eggs, so that it will remain possible to again gather lots of eggs next year and the year after and the year after. And just a fraction of the cost of maintaining society is ensuring everyone gets at least the minimum number of eggs to adequately get by on.
Holy F**k – Stuff is at it again today. The latest mountain out of a molehill offering is an opinion piece, the shabby wordsmithing of Thomas Manch! Today's propaganda installment reads almost as though the dastardly criminal Megan Woods took a poor sad Covid affected, wanderer down to a local Countdown with the express purpose of unleashing a pandemic on the public. Thank God the likes of al Jazeera and even the Guardian are capable of providing competent commentary because sure as hell, it is hard to find in the NZ media.
TS likes to have sources, not sauces aom. We might read or be told about one thing and find it is contested within the item, or there might be in it more contentious matter to be considered.
They're not fucking "oversights" for a start – I'm beginning to want to call them "criminal nuisance" on the part of the escapees. Do we really have to make an internment camp with barbed wire just so these jerks can handle a couple of weeks? .
I have read some of the WW2 stories of people in internment who weren't 'selected' and either were worked to death and/or starved to death. They were amazing and the ones who lasted through it all and wrote about it seemed to have developed great ways of coping with their great difficulties.
Two weeks in comparative comfort but very boring is hard for those who have never trained themselves to deny themselves anything. Religious people have had Lent and know what it's like and then the real pleasure from having stuff again.
In the internment camps they could find advantage from hardship in unexpected ways. Having large amounts of fleas on themselves and their barrack rooms was itchy and scratchy but it kept the horrid warders from coming in and searching and spoiling their lives further. People used to hoard little crusts of bread etc for the times when they were extra hungry and if these were found they would be thrown out. Refugees who came here after the war kept on doing this – a default position that they couldn't overcome poor things.
I now feel a bit of performance anxiety around social media posts. There hasn’t been a whole lot of thought going into them. But with Baby Yak taking off, I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. I did have a Mouse Town lined up, my niece’s pet mouse has a series of tunnels and things
The two-step plan is this:
Become leader of the opposition.
Get rolled as leader of the opposition.
The method seems to work on a bipartisan basis:
As far as I can tell the life story of David Shearer is one great long line of guitars, surfboards, friends, and all-round contentedness, interrupted only by a brief and grisly interval as leader of the Labour Party. After he was mercilessly defenestrated by his so-called friends, Shearer went to work in the relatively harmonious war-torn South Sudan. And you could just see the weight lifted.
Dunno how to shrink it into this space here, but he seems to be giving her the inside word on how to destabilise Labour – you can tell from the expressions on their faces.
He said the plan's framework was made up of five components: responsible economic management; delivering infrastructure; reskilling and retraining the workforce; a greener, smarter future; and building stronger communities.
That means marketing is now crucial. Framing so as to persuade Nats that it isn't actually socialism ain’t gonna be easy. Hooten may have to hire a pr specialist. He is one? Um… Well when your audience has been trained since childhood to call a spade a spade, you will have to outwit them somehow.
I know! Use Jim Bolger! He has already gone public with his view that neoliberalism failed. He could be authentic in selling `smart socialism' as a brand then, eh? Frame Labour's lame version as `dumb socialism' and the Labs will have no option other than telling the electorate "Actually, we're neoliberals, not socialists." Problem solved.
You can call it anything you like, e.g. post-neoliberal socialism, or dress it up anyway you like, but unless National has had an overnight epiphany, which in some cases means a transformative (AKA life changing) epiphany during a lie down and cuppa tea, then it still is neoliberalism. Marketing, my ass; look at what’s under the bonnet of the ‘red’ car that has come out of the panel beater’s workshop.
Nats are into transformative plastic surgery; viz Paula Bennett and are also concerned about upping their mental agility, they've a bit of furring, thickening of the veins etc. However free markets enable all sorts of remedies, bleach might be more efficacious than a cup of tea.
Nothing unusual, really, about Boag and her cronies exploiting gifts of personal data landing spontaneously in their laps…but the real issue here is why on earth rescue helicopter businesses were sent the information by the Mystery of Health in the first place. What possible purpose would be served by rescue services having this very specific information?
The former ARHT doctor struggled to see why the ARHT should be given the patient lists even if there were hundreds of cases across the country.
Early on when we were in level 4 lockdown … level 3 lockdown, the ambulance services were treating any patient who had respiratory symptoms as a possible Covid patient and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. So actually knowing the identity and being sent a list of patients is just not helpful," McGuinness said.
Which obliges us to remember one of the earliest (and perhaps the most harmful) of Bloomfield's confused messaging.
Ambulance staff would not perform CPR on a confirmed Covid-19 case, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says.
This was a guideline adopted internationally, he said, and because the virus was spread via the respiratory system.
This was very quickly disputed by these 'ambulance staff'…
However, St John said it would continue to resuscitate patients in cardiac arrest and there had been no directive that CPR should not be done on suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases.
"Like all ambulance services in New Zealand, Australia and internationally, we have issued additional instructions to ambulance officers when responding to cardiac arrest patients because of the increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 during resuscitation," a spokesman said.
"Guidance includes donning additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and alterations to the way that patients are resuscitated (for example, providing ventilation using specific devices and not through a face mask), to reduce the risk of transmission of viral infection, if present."
To my knowledge, Bloomfield has never revised that directive….
I can't find it but there was an article on RNZ with garbled quotes from Boag and one of them was she asked for the emails to be sent to her to make sure no one on Waiheke had Covid, why she had been receiving them through the whole pandemic. I'll try again to find it, was a very confusing bunch of excuses.
I'll definitely be interested in the thinking behind distributing that infromation to responders, and it will be documented somewhere. Another matter for the inquiry, but not the main event, imo.
Michael Woodhouse now admits he received information from Boag.
Did he receive the information on the 2 travellers from her?
Did he receive the information on the homeless an from her?
‘”This was confirmed for me as I wrote to Michael Heron QC last night to advise him that towards the end of June I had sent several emails to Michael Woodhouse comprising notification of a small number of then new Covid19 cases.”
Sounds like it.
Did Woodhouse use the leaked information?
And is Muller really telling us that his Health Spokesperson told him nothing about 4 emails he received from Boag between the 21st and 25th June?
Another 2 resignations needed.
Dirty Politics alive and kicking in the National Party.
Wait there’s more…
and likely as long as Mr Heron keeps investigating, the headlines will keep coming for a while yet, despite National’s attempts to deflect, minimise, bury and ignore.
It has taken international media to point out the obvious situation of local media supporting and enabling NZ National’s Covid attack lines ahead of public safety. A big clean out is due in this country. National’s dirty tricks are deeply embedded in the party culture, not an aberration.
So who did Woodhouse tell about four leaks from a known source that he knew enough not to share with media because of what they contained.
Does the National Party view of morality for Nikki Kay's 'moral obligation' to win the election include using illicitly gained information as Walker did?
Does the National Party view of morality for Nikki Kay's 'moral obligation' to win the election include not alerting the proper authorities to the distribution and access to such information as Woodhouse did not do in a timely with his 'cuddling couple' preferring to use it for political purposes in the House?
Does the National Party view of morality for Nikki Kay's 'moral obligation' to win the election include not alerting the proper authorities to the distribution and access to such information as Woodhouse did not do with the four emails (so far) from Michelle Boag?
Who can believe that senior members of the National Party be it leadership, leader's staff or party officials did not know?
This is indeed the time for the National Party to examine more closely the ethics of its MPs, staff and organisation- a few years in Opposition lockdown and isolation might help.
Aren't they lucky that Winston is in hospital at the moment!
May be over the years the National Party rot that Boag has managed it became normalised to her and she got away with it until she knew she had lost control and tried to shut it down but had no control over what Woodhouse or Muller would say.
If you take Boag and Walker out you have a Woodhouse and Muller credibility issue.
Muller needs to backbench Woodhouse and Kaye needs to come clean if Boag or Woodhouse sent her the emails and if she went to Muller.
Yes no surprises there with Woodhouse. No alarm bells for him about Michelle giving him confidential patient information on four occasions like “what the f..k Michelle’s why are you passing this stuff on?”……..or why do you a non clinical person have this information in the first place.
btw I think it is reasonable rescue helicopters ie their clinicians were give this. It’s a bloody pandemic, frontline staff are putting their lives at risk and I cannot think of a time when clinicians intensional you leaked notes although there was a famous whistle blower case in the 1990s. Rem
Yes, that's the killer line. Since June 21! Incredible. All while standing next to his boss, slamming the government and telling us how we needed the National "team".
Of the two options, I'm more inclined to believe he didn't tell Muller, than he did and Muller kept quiet. Like most National MPs, Woodhouse couldn't care less about his leader. Muller has no clout in that caucus at all.
Ha ha ha Observer……yes Michelle welcomed him with open arms, viewed his selfies and then penned her next missive to Michael Woodhouse……..
BTW has Woodhouse resigned yet? My husband just sent him a corker letter about his outrageous and despicable behavour towards Clare Curren with the toilet seat.
Told my husband who has yet to have a response from Woodhouse, that clearly he had other things on his mind and he would probably get to hubby's letter on the weekend…………happy days!
Spectacular announcement just now. Boag feeding Woodhouse stuff for weeks. Muller claiming just yesterday that there was no need to question his own MP's on whether or not they had anything to hide. All done and dusted he claimed, with the confessions of Walker and Boag. The great unravelling has only just begun.
Chris T criticizing the govt now and the quarantine facilities is just a pathetic distraction. I suggest you go to stuff and read the article by the pathologist that has just arrived in the country to take up a job and is in quarantine who says our system is the gold standard and one other countries should model themselves on.
You are making yourself look a little ridiculous here. A bit like Woodhouse with the homeless man
22 minutes was spent on his phone making use of the free internet outside the Supermarket and 15 minutes inside the Supermarket which leaves 33 minutes to walk there and back.
Chris don't you realize that people aren't pissed off with the Govt over this guy leaving isolation. They are very, very pissed off with the offender. Calling for jail time etc……………
Chris T criticizing the govt now and the quarantine facilities is just a pathetic distraction. I suggest you go to stuff and read the article by the pathologist that has just arrived in the country to take up a job and is in quarantine who says our system is the gold standard and one other countries should model themselves on.
You are making yourself look a little ridiculous here. A bit like Woodhouse with the homeless man
Yes. Because people disappearing for 70 minutes on one of the countries busiest streets, who are seen in a supermarket 5 minutes walk away and no more info, who are later found to be covid positive is merely a distraction.
Bit feeble Chris T – a lot's happened since that walkabout, but don't worry, there will be others, and Boag/Walker/Woodhouse/Muller et al. will be all over them.
Once there have been a few more quarantine and managed isolation 'runners', the media can start compiling stats on their political affiliations.
In other news:
“Skiiers [sic] are facing hour-long waits to get up Mt Hutt as traffic jams clog the access road.
All five car parks filled up before the mountain opened at 9am and police have been called to help with parking on surrounding streets.”
The current people in charge are fucking useless, another scum bag has now wandered off from a Hamilton hotel. If this Government doesn't pull it's finger out of it's arse we will end up in lockdown again.
Wouldn't be surprised if a few proposals don't appear to take up that wodge of power. Tiwai's huge demand has precluded a lot of other possibilities in the South. Coal replacement in dairy processing, transport, either directly electric power or hydrogen like you mention, and maybe a silica industry in Southland
By NZ law and international treaties its illegal for NZ to send a person back where they came from if that person is in danger of being killed if they're sent back. Unfortunately, this applies even for criminals.
But we can't do that to NZers as they have a right to be here and expect the government to look after them.
Of course, they don't have a right to break the rules and thus should be sent to prison. Considering how bad the possible consequences are from this guys actions that should be prison for a minimum of 21 years with solo confinement at the beginning.
As the potential exists for infection into the community, then the potential exists for someone to be infected by the escapee which could result in death.
Idiot in Hamilton cuts through fence at isolation hotel, goes out to buy booze. Now in custody.
As I mentioned before, if 6000 people are in isolation, and 99.9% follow the rules, that still leaves 6 who don't. As long as isolation continues (and it will for months) then these stories are inevitable. Fuckwits don't disappear, anywhere on earth.
He was arrested. The alternative headline is "man shot while trying to escape". People should probably think about that.
Incognito you surpass yourself! Great ideas – what did you have for breakfast?
You all might enjoy these pics from the past of jolly Oxford types. You can see where the joi de vivre of big teenage boys playing on an airport luggage carousel in NZ stems from.
This escapee at least had to cut through a fence to go walkies. It's not like he was a convicted child abusing murderer who walked out of the front door of a prison having obtained a false passport and shamed the then corrections minister and government by flying to Brazil.
But he was trying for possible mass manslaughter. After all, his actions of escaping quarantine could have been the death of many people including children.
So, yeah, he's as bad as the child abusing murderer.
Not at all, really, but the point of my original reply was putting the claim "isolation security is so shit" in some context, where actual convicted offenders, in actual prisons, can and do escape.
"Assault in hotel. Opposition demands to know why violent man was supplied with alcohol. Why were there no checks, says Woodhouse, adding something predictable about rocket science …"
What I am saying is maybe a bit of highlight should be put on how these people are being housed and looked after.
No, it wouldn't do that. The only thing that could be used as is as an attack line by the immoral right-wing against the government – which, of course, is what's been happening.
Just reported, another escapee, this time a quarantine facilty in Hamilton, the man in his 50s cut some cable ties on a fence to escape to the local bottle store
For me, the penalty for this should be to send the offenders back to wherever they came from, a strong message needs to sent, you're not welcome if you don't follow the rules.
The risk is too high to let these people potentially harm our safe haven that a Team of 5 million has so graciously worked towards.
Sending them back costs in itself. And anyway the men, I suppose but must not be sexist, are just showing typical NZ impudence about responsibility and booze and should blend in seamlessly when released.
Make them fund their own transport costs, if they can't, lock them up in complete isolation untill they're clear of infection and then release them into the normal prison population for at least 6 months, we need to send a clear message.
The people escaping seem to be encouraging others to follow suit as there appears to be no penalty that reflects the crime
A 50 year old that cant go 2 weeks without booze!! Almost gaurentees hes a kiwi born and breed. Maybe they should give them access to some 2.5 % beers, at their own cost.
Maybe we should have them sign a contract on their arrival and put up a bond that was returnable after their isolation was complete, the bond would cover the cost of chasing them down and the subsequent cost of 6 months in jail.
For me, the penalty for this should be to send the offenders back to wherever they came from, a strong message needs to sent, you're not welcome if you don't follow the rules
Back to where they came from, the quarantine hotel?
No, the country of origin, where ever they arrived from, they don't deserve the right to come here if they don't respect the rules and potentially spread the virus
Relistically, the penalties need to reflect the potential harm, someone could possibly become infected as a result of escaping and end up being a fatality, Murder of the first degree.
Alternatively, stop all new arrivals, but that's not really fair for the 99.9% of arrivals that do follow the rules
It may be indicative that he headed out for booze. Obviously we don't know in this particular case – but once you have several thousand people in quarantine there will be quite a number with significant substance dependency issues. It is showing just how difficult mass quarantine is. Though Toddy did indicate a while back that it's all simple – and he has 'business experience' so he must be right eh?
I know we all love easy, instant solutions, but they don't make good policy. Here is some relevant info from today's 1 pm briefing (Chris Hipkins):
– The Hamilton man is in police custody. He is due to appear in court later today.
– He tested negative for his day 3 test, after arriving from Sydney on 1 July.
Now, consider this. EVERY proposal about bubbles, opening borders, international students (etc) includes the idea that we can test people before they get on a plane. "Oh, make them have a test, and if it's negative, all good." Then we test them again when they arrive. That is the "safeguard" offered by everybody that says we should be gradually opening up.
This guy in Hamilton had a negative test. He's been here 9 or 10 days. Therefore, this one person breaking the rules means nothing, because we should be admitting thousands more like him. He has been tested. It was negative.
That is the reality of every – repeat, EVERY proposal to open up. Even a cautious, test and trace opening.
You either isolate or you don't. If we do, and ten escape, that is bad. If we don't, thousands escape. And their tests don't mean shit.
In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange, the company said its strategic review had "shown the business is no longer viable given high energy costs and a challenging outlook for the aluminium industry."
The company has given Meridian Energy notice to terminate its power contract, which ends in August next year. It expects the wind-down of operations will be done by then.
It said it had had discussions with interested parties but could not secure a power contract that would have kept the smelter competitive and profitable.
Which is pretty much what they said last time and National came to their rescue with even more subsidies.
“We do believe that nothing has been left on the table but if we’re mistaken then the window is still available for a deal to be put on the table but the window for that is closing fast now that we have terminated our electricity contract with Meridian.
“We’ve got 1000 Southland people, good Southland people, who have been walking through our gates every day to produce some of the highest purity … aluminium in the world and it’s extremely disappointing that we couldn’t have achieved an outcome that will let us continue to keep operating.
So, that wold be the plea for more subsides from the government.
These absconders may have underlying addiction/mental health issues. Alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction, phobias such as being 'hindered' from being able to just be free and not held back from doing whatever. Drugs are freely available in the world and cheap as well in some countries. Are they being drug tested as some may be hanging out and wanting to get out to score. Apparently there was a disturbance in one of the hotels and police had to go in on two occasions to one person who was 'unhinged" and being stroppy and it was disclosed he/she had mental health issues.
Maybe a health check, blood tests done to see what is circulating in their systems once they get to their hotels so that if there is a substance reliance occurring they could be given the required medication for whatever they need to keep them docile for their stay. This health check could be written into their contract, as a condition for getting home to NZ prior to getting on the plane.
Its strange though that this absconding is only just happening now. One person does it and it becomes contagious and others want to do it too. Cutting through a fence is a sign of desperation though and that could be a booze/drug problem.
A man has been arrested at an Auckland Covid-19 isolation hotel after allegedly becoming abusive at staff.
It comes amid a turbulent week at similar facilities across the country, as three people face charges for absconding.
Auckland Police Superintendent Steve Kehoe said on Monday night a 21-year-old man who was in managed isolation at a hotel in Māngere was arrested after he allegedly became abusive to staff.
The Ministry of Health confirmed to the Herald it was at Naumi Hotel, Auckland Airport.
.
He's the kind of hard-living no-nonsense Maverick who gets the job done by cutting corners and bucking authority … and if those namby-pamby desk-sucking pen-pushers on the 9th floor of the Beehive don't like it then, Mister, they can just about swivel like a pig on this mid-digit.
Who’s the Oppo Leader who doesn’t give a frick
He’s a sex machine to all the chicks ? Muller ?
Damn right !!!
Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there is danger all about ? Muller ?
Right on, Motherfucker !!!
Does anyone have a link to a good write up on what quarantine is like from the occupants perspective? What they are allowed to do, but also what their experience is like?
Various inmates (for want of a better word) have commented on social media and to the media in general, and they seem appreciative of the way they are looked after by staff. They understand the necessity for the rules and are happy to abide by them.
The handful of exceptions are either grossly ignorant or they have underlying problems.
Under level four we were allowed to go outside. It's not quite the same. I would have thought L4 might have given us a bit more tolerance for how people manage stress.
Also, L4 at home vs confined to a hotel room eating what you are given. It's not a huge hardship relative to many things, but it's not nothing either. My thinking is mostly around if there are gaps eg people needing to self medicate with alcohol and not being able to.
Under level 4 many people couldn't go outside for as long as the mandated breaks this crowd have.
They have a smoking area, and at least one person said she had access to alcohol (but not massive amounts).
And we did it for longer than a fortnight.
This isn't an alien situation that most of us can't understand – we all experienced something in that ballpark. People in mansions with spare rooms and large gardens maybe had it less, but they were still restricted. And some of us in small dwellings probably have less square footage than some decent hotel rooms.
Two weeks is tough. We know. Because most of us did it three tiimes in a row.
essential-only, remember? The folk in hotels get exercise sessions, and so did we, but we weren't supposed to be wandering on the beach cos we felt like it.
And that's not getting into specific circumstances, like maybe a "walk around the block" isn't an option for some people.
Some sort of resource kit so a person can have some control over their situation.
Without looking up the name change and over a decade imprisonment. Some years back I saw some footage on David Bain on how he got through the time he spent in prison.
"All I had to worry about was the next 5 minutes."
I have applied this in my own life when I have been very overwhelmed or have felt very badly treated.
It has worked for me with some medical procedures/issues and personal set backs.
Yes, I've seen mostly positive reports too. I know a lot of people struggled during lockdown (note: not the current managed isolation) but it was wonderful to see community efforts to help those with mental health and/or addiction issues go out of their way to help them. Some offered to go shopping for cigarettes and alcohol, some offered to phone for a chat etc. It was really encouraging.
No link, but this week (or last), there was story in the papers about the lock down woman who grabbed a selfie with the PM. If I remember correctly, she had been blogging about being in quarantine.
Aotearoa surpassed 100 days without a case of community transmission of Covid-19. Last night that virus-free streak ended and we’re moving back up the alert levels. For months now, we’ve been intercepting cases of Covid-19 at the border. But just as has happened in many other countries, somehow the sneaky ...
Today the National Party have annouced plans to get tough on gangs. Again. We at MyThinks thought it was important to identify a list of gangs the National Party were planning on getting tough on. National have said if they are elected their new “The Gang Unit” gang unit will ...
In the musical Wicked, a re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, the hit song Defying Gravity comes at the end of the first act and talks of how one woman (who would become the Wicked Witch of the West) breaks from what’s expected to strike off on her own path. ...
Back in June, Newsroom published a well-investigated piece about how the Department of Conservation had waived rehabilitation requirements for a mining company. Now, one of the company's directors - specifically David Wong-Tung, who just happens to be Judith Collins' husband and the director of environmental pillagers Oravida - is threatening ...
This year’s election campaign in New Zealand has attracted a number of “fringe” parties, at least some of whose supporters seem to have a fairly tenuous hold on reality and a highly flexible approach to the truth. I mean, how else could one describe some of those affiliated with the ...
Accused - Jami-Lee RossNobody would think poorly of you if you wrote former National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross off as just another crackpot! After all, now that he’s hitched his Advance NZ wagon to Billy Te Kahika’s crazy Public Party, there’s little chance of him ever redeeming himself or recovering ...
Students will be striking for the climate again on Friday, September 4: Students in Wellington are gearing up to strike from school this September 4th, to protest inaction on climate change. Their demands? That Government invests in a green COVID-19 response; that there is a just transition provided for ...
There’s no Covid on the Cook Islands. But isolation-free travel into New Zealand from the Cooks looks to be a long way off. The Prime Minister confirmed on Monday that Cabinet had considered draft text being worked on via officials which will become the basis of an agreement for quarantine-free travel ...
We should all know by now that Judith Collins, who has openly said she simply doesn’t care if wetlands are destroyed in the pursuit of swamp Kauri, isn’t exactly an environmentalist.In fact she has promised to roll back most of the small gains made by the Green Party in Government, ...
If you drive an electric car more than trivial distances between charges, you likely appreciate a state-of-charge meter (that is, what would be called a fuel-gauge in a petrol car) that is accurate. When it reports a range of 30 km, you do want to be sure it will actually ...
What to do to improve the public perception of the newly elected National party leader, when her performance so far has no doubt disappointed the expectations of her supporters? The answer is to get a National-supporting newspaper (the Herald) to organise a poll that could be guaranteed to provide an ...
Campaigns. Culture. Character. And perhaps most of all, Covid. Now the House has risen and politicians are hitting the road to pitch their woo to voters, those will be front of mind for the candidates.They were also where the new season of politics podcast Caucus began on Thursday. This year ...
There are only a few days left to make a submission on Statistics New Zealand's consultation on sex and gender identity statistical standards. This represents a really important step for recognising the very real diversity of gender, including people with no gender, and ensuring everyone has the option to see ...
Since finishing the Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change book, I’ve frequently dipped into that 176-page clip-art library, reshaping the cartoons to fit the 1920 x 1080 pixel format for Powerpoint presentations. I’ve also adapted many of the cartoons for the Cranky Uncle video series. Over the last few weeks, a few people ...
NewsHub Nation has launched a new podcast, "Supplementary Question". Their inaugural episode is about the OIA, and asks "is our most important transparency law fit for purpose?" While they interviewed Justice Minister Andrew Little and Ombudsman Peter Boshier for this, there's not actually a lot of them in there, and ...
Remember the Ruataniwha dam? The Hawke's Bay Regional Council wasted $14 million trying to push this environmental disaster through before the Supreme Court ruled that the land swap it relied on with DoC was illegal. At the end of it, they wrote off the money and sold the existing consents ...
For years we've had a housing crisis in New Zealand, driven by immigration-driven population growth and the market refusing to build enough houses (and enough of the right sort of houses) to meet it. As a result, people can't get homes, while Boomer landlords leech away their income and parasitical ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Drawdown Review 2020: How To Address Global Warming In A Responsible Manner Source: Project Drawdown Project Drawdown is a non-profit organization that relies ...
Dr Tim Chambers, Prof Nick Wilson, Jayne Richards, A/Prof Simon Hales, Dr Mike Joy, Prof Michael Baker (author affiliations*)Increasing water-related health threats, notably the waterborne campylobacter outbreak in Havelock North, have highlighted failings in NZ’s regulatory system for drinking water. In this blog we consider how the new Water ...
Yes, an election is in the offing – and we all know that elections can be polarising, as parties of the left and right square off against each other. But we should not allow our party and political allegiances to obscure the fact that, in a properly functioning democracy like ...
Dr Sommer Kapitan, Auckland University of Technology, and Dr Patrick van Esch, Auckland University of TechnologyThe Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill will limit vape sales at dairies and service stations to only three flavours, and make vaping illegal in smokefree areas. Vaping laws will be more ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Aug 2, 2020 through Sat, Aug 8, 2020Editor's ChoiceFive Years After Speaking Out on Climate Change, Pope Francis Sounds an Urgent AlarmThe encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ motivated many people ...
From some quarters, incessant scaremongering. From others, it’s a full-on tilt into touching the alarmist buttons a little too readily (uncertain times make for very captive audiences with this angle of attack). The (so-called) Opposition (and merely regarding them as that seems to be a far looser term now ...
National Party leader - Judith CollinsElections often bring out the best and worst in politicians. Some rise to the occasion and provide us with a clear vision for the future. While others wallow in resentment and controversy, over-relying on attack politics to try to attain the interest of voters.That’s been ...
The attempts to sabotage Corbyn's leadership seems likely to do more damage than Corbyn supposedly ever could have done, even if all the stories about him were true:I was reluctant to say anything but this is too important, the full story needs to be told.Don’t let anyone ever tell ...
Good day to everyone. I’ve been asked by Mr Thinks to come here and talk to you all about my concerns regarding the government response to Covid-19. We’ve been living through this pandemic for, what seems like, years. Years and years and years. Why else would the National Party have ...
‘Good Economics for Hard Times’ should be on your reading list. New Zealand does not have a Minister of Labour. It has Ministers of Immigration and Workplace Relations and Safety but there is no minister with responsibility for the labour market. That responsibility was abolished in 2012 when ...
Back in the Kyoto era, the international climate change regime included a Clean Development Mechanism to fund emissions reduction projects in developing nations. Essentially someone would certify that a project - e.g. building a windfarm, or installing energy-efficient lightbulbs - would reduce emissions over and above "business-as-usual". The project would ...
Claire Breen, University of WaikatoWith COVID-19 vaccine developers reporting promising results, it is probable we will one day face a major public health question: can the government compel New Zealanders to be vaccinated? Just as inevitably, some people will refuse a vaccine. As we have seen overseas with debates ...
As the classic MMP cartoon goes, just look at who is against it. Yesterday, the Hamilton City Council voted to use STV for its next two local body elections. The move was initially opposed by deputy mayor Geoff Taylor. The reason? Because a voting system which provided accurate representation and ...
On Wednesday evening (which in Parliament’s weird world technically was still Tuesday because urgency had been taken and so time stood still), MPs united to remove a pretty terrible piece of law from our statute books. No real fanfare or fireworks accompanied this action. Indeed, I didn’t even know about it ...
By Geoffrey Miller Prominent refugee advocate Murdoch Stephens says he is disappointed by Judith Collins’ reaction to Immigration New Zealand’s decision to grant refugee status to Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani. Judith Collins told media last month that “there’s a lot of concern in New Zealand about what they see as ...
Hello all. Judith here to talk about how National are going to take the election in September. The National Party prides itself its unity and cohesion. We are working together to deliver for New Zealanders. First of all, ee are a strong team. We are a very strong team. Our ...
Parliament has just begun the adjournment debate, signalling the effective end of this Parliament. So it seems like an appropriate time to assess Labour's term in office. Unfortunately, its a pretty dismal assessment. Labour campaigned on one thing: change. Not just a change in who got the top jobs and ...
Our climate change policies are insufficient to achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, according to independent assessor Climate Action Tracker: New Zealand won’t be carbon neutral by 2050 without much stronger policies, says an independent analysis by Climate Action Tracker. The non-profit highlighted a lack of active ...
That was clearly a huge explosion. Just after the explosion, we see a cloud of ‘fog’ moving outwards at high speed. This is a shockwave, rather similar to that which causes a sonic boom. The ‘fog’ is caused by water condensing from the atmosphere in areas of intense low pressure ...
Can we postpone this year’s election? Quite frankly, the political parties don’t seem ready for it, and aren’t about to offer voters the necessary policy choices for the unprecedented times we’re in. We’ve ended up with a campaign focused on scandal, personality and leadership, with a policy void that’s worse ...
It is the last sitting day of Parliament, and the last question time before the House is dissolved. So, are there any questions about the damning findings of the Hit and Run inquiry, and how the government plans to bring the military back under democratic control? Of course not. ...
Property speculator - John KeyThe National Party must be in dire straits to have to rely on John Key to campaign on their behalf. Not only has the former PM been in the news claiming the recently released unemployment figures aren’t accurate, the fool has also been promoting the opening ...
Nothing Too Drastic: Few would dispute that the Left, today, are few in number. Is their failure to make the public aware of and act upon the manifest failures of the present system attributable to their lack of active energy and intelligence? Or, is it simply because the Left’s ideas ...
by Don Franks This talk was given to the Wellington Anti Capitalist Alliance, fifteen years ago. The ultimate weapons of mass destruction so far seen on this planet have been used just twice, 60 years ago this month. August 6 and August 9 1945 witnessed the US atomic bombing ...
After I noticed that my name had been taken yet again in vain by my friendly antagonist Tom Hunter over at No Minister, I went over to see what the fuss was about. Nothing much, but then I discovered a post about the Operation Burnham Inquiry by Psycho Milt. I ...
The COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 was extended today, until December 1st or the tenth sitting day following the resumption of Parliament after the election. It seems like a necessary extension. While we currently have eradicated the virus in New Zealand, it is still banging at the door, and ...
One of the government's key policies - extracted by NZ First as part of its coalition agreement - is the "Provincial Growth Fund": $1 billion a year spent on creating jobs in rural New Zealand. Yesterday the Auditor-General issued a report on the fund, finding that it lacks transparency, and ...
The Warehouse, one of New Zealand's biggest retailers, has decided to stop selling coal. Good. Coal is a dirty, polluting fossil fuel, and the less of it we have out there, the better. Retailers choosing not to sell it sends a clear message that this is not a fuel we ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and they show that unemployment actually dropped last quarter. All told, there are 111,000 unemployed - 15,000 fewer than when the government took office. But before anyone thinks that the pandemic hasn't put people out of work, remember that this is for ...
Judy KavanaghI’m OK with wearing a CovidCard. But are you? There’s no point me doing it alone.The author modelling a (fake) CovidCard. I didn’t know much about the CovidCard proposal until I read Dave’s latest blog post. You would wear the card visibly on your person. It ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzWhy can’t I use the battery from my electric car ...
As many good things come in threes (as the saying goes), we are happy to announce a third partnership between Skeptical Science and other websites. Fakebook.eco in Brazil is joining Klimafakten.de in Germany and Nauka o Klimacie in Poland to leverage translated rebuttal material and to make the information readily available in other ...
This interview on RNZ with Ross Tucker, the scientist who headed a review of transgender athletes playing in women’s rugby, discusses the findings of the review and what it means for women in sports. The review that World Rugby undertook had a broad range of independent experts and included a ...
Siouxsie WilesThe restrictions in place for metropolitan Melbourne now are in some ways stricter than those that were in force during New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown. A curfew is in place and most people have to wear masks when they leave their home – neither of which happened in New ...
On Friday the Hit and Run inquiry delivered a devastating report which found that NZDF had systematically misled Ministers over civilian deaths. The report called into question civilian control of the military (and indeed, military control of the military), a fundamental principle of our democracy. So you'd expect our politicians ...
Let's Do This Again: What else can Jacinda do in a political environment so bereft of imagination and courage but seek a continuance? If she trades upon the extraordinary personal qualities that she has, miraculously, carried with her into the office of Prime Minister, then I, for one, will offer ...
How corrupt are the New Zealand Police? This corrupt: On 10 February 2019, Police attended a family harm incident. The suspect attempted to run the attending officers over in a driveway with his car, narrowly missing them, before fleeing the scene. A short pursuit followed, ending when the suspect stopped ...
Parliament's triennial Review of Standing Orders was released today, and it contains a number of welcome, if minor, improvements. The ones that caught my are: A move to encourage "pre-legislative engagement" - the government consulting widely on legislation before it is introduced - by promising easier passage (e.g. with ...
Lauren Vargo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonGlaciers around the world are melting — and for the first time, we can now directly attribute annual ice loss to climate change. We analysed two years in which glaciers in New Zealand melted the most in at least four ...
Caroline Shaw, Anja MizdrakE-bikes are everywhere. Sales are booming and predicted to overtake sales of new cars in a few years. There were three times as many e-bikes and e-scooters imported into NZ in 2019 alone as there are e-cars in the entire country. You can’t go out in ...
New Zealand First is facing a difficult struggle to get re-elected, but Josh Van Veen, who was once a researcher for Winston Peters, argues that there is still a very significant section of cultural conservatives who oppose mass immigration and political correctness and might yet be won back over to ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Many Americans these days seem unable to avoid controversy on practically any topic, so why not embrace the discord and wade into the especially volatile arena of nuclear energy? Advocates claim it’s the only way to meet global climate goals, ...
Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a 2010 SAS killing raid in Afghanistan. The most recent Colmar Brunton ...
In New Zealand, we've just had the report of the Hit and Run inquiry, which found that a New Zealand led raid had accidentally killed civilians, including a child. meanwhile, around the same time, the British SAS was conducting its own raids in Afghanistan, and theirs were a hell of ...
In addition to establishing a process for setting emissions reductions plans, the Zero Carbon Act established a process for managing the risks of climate change. The first part of this is the preparation of regular risk assessments, looking at the risks to our economy, society, environment, and ecology. The first ...
Over on The spinoff, Amnesty International's Meg de Ronde has a response to Friday's release of the Hit and Run report. And in response to Attorney-General David Parker's claim that the government was being "transparent" by releasing the report, its titled "we shouldn’t have to work this hard to get ...
Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study FindsAs climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will ...
There's an election next month, so you'd be expecting political parties to be telling us what they stand for and what they'd do if they'd win. But while the Greens have given us a detailed policy platform, and National has talked about roads and austerity, Labour, currently leading the polls ...
It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...
It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...
We've announced that we will expand the Flexi-wage programme to support up to 40,000 more people into work, or to help them start their own business. It's yet another way we're helping keep our economy moving by getting people into work and training. Read on to find out more ...
Business subsidy of on average $7500, and up to $22,000, to hire unemployed New ZealandersUp to 40,000 jobs to be supported by $311 million investment in keeping New Zealanders off the unemployment benefitRing-fenced fund to help unemployed start their own business ...
This week was the last of the 52nd Parliament: a major milestone for our Government and a great opportunity to look back at all the progress we've made for New Zealanders. This week, we increased support for businesses to take on apprentices, improved access to hospital care in Northland, and ...
Kia orana and kia ora koutou katoa. It is a privilege to be able to speak in this adjournment debate and to mark and acknowledge the fact that we are now two years and 10 months into the conclusion of a parliamentary term that has been extraordinary in so many ...
On 1 August, we marked the anniversary of Jacinda Ardern becoming the Leader of the Labour Party. On that day in 2017, Leader Andrew Little nominated Jacinda Ardern to succeed him and lead the party to victory.Now, three years on, we look back at some of the key moments ...
With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...
We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Government is stepping up action to deal with environmentally harmful products – including plastic packaging, tyres and e-waste – before they become waste. ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
Following the success of the phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags, the Government now has plans to phase out more single-use and problem plastics to reduce waste and protect the environment announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage. The proposals are to phase-out: some hard-to-recycle PVC and polystyrene ...
After 102 days we have our first cases of Covid-19 outside of a Managed Isolation or Quarantine facility in New Zealand. Shortly I will ask Dr Bloomfield to set out the details of the case. While we have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario, we have also planned ...
An iwi-Crown approach programme to restore the Raukūmara forest on the East Coast of the North Island and boost employment opportunities for whānau, particularly rangatahi/young people, will receive $34 million funding, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has announced. “Raukūmara Pae Maunga is a partnership with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, and ...
Government agencies and partners are working closer together to provide more Māori Housing through the Te MAIHI o te Whare Māori – the Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation Framework for Action (MAIHI). MAIHI is a kaupapa Māori approach that drives a system change to give effect and impact on Māori ...
Site work is soon to begin on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, the project to replace the former SH3 route through the Manawatū Gorge, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Phil Twyford was today in Woodville at the signing of a formal agreement by members of the Alliance ...
The Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) begins today and will focus on the major economic and social impacts of COVID-19 on the Pacific. FEMM is an important congregation of Economic Ministers and senior officials from around the region, and for the first time, the annual meeting will be ...
Cabinet has approved a formal apology and ex gratia payment to former soldier George Nepata, announced Defence Minister Ron Mark. This payment is to recognise the New Zealand Defence Force’s failure to provide Mr Nepata with a safe system of work in April 1989 when, as a result of an ...
A report undertaken by Ministerial Services into Iain Lees-Galloway’s ministerial expenditure has found no evidence of any inappropriate transactions or spending. Ministerial Services undertook a line by line review of all his expenditure, including staff and spouse expenses for the period 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2020. “I commissioned ...
Managed isolation charges for returnees will come into force from 12.01am Tuesday 11th August, after they passed their last cabinet milestone today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. “The new charging system balances the rights of New Zealanders to return home and helps reduce pressure on the managed isolation and quarantine ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Henry Puna have welcomed the completion of phase one in the establishment of a travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Island. Negotiations on the text of an ‘Arrangement to Facilitate Quarantine-Free Travel ...
The Government has launched a new online, phone and onsite service to help New Zealanders connect to a range of employment support and products for workers and businesses affected by COVID-19, announced Minister of Education Chris Hipkins and Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. Connected.govt.nz is a one-stop-shop for jobseekers, ...
Security guards contracted to the Ministry of Social Development will be paid at least the Living Wage from next month supporting the Government’s commitment towards fair pay and employment conditions, announced Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. “MSD was among the first government agencies to pay its employees the living ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today launched Te Mana o te Taiao, the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy - a way forward that envisions Aotearoa New Zealand as a place where ecosystems are healthy and resilient, and people embrace the natural world. “Many of New Zealand’s plants and wildlife species ...
“Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of our Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa. The strength and resilience of Pacific Aotearoa is not only vital to their own prosperity but integral to the prosperity of all New Zealanders, and is particularly ...
· $38 million to help schools cover unexpected costs related to COVID-19 · $69 million upgrade for online learning · $107 million contingency funding to support school construction suppliers facing additional costs due to the lockdown. The Government is releasing $214 million from the COVID-19 response and recovery fund to ...
Despite the Government installing safety upgrades around the country, people should still take care around rail crossings, said Transport Minister Phil Twyford launching Rail Safety Week. Phil Twyford said installing safety infrastructure is crucial, but we are encouraging people to be more careful around trains too. “We’re making good progress ...
The Government is providing a cash injection to help Palmerston North City Council complete a programme to provide 78 social housing units for vulnerable tenants. The $4.7 million to build 28 units in the Papaioea Place redevelopment comes from the $3 billion set aside for infrastructure in the Government’s COVID-19 ...
A pest free Banks Peninsula/Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū is one step closer with a $5.11 million boost to accelerate this project and create jobs, announced Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage in Canterbury today. “This is a game changer for this ambitious project to restore the native wildlife and plants on Ōtautahi/Christchurch’s doorstep ...
A Government grant of $6.4 million will expand the Pettigrew Arena in Taradale with new indoor courts of national standard. “The project is likely to take 18 months with approximately 300 people employed through the process,” Grant Robertson said. “The expansion will increase the indoor court space up to 11 ...
The Far North tourist destination of Mangonui is to receive Government funding to improve waterfront infrastructure, open up access to the harbour and improve water quality, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. A total of $6.5 million from the $3 billion set aside in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund ...
The Government has re-affirmed its commitment to supporting the hosting of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which the ICC has delayed from 2021 to 2022. “This is obviously a disappointing decision for cricket players and fans around the world and for the White Ferns and their supporters here at ...
Cyclists and walkers will now have a safer way to get around Taupō, Tūrangi, and between Hamilton and Cambridge, with funding for shared paths and Te Awa River Ride, Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. “The Te Awa River Ride is the latest part of massive growth ...
Six major cycle routes will be completed in Christchurch thanks to funding from the Government’s investment in shovel-ready infrastructure as part of the COVID-19 recovery Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. $125 million will be invested to kick-start construction and fund the completion of the following cycleway ...
Plans are underway for a brand new state-of-the-art hub for Whanganui’s justice and social agencies, following confirmation the ageing Whanganui Central Police Station is to be replaced. Police Minister Stuart Nash has announced $25 million in new infrastructure spending to improve facilities for the wider community, and for staff who ...
An adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the relativity mechanisms in their 1995 and 1997 Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The latest payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu are $2,700,000 and $2,600,000 respectively to ensure the ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off the start of the Auckland NZ Upgrade Programme rail projects which will support over 400 jobs and help unlock our biggest city. Both ministers marked the start of enabling works on the third main rail line project ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment of $3.78 million in Wairoa will create much needed economic stimulus and jobs, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. PGF projects announced today include: $200,000 loan to Nuhaka Kiwifruit Holdings Ltd (operated by Pine Valley Orchard Ltd) to increase the productivity ...
Tenants in public and Māori housing may be benefiting from their own affordable renewable energy in future – a fund to trial renewable energy technology for public and Māori housing has today been announced by Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Nanaia Mahuta. ...
Hokianga will receive $2.7 million to redevelop four of its wharves and upgrade its water supply, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Far North District Council will receive $1.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the work on the wharves. “The work will include the construction of ...
A $350 million Residential Development Response Fund is being established to support the residential construction sector and to minimise the economic impact from COVID-19, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “The Residential Development Response Fund will help to progress stalled or at-risk developments that support our broader housing ...
As part of a broader plan to divert waste from landfill, the Government today announced $10.67 million for new infrastructure as part of the Resource Recovery Network across the Auckland region. “This key investment in Auckland’s community recycling network is part of the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group ‘shovel ready’ projects ...
The Government is investing $45 million in the first stage of an ambitious urban development project for Tauranga that will employ up to 250 people and help the region grow, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the funding has been allocated out of the $3 billion ...
Getting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...
A new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...
The Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...
A $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...
Twenty-two projects to boost the sustainability and climate resilience of New Zealand’s food and fibres sector have been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The $18m funding will deliver practical knowledge to help farmers and growers use their land more sustainably, meet environmental targets, remain prosperous, and better understand ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson welcomes an initiative that assists employers to get mature workers into New Zealand small businesses. The disadvantages that older people face in the workplace was highlighted in the whole of Government Employment Strategy. In order to address this, a Mature Workers Toolkit has been developed and ...
New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed today the need for the closest possible collaboration as they tackle a global environment shaped by COVID-19, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. “In these challenging times, our close collaboration with Australia is more vital than ever,” said Mr Peters. Mr Peters and his Australian ...
The recovery and forensic examination of the loader driven by survivor Russell Smith means the underground team are now moving into an area of the Pike River Mine that has not been seen since the explosion, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said. “The fifth and last robot ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Plank, Professor in Mathematics, University of Canterbury Auckland, and possibly other parts of New Zealand, almost certainly have more cases of COVID-19 in the community than the four new cases confirmed yesterday. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern activated a resurgence plan late ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is urging the Prime Minister to recommend that the Governor-General delay the dissolution of Parliament. Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Islay Aitchison says, "Given the considerable uncertainty regarding ...
The Māori Affairs Committee has completed its inquiry into health inequities for Māori and has presented its final report. You can read the committee’s report here . The inquiry was initiated in March 2019 and focused on cancer care. It explored ...
Back in March 17th 2020 - WHO (world health Organisation) warned the global community test, test, test, everyone suspected of COVID 19 virus infections, today our senior epidemiologist James Baker advised to test multiple times, as he states that some ...
Today at noon, Auckland moves into alert level three while the rest of New Zealand moves into alert level two. Here’s how it will affect businesses and what you can do to help.Three days at a higher alert level may not seem like much, but for many fragile businesses still ...
Greenpeace is welcoming the Government’s announcement today of a plan to phase out more single-use plastics, but is calling for the ban to cover a wider range of products, including plastic drink bottles. "The world is drowning in plastic ...
Takeaway Throwaways applauds this morning’s announcement by Associate Minister Eugenie Sage, proposing phase-outs of a wide range of single-use plastics. Items targeted include multiple serviceware products - from bowls, plates, straws, stirrers, ...
John Bolton’s book on his time as Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser – The Room Where it Happened – is worth reading. His forensic training means he sets out clearly his own actions and their motivations. His recording of the responses of others appears scrupulous, albeit disputed. Failings of omission or ...
Parliament is scheduled to be dissolved today for an election on September 19. University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis runs through how and under what circumstances the election will happen – or be delayed.No matter how, Covid-19 is now back in the community. How widespread, and with what consequences, ...
ACT Leader David Seymour wrote to the Speaker last night asking him to postpone the dissolution of Parliament. "Mr Speaker, Terrible news tonight. It occurs to me that Parliament does not need to dissolve before the election. I strongly urge ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Weismueller, Doctoral Researcher, University of Western Australia In February, major social media platforms attended a meeting hosted by the World Health Organisation to address coronavirus misinformation. The aim was to catalyse the fight against what the United Nations has called an ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Salisbury, Research Associate, School of Political Science & International Studies, The University of Queensland Government responses to COVID-19 in Australia have received, by and large, bipartisan support. An exception, it seems, is the imposition of restrictions on interstate movement. State borders ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics and Chair of Behavioural Business Lab, RMIT University Fingers have been pointing all over the place as the country searches for answers to the stubbornly high coronavirus cases and rising death rates in Victoria. While Victorian Premier ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Lakhani, Senior Lecturer in Public Health, La Trobe University Under the stage 4 restrictions enforced throughout metropolitan Melbourne, residents can exercise for one hour each day, within five kilometres of their home. While such restrictions are necessary to reduce the spread ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Wilkins, Associate Professor of illegal drug research, Massey University The referendum on legalising recreational cannabis use is just over a month away. Campaigns for and against the change are well under way. We’ve had expert reports from the Helen Clark Foundation, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fernanda Alves, PhD student, Australian National University Saving endangered species from extinction is a challenging job. It requires creative, affordable and effective interventions. In a rare good news story for conservation, we came up with one such method. We want to save ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Krumdieck, Professor and Director, Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab, University of Canterbury CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barry Oliver, Associate Professor, The University of Queensland Insider trading comes in two main forms: arguably legal and clearly illegal. But, as with drugs in sport, it’s hard to tell when arguably legal ends and clearly illegal begins. It is generally accepted ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Frances Di Lauro, Senior Lecturer, Department of Writing Studies, University of Sydney In the year then of our Lord 1348, there happened at Florence, the finest city in all Italy, a most terrible plague… Giovanni Boccaccio introduces his acclaimed collection ...
"The Government must share open, transparent data," according to ACT Leader David Seymour "Prime Minister has stated she knew of a Family with COVID-19 at 4pm on Tuesday afternoon. A simple question is whether the four people were all ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Live Updates for August 12, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Get me on Stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.00am: What you need to know Auckland has four new cases of Covid-19 – all in the community. There is no ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Resurgence plan triggered by Covid-19 community transmission, questions about what it will mean for the election, and Christchurch rest home lockdown appears to be unrelated.The first new cases of Covid-19 outside of managed isolation have been announced, triggering a resurgence ...
The only Kiwi woman to win an Olympic medal in swimming, Jean Hurring, has passed away in her 90th year. She was gentle and generous, teaching countless New Zealanders how to swim - but had a formidable, determined streak. Jean Hurring will be remembered as a kind, gentle and humble woman ...
Trade Me, New Zealand's largest online auction and classifieds market, had already integrated its core software tools into the Slack collaboration platform before Covid-19 hit, and saw the true value of that when it shifted seamlessly to remote working under lockdown. Paolo Ragone, chief technology officer for Trade Me, told Newsroom the ...
The Ruddelle case judgment reflects judicial recognition of how women in abusive relationships are caught in social and systemic entrapment, writes Julia Tolmie Women who use lethal defensive force against their violent partners are a rarity. Most women in abusive relationships, if there is a homicide, will be the ones ...
Toi Iti responds to a beautiful book of photographs of sparsely populated King Country towns Step one, take land. Strip it, stack the wood, start a farm. Now build a town! Post Office, school, chapel. Milk flowing? Build a dairy factory. Need a bank? Got it. Shop? Yep. Build some ...
Despite warnings, many Kiwis would not have expected the re-emergence of Covid-19 in the community. Now, the virus has put New Zealand on the back foot and added another election-year twist, Sam Sachdeva writes. It was an inevitability, New Zealand was told. Not if, “just a matter of when”. Director-General ...
With their party hovering on the 5 percent threshold in the polls, Greens co-leaders discussed their accomplishments in Government and the party's ambitious pitch to the electorate. ...
We think we've crushed Covid-19 - what other diseases are the country battling that could do with big injections of money and effort? New Zealand has more or less kicked Covid-19 to the kerb, but what about other diseases we're trying to eradicate? Today The Detail looks at where we’ve got ...
The return of Covid-19 to Auckland and the Level 3 lockdown are expected to hit hospitality and retail stocks, and play a part in the Reserve Bank's new Monetary Policy Statement ...
Beyond the direct and practical implications, more significant for the eventual outcome is the effect on the electorate’s psyche, writes Ben Thomas.It’s tempting to reach for easy metaphors with the re-emergence of Covid-19 just weeks before the election: a horror villain rising from the dead; a restless spirit summoned again, ...
Aotearoa surpassed 100 days without a case of community transmission of Covid-19. Last night that virus-free streak ended and we’re moving back up the alert levels. Siouxsie Wiles explains why that has to happen.For months now, we’ve been intercepting cases of Covid-19 at the border. But just as has happened ...
The confirmation of community transmission has prompted a swift move up the alert level ladder. Here are the critical questions about Auckland’s move to Covid-19 level three lockdown, answered.What are the new alert levels – and where do they apply?Auckland enters alert level three at midday today, Wednesday August 12. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Nationals are demanding major changes to the government’s controversial new higher education fee plan, declaring it would disadvantage regional communities and students as it stands. The Nationals party room on Monday discussed the JobReady ...
Auckland moves back into near-lockdown at Level 3 while the rest of the country shifts gears to Level 2. Here's a refresher course on what you'll have to do differently now. With Auckland moving to Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions, a range of public venues and workplaces will close in our largest ...
Analysis: Our testing regime for Covid-19 will often be several days or weeks behind, underscoring the need to act as if we're two weeks ahead of where we are, Marc Daalder reports On March 25, the day New Zealand moved into Level 4 lockdown, the official Covid-19 case tally was ...
The prime minister has announced Auckland will go into alert level three, and the rest of the country alert level two, after four cases of the coronavirus were detected in a family with no known link to overseas travel or existing cases. Via the Science Media Centre, the experts on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal government has clashed with the Royal Commission into Aged Care, strongly rejecting the claim by senior counsel assisting the inquiry Peter Rozen that it had no specific COVID-19 plan for the sector. Aged ...
Four positive cases of covid-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine have been reported and New Zealand has activated a resurgence plan. After 102 days without community transmission they are the first cases acquired from an unknown source, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced tonight. Ardern said New Zealand must take ...
Auckland will enter Level 3 at noon on Wednesday while the rest of the country moves to Level 2. How will the Government manage the logistics of a regional lockdown? In response to the confirmation of four cases of Covid-19 in Auckland, of unknown origins and with no known connection to ...
After 102 days without community transmission, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed New Zealand has its first Covid-19 case acquired from an unknown source. ...
After 102 days without community transmission, Jacinda Ardern confirmed New Zealand has its first Covid-19 case acquired from an unknown source. Look back over our live updates. ...
New Zealand has been shocked back into a state of Covid-19 infection with community transmission detected in four confirmed cases from one family in South Auckland outside the isolation and quarantine system. Auckland will be put into Level 3 alert from noon on Wednesday, with all schools closed, people required to work from ...
Auckland to move to alert Level 3 'lockdown' from Noon on Wednesday - with the rest of NZ put into Level 2 - after a community outbreak in South Auckland New Zealand has been shocked back into a state of Covid-19 infection with community transmission detected in four confirmed cases from one ...
After 102 days without community transmission, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed New Zealand has its first Covid-19 case acquired from an unknown source. ...
After 101 days without any reported community transmission in New Zealand, cases without any link to overseas travel have been reported.There are four cases of community transmission in one family, Ashley Bloomfield has announced.A man in his 50s with no link to overseas travel or other known cases tested positive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government and the Australian Defence Force are bracing for reputational damage to the military from damning findings in an imminent report on Australian Special Forces’ behaviour in Afghanistan. The report, expected within a month, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government and the Australian Defence Force are bracing for reputational damage to the military from damning findings in an imminent report on Australian Special Forces’ behaviour in Afghanistan. The report, expected within a month, ...
The National Party board will meet "as soon as possible" to discuss allegations surrounding its member Roger Bridge and a late-night call on talkback radio. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zachariah Wylde, Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Biology, UNSW As time passes, our fertility declines and our bodies start to fail. These natural changes are what we call ageing. In recent decades, we’ve come leaps and bounds in treating and preventing some of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janneke Berecki-Gisolf, Associate Professor, Accident Research Centre, Monash University COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria have had a marked effect on how and where we spend our time. For many people, home has become the workplace, and for most school-aged children, home is also ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Wilson, Associate Professor in Education, University of Sydney To fix inequality in Australian education, governments should fully fund all non-government primary schools, according to former former NSW Education Minister and now head of the UNSW Gonski Institute, Adrian Piccoli. In an ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ilana Finefter-Rosenbluh, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Monash University Over the weekend, Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino, announced the individual impact of COVID-19 will be taken into account for every Year 12 student in the state when calculating their VCE score and ATAR. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Clift, Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate, University of Melbourne The arrest this week of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong reveals the repressive reality of the city’s new made-in-China national security law. It also sends a sharp signal to ...
NZ’s domestic economy is tracking much better than many predicted, as it adjusts to something closer to normality after the Covid-19 lockdown. Just how well may emerge when the Reserve Bank delivers its verdict this week on whether there is any need for new monetary policy moves. Bank economists are ...
With Jacinda Ardern staying quiet on how she'll vote in this year's cannabis referendum, Judith Collins is putting on the pressure, saying all of the National caucus will vote against it. ...
An Auckland psychic healer yesterday announced she would be running for parliament. Less than 24 hours later, she wasn’t. So what happened? And why is she accusing Jacinda Ardern of treason? Stewart Sowman-Lund investigates. It’s been a big year for Jeanette Wilson. In June, as the Covid-19 crisis was continuing to spiral ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. “I think you have to recognise money comes from somewhere. It doesn’t just come from a big money tree.” Judith Collins 2020 “Someone has to pay the bill – there aren’t little pixies at the bottom of the garden printing cash.” John Key 2009Keith ...
By RNZ News New Zealand has reported one new case of covid-19 in managed isolation today, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the new case was a man in his 20s who arrived from Melbourne on July 30. He was in isolation at ...
National's newly released policy also includes the creation of two new national parks, establishing the Kermadec marine sanctuary, and revising Tahr management. ...
Content warning: This pieces includes discussion of harassment, stalking and violence.‘I don’t sleep. I’m terrified.’ Sophia shares her story with Emily Writes.Sophia* was 19 and a talented swimmer. She was teaching swimming lessons at an Auckland public pool with a gym attached and one day, while she was using the ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk As Guam’s health statistics continue to mount, covid-19 has hit the first family, reports the Pacific Island Times. Following Governor Lou Leon Guerrero’s disclosure last night that she had tested positive for covid-19, her son Joaquin Cook, president of the Bank of Guam, revealed he has ...
Road safety charity Brake has launched a Virtual Fleet Exhibition for fleet operators and suppliers, celebrating fleet safety and sharing best practice. The exhibition is part of Brake’s Global Fleet Champions initiative and runs for the whole of ...
With more than 1,000 local businesses on its books, MyHR saw firsthand the pressure the Covid-19 fallout put on New Zealand’s SMEs, as well as having its own business model tested to the limit.New Zealand’s Covid-19 lockdown had a seismic effect on human resources departments. In order to stay afloat ...
In an interview on Monday, Ms Collins said: We will not let DHBs limit or allocate health treatment based on race, which is what we’ve seen Labour allow some DHBs to do. That is really important that we cannot have that. It has to be on need and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caroline Gargett, NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Head of Women’s Health Theme, The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Hudson Institute Endometriosis is a debilitating, chronic condition that affects 1 in 10 women worldwide. It occurs when tissue which has similar properties ...
Open mike 10/07/2020 
Aotearoa surpassed 100 days without a case of community transmission of Covid-19. Last night that virus-free streak ended and we’re moving back up the alert levels. For months now, we’ve been intercepting cases of Covid-19 at the border. But just as has happened in many other countries, somehow the sneaky ...49 mins ago
Today’s content Community transmission Ben Thomas (Spinoff): What the Covid resurgence means for the election campaign Luke Malpass (Stuff): In this new lockdown, Labour competence will be key Sam Sachdeva (Newsroom): NZ’s bubble bursts as Covid returns Jason Walls (Herald): ‘Extremely disappointed’: National Party leader Judith Collins blasts Govt; says it let Covid-19 back ...2 hours ago
Today the National Party have annouced plans to get tough on gangs. Again. We at MyThinks thought it was important to identify a list of gangs the National Party were planning on getting tough on. National have said if they are elected their new “The Gang Unit” gang unit will ...3 hours ago
In the musical Wicked, a re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, the hit song Defying Gravity comes at the end of the first act and talks of how one woman (who would become the Wicked Witch of the West) breaks from what’s expected to strike off on her own path. ...16 hours ago
Back in June, Newsroom published a well-investigated piece about how the Department of Conservation had waived rehabilitation requirements for a mining company. Now, one of the company's directors - specifically David Wong-Tung, who just happens to be Judith Collins' husband and the director of environmental pillagers Oravida - is threatening ...18 hours ago
Accused - Jami-Lee RossNobody would think poorly of you if you wrote former National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross off as just another crackpot! After all, now that he’s hitched his Advance NZ wagon to Billy Te Kahika’s crazy Public Party, there’s little chance of him ever redeeming himself or recovering ...19 hours ago
What to do to improve the public perception of the newly elected National party leader, when her performance so far has no doubt disappointed the expectations of her supporters? The answer is to get a National-supporting newspaper (the Herald) to organise a poll that could be guaranteed to provide an ...1 day ago
There are only a few days left to make a submission on Statistics New Zealand's consultation on sex and gender identity statistical standards. This represents a really important step for recognising the very real diversity of gender, including people with no gender, and ensuring everyone has the option to see ...2 days ago
Since finishing the Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change book, I’ve frequently dipped into that 176-page clip-art library, reshaping the cartoons to fit the 1920 x 1080 pixel format for Powerpoint presentations. I’ve also adapted many of the cartoons for the Cranky Uncle video series. Over the last few weeks, a few people ...2 days ago
...4 days ago
...4 days ago
From some quarters, incessant scaremongering. From others, it’s a full-on tilt into touching the alarmist buttons a little too readily (uncertain times make for very captive audiences with this angle of attack). The (so-called) Opposition (and merely regarding them as that seems to be a far looser term now ...4 days ago
The attempts to sabotage Corbyn's leadership seems likely to do more damage than Corbyn supposedly ever could have done, even if all the stories about him were true: I was reluctant to say anything but this is too important, the full story needs to be told.Don’t let anyone ever tell ...4 days ago
6 days ago
by Don Franks This talk was given to the Wellington Anti Capitalist Alliance, fifteen years ago. The ultimate weapons of mass destruction so far seen on this planet have been used just twice, 60 years ago this month. August 6 and August 9 1945 witnessed the US atomic bombing ...6 days ago
It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...2 days ago
The Green Party has revealed its Homes for All Plan, which lays the foundation for an Aotearoa where everyone has a warm, dry and affordable home. ...3 days ago
Following the success of the phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags, the Government now has plans to phase out more single-use and problem plastics to reduce waste and protect the environment announced Associate Minister for the Environment Eugenie Sage. The proposals are to phase-out: some hard-to-recycle PVC and polystyrene ...3 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Plank, Professor in Mathematics, University of Canterbury Auckland, and possibly other parts of New Zealand, almost certainly have more cases of COVID-19 in the community than the four new cases confirmed yesterday. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern activated a resurgence plan late ...23 mins ago
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is urging the Prime Minister to recommend that the Governor-General delay the dissolution of Parliament. Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Islay Aitchison says, "Given the considerable uncertainty regarding ...58 mins ago
Today at noon, Auckland moves into alert level three while the rest of New Zealand moves into alert level two. Here’s how it will affect businesses and what you can do to help.Three days at a higher alert level may not seem like much, but for many fragile businesses still ...1 hour ago
John Bolton’s book on his time as Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser – The Room Where it Happened – is worth reading. His forensic training means he sets out clearly his own actions and their motivations. His recording of the responses of others appears scrupulous, albeit disputed. Failings of omission or ...2 hours ago
The Minister of Health says they are working with lawyers on making masks mandatory in Auckland as the city prepares for alert level 3. ...2 hours ago
The only Kiwi woman to win an Olympic medal in swimming, Jean Hurring, has passed away in her 90th year. She was gentle and generous, teaching countless New Zealanders how to swim - but had a formidable, determined streak. Jean Hurring will be remembered as a kind, gentle and humble woman ...5 hours ago
Trade Me, New Zealand's largest online auction and classifieds market, had already integrated its core software tools into the Slack collaboration platform before Covid-19 hit, and saw the true value of that when it shifted seamlessly to remote working under lockdown. Paolo Ragone, chief technology officer for Trade Me, told Newsroom the ...5 hours ago
The Ruddelle case judgment reflects judicial recognition of how women in abusive relationships are caught in social and systemic entrapment, writes Julia Tolmie Women who use lethal defensive force against their violent partners are a rarity. Most women in abusive relationships, if there is a homicide, will be the ones ...5 hours ago
Toi Iti responds to a beautiful book of photographs of sparsely populated King Country towns Step one, take land. Strip it, stack the wood, start a farm. Now build a town! Post Office, school, chapel. Milk flowing? Build a dairy factory. Need a bank? Got it. Shop? Yep. Build some ...5 hours ago
Despite warnings, many Kiwis would not have expected the re-emergence of Covid-19 in the community. Now, the virus has put New Zealand on the back foot and added another election-year twist, Sam Sachdeva writes. It was an inevitability, New Zealand was told. Not if, “just a matter of when”. Director-General ...5 hours ago
With their party hovering on the 5 percent threshold in the polls, Greens co-leaders discussed their accomplishments in Government and the party's ambitious pitch to the electorate. ...5 hours ago
A report on NZTA has raised serious questions about major contracts a senior manager and his friend were involved in. ...6 hours ago
We think we've crushed Covid-19 - what other diseases are the country battling that could do with big injections of money and effort? New Zealand has more or less kicked Covid-19 to the kerb, but what about other diseases we're trying to eradicate? Today The Detail looks at where we’ve got ...6 hours ago
The return of Covid-19 to Auckland and the Level 3 lockdown are expected to hit hospitality and retail stocks, and play a part in the Reserve Bank's new Monetary Policy Statement ...6 hours ago
Auckland moves back into near-lockdown at Level 3 while the rest of the country shifts gears to Level 2. Here's a refresher course on what you'll have to do differently now. With Auckland moving to Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions, a range of public venues and workplaces will close in our largest ...11 hours ago
Analysis: Our testing regime for Covid-19 will often be several days or weeks behind, underscoring the need to act as if we're two weeks ahead of where we are, Marc Daalder reports On March 25, the day New Zealand moved into Level 4 lockdown, the official Covid-19 case tally was ...11 hours ago
Auckland will enter Level 3 at noon on Wednesday while the rest of the country moves to Level 2. How will the Government manage the logistics of a regional lockdown? In response to the confirmation of four cases of Covid-19 in Auckland, of unknown origins and with no known connection to ...12 hours ago
New Zealand has been shocked back into a state of Covid-19 infection with community transmission detected in four confirmed cases from one family in South Auckland outside the isolation and quarantine system. Auckland will be put into Level 3 alert from noon on Wednesday, with all schools closed, people required to work from ...13 hours ago
NZ’s domestic economy is tracking much better than many predicted, as it adjusts to something closer to normality after the Covid-19 lockdown. Just how well may emerge when the Reserve Bank delivers its verdict this week on whether there is any need for new monetary policy moves. Bank economists are ...17 hours ago
The Easter Bunny is real
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2020/07/02/story-of-taxes-wealth-and-easter-egg-hunt.html
That's a good example not for more taxes but for a maximum income. And, no, it won't be set at 18 or 20 eggs but at 9 or 10. More than enough each but not so much that it automatically forces others into poverty.
BTW, the high taxes that we used to have were exactly that – a maximum income. Although they weren't really high enough to achieve that and the rich could, and still do, structure their income in such a way so as to avoid it thus proving that using taxes as an indirect income ceiling doesn't work.
That piece makes the mistake of starting out be buying into the false framing of the "tax is theft" crowd by only talking about transfers from individuals to individuals.
But only about a third of government revenue goes to social security and welfare, the rest goes to maintaining a functioning society.
Seems to me the better framing is around contributing back to maintaining the society that made it possible to gather lots of eggs, so that it will remain possible to again gather lots of eggs next year and the year after and the year after. And just a fraction of the cost of maintaining society is ensuring everyone gets at least the minimum number of eggs to adequately get by on.
Holy F**k – Stuff is at it again today. The latest mountain out of a molehill offering is an opinion piece, the shabby wordsmithing of Thomas Manch! Today's propaganda installment reads almost as though the dastardly criminal Megan Woods took a poor sad Covid affected, wanderer down to a local Countdown with the express purpose of unleashing a pandemic on the public. Thank God the likes of al Jazeera and even the Guardian are capable of providing competent commentary because sure as hell, it is hard to find in the NZ media.
Link please.
A Covid, a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar … https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122086481/coronavirus-border-oversights-continue-as-covid19-walks-into-a-supermarket
The past, present and the future walk into a bar.
It was tense.
So tense that you could hear a particle drop.
Participle?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_particle
Sacha – reluctantly provided given that is has little merit in terms of useful discourse, however: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122086481/coronavirus-border-oversights-continue-as-covid19-walks-into-a-supermarket.
It appears someone further up the Stuff food-chain was not too impressed as it 'disappeared' quickly.
TS likes to have sources, not sauces aom. We might read or be told about one thing and find it is contested within the item, or there might be in it more contentious matter to be considered.
They're not fucking "oversights" for a start – I'm beginning to want to call them "criminal nuisance" on the part of the escapees. Do we really have to make an internment camp with barbed wire just so these jerks can handle a couple of weeks? .
I have read some of the WW2 stories of people in internment who weren't 'selected' and either were worked to death and/or starved to death. They were amazing and the ones who lasted through it all and wrote about it seemed to have developed great ways of coping with their great difficulties.
Two weeks in comparative comfort but very boring is hard for those who have never trained themselves to deny themselves anything. Religious people have had Lent and know what it's like and then the real pleasure from having stuff again.
In the internment camps they could find advantage from hardship in unexpected ways. Having large amounts of fleas on themselves and their barrack rooms was itchy and scratchy but it kept the horrid warders from coming in and searching and spoiling their lives further. People used to hoard little crusts of bread etc for the times when they were extra hungry and if these were found they would be thrown out. Refugees who came here after the war kept on doing this – a default position that they couldn't overcome poor things.
Simon Bridges discovered the secret of happiness, and told Toby Manhire:
The method seems to work on a bipartisan basis:
That's awesome, I imagine David Clark is another happy chappy too.
What an embarrassment he is. National's "brains trust" (headed by Michelle Boag) must have thought there was no way but up after getting rid of him.
Incredibly, they were wrong.
Rosemary McLeod has a cool photo of Matt McCarten giving Michelle Boag advice: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/122075230/boag-and-walker-have-put-nats-regrowth-on-hold
Dunno how to shrink it into this space here, but he seems to be giving her the inside word on how to destabilise Labour – you can tell from the expressions on their faces.
Laxative tip.
So Todd's master plan is now in the pipeline, and it bears an uncanny resemblance to socialism: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12346799
That means marketing is now crucial. Framing so as to persuade Nats that it isn't actually socialism ain’t gonna be easy. Hooten may have to hire a pr specialist. He is one? Um… Well when your audience has been trained since childhood to call a spade a spade, you will have to outwit them somehow.
I know! Use Jim Bolger! He has already gone public with his view that neoliberalism failed. He could be authentic in selling `smart socialism' as a brand then, eh? Frame Labour's lame version as `dumb socialism' and the Labs will have no option other than telling the electorate "Actually, we're neoliberals, not socialists." Problem solved.
You can call it anything you like, e.g. post-neoliberal socialism, or dress it up anyway you like, but unless National has had an overnight epiphany, which in some cases means a transformative (AKA life changing) epiphany during a lie down and cuppa tea, then it still is neoliberalism. Marketing, my ass; look at what’s under the bonnet of the ‘red’ car that has come out of the panel beater’s workshop.
Nats are into transformative plastic surgery; viz Paula Bennett and are also concerned about upping their mental agility, they've a bit of furring, thickening of the veins etc. However free markets enable all sorts of remedies, bleach might be more efficacious than a cup of tea.
'She's a Pretty Communist' Guy won't be having that.
Nothing unusual, really, about Boag and her cronies exploiting gifts of personal data landing spontaneously in their laps…but the real issue here is why on earth rescue helicopter businesses were sent the information by the Mystery of Health in the first place. What possible purpose would be served by rescue services having this very specific information?
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12346999
The former ARHT doctor struggled to see why the ARHT should be given the patient lists even if there were hundreds of cases across the country.
Early on when we were in level 4 lockdown … level 3 lockdown, the ambulance services were treating any patient who had respiratory symptoms as a possible Covid patient and wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. So actually knowing the identity and being sent a list of patients is just not helpful," McGuinness said.
Which obliges us to remember one of the earliest (and perhaps the most harmful) of Bloomfield's confused messaging.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12322248
Ambulance staff would not perform CPR on a confirmed Covid-19 case, Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says.
This was a guideline adopted internationally, he said, and because the virus was spread via the respiratory system.
This was very quickly disputed by these 'ambulance staff'…
However, St John said it would continue to resuscitate patients in cardiac arrest and there had been no directive that CPR should not be done on suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases.
"Like all ambulance services in New Zealand, Australia and internationally, we have issued additional instructions to ambulance officers when responding to cardiac arrest patients because of the increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 during resuscitation," a spokesman said.
"Guidance includes donning additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and alterations to the way that patients are resuscitated (for example, providing ventilation using specific devices and not through a face mask), to reduce the risk of transmission of viral infection, if present."
To my knowledge, Bloomfield has never revised that directive….
I can't find it but there was an article on RNZ with garbled quotes from Boag and one of them was she asked for the emails to be sent to her to make sure no one on Waiheke had Covid, why she had been receiving them through the whole pandemic. I'll try again to find it, was a very confusing bunch of excuses.
I have not take Boag seriously as a human being since she commandeered that rescue helicopter to go pick up her forgotten passport.
The whole Pullar thing cast all involved in a remarkably poor light.
Beggars belief that anybody who aspires to public office would see association with such a one as a benefit.
Scratching dogs and fleas….
I'll definitely be interested in the thinking behind distributing that infromation to responders, and it will be documented somewhere. Another matter for the inquiry, but not the main event, imo.
The plot thickens….
Michael Woodhouse now admits he received information from Boag.
Did he receive the information on the 2 travellers from her?
Did he receive the information on the homeless an from her?
‘”This was confirmed for me as I wrote to Michael Heron QC last night to advise him that towards the end of June I had sent several emails to Michael Woodhouse comprising notification of a small number of then new Covid19 cases.”
Sounds like it.
Did Woodhouse use the leaked information?
And is Muller really telling us that his Health Spokesperson told him nothing about 4 emails he received from Boag between the 21st and 25th June?
Another 2 resignations needed.
Dirty Politics alive and kicking in the National Party.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12347017
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/420906/covid-19-privacy-leak-michael-woodhouse-says-he-received-emails-from-michelle-boag
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300053836/michelle-boag-leaves-national-party-after-leaking-patient-info-to-michael-woodhouse
Wait there’s more…
and likely as long as Mr Heron keeps investigating, the headlines will keep coming for a while yet, despite National’s attempts to deflect, minimise, bury and ignore.
It has taken international media to point out the obvious situation of local media supporting and enabling NZ National’s Covid attack lines ahead of public safety. A big clean out is due in this country. National’s dirty tricks are deeply embedded in the party culture, not an aberration.
So who did Woodhouse tell about four leaks from a known source that he knew enough not to share with media because of what they contained.
Does the National Party view of morality for Nikki Kay's 'moral obligation' to win the election include using illicitly gained information as Walker did?
Does the National Party view of morality for Nikki Kay's 'moral obligation' to win the election include not alerting the proper authorities to the distribution and access to such information as Woodhouse did not do in a timely with his 'cuddling couple' preferring to use it for political purposes in the House?
Does the National Party view of morality for Nikki Kay's 'moral obligation' to win the election include not alerting the proper authorities to the distribution and access to such information as Woodhouse did not do with the four emails (so far) from Michelle Boag?
Who can believe that senior members of the National Party be it leadership, leader's staff or party officials did not know?
This is indeed the time for the National Party to examine more closely the ethics of its MPs, staff and organisation- a few years in Opposition lockdown and isolation might help.
Aren't they lucky that Winston is in hospital at the moment!
Great questions.
Pity we don't have a media that will ask them.
Michael Woodhouse is on RNZ at 10.30 a.m.
Will Kathryn Ryan ask the important questions?
If Boag is releasing information that she kept Woodhouse informed, is she doing so because she is bitter and twisted and is seeking revenge?
Quite possibly.
two yes;s and a maybe
Or maybe the "problem" is that the inquiry has her email server?
May be over the years the National Party rot that Boag has managed it became normalised to her and she got away with it until she knew she had lost control and tried to shut it down but had no control over what Woodhouse or Muller would say.
If you take Boag and Walker out you have a Woodhouse and Muller credibility issue.
Muller needs to backbench Woodhouse and Kaye needs to come clean if Boag or Woodhouse sent her the emails and if she went to Muller.
Yes no surprises there with Woodhouse. No alarm bells for him about Michelle giving him confidential patient information on four occasions like “what the f..k Michelle’s why are you passing this stuff on?”……..or why do you a non clinical person have this information in the first place.
btw I think it is reasonable rescue helicopters ie their clinicians were give this. It’s a bloody pandemic, frontline staff are putting their lives at risk and I cannot think of a time when clinicians intensional you leaked notes although there was a famous whistle blower case in the 1990s. Rem
So Woodhouse did not tell Muller for over 2 weeks…….
Yes, that's the killer line. Since June 21! Incredible. All while standing next to his boss, slamming the government and telling us how we needed the National "team".
Of the two options, I'm more inclined to believe he didn't tell Muller, than he did and Muller kept quiet. Like most National MPs, Woodhouse couldn't care less about his leader. Muller has no clout in that caucus at all.
Agreed.
His behaviour over the two travellers to Wellington shows his priorities.
Ha ha ha Observer……yes Michelle welcomed him with open arms, viewed his selfies and then penned her next missive to Michael Woodhouse……..
BTW has Woodhouse resigned yet? My husband just sent him a corker letter about his outrageous and despicable behavour towards Clare Curren with the toilet seat.
Told my husband who has yet to have a response from Woodhouse, that clearly he had other things on his mind and he would probably get to hubby's letter on the weekend…………happy days!
AND what's more he had a ping at the leakage of the the self same health info as disgracefully shambollicly
Michael Woodhouse said he DELETED information sent from MBoag. LMAO. That little gem has set me up for the day.
"Subsequently."
To quote him.
"I recognised that the information in those emails was private so I did not share it with anyone else and I subsequently deleted them."
The key word is "subsequently".
He did not say "immediately."
If he received the emails on the 21 June and deleted them yesterday, he would have deleted them "subsequently".
Like 2 minutes after he was asked if Boag had provided information to him!
At the very least, Woodhouse needs to show a reply from him to Boag saying "WTF Michelle! Cease and desist, now!".
Preferably not one he came up with this morning. He'll need to fake the date stamp.
If he received the emails on the 21 June and deleted them yesterday, he would have deleted them "subsequently".
exactly ! We should assume thats what he has done.
Yes. He said that was what he did. Deleted last Monday/Tuesday after sitting on them since June.
So Woodhouse is now admitting Boag Leaked information to him as well
The story reads as though Boag has been at the bottom of all leakages, maybe just a red hearing to protect the real source.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/national-mp-michael-woodhouse-admits-receiving-similar-covid-19-leak-michelle-boag
No, Woodhouse claims he has another source as well.
“I can confirm that Michelle Boag is not the source of my previous information released by me in relation to the Government’s Covid-19 response.”
(obviously we can’t believe a word he says, but it doesn’t rule out another source)
Mr Heron needs to spend a few hours with him.
Quite possibly. There is clearly a mole there.
Woodhouse needs to explain why he sat on that information for over 2 weeks.
He brooded about it while he waited for it to hatch. He didn't know whether to get egg on someone's face or wait for it to fully develop.
Spectacular announcement just now. Boag feeding Woodhouse stuff for weeks. Muller claiming just yesterday that there was no need to question his own MP's on whether or not they had anything to hide. All done and dusted he claimed, with the confessions of Walker and Boag. The great unravelling has only just begun.
Don't ask if you want to be able to deny.
Have they worked out where the Countdown bloke actually went for 70 minutes yet, or is this beyond the current people in charge?
He went to Michelle Boag's apartment, where he had a cup of tea and a lie-down.
And shared his selfies?
Chris T criticizing the govt now and the quarantine facilities is just a pathetic distraction. I suggest you go to stuff and read the article by the pathologist that has just arrived in the country to take up a job and is in quarantine who says our system is the gold standard and one other countries should model themselves on.
You are making yourself look a little ridiculous here. A bit like Woodhouse with the homeless man
Good on you anker, Chris is as bad Walker and Woodhouse, from the same mould
"Chris is as bad Walker and Woodhouse, from the same mould"
Lol
FFS
22 minutes was spent on his phone making use of the free internet outside the Supermarket and 15 minutes inside the Supermarket which leaves 33 minutes to walk there and back.
Hard luck Chris.
Apparently the supermarket is 5 minutes walk away.
Chris don't you realize that people aren't pissed off with the Govt over this guy leaving isolation. They are very, very pissed off with the offender. Calling for jail time etc……………
Your onto a loser here Chris….
I want to know if he has confirmed that the 22 minutes on the phone were calls to NZ Herald and RNZ. ?
Who did he send the selfies to?
Maybe he was calling Woodhouse or Walker to let them know "the jobs done"
He drove back to his electorate.
He leaked confidential information to news companies!!
Oh wait no that was the national party!!
I think the casino needs to check their footage.
Chris T criticizing the govt now and the quarantine facilities is just a pathetic distraction. I suggest you go to stuff and read the article by the pathologist that has just arrived in the country to take up a job and is in quarantine who says our system is the gold standard and one other countries should model themselves on.
You are making yourself look a little ridiculous here. A bit like Woodhouse with the homeless man
Yes. Because people disappearing for 70 minutes on one of the countries busiest streets, who are seen in a supermarket 5 minutes walk away and no more info, who are later found to be covid positive is merely a distraction.
I'm sure he was just picking up some drugs or sutin.
Or delivering drugs.
Bit feeble Chris T – a lot's happened since that walkabout, but don't worry, there will be others, and Boag/Walker/Woodhouse/Muller et al. will be all over them.
Once there have been a few more quarantine and managed isolation 'runners', the media can start compiling stats on their political affiliations.
In other news:
Oh the humanity.
Nah its not sticking Crusty, unlike…
Not good, and it should be criticized intelligently. Unfortunately, we don't have a credible Opposition party in this country.
The current people in charge are fucking useless, another scum bag has now wandered off from a Hamilton hotel. If this Government doesn't pull it's finger out of it's arse we will end up in lockdown again.
You really need to read up on the news before sounding off.
It's not hard, the details of his case are widely reported.
Have a lie down and a cuppa or a KitKat. You’re starting to sound like a National MP.
The army should be in charge! The police should be in charge! We're gonna have every bloody agency in charge soon, just to keep NZrs in a motel.
All that untapped electricity from Tiwai Pt should be used to charge them and zap hem into obeisance. If that doesn’t work, call Paul McKenna.
Ankle monitoring bracelets might work.
I think the very very public outing of the stale, pale male from Queenstown is a significant deterrence.
its.
If this Government doesn’t pull its finger……..
it’s
it’s not hard
Quite right, Ed. it's = abbreviation for 'it is', or 'it has'.
its = belonging to it.
As resident pedant, I was going to comment, but was pleased to see you raise the point.
Naki man's failure to properly control his apostrophes is utterly shambolic, and shows that he is utterly unfit to govern.
Way,way better than Shortland Street!
All that excess power that's coming Southland's way should be used to run a hydrogen plant for trucking fuel.
Thats an Interesting Idea.
They are doing one in taranki I just cant find the story again,
Wouldn't be surprised if a few proposals don't appear to take up that wodge of power. Tiwai's huge demand has precluded a lot of other possibilities in the South. Coal replacement in dairy processing, transport, either directly electric power or hydrogen like you mention, and maybe a silica industry in Southland
Woodhouse: “It was beyond my comprehension that anyone in the National Party could have done that.”
This unspeakable piece of work just said that on RNZ National. He is squirming under interrogation from Kathryn Ryan right now.
Transcript on the way, fellas!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Woodhouse#/media/File:Michael_Woodhouse.jpg
Looking forward to it, Morrissey.
The Nats Chinese spy dude has bit the bullet apparently and is standing down.
Has the mothership called him home? Is he needed in Hong Kong?
Lol
That's a positive move. Now when will Woodhouse stand down?
They could start a company with a fancy name that sounds all sort of legal:
Walker, Woodhouse & Yang
They could deal in ethics and suchlike.
Boag Key Walker Woodhouse Yang.
Legal ethics powerhouse.
At current rate it's not looking good for any Nat list candidates, or MPs. Sod all chance they’ll get enough Party votes to get any in off the list
Anyone missing the days when nothing happened on a Friday?
It's good that Yang is standing down. It's not good that as a result, the public will (probably) never know the full story.
Sorry, can't resist….
Tbf Friday has always been the day the current govt dump shit loads of dodgy stuff at about 5pm to stop it being in the news.
Helen and Key started the tradition, and the current lot are carrying it on.
Sure thing – keep your chin up.
Does that mean there are no Financial Donations coming Nationals way now
Or has he got his network up and running?
Very cynical of you, but quite possibly true.
Maybe, just maybe, Yang was the one with the mole in the MOH, and is worried about the potential fall out.
At the moment it's looking like "Rats leaving a sinking ship"
No. It means that those donations are less in the spotlight.
Nikki Kaye is lying very low through all this.
Waiting for her chance, before the election?
I don't think anyone wants it before the election. That's why they ended up with Todd.
Would anyone want the Leader role right now?
Let Todd take the fall
Prison for this.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/420919/man-arrested-after-cutting-through-fence-to-escape-hamilton-isolation-facility
Send them back to their place of origin, that way their free to do whatever they like, in another country.
All new entrants to NZ should be warned that is the penalty for NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES, no excuses.
I am not sure that is legal.
Prison.
No, probably not, but Laws can be changed in extraordinary circumstances.
Depends.
By NZ law and international treaties its illegal for NZ to send a person back where they came from if that person is in danger of being killed if they're sent back. Unfortunately, this applies even for criminals.
So we need to imprison them.
For enough time to act as a deterrent for others.
Name and shame them.
What if NZ is their place of origin?
Deportation is already part of the rules but it does need to be used more.
By place of origin I mean the place they arrived from, or more specifically the country they traveled from to get to the Safe Haven, NZ
But we can't do that to NZers as they have a right to be here and expect the government to look after them.
Of course, they don't have a right to break the rules and thus should be sent to prison. Considering how bad the possible consequences are from this guys actions that should be prison for a minimum of 21 years with solo confinement at the beginning.
As the potential exists for infection into the community, then the potential exists for someone to be infected by the escapee which could result in death.
21 Years sounds about right
Legally, we have to allow them home. No way around it nor should it even be considered.
Prison for these two…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/420906/covid-19-privacy-leak-todd-muller-told-about-emails-on-tuesday
Idiot in Hamilton cuts through fence at isolation hotel, goes out to buy booze. Now in custody.
As I mentioned before, if 6000 people are in isolation, and 99.9% follow the rules, that still leaves 6 who don't. As long as isolation continues (and it will for months) then these stories are inevitable. Fuckwits don't disappear, anywhere on earth.
He was arrested. The alternative headline is "man shot while trying to escape". People should probably think about that.
The army is needed to run these operations.
Another one then.
It is only inevitable while the isolation security is so shit btw
What should the response be to a person cutting through, or climbing, a fence?
Think it through first. Assess the manpower needed, and the rules they would be required to follow.
Why wasn’t the fence encrypted and/or password protected? Obviously, the Minister of Health is incompetent and needs to go.
Yeah! let's roll in the tanks and gun em down!
FFS macho boys.
Torture them with Vogon poetry or worse, with apologies and mea culpas from National MPs and Leaders.
Incognito you surpass yourself! Great ideas – what did you have for breakfast?
You all might enjoy these pics from the past of jolly Oxford types. You can see where the joi de vivre of big teenage boys playing on an airport luggage carousel in NZ stems from.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/mens-style/bad-behaviour-oxford-80s-new-book-photographer-dafydd-jones/
So Chris, no self responsibility, I thought that was one of the main planks of National Party policy.
I say we send the offenders straight back to their place of origin with no chance of reentry for at least 6 months, let them cover their own costs.
I wouldn't know
What I am saying is maybe a bit of highlight should be put on how these people are being housed and looked after.
But no.
Who cares.
This escapee at least had to cut through a fence to go walkies. It's not like he was a convicted child abusing murderer who walked out of the front door of a prison having obtained a false passport and shamed the then corrections minister and government by flying to Brazil.
But he was trying for possible mass manslaughter. After all, his actions of escaping quarantine could have been the death of many people including children.
So, yeah, he's as bad as the child abusing murderer.
Not in my book. Bad, potential for a very bad outcome, but nowhere near kiddie fiddling and murder. But each to their own and all that.
He was breaking the rules because he felt he was more important than those he was putting at risk – exactly the same as the child fiddling murderer.
Not at all, really, but the point of my original reply was putting the claim "isolation security is so shit" in some context, where actual convicted offenders, in actual prisons, can and do escape.
We all care, Chris, and I'm sure you do too (not sarc).
But the people trying to run this thing also care, and have to deal with problems that are more or less infinite.
A small one, relevant today: Should there be alcohol in isolation? How is addiction treated? What are the risks/consequences of cold turkey?
Nobody can answer that with a one-liner. And it's only item 74 on the agenda.
I can
Have someone going to the bottle store/shop for them and delivering it back.
Next headline:
"Assault in hotel. Opposition demands to know why violent man was supplied with alcohol. Why were there no checks, says Woodhouse, adding something predictable about rocket science …"
Apparently the idiot brought one bottle of wine and a 4 pack of beer.
I doubt they are a aggro Andy
Wrong, that's exactly what he was.
Again, read the details of his case before jumping to conclusions.
Being charged with intentionally damaging a 52-inch television belonging to the Distinction Hotel put's your doubt into perspective.
No, it wouldn't do that. The only thing that could be used as is as an attack line by the immoral right-wing against the government – which, of course, is what's been happening.
The percentage of people escaping from quarantine is
0.005%
That's a pretty small number
And one was infected, who disappeared for 70 minutes to who knows where apart from a supermarket, which would have taken about 25 minutes
You mean Mr 0.00166% whose whereabouts have been ascertained and remedial action taken?
All good.
Everything is obviously being handled brilliantly.
That does seem to be the obvious inference from infection rates around the world.
Chris I think you gloating is so shit btw.
Just reported, another escapee, this time a quarantine facilty in Hamilton, the man in his 50s cut some cable ties on a fence to escape to the local bottle store
For me, the penalty for this should be to send the offenders back to wherever they came from, a strong message needs to sent, you're not welcome if you don't follow the rules.
The risk is too high to let these people potentially harm our safe haven that a Team of 5 million has so graciously worked towards.
Should smear Covid on his continental breakfast and force feed it to him.
And then send them back to their place origin.
I think United Nations rules say people must allowed to return to their countries?
Sending them back costs in itself. And anyway the men, I suppose but must not be sexist, are just showing typical NZ impudence about responsibility and booze and should blend in seamlessly when released.
Make them fund their own transport costs, if they can't, lock them up in complete isolation untill they're clear of infection and then release them into the normal prison population for at least 6 months, we need to send a clear message.
The people escaping seem to be encouraging others to follow suit as there appears to be no penalty that reflects the crime
A 50 year old that cant go 2 weeks without booze!! Almost gaurentees hes a kiwi born and breed. Maybe they should give them access to some 2.5 % beers, at their own cost.
Let them eat cake!
With a set of wire cutters baked in.
I see they've named and shamed him and packed him off to prison, hope they do it to the other one .
That's kinda why they're here. They're kiwis…
About time an example was made of these 2 sets of selfish *******
Quarantine offenders and the National Party – both need a serious penalty to encourage them to play for the team.
Maybe we should have them sign a contract on their arrival and put up a bond that was returnable after their isolation was complete, the bond would cover the cost of chasing them down and the subsequent cost of 6 months in jail.
Back to where they came from, the quarantine hotel?
No, the country of origin, where ever they arrived from, they don't deserve the right to come here if they don't respect the rules and potentially spread the virus
Relistically, the penalties need to reflect the potential harm, someone could possibly become infected as a result of escaping and end up being a fatality, Murder of the first degree.
Alternatively, stop all new arrivals, but that's not really fair for the 99.9% of arrivals that do follow the rules
They are probably kiwi citizens
Prison is the solution.
Chis, saying they're probably NZ citizens doesn't mean they born here
Nearly 20% of NZ citizens have come here over the 12 yrs
In which case having their permanent residence/NZ citizenship stripped from them and sending them back should be an option.
So you are saying that kiwi citizens only have certain rights if they are born here?
Forgive me if I have the wrong end of the stick.
If I do have the right end, what is the point of people getting cictizenship?
And what year range are we talking?
Someone who is 30 and lived here 3 years is less of a real citizen than some 60 who has lived her since they were 2?
So your solution doesn't apply 80% of the time.
Even leading (or ex-) members of the National Party are NZ citizens, Chris T.
Yet they subvert our efforts.
Back to Queenstown in this latest case. Hellhole.
I hear Queenstown has greatly improved in recent months.
It may be indicative that he headed out for booze. Obviously we don't know in this particular case – but once you have several thousand people in quarantine there will be quite a number with significant substance dependency issues. It is showing just how difficult mass quarantine is. Though Toddy did indicate a while back that it's all simple – and he has 'business experience' so he must be right eh?
And what Observer said at 21 below.
How about we just dunk all returnees in orange dye that wears off in, say, 18 days.
Penalising all returnees isn't really a good option when you consder that the percentage of escapees to the number of retunees is extremely low
0.005%
Sounds like some libertarian alky prick who's not gunna be told wadda do by nobuddy. He better pay for the damaged tv. Wanker.
I know we all love easy, instant solutions, but they don't make good policy. Here is some relevant info from today's 1 pm briefing (Chris Hipkins):
– The Hamilton man is in police custody. He is due to appear in court later today.
– He tested negative for his day 3 test, after arriving from Sydney on 1 July.
Now, consider this. EVERY proposal about bubbles, opening borders, international students (etc) includes the idea that we can test people before they get on a plane. "Oh, make them have a test, and if it's negative, all good." Then we test them again when they arrive. That is the "safeguard" offered by everybody that says we should be gradually opening up.
This guy in Hamilton had a negative test. He's been here 9 or 10 days. Therefore, this one person breaking the rules means nothing, because we should be admitting thousands more like him. He has been tested. It was negative.
That is the reality of every – repeat, EVERY proposal to open up. Even a cautious, test and trace opening.
You either isolate or you don't. If we do, and ten escape, that is bad. If we don't, thousands escape. And their tests don't mean shit.
With National in self-imposed collapse has Rio Tinto read the writing on the wall?
Which is pretty much what they said last time and National came to their rescue with even more subsidies.
So, that wold be the plea for more subsides from the government.
Reading between the lines
Corporate Bludgers
Anyway, there's a bit of news around today, eh?
Memo to Roy Morgan: your latest poll is due, can you hold off until next week? Don’t want it buried …
Next week may turn out to be even worse for the National Party, this whole thing could completely unravel before their very eyes.
Lets hope
These absconders may have underlying addiction/mental health issues. Alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction, phobias such as being 'hindered' from being able to just be free and not held back from doing whatever. Drugs are freely available in the world and cheap as well in some countries. Are they being drug tested as some may be hanging out and wanting to get out to score. Apparently there was a disturbance in one of the hotels and police had to go in on two occasions to one person who was 'unhinged" and being stroppy and it was disclosed he/she had mental health issues.
Maybe a health check, blood tests done to see what is circulating in their systems once they get to their hotels so that if there is a substance reliance occurring they could be given the required medication for whatever they need to keep them docile for their stay. This health check could be written into their contract, as a condition for getting home to NZ prior to getting on the plane.
Its strange though that this absconding is only just happening now. One person does it and it becomes contagious and others want to do it too. Cutting through a fence is a sign of desperation though and that could be a booze/drug problem.
So anyway, turns out the Hamilton guy arrived from Sydney, and is from Queenstown, and is in custody.
So that's 3 separate knee-jerk talking points demolished … NSW bubble, bloody foreigners, and wet bus ticket.
It's as if armchair reckons won't solve everything after all.
288 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Victoria today.
26 linked to known outbreaks, 262 under investigation and none linked to returned travelers.
https://mobile.twitter.com/covidliveau/status/1281434824696201216
How long before ScoMoFo declares any kiwis testing positive are to be deported?
RNZ report on Hamilton booze buyer … my emphasis added:
"Police told the court that McVicar had been non-compliant while in isolation.
Community Magistrate Robyn Paterson said McVicar had been warned about his behaviour last Friday but then absconded on Thursday evening.
She said he had been particularly difficult to deal with in isolation and described his political beliefs as strong. …
She refused bail and remanded him in custody without plea to reappear in the Hamilton District Court on 15 July."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/420941/man-charged-over-leaving-hamilton-isolation-facility-named
The gnatsys may have found their new candidate for Southland..
" described his political beliefs as strong. … "
What's the bet he favours personal liberty at the expense of the wellbeing of the wider community…which side of politics is that likely to be now?
TV1 news described him as a "Queenstown businessman" – which was enough to suggest everything you say, and more.
Is the mattress not up to his liking or does he want a bigger and better window view than anyone else and is the food to plain?
Maybe a billboard. NZ has eliminated community transmission and all New Zealander citizens and residents like it that way.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12347182
In custody till Tuesday.
It's shambolic! Why is Jacinda allowing people she's never met and has no control over to be abusive to staff?
Vote National and nobody in NZ will ever be abusive again, because Todd gets things done.
.
He's the kind of hard-living no-nonsense Maverick who gets the job done by cutting corners and bucking authority … and if those namby-pamby desk-sucking pen-pushers on the 9th floor of the Beehive don't like it then, Mister, they can just about swivel like a pig on this mid-digit.
Who’s the Oppo Leader who doesn’t give a frick
He’s a sex machine to all the chicks ?
Muller ?
Damn right !!!
Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there is danger all about ?
Muller ?
Right on, Motherfucker !!!
Does anyone have a link to a good write up on what quarantine is like from the occupants perspective? What they are allowed to do, but also what their experience is like?
Various inmates (for want of a better word) have commented on social media and to the media in general, and they seem appreciative of the way they are looked after by staff. They understand the necessity for the rules and are happy to abide by them.
The handful of exceptions are either grossly ignorant or they have underlying problems.
stress, mental health issues, addiction, loneliness all come to mind as being pretty hard to manage in quarantine.
doesn't preclude someone also being a dick
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/420941/man-charged-over-leaving-hamilton-isolation-facility-named
Well, yeah – like for everyone who lived alone under level 4.
Here's a guy talking about doing it in April.
Under level four we were allowed to go outside. It's not quite the same. I would have thought L4 might have given us a bit more tolerance for how people manage stress.
Also, L4 at home vs confined to a hotel room eating what you are given. It's not a huge hardship relative to many things, but it's not nothing either. My thinking is mostly around if there are gaps eg people needing to self medicate with alcohol and not being able to.
Under level 4 many people couldn't go outside for as long as the mandated breaks this crowd have.
They have a smoking area, and at least one person said she had access to alcohol (but not massive amounts).
And we did it for longer than a fortnight.
This isn't an alien situation that most of us can't understand – we all experienced something in that ballpark. People in mansions with spare rooms and large gardens maybe had it less, but they were still restricted. And some of us in small dwellings probably have less square footage than some decent hotel rooms.
Two weeks is tough. We know. Because most of us did it three tiimes in a row.
Why couldn't L4 people go outside?
essential-only, remember? The folk in hotels get exercise sessions, and so did we, but we weren't supposed to be wandering on the beach cos we felt like it.
And that's not getting into specific circumstances, like maybe a "walk around the block" isn't an option for some people.
A 24 hr hotline for people in isolation or in quarantine free of charge.
I'm curious what support people are offered by the MoH. I know some people had a hard time in L4, I think this is worse.
Some sort of resource kit so a person can have some control over their situation.
Without looking up the name change and over a decade imprisonment. Some years back I saw some footage on David Bain on how he got through the time he spent in prison.
"All I had to worry about was the next 5 minutes."
I have applied this in my own life when I have been very overwhelmed or have felt very badly treated.
It has worked for me with some medical procedures/issues and personal set backs.
Yes, I've seen mostly positive reports too. I know a lot of people struggled during lockdown (note: not the current managed isolation) but it was wonderful to see community efforts to help those with mental health and/or addiction issues go out of their way to help them. Some offered to go shopping for cigarettes and alcohol, some offered to phone for a chat etc. It was really encouraging.
No link, but this week (or last), there was story in the papers about the lock down woman who grabbed a selfie with the PM. If I remember correctly, she had been blogging about being in quarantine.
Edit: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/07/covid-19-woman-blogging-about-quarantine-ecstatic-as-she-meets-prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-upon-arrival-in-wellington.html
https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/10-04-2020/two-weeks-in-quarantine-at-home-in-an-auckland-hotel/
Not so long ago National was bleating that Jacinda and Labour were getting too much media coverage.
They can't complain now, because National has been in the media 24/7 recently and it's very likely to continue
Very good! Be careful what you wish for huh?