Labour's campaign strategy, according to Danyl McLaughlin:
Labour will commit to inconsequential climate goals, and continue to frame themselves with rhetorically progressive but deliberately meaningless messaging like “putting people at the heart of everything they do”.
Labour’s winning strategy is built on rhetoric that seems to promise real change but never quite delivers… Perhaps soon it can give itself permission to do something truly transformational.
But Danyl fails to come up with anything after his wondering & diagnosis. The Greens, trying to present as in leftist harmony, likewise felt obliged to not promise any specific transformation. If they find themselves in coalition, one would hope that the preceding negotiations do produce mutual commitments to transformation of Aotearoa – spelt out in specific policy declarations of intent!
They'd still be devoid of a mandate for that transformation, but voters would appreciate the honesty up front. A Labour/Green govt launched on a transformative consensus basis would be auspicious and likely to succeed.
Julie-Anne Genter also confirmed to a small business panel late in September that a Wealth Tax is a “bottom line” for the Green Party in any post-election negotiations with Labour.
My wife,who is a registered National Party supporter, received an email, from Judith Collins, which contained the above excerpt. Is it true, and would it make any difference anyway.
Genter didn't quite say that, but did make a mistake around the GP position on bottom lines. They don't have any bottom lines, but they do have high priorities and addressing income disparity is one of them (by progressive tax reform).
Since most taxpayers under the gun with regard to wealth taxes are unlikely to sell off assets in order to meet their tax obligations, the tax would, in effect, amount to an income tax. This is different from a capital gains tax, which would be paid from the proceeds of the sale.
Those who would count as "asset rich, cash poor" might be an exception.
Had Labour said at the last election that Labour would embark on just an ambitious house building program, then the criticism around the Kiwibuild would not have happened.
If Twyford had been competent, he'd have delivered on his promises, and the criticism "would not have happened."
Danyl believes "Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it".
Is this true?? She seems intelligent enough to have learnt that from her experience as PM. Can't assume she has though. The public service during that term did achieve a 50% pass rate, eh? Labour usually comes in around that, so we can assume there's a reasonable basis that she would think reliance on bureaucrats is a 50-50 call, and she's comfortable with that.
Applying that logic to her caucus produces the same result, of course. So she's on a random walk. I'd prefer a destination…
edit
I have a;ways been surprised that individual Ministers can make extravagant statements that are unlikely to result in anything of value to the country and the Party feel satisfied with this dopey system that has been adopted. If there is a caucus, if the Ministers in and out of Cabinet meet and discuss and examine and hear presentations from the Public Service and other approved advisors, how can something like Phil Twyford's bloated figures and hopes get into official Labour pronouncements.
It seemed obvious that the number of houses could never be completed, and Twyford's (which are also Labour's) pronouncements have taken government and democracy into the realms of a puppet show – our very own Punch and Judy.
Please Labour stop announcing definite numbers of anything, and replace numbers with a promise to make important and far-reaching changes for the better, and then proceed to do that in a way that is prompt, practical and beneficial to those needing good policy outcomes.
Also monitor whether the Public Service are carrying out these policies in a positive manner and give them the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement so they have a voice. Explain the approach is all important to achieving success in solving problems and that government services or their contractors are crucial to that.
If Twyford and Labour had been honest they would not have increased a extremely difficult Kiwibuild of 50,000 as per 2012 to an impossible 100,000.and if they knew that it was unobtainable then it was a .. LIE 🤫
and instead of selling off state assets in the guise of Kiwibuild they could have used any land to increase state housing stock. But no let’s build for those poor who can afford a $650k home. Why can many tribal people see the lies the other side tells yet are unable to when their side tells porkies 🤔
I could be wrong, but I don't think David Shearer's original "kiwibuild" policy included the building of state houses. His suggestion was that houses should be built, sold, and the proceeds used to build more houses. The current version of "kiwibuild" seems to be to build lots of state houses, but not necessarily 10,000 per year.
I referred to Twyford, and he must take responsibility for his pronouncements along with the whole of the Labour leading group.
Here is an example of Labour doing good, saying they want to do better, and that they will keep working on it. Which is the best way to present particulars within the 'transformational' project. PM Ardern listened to people who had been drug users at a meeting in Moerewa in Northland and announced a new program to combat meth addiction.
Auckland man Lawrence Turner told Ardern how Waipuna Ora was helping him to help others after his stint in jail.
"You're doing a good job too," Turner told the Labour leader, to the audience's laughter.
"I seen you when I was stuck in jail, just watching you, [thinking] 'f**k, she's doing all right!'"
Earlier in the day, Ardern announced Labour would roll out a meth addiction programme to another 4000 people, if re-elected, at a cost of $38 million over four years.
The Te Ara Oranga programme – piloted under the previous National-led government – has been operating in Northland and seen promising results.
National has also committed to rolling out an intensive meth treatment programme in 11 locations, as well as putting a meth-detox bed in every DHB.
Speaking at Moerewa Christian Fellowship Church, Ardern told those gathered she felt the "weight of expectation" on her shoulders to revolutionise the justice system.
"You are right to put it there. We should all feel it and we do," Ardern said.
"What we're asking for is more time."
The people will likely approve of even small, incremental changes which can be expanded after successful pilots. And that is the final test, not just setting up small pockets having good results and waving them like banners for good vibes to the public, but then budgeting for repeats carried out in ways that workers on the ground are satisfied with, and they will produce results or lose their funding.
And then if the results are achieved, the systems will be locked in, not just chopped and dropped some years later. We will always need certain interventions, and we need to look after the young particularly, from helping parents do a good job, have good standards and pride, to giving them a place in the working society doing something that will receive a salary suitable for living.
yes, putting numbers up immediatley gives naysayers a target. however few houses they actually built are a lot more than the "no housing crisis nats" built. like ten bridges, its a silly promise.
"Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it"
Hmm – haven't her inner circle and the public service just delivered one of the best Covid-responses globally – in quite an agile manner and on the hoof as well? McLaughlin is essentially pitching this as a competence thing – when it clearly isn't. And in fact it's a lame regurgitation of Nat framing.
Rather, failure to deliver will occur in those areas where band-aids and ambulances at the bottoms of cliffs can't have much effect – but the structural/economic issues that cause the problems to occur are so massive and so entrenched, that they can't be addressed without business and the media screaming the house down.
And more than just business and the media – solving these problems will also cut across the economic interests of a chunk of the affluent PMC who make up Labour's most articulate and influential support, as well as their MPs. If you removed the possibility of financial insecurity for every single citizen – downstream social problems would melt away to vanishingly low levels. But it is an inconceivably radical thing for Labour to try. I have great regard for Ardern – she is doing what she can in the environment she's been given. It’s nothing to do with competence, it’s about what is ideologically permissible.
It has been reported that when Labour was sorting the Kiwibuild policy, the goal was to be 50,000 houses but the outgoing Annette King said 100,000 sounded much better and hence the impossible figure was set.
Should have been "as many houses shall be built as we can."
My cousin in Czechia has said their govt has spent all their money on covid and has no reserves left to deal with climate change. My suspicion about this last period with Labour's prioritizing of 'the art of the possible' over longterm reason. Most importantly, their unwillingness to try and persuade. Seen also in Leftist columnists.
It's a strange election campaign. This time is not for the innocuous ordinary.
Rob is the creator of The Food Waste Fiasco, a campaign that strives to end food waste and hunger in the U.S. He has dove into more than two thousand dumpsters across the United States to demonstrate how nearly half of all food in the U.S. is wasted while 50 million (1 in 7) Americans are food insecure.
He had the goal of being a millionaire by age 30. His life took a great turn when at the age of 24 he started to become aware of the environmental and social issues of his generation. He learned through books and documentaries that he was contributing to many of these problems through his daily actions including the food he was eating, the car he was driving, and the stuff he was buying and consuming. At that point he began his transformation from a Drunk Dude to Dude Making a Difference.
After five years of downsizing and simplifying his life he was down to just 111 possessions, all that fit into his backpack. He then traveled for two years in the service of others.
In 2016 he landed in Rio, Brazil without a penny in his pocket. He was on a mission to travel to Panama, 7,000 miles and 7 countries away, while relying only on the goodness of humanity. This adventure is a six episode series called Free Ride on Discovery Channelplaying worldwide. His travels have taken him to 6 continents and 45 countries.
Yes. There is an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons, work, adventure, seeking and escape. They're tiny house people, van lifers, sailors, surfies, backpackers, woofers and more. They have all manner of networks, often on the net, to facilitate finding places to stay and ways to earn a living. They're not tourists, they're making a new life as global citizens.
In some ways they're incredibly resilient, in others extremely vulnerable. Some are aimless and indigent, but many do look for ways to give back to the communities around them. Often in quite imaginative ways. Rob is very much one of this tribe, I like him.
One issue they do encounter is an effective lack of democratic representation, they're usually not able to vote in most of the places they live, and rarely would any political system take account of their concerns. Mostly they accept their outsider status and work within it's limits, but events like covid can expose them badly.
Nomads like these are an enduring component of humanity, they serve an ancient purpose, cross-pollinating and spreading ideas and experiences across nations and cultures. They modern world both makes it easier in some ways and much harder in others for them, but I believe they should be embraced and celebrated on the whole.
an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons
Global citizens. You make a good point. Whereas my consciousness emerged from adolescence into global view (1965) human nature is mostly parochial. I never shifted from global consciousness into global experience, so I admire those motivated to do so, and those few who pioneer it as a resilient lifestyle even more!
There are no global citizenship rights, so these folk are a precariat. Must use nationality as a resource still. You've noticed that problem & describe it well too.
In ancient times the stranger was a powerful social archetype. Cross-fertilising between cultures as you mention. Perhaps we're seeing that re-emerge, leading edge. Exemplars of resilience & sustainability. Language building a bridge wherever, if they incorporate it as praxis.
There's a metaphysical basis for this: triadic structure & function. Mediating two cultures or realms makes the mediator the tertiary function. From one, holism, from two, dualism. Transcendence of dichotomies & polarities requires intervention by a third element/factor/agent. This is fundamental to neuroscience, society, nature.
Some examples. Two brain hemispheres, joined by the bridge of the corpus callosum, through which they send messages to each other. Triadic structure of time (past/present/future), three dimensions of space (vertical & two horizontal). Reproduction (takes two, then a child).
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling. That's why ancient Greeks & Romans empowered Hermes/Mercury. Not merely the messenger of the gods! Shamanic function was primal, but then economies evolved from the function of the archetype…
Yes … that's a deep dive into it. Another work that perhaps touched on this triadic was a not very well known book Warrior, Settlers and Nomads written by UK psychologist Terrence Watts. I bought it decades ago, and exchanged emails with him for some time.
Warriors, Settlers & Nomads (WSN) is a form of parts psychotherapy devised by UK therapist, Terence Watts. It is an astonishingly accurate look at the elements that create our personality traits and is based upon the concept of evolutionary psychology, and it is a method that many therapists and professionals use today. We all display attributes from each 'part', but are usually strongly inclined towards a single part, or sometimes a mix of two. The Warrior is forceful, resolute and organisational; the Settler is sociable, intuitive and adaptable; and the Nomad is restless, charismatic and innovative. There isn't a 'best' or a worst personality type and all have their positive and negative qualities.
The close parallel with my proposed triadic political model, Conservatives, Socialists and Liberals is intriguing as well.
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling.
My partner likes to say that there really are just two fundamental story plots, an adventurous soul goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.
Many global warming commentaters (apart from denialists) point out that excess consumption in Western countries is a major driver of global warming. It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil. This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
We need to bear in mind the exposure off the reality of how government works as revealed in the outstanding Yes Minister et al.
Sir Humphrey explains that government is not about morality, it is about stability. This is gold, and it explains much in its truth, it isn't just satirical.
Government is not about morality, it is about stability; keeping things going, preventing anarchy, stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow.
It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil.
Are you going to tell the developing countries that they have to remain poor?
This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
Really? Because if the eco-fascists could have one of their dark fantasies fulfilled and the whole developed 1b of the world were to disappear overnight, the other 9b or so people remaining would quickly move to fill the gap.
And the assumption that it's only the developed world that is damaging the planet is also dead wrong. Poorer developing nations have an impact of a different kind; usually direct deforestation, wildlife and habitat destruction, and over-fishing. China for instance instance is largely responsible for a devastating destruction of fish stocks everywhere their fleet can reach. And collectively the developing nations not only emit a lot of fossil carbon, they're also the group whose emissions are growing the fastest.
The idea that shutting down the developed world is the solution to environmental change, and that humans will find some kind of stasis on a benign planet is belied by a simple brutal fact … that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are extinct. The moment a species fails (or refuses in our case) to continue to adapt, it has written it's own extinction warrant.
Humans are the first post-biological species to face the possibility of making conscious choices around it's own future. You have accurately identified the proximate challenge, that 10b humans cannot continue on the same development path that the first 1b humans took over 200 years to escape poverty. In response a very large fraction of the broader green movement shape the argument as a false binary, either BAU ensures a catastrophic environmental collapse, or unwind our technological development and await extinction by senescence.
And in both scenarios we exhaust resources in any event, only the timelines differ slightly. Prior to industrialisation the carrying capacity of the planet was under 1b, and a reversion to a world absent mass production will almost certainly collapse the human population something of the same order. Of course morally this a deeply anti-human position, and I reject any plan that implicitly requires a mass die-off of humanity embedded in it's assumptions.
In short you've identified the problem, but you need a better plan.
US President Donald Trump will appear on an American political talkshow – and undergo a live televised medical evaluation.
Fox News has announced Trump will give his first on-camera interview since testing positive for Covid-19. He is scheduled to appear on Tucker Carlson Tonight at 1pm NZ time today.
It's going to be a full thorough medical check too!
The doctor will be right onto it with a fully professional examination and report!
Any fully professional doctor worth their salt would jump at the chance to do it and rubbish any comments about them prostituting themselves.Speaking of the doctor. What if it were a woman, a black woman who conducted and determined the examination without 'advice' from 'outsiders?' If after giving a full and thorough examination she presented a report which was less than favourable and bluntly expressed concern what would the reaction be?
"What a nasty person you are, you're a disgrace to your profession, you should be ashamed of yourself. Fake news!"
The report has likely been written already. We could have some Saturday sport writing our own to see how close we can get. In my draft I've already crossed out the 'heart of an 18 year' that Donald wanted and gone for '40 year old.'
——-
(The doctor could take along a specialist colleague to check out Carlson at the same time. A proctologist would be most appropriate.)
World Rugby have just changed their policy on gender and sex regarding participation in sport. They're now saying that the scientific evidence strongly supports that participation should be based on biological sex, not gender identity accompanied by lowering testosterone. This is for safety and fairness reasons. Lowering testosterone appears to give limited or no changes to the physiological advantages that males have over females across a range of aspects.
The visuals in the second tweet give a good overview.
A private security company is recruiting former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minnesota on Election Day, an effort the chairman of the company said is intended to prevent left-wing activists from disrupting the election but that the state attorney general warned would amount to voter intimidation and violate the law.
The recruiting effort is being done by Atlas Aegis, a private security company based in Tennessee that was formed last year and is run by U.S. military veterans, including people with Special Operations experience, according to its website.
[…]
In an interview earlier this week, Caudle, the chairman and co-founder of Atlas Aegis, said the client is a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens” in Minnesota, but he declined to name the group. That consortium hired another unnamed firm licensed in Minnesota as the prime contractor, and Caudle’s company is responsible for staffing the security guards, he said. He declined to say where in Minnesota the guards would operate or how many intend to be out on Election Day.
When Insider asked three antiabortion organizations — the Heritage Foundation, Texas Alliance for Life, and Pro-Life Action League — about the origin of Trump's COVID-19 treatment, they demurred.
In the past, antiabortion advocates have spoken outagainst medical treatments that use components derived from aborted fetal tissue at any point in the creation and testing processes, including experimental coronavirus vaccines.
However, each group told Insider they would not engage in this controversy — some because they said they believed the cells used in testing bore little connection to the 1972 abortion and others because the antibody cocktail itself didn't contain traces of fetal tissue.
One organization's executive director told Insider they had no criticism of Trump and supported him because he opposes abortion and has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would remove Americans' automatic right to abortion.
We have to move on to the next stages of coping with Covid-19, these people need to be given consideration and wise policies that enable them to live in reasonable conditions during this pandemic. And so many people have become new refugees and need a world-wide effort to assist them to reach home where they have a place to live while they face the effects of the disease.
Wayne Turner is the master of Capitaine Tasman, a container ship that sails between Mount Maunganui, Auckland, Noumea, Suva and Lautoka – making a 17-day round trip.
New Zealand, Noumea and Fiji are all countries without community transmission of the virus. Turner said effectively the crew were in constant isolation. "You've got people that are basically in prison. They can't depart the vessel, they can't go for a walk, get fresh air, they can't get off the vessel.
Geneva - Effective international cooperation is urgently needed to address the circumstances of millions of migrants stranded worldwide due to mobility restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the International Organization for Migration said today.
A three-month-long COVID-19 Impact on Migrants effort by IOM's Returns Task Force reveals for the first time the scope and complexities of the challenges facing governments and people on the move at a time when at least 2.75 million* migrants are stranded (13 July) worldwide.
This was a good interview on Covid 19 this morning by Kim. This super-spreader affect and the 'going underground' is important to be aware of. Also the 'going underground' which keeping up the sampling-swabbing can control, and the sewerage detection is a valuable method.
In July, Victoria's Covid-19 cases rose dramatically and remained stubbornly high. By early August, a stage four lockdown was imposed across Melbourne, while the rest of Victoria moved to stage three.
Rather than an individual "superspreader" being the cause of the outbreak, Swan said it was more of a case of "superspreading social networks" that led to the situation getting out of control. "You had people going out into the north-west corridor of Melbourne and into large family groups," he said. "Friendly, cohesive families where people were working all over Melbourne, living in relatively overcrowded circumstances, they're working in abattoirs and so on, and they go out and spread it."
He said the outbreak in Victoria and another recent outbreak in Sydney showed the virus had the potential to "go underground".
"In Washington state at the beginning of it, it went underground for about six weeks, spreading in probably asymptomatic populations," he said. "When testing rates go down you lose control of the virus."
The outbreak in Sydney was discovered when virus particles were found during testing of the sewage system. Using the positive samples, officials were able to trace the virus to communities in south-west Sydney, where it was discovered that cases of the Covid-19 had been missed.
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Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
It’s a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the “holiday highway” into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand media’s failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting Māori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time.A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that won’t compromise Beijing’s plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. “New Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Labour's campaign strategy, according to Danyl McLaughlin:
But Danyl fails to come up with anything after his wondering & diagnosis. The Greens, trying to present as in leftist harmony, likewise felt obliged to not promise any specific transformation. If they find themselves in coalition, one would hope that the preceding negotiations do produce mutual commitments to transformation of Aotearoa – spelt out in specific policy declarations of intent!
They'd still be devoid of a mandate for that transformation, but voters would appreciate the honesty up front. A Labour/Green govt launched on a transformative consensus basis would be auspicious and likely to succeed.
Julie-Anne Genter also confirmed to a small business panel late in September that a Wealth Tax is a “bottom line” for the Green Party in any post-election negotiations with Labour.
My wife,who is a registered National Party supporter, received an email, from Judith Collins, which contained the above excerpt. Is it true, and would it make any difference anyway.
Genter didn't quite say that, but did make a mistake around the GP position on bottom lines. They don't have any bottom lines, but they do have high priorities and addressing income disparity is one of them (by progressive tax reform).
Collins is telling porkies.
Weka-the Wealth Tax addresses poverty/wealth distribution/capital disparity rather than income disparity.
Since most taxpayers under the gun with regard to wealth taxes are unlikely to sell off assets in order to meet their tax obligations, the tax would, in effect, amount to an income tax. This is different from a capital gains tax, which would be paid from the proceeds of the sale.
Those who would count as "asset rich, cash poor" might be an exception.
hmm, well it directly addresses income disparity because it would fund a GMI.
Pretty sure that 'income disparity' is the term being used by the Greens in their campaigning currently.
Semantics.
Had Labour said at the last election that Labour would embark on just an ambitious house building program, then the criticism around the Kiwibuild would not have happened.
If Twyford had been competent, he'd have delivered on his promises, and the criticism "would not have happened."
Danyl believes "Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it".
Is this true?? She seems intelligent enough to have learnt that from her experience as PM. Can't assume she has though. The public service during that term did achieve a 50% pass rate, eh? Labour usually comes in around that, so we can assume there's a reasonable basis that she would think reliance on bureaucrats is a 50-50 call, and she's comfortable with that.
Applying that logic to her caucus produces the same result, of course. So she's on a random walk. I'd prefer a destination…
edit
I have a;ways been surprised that individual Ministers can make extravagant statements that are unlikely to result in anything of value to the country and the Party feel satisfied with this dopey system that has been adopted. If there is a caucus, if the Ministers in and out of Cabinet meet and discuss and examine and hear presentations from the Public Service and other approved advisors, how can something like Phil Twyford's bloated figures and hopes get into official Labour pronouncements.
It seemed obvious that the number of houses could never be completed, and Twyford's (which are also Labour's) pronouncements have taken government and democracy into the realms of a puppet show – our very own Punch and Judy.
Please Labour stop announcing definite numbers of anything, and replace numbers with a promise to make important and far-reaching changes for the better, and then proceed to do that in a way that is prompt, practical and beneficial to those needing good policy outcomes.
Also monitor whether the Public Service are carrying out these policies in a positive manner and give them the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement so they have a voice. Explain the approach is all important to achieving success in solving problems and that government services or their contractors are crucial to that.
If Twyford and Labour had been honest they would not have increased a extremely difficult Kiwibuild of 50,000 as per 2012 to an impossible 100,000.and if they knew that it was unobtainable then it was a .. LIE 🤫
and instead of selling off state assets in the guise of Kiwibuild they could have used any land to increase state housing stock. But no let’s build for those poor who can afford a $650k home. Why can many tribal people see the lies the other side tells yet are unable to when their side tells porkies 🤔
There are more erudite people in the world who rate our PM.
"So she's on a random walk".. Lol you really revealed yourself there Dennis.
I could be wrong, but I don't think David Shearer's original "kiwibuild" policy included the building of state houses. His suggestion was that houses should be built, sold, and the proceeds used to build more houses. The current version of "kiwibuild" seems to be to build lots of state houses, but not necessarily 10,000 per year.
I referred to Twyford, and he must take responsibility for his pronouncements along with the whole of the Labour leading group.
Here is an example of Labour doing good, saying they want to do better, and that they will keep working on it. Which is the best way to present particulars within the 'transformational' project. PM Ardern listened to people who had been drug users at a meeting in Moerewa in Northland and announced a new program to combat meth addiction.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/428009/first-time-i-got-drunk-was-at-the-age-of-nine-pm-told
Auckland man Lawrence Turner told Ardern how Waipuna Ora was helping him to help others after his stint in jail.
"You're doing a good job too," Turner told the Labour leader, to the audience's laughter.
"I seen you when I was stuck in jail, just watching you, [thinking] 'f**k, she's doing all right!'"
Earlier in the day, Ardern announced Labour would roll out a meth addiction programme to another 4000 people, if re-elected, at a cost of $38 million over four years.
The Te Ara Oranga programme – piloted under the previous National-led government – has been operating in Northland and seen promising results.
National has also committed to rolling out an intensive meth treatment programme in 11 locations, as well as putting a meth-detox bed in every DHB.
Speaking at Moerewa Christian Fellowship Church, Ardern told those gathered she felt the "weight of expectation" on her shoulders to revolutionise the justice system.
"You are right to put it there. We should all feel it and we do," Ardern said.
"What we're asking for is more time."
The people will likely approve of even small, incremental changes which can be expanded after successful pilots. And that is the final test, not just setting up small pockets having good results and waving them like banners for good vibes to the public, but then budgeting for repeats carried out in ways that workers on the ground are satisfied with, and they will produce results or lose their funding.
And then if the results are achieved, the systems will be locked in, not just chopped and dropped some years later. We will always need certain interventions, and we need to look after the young particularly, from helping parents do a good job, have good standards and pride, to giving them a place in the working society doing something that will receive a salary suitable for living.
yes, putting numbers up immediatley gives naysayers a target. however few houses they actually built are a lot more than the "no housing crisis nats" built. like ten bridges, its a silly promise.
"Ardern has learned from her first term in government that if she promises anything substantive her caucus and the public service will fail to deliver it"
Hmm – haven't her inner circle and the public service just delivered one of the best Covid-responses globally – in quite an agile manner and on the hoof as well? McLaughlin is essentially pitching this as a competence thing – when it clearly isn't. And in fact it's a lame regurgitation of Nat framing.
Rather, failure to deliver will occur in those areas where band-aids and ambulances at the bottoms of cliffs can't have much effect – but the structural/economic issues that cause the problems to occur are so massive and so entrenched, that they can't be addressed without business and the media screaming the house down.
And more than just business and the media – solving these problems will also cut across the economic interests of a chunk of the affluent PMC who make up Labour's most articulate and influential support, as well as their MPs. If you removed the possibility of financial insecurity for every single citizen – downstream social problems would melt away to vanishingly low levels. But it is an inconceivably radical thing for Labour to try. I have great regard for Ardern – she is doing what she can in the environment she's been given. It’s nothing to do with competence, it’s about what is ideologically permissible.
It has been reported that when Labour was sorting the Kiwibuild policy, the goal was to be 50,000 houses but the outgoing Annette King said 100,000 sounded much better and hence the impossible figure was set.
Should have been "as many houses shall be built as we can."
My cousin in Czechia has said their govt has spent all their money on covid and has no reserves left to deal with climate change. My suspicion about this last period with Labour's prioritizing of 'the art of the possible' over longterm reason. Most importantly, their unwillingness to try and persuade. Seen also in Leftist columnists.
It's a strange election campaign. This time is not for the innocuous ordinary.
Kim Hill is interviewing him at 10 on RNZ: https://www.robgreenfield.org/biography/
Yes. There is an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons, work, adventure, seeking and escape. They're tiny house people, van lifers, sailors, surfies, backpackers, woofers and more. They have all manner of networks, often on the net, to facilitate finding places to stay and ways to earn a living. They're not tourists, they're making a new life as global citizens.
In some ways they're incredibly resilient, in others extremely vulnerable. Some are aimless and indigent, but many do look for ways to give back to the communities around them. Often in quite imaginative ways. Rob is very much one of this tribe, I like him.
One issue they do encounter is an effective lack of democratic representation, they're usually not able to vote in most of the places they live, and rarely would any political system take account of their concerns. Mostly they accept their outsider status and work within it's limits, but events like covid can expose them badly.
Nomads like these are an enduring component of humanity, they serve an ancient purpose, cross-pollinating and spreading ideas and experiences across nations and cultures. They modern world both makes it easier in some ways and much harder in others for them, but I believe they should be embraced and celebrated on the whole.
Cheers
an entire way of life emerging of people no longer rooted to one location. They move for all sorts of reasons
Global citizens. You make a good point. Whereas my consciousness emerged from adolescence into global view (1965) human nature is mostly parochial. I never shifted from global consciousness into global experience, so I admire those motivated to do so, and those few who pioneer it as a resilient lifestyle even more!
There are no global citizenship rights, so these folk are a precariat. Must use nationality as a resource still. You've noticed that problem & describe it well too.
In ancient times the stranger was a powerful social archetype. Cross-fertilising between cultures as you mention. Perhaps we're seeing that re-emerge, leading edge. Exemplars of resilience & sustainability. Language building a bridge wherever, if they incorporate it as praxis.
There's a metaphysical basis for this: triadic structure & function. Mediating two cultures or realms makes the mediator the tertiary function. From one, holism, from two, dualism. Transcendence of dichotomies & polarities requires intervention by a third element/factor/agent. This is fundamental to neuroscience, society, nature.
Some examples. Two brain hemispheres, joined by the bridge of the corpus callosum, through which they send messages to each other. Triadic structure of time (past/present/future), three dimensions of space (vertical & two horizontal). Reproduction (takes two, then a child).
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling. That's why ancient Greeks & Romans empowered Hermes/Mercury. Not merely the messenger of the gods! Shamanic function was primal, but then economies evolved from the function of the archetype…
Yes … that's a deep dive into it. Another work that perhaps touched on this triadic was a not very well known book Warrior, Settlers and Nomads written by UK psychologist Terrence Watts. I bought it decades ago, and exchanged emails with him for some time.
The close parallel with my proposed triadic political model, Conservatives, Socialists and Liberals is intriguing as well.
So trade emerged as a by-product of strangers travelling.
My partner likes to say that there really are just two fundamental story plots, an adventurous soul goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.
Many global warming commentaters (apart from denialists) point out that excess consumption in Western countries is a major driver of global warming. It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil. This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
We need to bear in mind the exposure off the reality of how government works as revealed in the outstanding Yes Minister et al.
Sir Humphrey explains that government is not about morality, it is about stability. This is gold, and it explains much in its truth, it isn't just satirical.
Government is not about morality, it is about stability; keeping things going, preventing anarchy, stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow.
The Proper Function of Government:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIYfiRyPi3o&t=149s 5.30 mins
It would seem that third world countries can never catch up with us without throwing the world into global warming turmoil.
Are you going to tell the developing countries that they have to remain poor?
This would seem to suggest a moral imperative on the part of our politicians to promise a winding down of our economy rather than to promise growth.
Really? Because if the eco-fascists could have one of their dark fantasies fulfilled and the whole developed 1b of the world were to disappear overnight, the other 9b or so people remaining would quickly move to fill the gap.
And the assumption that it's only the developed world that is damaging the planet is also dead wrong. Poorer developing nations have an impact of a different kind; usually direct deforestation, wildlife and habitat destruction, and over-fishing. China for instance instance is largely responsible for a devastating destruction of fish stocks everywhere their fleet can reach. And collectively the developing nations not only emit a lot of fossil carbon, they're also the group whose emissions are growing the fastest.
The idea that shutting down the developed world is the solution to environmental change, and that humans will find some kind of stasis on a benign planet is belied by a simple brutal fact … that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are extinct. The moment a species fails (or refuses in our case) to continue to adapt, it has written it's own extinction warrant.
Humans are the first post-biological species to face the possibility of making conscious choices around it's own future. You have accurately identified the proximate challenge, that 10b humans cannot continue on the same development path that the first 1b humans took over 200 years to escape poverty. In response a very large fraction of the broader green movement shape the argument as a false binary, either BAU ensures a catastrophic environmental collapse, or unwind our technological development and await extinction by senescence.
And in both scenarios we exhaust resources in any event, only the timelines differ slightly. Prior to industrialisation the carrying capacity of the planet was under 1b, and a reversion to a world absent mass production will almost certainly collapse the human population something of the same order. Of course morally this a deeply anti-human position, and I reject any plan that implicitly requires a mass die-off of humanity embedded in it's assumptions.
In short you've identified the problem, but you need a better plan.
Yes but, as many have pointed out, who's going to vote for having less even if it does save their children and grandchildren?
Preferred PM comparisons
(TV1 Colmar Brunton Polls 1-2 weeks out from Election):
2020
Ardern 50 / Collins 23
2017
English 32 / Ardern 34
2014
Key 46 / Cunliffe 14
2011
Key 53 / Goff 13
2008
Clark 37 / Key 38
2005
Clark 42 / Brash 30
2002
Clark 48 / English 19
1999
Shipley 30 / Clark 24
That could be a make it or break it for Trump.
Is Tuckwit performing the medical evaluation, or are they bringing in Dr Oz?
LOL Gabby……. I enjoy your sense of humour!
"Hi doctor nick" (the simpsons)
"Say ah."
"Wrong guy! That's Biden."
It's going to be a full thorough medical check too!
The doctor will be right onto it with a fully professional examination and report!
Any fully professional doctor worth their salt would jump at the chance to do it and rubbish any comments about them prostituting themselves.Speaking of the doctor. What if it were a woman, a black woman who conducted and determined the examination without 'advice' from 'outsiders?' If after giving a full and thorough examination she presented a report which was less than favourable and bluntly expressed concern what would the reaction be?
"What a nasty person you are, you're a disgrace to your profession, you should be ashamed of yourself. Fake news!"
The report has likely been written already. We could have some Saturday sport writing our own to see how close we can get. In my draft I've already crossed out the 'heart of an 18 year' that Donald wanted and gone for '40 year old.'
——-
(The doctor could take along a specialist colleague to check out Carlson at the same time. A proctologist would be most appropriate.)
Said to be Marc Siegel who is the Doctor feeding false information re Covid19 and keeping Trump informed.
I'm shocked! What a surprise! The report will be fair and accurate and professional and objective and …….. well paid for!
An admission that he's under observation?
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1314287202935992320
The way he's been 'roid ragin', he fukn well better have been. For the sake of the planet.
World Rugby have just changed their policy on gender and sex regarding participation in sport. They're now saying that the scientific evidence strongly supports that participation should be based on biological sex, not gender identity accompanied by lowering testosterone. This is for safety and fairness reasons. Lowering testosterone appears to give limited or no changes to the physiological advantages that males have over females across a range of aspects.
The visuals in the second tweet give a good overview.
https://twitter.com/Scienceofsport/status/1314597068229443586
I guess Hillary's going to lose.
/
https://twitter.com/JasonMillerinDC/status/1314660014158761984
Her e-mails are so appalling I'm so relieved I didn't vote for her this time around. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had.
Hey Barfly, voted yes today Cheers.
Thank you
my pleasure, so did 'him indoors'
It really was a super event.
https://twitter.com/RoigFranzia/status/1314674928113922048
Nice uniforms.
A private security company is recruiting former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minnesota on Election Day, an effort the chairman of the company said is intended to prevent left-wing activists from disrupting the election but that the state attorney general warned would amount to voter intimidation and violate the law.
The recruiting effort is being done by Atlas Aegis, a private security company based in Tennessee that was formed last year and is run by U.S. military veterans, including people with Special Operations experience, according to its website.
[…]
In an interview earlier this week, Caudle, the chairman and co-founder of Atlas Aegis, said the client is a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens” in Minnesota, but he declined to name the group. That consortium hired another unnamed firm licensed in Minnesota as the prime contractor, and Caudle’s company is responsible for staffing the security guards, he said. He declined to say where in Minnesota the guards would operate or how many intend to be out on Election Day.
https://archive.li/Y3GZk (wapo)
Sounds fascist to me. Goodbye USofA.
The best it's Ok when Trump does it to date?
When Insider asked three antiabortion organizations — the Heritage Foundation, Texas Alliance for Life, and Pro-Life Action League — about the origin of Trump's COVID-19 treatment, they demurred.
In the past, antiabortion advocates have spoken out against medical treatments that use components derived from aborted fetal tissue at any point in the creation and testing processes, including experimental coronavirus vaccines.
However, each group told Insider they would not engage in this controversy — some because they said they believed the cells used in testing bore little connection to the 1972 abortion and others because the antibody cocktail itself didn't contain traces of fetal tissue.
One organization's executive director told Insider they had no criticism of Trump and supported him because he opposes abortion and has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would remove Americans' automatic right to abortion.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/antiabortion-groups-say-they-stand-behind-trumps-use-of-a-drug-tested-on-cells-derived-from-an-aborted-fetus-because-the-president-was-not-involved-with-that-abortion/ar-BB19SkGB?ocid=st
We have to move on to the next stages of coping with Covid-19, these people need to be given consideration and wise policies that enable them to live in reasonable conditions during this pandemic. And so many people have become new refugees and need a world-wide effort to assist them to reach home where they have a place to live while they face the effects of the disease.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/428037/covid-19-rules-for-ship-crew-it-s-worse-than-being-in-prison
Crews on ships coming into New Zealand ports are not allowed ashore and must wear PPE gear every time they are on deck.
This also applies to New Zealand crew.
Wayne Turner is the master of Capitaine Tasman, a container ship that sails between Mount Maunganui, Auckland, Noumea, Suva and Lautoka – making a 17-day round trip.
New Zealand, Noumea and Fiji are all countries without community transmission of the virus.
Turner said effectively the crew were in constant isolation.
"You've got people that are basically in prison. They can't depart the vessel, they can't go for a walk, get fresh air, they can't get off the vessel.
and
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/immediate-action-required-address-needs-vulnerabilities-275m-stranded-migrants
Geneva - Effective international cooperation is urgently needed to address the circumstances of millions of migrants stranded worldwide due to mobility restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19, the International Organization for Migration said today.
A three-month-long COVID-19 Impact on Migrants effort by IOM's Returns Task Force reveals for the first time the scope and complexities of the challenges facing governments and people on the move at a time when at least 2.75 million* migrants are stranded (13 July) worldwide.
This was a good interview on Covid 19 this morning by Kim. This super-spreader affect and the 'going underground' is important to be aware of. Also the 'going underground' which keeping up the sampling-swabbing can control, and the sewerage detection is a valuable method.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018767777/norman-swan-how-australia-is-coping-with-covid-19
In July, Victoria's Covid-19 cases rose dramatically and remained stubbornly high. By early August, a stage four lockdown was imposed across Melbourne, while the rest of Victoria moved to stage three.
Rather than an individual "superspreader" being the cause of the outbreak, Swan said it was more of a case of "superspreading social networks" that led to the situation getting out of control. "You had people going out into the north-west corridor of Melbourne and into large family groups," he said. "Friendly, cohesive families where people were working all over Melbourne, living in relatively overcrowded circumstances, they're working in abattoirs and so on, and they go out and spread it."
He said the outbreak in Victoria and another recent outbreak in Sydney showed the virus had the potential to "go underground".
"In Washington state at the beginning of it, it went underground for about six weeks, spreading in probably asymptomatic populations," he said. "When testing rates go down you lose control of the virus."
The outbreak in Sydney was discovered when virus particles were found during testing of the sewage system. Using the positive samples, officials were able to trace the virus to communities in south-west Sydney, where it was discovered that cases of the Covid-19 had been missed.
Why is coke cheaper than milk ?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/123020815/new-zealands-dental-care-in-a-state-of-crisis
Lets get our freedom from a strong govt for the people. Anything else is illusion meaning rich-rule.