During a rally in Charlotte, N.C., this Friday, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg drew thunderous applause after shutting down a heckler who interrupted her speech.
“I think if you want to speak with me personally, maybe you can do it later,” Thunberg said before the crowd broke into cheers and chants of her name.
The heckler, who can be heard off camera yelling an unintelligible screed, seemed to back off after Thunberg called her out.
Watch the moment below. The relevant portion begins at about the 4:30 mark of the video:
Greta must have had an appendix provided as mandatory part of each stage managed talk she's involved in now.
how to respond ad hoc off script.
Greta is being used as a human shield. The adults and corporates behind her are clearly identifiable.
While you’re providing recs to watch your hero in action. I'm sure you can also locate the vids where she clearly had no script and was unable to mount a coherent response to simple questions.
Easy to locate Joe. I'm sure you know the vids I'm referring to.
rubbish – Greta is a hero and you are just envious. She is very brave to stick to the science when her haters just want to attack her personally – weak little humans her enemies are
Gee One Two, for us readers that aren't following Thunberg as closely as you and you think joe90 are, how about providing actual links instead of vague insinuations?
More a case of progressive identity crisis IMO, David.
For those who are watching on, indeed cheering on while a child is used by adults and is backed by large corporate industry.
I would agree that those who aim disapproval at Greta, are pointing in the wrong direction.
Listening to an exploited kid on an issue as complex and important as this, witnessing as 'policy' is coerced out by staging of the message, is simply a reflection of how far gone we are.
Same happening right now in Xijiang with the Uighurs, in that great communist country, China. reminds me of Animal Farm: all are equal, just some are more equal than others.
And same happening as in 1938: the world ignores it.
Yes the Nazi instigated overnight rampage that happened on 9 November 1938 is awful, disgusting and revolting. Thanks joe90 for reminding us.
I am saddened that Israel with it's deep understanding of the psychology behind such inhumane actions failed to sign the letter to the U N Human Rights Council condemning the Chinese treatment of the Uighur people.
It is, therefore, disingenuous (to say the least) for Luxon to present his evangelical convictions as having relevance only to himself and the congregation of the Upper Room Church to which he belongs. The very name of his faith community argues against this claim.
The “Upper Room” mentioned in the gospels is the room to which Jesus and his disciples repaired on the night of his arrest. In biblical tradition, it is the location of Christ’s last supper. The Upper Room thus represents the ignition-point of the chain of events that led to Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. It was Christianity’s first church: Ground Zero, if you like, for Jesus’s universal mission. In the Messiah’s own words:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Does that sound like a private matter? Was the Upper Room really nothing more than the venue for a catered meal for Jesus of Nazareth and a few close friends?
If the glass is not full, there is no gap. No history remains save swirling for a while.
If the glass is full, then the ullage is equal to the volume of the finger and to the rate at which it is inserted and withdrawn…….it's all something about fat fingers, making a splash and ending up wasting more.
Was John Key rather a show-off doing dive-bombs in the pool of history?
BREAKING: Leon Cooperman, who has been battling Elizabeth Warren, says he will support fellow billionaire Mike Bloomberg for president https://t.co/gn63yXmpFF
I saw @MikeBloomberg speak to a group of rich executives end of 2018, when he was already considering running for president. I was so shocked at his views that I took notes.
He opposes legalizing marijuana and criminal justice reform; used the "gateway drug" argument.
He's against investing in tech education in public schools because -get this- "we invest in computers and then they're used for porn and to plagiarize homework" , verbatim.
I could spend a whole thread just on this but there's more to cover.
He's against minimum wage and regulation around income and aid for poor Americans who have to hold several jobs just to make ends meet
Literally said "you can't train people to do tech jobs, they're just not wired that way" when asked about tech education to mitigate job loss because of AI advances
He ranted for several minutes about younger generations wanting to retire (?) and how that makes things hard on the economy #okboomer
at some point said "women all of a sudden have opportunities now" so there are 2 bread winners in every family…
Sorry Mike, ALL OF A SUDDEN?
And finally, he said "we need to go back to how things were done in Clinton days, when he'd get 3 democrats, 3 Republicans and take them golfing, then go lock themselves in a room, close the door, smoke cigars and make all the decisions" (all men implied)
I've been as critical of Barry Soper as much as anyone else here in the past, but this time he's right on the money over the Winston Peters over-payment saga:
But in all of this sorry saga the issue wouldn't have arisen if the public service hadn't alerted the politicians under the no surprises convention.
How a pension over payment to Winston Peters would have impacted on their portfolios a month out from an election, which is the reason for telling them, is ridiculous.
Providing salacious information to his political opponents, at the height of the election campaign, was like loading a rifle and handing it to them to fire.
That is my view as well. This was an overtly political act of attempted electoral sabotage. Most likely from within the National party or its staffers. It is unlikely to have been public service staff in MSD etc. They would have known full well that it was a criminal offense for them to expose this information.
I suspect that it was also politically idiotic. It probably didn’t do much good in diminishing the NZ First vote, and we have seen remarkably similar tactics used before. It was very obvious what was going on.
If anything, it probably helped the NZ First vote, as the only people who’d have been irate about it were already National voters.
It made it pretty damn sure that the NZ First politicians had vivid memories of dealing with untrustworthy arseholes in 1998 and 2008 when it came to coalition talks. Even the NZF MPs who’d been leaning towards a National coalition would have been aghast at the level of political cynicism that it displayed. Who’d want to deal with a party with fuckwits like that in it.
No. That the MSD and SSC chiefs should not have told the two ministers. The pension over-payment to Winston Peters had no impact on their portfolio responsibilities so there was no requirement to tell them.
The leak came from National within 24 hrs of Jacinda Ardern becoming the leader of the Labour Party. That was no coincidence.
Since there was no necessity for the CEOs to advise their ministers of an operational matter such as an over-payment to another parliamentarian then why did they tell the ministers? Doing it only a few weeks before a general election makes it worse.
If on the other hand they had information which would impact on the ability of the ministers to carry out their portfolio responsibilities then it is incumbent on them to tell the ministers. The over-payment was not one of them.
No matter how they dress it up, it had to be a politically motivated action on the part of the CEOs concerned.
Or they did not trust their own agency's staff to avoid blabbing to the media, and their Minister to be blindsided by that. The subsequent inquiry showed that would not have been not a valid belief.
Oh and I’d welcome the ‘no surprises’ policy being consigned to the rubbish bin of history. Toxic.
How the heck am I still alive? Just luck I guess, and the fact the 2011 earthquake hit Christchurch instead of Wellington. I was in an office in the Terrace at the time.
I wonder if that BNZ/State building (Aon) is affected…always had a dodgy feel going down there.
There was an anecdote from Tim Shadbolt many years ago, when he was talking about working on building sites in Auckland. IIRC, it went along the lines of:
… when pouring the structural concrete into the forms around the rebar, sometimes it would take so long to get the mixed concrete to the upper floors it had started setting. Because they didn't use vibrating wands back then, it was only when they removed the forms that they realised that there were big voids in the pour. So, they packed the voids and plastered them over.
From my recollection, he said that many multi-towered builds in Auckland at that time had problems with the concrete structure.
This is from so long ago, I can't remember if I read it, but I have a feeling it was a radio interview.
Something very strange about this story – certainly got the anti 1080's energised – post after post after link on facecloth.
Dog owners are being warned to keep their pets off Westport beaches after hundreds of rats washed up there yesterday.
The Department of Conservation said they may be victims of a recent 1080 drop 140km away in the Lewis Pass National Reserve.
…Doc Western South Island operations director Mark Davies said while it was possible the rats could have come from a recent 1080 drop, reports of dead fish and birds, along with the rats, were not consistent with the way 1080 was understood to work.
Yep, corpses in rivers often lose patches of hair. If those rat corpses truly come from over 100km up the Buller river, I'd be a little surprised there aren't reports of rat corpses lining the riverbanks all the way down. Corpses of other animals are a fairly common sight on riverbanks after floods.
Modern landfill and waste management practices mean that most people don't get to observe the rats, cats and other wildlife at the dump any more. You get some interesting hybrid rats, occurrence sort of in line with popularity of pet rats at the time, and some pretty flash cats. They stow away in a rubbish bag or wheelie bin and away they go. The surviving cats usually make their way home but the rats become part of the local population. We're near a bridge between our dump and town and have a cat a month pass through.
Hmmm, just learnt something. Pet, or fancy rats are usually Rattus norvegicus, which can be locally rare in NZ, generally Rattus Rattus is dominant, although there could be a population at the Westport dump. So, if a population became established, say at Westport dump after they stowed away in a household's rubbish, they would become self sustaining, rather than interbreed with the locals. Also from that link, "Rats are pets that are allowed in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter series." Which would have given a recent surge in popularity. R. Rattus can be domesticated too but doesn't have white forms.
Black rabbits are cool, there's a population near us that does the odd black one, and they don't seem to move far from their home.
Sounds more like Brodifacoum than 1080 to have birds and fish associated. But wave action will sort flotsam by density, whether that's rocks, gold or dead things, so quite natural for all the dead things that got washed down the river in a fresh to get washed up on the same bit of beach.
Probably went something like a rat poisoning operation up a nearby river, animals would seek water when they are dying and die within flood zone, a good rain after a good dry period, dead things get washed down river and up onto beach.
Surprised no one has owned up yet because it looks like a bit of a win against the rats – I suppose the tests will show which poison got them – your scenario makes sense to me.
Hmmm, they were found on North Beach, the Westport rubbish dump is right next to the lagoon that meets the sea at one end of North Beach, brodifacoum makes its victims very thirsty, 1080 doesn't. Brodifacoum is also very toxic to birds and fish, 1080 is less toxic to birds and fish than to mammals. I reckon Graeme's probably onto it with his comments above.
Could well be true – but it's more a matter of what's in use nearby than relative toxicity. The pellets used to kill a possum of up to 4kg will always suffice to kill a kea of up to 1kg. Stuff provisionally attributes the kill to 1080, though carcasses are being collected for testing – we shall find out eventually.
Basically, they go "there are all these dead rats. Poison would be likely, as predators eat the rats. We did a poison drop a hundred miles away, it might be that, but other factors which I have not seen directly are inconsistent with our poison drop."
This is so stupid imo – keeping good relations? wtf?
Miro had decided not to release incriminating footage of the cat in the interest of keeping good relations with its owners.
ok what has this cat done
The lone tabby has been caught on camera by volunteers of the Mainland Island Restoration Organisation (Miro) raiding banded dotterel nests for the second consecutive breeding season at an Eastbourne colony – the species' only breeding site inside Wellington Harbour.
The cat has decimated seven nests so far this season by eating eggs and killing chicks.
It is the same cat that last year destroyed all the Eastbourne colony's nests, said Miro committee member Parker Jones.
…Banded dotterels carry the same nationally vulnerable conservation status as the great spotted kiwi and whio, or blue duck, but miss out when it comes to conservation funding, Jones said.
This suggests there are still legal issues with killing someone else's cat,
That said, a person who harms another’s companion animal could still face both criminal and civil liability.
Oddly, knowingly threatening to kill or injure an animal carries a maximum penalty of 3 years’ imprisonment under s307 of the Crimes Act 1961 whereas actually killing an animal carries a maximum penalty of 3 months’ imprisonment or a fine not exceeding $2000 under s11 of the Summary Offences Act 1981 (under which the animal would likely be considered ‘property’). However, in any event, harming another person’s animal may attract criminal liability under s269(2)(b) of the Crimes Act 1961, which prohibits “intentionally or recklessly and without claim of right destroying or damaging any property with intent to […] cause loss to any other person.” This section carries a maximum penalty of 7 years’ imprisonment.
There was another case reported recently with endangered sea birds (not sure if same species). The kills were mainly from feral cats in an area where there were also house cats. The story was that they were having trouble killing the feral cats because of the house cats. This is not a hugely difficult problem to solve (eg have shooting nights twice a month that the community knows in advance is happening). So before we get to the locking cats up thing, maybe we should look at the range of solutions available and what is appropriate to each situation.
Locking cats up is pretty difficult for many people. I couldn't do it with mine. Think the number of people that have kids and an indoor/outdoor life where doors and windows are left open routinely. Not only is it cruel to lock up cats that are used to being outside, it's a really big ask to expect people to change their lives that much.
It seems reasonable to establish cat free areas over time, using natural attrition to achieve that, where there is a high need. But that one cat isn't responsible for that species being endangered and there's a fair amount of hypocrisy in NZ over this issue, where cats are seen as an easy target but we still want to keep on with our habitat destroying ways and not put money into predator fencing or paying people to do ground control.
or actually more like, get better strategies rather than hand wringing about cats. The other case is a clear example of the problem being humans. Probably this one too. Generic locking up the cats is the lazy arse approach.
Strategy would depend on that particular situation and none of us here know what that is. eg what is the owner like? What's the relationship between the owner and the conservationists?
What's the distance between the house and the nesting site? Is the nesting site amenable to a predator fence?
Lots of things to take into account.
The better strategies comment was to point to the problem of knee-jerk 'lock the cats up'. If that one cat gets locked up and nothing else changes what happens to the birds when a feral cat or other wild predator turns up?
is that happening? As I said elsewhere in the thread, in the other recent situation about beach nesting birds, they weren’t controlling the feral cats because of the house cats. That’s not a hard situation to fix, so why aren’t we? I think the whole anti-cat thing is a problem and we should instead be looking at how cat owners and conservationists can work together in the context of better planning. Also mentioned was the hypocrisy. NZ loves to love its birds, but we are still actually quite bad at land management for that.
Given that they're filming the nest, another option would be to watch the cat kill a chick and charge the owners with killing a protected species because of their negligence. That'll filter out the domestic cats really quickly.
I’m sensing a fair degree of cat antipathy (or apathy) rather than a strong commitment to good conservation design. One problem with this approach is that it will lessen support for conservation among cat owners (who are legion and passionate) and we already have too much vegan, anti-predator control culture on the rise as it is.
I'm a fan of systemic, nuanced approaches at a broad level.
But this is a specific colony that might not exist in a couple of years due in no small part to specific, identified, individual animals with known owners.
To me, this discussion is like a kid in ED with a grossly infected cut. Sure, we can and should look at preventing injuries and providing equitable access to primary healthcare. That might be very useful and could help many children in the future. But right now this kid needs debriding, cleaning and antibiotics as soon as possible (barring any contraindications).
Cats used to be classed as wild animals, unable to be trained. Whereas dogs are trainable and there is onus then on the owner to train and control them, apart from being able to be shot if found on anyone's farm.
lolna. Had to feed a friend's cat last weekend. There was some food outside for it on the washing machine, but it was looking like it couldn't get up that high so I found a low table and shifted his food and water to that.
Apparently he was just being lazy and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I was vary quick to be trained 🙂
U.S.-Turkish relations have plunged to a new nadir. In the past month, a senior Republican senator has suggested suspending Turkey’s membership in the NATO alliance, while the secretary of state implied a readiness to use military force against America’s wayward ally. In these circumstances, U.S. nuclear weapons have no business in Turkey. It is time to bring them home.
A towering Baby Trump protest balloon was knifed and deflated by someone unhappy with its appearance during Donald Trump’s Saturday trip to Alabama, organisers said.
…The orange, diaper-clad, cellphone-clutching caricature of the president is often taken to Trump appearances as a way to protest against him.
…Robert Kennedy, a volunteer “baby sitter” who brought the balloon to Tuscaloosa, said the balloon immediately began to sag after it was cut.
The Trump baby balloon popper went live on Facebook before he interrupted a peaceful, law-abiding protest to commit a felony… pic.twitter.com/Ak0hwHaqaV
My mind would need to be in an extraordinary place for me to consider Trump a valuable President. I continue to be amazed that some do. Don't these people have family and aspirations?
Probably depends a bit on how that deflation comes about. But that whistling breeze will likely turn stormy, with lightning and thunder quite probable.
We need all the money we can spear to mitigate Global Warming. Wasting money on moving the Port of Auckland up North is dumb. They should go with the most economic choices move more fright to Tauranga and more up North and keep the Auckland port going I think is the best model
'' I "" if you don't Wai Te tipu tipu they won't grow up to their best potential.
Our honest Scientists have been predicting that Reality for the last 20 years it good that the Australian authorities are planning ahead and evacuating Te tangata
Yes Te Mama great contributions to our society need to be recognised and honoured.
The toxic people are the ones harassing Eco Maori.
We have to change the way we behave and minimise our carbon usage immediately the sooner we start the less disruptive it will be to the way we live. The longer we take to act the more drastic targets we will have to set in reducing our carbon footprint.
Cutting the speed of ships has huge benefits for humans, nature and the climate, according to a new report.
A 20% reduction would cut greenhouse gases but also curb pollutants that damage human health such as black carbon and nitrogen oxides.
This speed limit would cut underwater noise by 66% and reduce the chances of whale collisions by 78%.
UN negotiators will meet in London this week to consider proposals to curb maritime speeds.
Ships, of all sorts and sizes, transport around 80% of the world's goods by volume. However they are also responsible for a significant portion of global greenhouse emissions thanks to the burning of fuel.
Shipping generates roughly 3% of the global total of warming gases – that's roughly the same quantity as emitted by Germany.
While shipping wasn't covered by the Paris climate agreement, last year the industry agreed to cut emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels
While I was farming I noticed to that in summer the grass growth was fast in the shade. I posted a story thee other day that makes a good case to have solar panels mounted 7 foot high on wooden poles and wooden frames it great logic
Renewable Energy Gives Farmers Another Reason To Love It
As if the case for renewable energy needs any more making, along comes a new study showing that wind and solar power are good for the water table and they could help farmers survive periods of drought, too. That’s especially big news for California. The state has suffered through a series of droughts, leading to unsustainable use of its underground water resources by farmers and other users. But wait, there’s a weird hydropower angle in there, too Ka kite Ano link below.
The Whakatane Council is just flickering the buck they are the ones who made a mess of the election process.
I agree with Te Wahine Maori Mana is being down trodden and that has a negative effect on people I see it everywhere in Aotearoa times are changing for the better Ma Te Wa.
Its great to see people getting confidence to help other people less fortunate than them.
I think that the chances to our schools will help lift all tangata whenua tamariki and Pacific tamariki climb higher up their ladders of life.
Good call my Tamariki used to paddle in Horouta waka aka club I think that they deserve some recognition they have been cleaning up for years now.
I say our native bat's needs to be saved we have to save there habitants and invest in their protection in Waikato they are our Taonga build those whare for them to.
The Kiwi hatching are cute Aotearoa was the whenua of the Titi.
All the new infrastructure spends needs to have goals of lowering our carbon footprint.
The new laws of the miscarriage of justices being sent back to the courts by a commission is great it will save innocent tangata being locked up.
All our tamariki need to feel and be safe at school.
Insurances are sold to Te tangata with the myths that the many paying premium spreads the risk for the cost of a desaster on the shoulder of the many but reality is they cheery pick the risk. They put profits before Te tangata wellbeing.
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by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...
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A passing comment in a post the other day about the labour force participation rates of older people prompted me to pull down the fuller data and see what we could see about various participation rates over the decades since the HLFS began in 1986. As it happens, the ...
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The Zero Carbon Act is inadequate, with a weak methane target designed to give farmers a free ride. But it turns out it could have been worse: Climate Change Minister James Shaw was so desperate to get National on board, he wanted to gut that target, and leave it in ...
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by The Council of Disobedient Women Lizzie Marvelly: “I may have missed this… has @afterellen gone all terf-y? Or am I reading something incorrectly? “ https://twitter.com/LizzieMarvelly/status/1191840059105742849 After Ellen is a lesbian website that is unashamedly pro-lesbian, as you’d expect. So why is Ms Marvelly so bothered about lesbians having their ...
Did you know there once was a time when it was illegal to be a gypsy (aka Romani) in Britain?That was between 1530, when the Egyptians Act was passed, and 1856, when it was repealed.Amongst other things, the act forbade the entry of 'Egyptians' into England, ordered those already there ...
Some days I sit and think, “what will I write…?” What do you say when you get to 1000 posts? Maybe you just start where you are, diverge to where this all began, then offer a collection of reader’s favourite posts, and a few of your own? (And throw in ...
Counter-Puncher: The “activists” and “radicals” (his own words) from the Indian community who took such strong exception to Shane Jones’ remarks about Immigration NZ’s treatment of arranged marriages, may end up bitterly regretting their intervention. Jones is not the sort of person who turns the other cheek to his critics.SHANE ...
In the spirit of Remember, remember the fifth of November, let's keep this in mind FOREVER.
Oh dear. Extraordinary interview on PM with Andrew Bridgen and @EvanHD just now. Bridgen was defending Jacob Rees Mogg’s Grenfell comments. Evan asked him if JRM had meant to say he would have left ...
Collision Course? In conditions of ideological white-out, the international bankers’ “Woop-Woop! Pull Up!” warning may have come too late to save global capitalism.WHAT DOES IT MEAN when international bankers are more willing to embrace radical solutions than our politicians and their electors? At both the International Monetary Fund and the ...
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a conundrum. It is a disease that was described hundreds of years ago and the bacteria that causes it (Bordetella pertussis) isolated in 1906. We have had vaccines for about 80 years but this disease is defiant in the face of human immunity. I wanted to ...
The Zero Carbon Bill has just passed its third reading, uanimously. In the end, National supported it - but we all know they'll turn around and gut it the moment they regain power. Meanwhile, I guess ACT's David Seymour didn't even bother to show up. I am on record as ...
Dr Lindsay Robertson, Dr Jerram Bateman, Professor Janet HoekMembers of the public health community hold divergent views on how access to vaping products or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products should be arranged. Some believe ENDS should be as widely available as smoked tobacco and argue for liberal ...
When the Police were trying to cover up for the National Party over Dirty Politics, they went all-in with their abuses of power. They illegally search Nicky Hager's house, violating his journalistic privilege and invading his privacy. They unlawfully acquired Hager's bank records. They did the same to left-wing blogger ...
Last month, in response to a wave of protests by Extinction Rebellion, the British government purported to ban their protests from the whole of London. It was a significant interference with the freedoms of expression and assembly, and another sign of the country's decline into tyranny. But now, a court ...
Last year, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security reported on significant problems with the intelligence warrant system. While they were unwilling to declare any warrant "irregular" (meaning unlawful) due to the recent law change, they were also not willing to give the system a clean bill of health. Now, they've ...
The National Party has come out in support of encouraging greater vaccination uptake. But it sure isn’t the way I’d do it. National’s suggested docking the benefits of those on benefit whose kids aren’t keeping up with their vaccinations. Some in National have suggested extending that to payments under Working ...
Feeding The Flames: It is simply not enough to demand an end to “corruption”, or “inequality”, or the overbearing influence of the authorities in Beijing. These are just “lowest common denominator” demands: the sort of slogans that pull people onto the streets. They are not a plan.WHERE’S THE PLAN? Across ...
The labour market statistics have been released, and unemployment has risen to 4.2%. There are 115,000 unemployed - 11,000 fewer than when Labour took office. In that time the minimum wage has gone up by $2 an hour, which shows that the right's fears about increases causing unemployment are simply ...
The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee has called for submissions on Andrew Little's tyrannicalTerrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Bill. Normally I encourage participation in the democratic process. I am not doing so in this case. Instead, I encourage all of you to boycott this submissions process, and to post ...
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.nzIf tiny concentrations of carbon dioxide can hold enough heat ...
Aviation is one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and within it, one of the fastest sources is elite travel: billionaires flitting around the world in their private jets, spewing excessive pollution into the atmosphere just so they can avoid mixing with us dirty peasants. But in ...
That's what we face if we don't stop climate change, according to a warning from 11,000 scientists:The world’s people face “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” unless there are major transformations to global society, according to a stark warning from more than 11,000 scientists. “We declare clearly and unequivocally ...
by Phil Duncan Here’s just a few of the kind of threats issued day in and day out against gender-critical women – feminists, marxists, etc – overwhelmingly by MEN (albeit men identifying as women). “Kill all Terfs”. “Shoot a Terf today”. “All terfs deserve to be shot in the head”. ...
This is the third of the synopses of parts of the opening chapter of John Smith’s Imperialism in the 21st Century (New York, Monthly Review Press, 2016). The synopsis and commentary below is written by Phil Duncan. Unlike the humble cup of coffee and t-shirt that we looked at in ...
Tom MooreTraditionally a food source and cutting tool, freshwater mussels/kākahi are now widely valued as water filters that help clean our waterbodies and maintain ecosystem health throughout Aotearoa. The improvement they provide in water quality can make it easier for other animals to live in streams and rivers, as ...
And to think he gave all the potential goodwill away with that moronic, cult-like statement (repeated ad nauseam by many National hardliners) that Key is quite simply “the greatest PM we ever had”…Installation complete: this was nothing ...
The Zero Carbon Bill is back in the House today for its second reading. While this isn't the final stage, its still effectively D-Day for the bill. Because today, at around 5pm, is when we're going to find out if it has a majority, whether National will support it or ...
Winston Peters is in court today, suing a bunch of former Minister and civil servants over their pre-election leak of his superannuation repayment. He's characterised the leak as malicious, and said that it is repugnant that his information was passed on to Ministers to use for political advantage. And he's ...
Murray CoxDo I have to finish my favourite genome? That’s an often-asked question. Geneticists generally strive to produce high-quality genomes that sequence every last gene, making full use of the state-of-the-art technologies coming on stream. Sequencing DNA means determining the order of the four chemical building blocks – called ...
Transformative Politics: The idea is to turn each recipient into an unwitting accomplice in their own transformation. From interested observer to hyped-up activist, sharing our messages promiscuously with ‘friends’. You’ll be part of an ever-expanding circulatory system, Jennifer, for the ideas that will win us the election.”JENNIFER SKITTERED her chair ...
The boycott is a fundamental tool of protest. By choosing who we buy from, we can send a message, and hopefully change corporate behaviour. Historically, boycotts have been effective, for example over apartheid in South Africa and Israel, in forcing divestment from Myanmar, and in ending bus segregation in the ...
Jan Rivers spoke at the Abortion Legislation Select Committee in favour of the bill, but in opposition to calls from other submitters to exchange the word ‘woman’ for ‘person’ throughout the bill. Jan is a supporter of the feminist group Speak Up For Women and has recently written an excellent ...
I checked my traffic stats:I was intrigued by 'monica29' - who was this very dedicated individual? I clicked on the link, to be greeted with ...Ho, hum.Spreadin' the word, spreadin' the word. Doesn't matter who hears it, as long as it gets out there. ...
There have been three polls since the election was announced, and I will shamelessly steal YouGov / UK Polling Report's Anthony Wells' summary of them:Survation – CON 34%, LAB 26%, LDEM 19%, BREX 12%, GRN 1% Ipsos MORI – CON 41%, LAB 24%, LDEM 20%, BREX 7%, GRN 3% YouGov ...
The following article is translated from Lutte Ouvrière, the weekly newspaper of the organisation usually known by the same name in France. When, for the second time this year, Chilean President Piñera announced an increase in the price of Metro tickets from 800 to 830 pesos, students in the high ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Justice New Zealand First is proud that a key Coalition Agreement commitment which will provide for a more transparent and effective criminal justice system has been realised. Legislation to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body focused on identifying and responding to possible miscarriages of ...
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...
Darroch Ball, New Zealand First List MP A Member’s bill has been proposed that would provide income tax exemptions for all New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel while on operational deployment overseas. The Income Tax (Exemption for Salary or Wages of NZDF Members on Active Deployment) Amendment Bill proposed by New Zealand First ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have brought common sense to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, which passed its final reading in Parliament today. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says months of hard work went into negotiating a balanced ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First has listened to calls to recognise paramedics as registered health professionals under the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act (the Act).Today, the Coalition Government announced plans for paramedics to be registered as health practitioners under the Act, and the establishment of a ...
We began the week by commemorating the New Zealand Wars and celebrating a major increase in the number of teachers. Then, we were busy supporting offenders into work and getting our rail back on track after years of underinvestment. And that's just the start! ...
In October I was sworn in as the Mayor of Lower Hutt.It’s the privilege of my life to serve Hutt people as their Mayor. There is something really special to be able to serve the community where I was raised, and where I live. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters met with Korea Racing Authority Chairperson Nak Soon Kim in Seoul today to discuss closer cooperation between the New Zealand and Korean horse racing industries. As part of the visit to the Seoul Racecourse, Mr Peters witnessed ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $10 million to establish Otago as the centre of New Zealand’s creative digital industry over the next ten years, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “The initiative will bring us closer to the vision of ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF)’s skills and employment programme will help young Otago people into long-term forestry careers, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. Te Ara Mahi will invest $63,000 in the 2020 school year to support eight 17 and 18 ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will support local plans to revitalise and stimulate economic development opportunities in Otago, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The four Regional Economic Development Ministers have approved an in-principle investment of $19.9 million towards the region’s ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is pleased to have received the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) report on the Coalition Government’s Mycoplasma bovis eradication efforts, which shows significant progress in the fight against the disease. New Zealand First Spokesperson for Primary Industries, Mark Patterson, says the report’s findings ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon David Parker, Minister for Trade and Export Growth The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing to support economic growth opportunities for Otago’s engineering and manufacturing sectors, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones and Trade and Export Minister David Parker announced today. Almost $20 million ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Foreign Minister Winston Peters and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, discussed in Seoul today opportunities to work more closely in the Pacific and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Mr Peters and Minister Kang confirmed New Zealand and the ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Economic Development Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister for Māori Development The three marae in the historic Parihaka Pa complex in Taranaki have been upgraded to high speed broadband with the support of the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF), Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Connecting the ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence Minister of Defence Ron Mark will today launch the Advancing Pacific Partnerships 2019 Defence Assessment during a speech at Te Papa. The Assessment outlines how Defence will partner with our Pacific Island neighbours and invest in Pacific regional security architecture. The Plan aligns with the Coalition ...
A new Provincial Growth Fund investment could create about 80 new jobs in Gisborne over the next two years, turning a local small business into a “beacon of employment” in the process. Regional Economic Development Parliamentary Under-Secretary Fletcher Tabuteau said the PGF’s Te Ara Mahi funding stream would provide $1.6m ...
ew, modern emergency department and outpatient facilities at Queenstown’s Lakes District Hospital mean better emergency care for the growing tourist mecca’s visitors and locals, says Health Minister David Clark. Today Dr Clark officially opened the hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department and Outpatient facilities. The new facilities include: • An extended Emergency Department ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says today’s release of sexual and reproductive health data reinforces the significance of the Government’s commitment to providing free or very low-cost contraception. The Ministry of Health today published statistics from the Ministry of Health’s 2014/15 Health Survey. “It is important people can make ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that at the request of the Samoan Government, New Zealand will be providing further support to Samoa as it faces a worsening measles outbreak. “In response to a request from the people of Samoa, New Zealand is providing 3000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ...
“The new Disability Action Plan 2019–2023 moves us towards the inclusive and accessible New Zealand that this government has committed to,” Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “The Action Plan was designed by disabled people, their family and supporters, the disability sector and government agencies. It will ensure ...
Third Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting 14 November 2019 Joint Statement 1. Defence Ministers Ron Mark and Dr Ng Eng Hen today conducted their third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore. 2. Building on the Enhanced Partnership signed between both countries in May this year, this annual meeting ...
A Bill to improve the court system’s response to sexual violence has passed its first reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill will reduce the trauma sexual violence complainants experience in court, while maintaining defendants’ fundamental rights and making sure the trial process ...
Streamlined payment practices are a step closer for Kiwi businesses with the formal launch of New Zealand’s e-Invoicing framework. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says the government has now established the structure to enable automated and direct data exchange between the accounting systems of buyers and sellers. “The move to ...
Another 51 quarantine officers and four new biosecurity detector dog teams will help protect New Zealand from invasive pests and diseases this summer, says Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “The Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system and support our valuable primary sector “New Zealand’s flora, fauna ...
A new report has found New Zealand’s space sector contributed $1.69 billion to the economy in the last financial year and employs 12,000 people, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. The report by Deloitte was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and shows New Zealand ...
Judge Coral Shaw has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. "Judge Shaw, who is currently one of the inquiry commissioners, is extremely well qualified for the ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Government welcomes PHARMAC’s decision to fund a vaccine to protect young people from meningococcal disease from 1 December this year. “Meningococcal disease is a serious threat which people at higher risk should be protected from,” says Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter. “The combined pharmaceutical budget was increased by ...
Groups involved with innovative fisheries research projects are encouraged to apply for government support in the latest funding round from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the SFF Futures funding is designed to be flexible enough to support small or large projects across a ...
The Government has fixed an issue affecting how Immigration New Zealand has processed visa applications for culturally arranged marriages, which will now see a consistent process applied which ensures people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit New Zealand while also preventing any rorting of the system. Earlier this year Immigration ...
The Royal Commission into the Attacks on Christchurch Mosques will report back on 30 April 2020 to give it more time to hear submissions and consider information, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Royal Commission was originally scheduled to report back to Government by 10 December 2019. “There has ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington DC today to attend a ministerial meeting focused on defeating ISIS, and to continue pursuing New Zealand’s trade opportunities. Mr Peters will participate in a meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers from key countries contributing to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. ...
The recently crowned Bird of the Year, the hoiho/yellow eyed penguin, is getting a much needed helping hand alongside more than 168 other community conservation projects announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage today. 168 community conservation projects throughout New Zealand are benefiting from $8 million in government grants, including $500,000 ...
Controls on assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms are to be broadened to include some types of pistols, under changes to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. Police Minister Stuart Nash has tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to the Arms Legislation Bill, which is currently before a Select Committee ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark will travel to Singapore today to conduct a counterpart visit and to co-chair the third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting with his counterpart, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. “Singapore is one of our most important defence partners in the region, and our ...
Nelson’s Salisbury School is to be rebuilt, creating a modern and suitable learning environment for students at the residential special school, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The school for girls aged 8-15, in Richmond, was earmarked for closure by National until the process ...
The panel undertaking a comprehensive review of the Resource Management Act has identified the main issues to be addressed and options for reform and is calling for feedback to inform its final report. In July the Government announced the comprehensive review of the resource management system, including the RMA - ...
An important safety valve has been added to New Zealand’s criminal justice system with the third reading of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Bill today. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “We’ve seen how our justice system can very occasionally get things spectacularly wrong, ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters welcomes the tabling of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) 2019 Annual Report in Parliament today. He says the 2019 Annual Report marks the point when New Zealand’s racing industry’s decline was arrested and a turnaround started. RITA’s 2019 Annual Report recorded an industry net profit ...
The New Zealand Government is today sending 21 firefighters to help fight the ongoing catastrophic Australian bushfires. “The fires in Australia are in some of the toughest, most challenging conditions ever,” says Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin. “As of yesterday morning, there were 100 active bushfire-related incidents across Queensland and ...
More frontline support for schools through a new education agency, as part of a redesigned Ministry of Education More support for principals and school boards including through a new centre of leadership and local leadership advisor roles New independent disputes panels for parents and students Management of school property ...
The Government’s reform of the Tomorrow’s Schools system is a watershed moment in education and an opportunity to create meaningful change for ākonga Māori and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said today. “Last year through Kōrero Mātauranga | Education Conversation, Māori teachers, parents, ākonga, whānau, hapū and iwi ...
Infrastructure Minister is welcoming the first of many updated project pipelines from the newly established New Zealand Infrastructure Commission today. The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, has released an expanded pipeline of major capital projects – another crucial step towards delivering better infrastructure outcomes. “The first iteration of the ...
Tougher gun laws designed to improve public safety through firearms prohibition orders are proposed in a new document released for public input. Police Minister Stuart Nash says firearms prohibition orders (FPOs) would give new powers to Police to ensure high-risk individuals come nowhere near firearms. “We have already prohibited the ...
Andy Coupe has been confirmed as TVNZ’s new Board Chair. “Mr Coupe has strong commercial and capital markets experience and TVNZ has benefited from his technical knowledge of business and finance, as well as his extensive governance experience,” the Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Kris Faafoi said. Andy ...
Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter today officially opened a separated pathway, following the completion of the Kaiwharawhara Stream bridge, which will improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians along Hutt Road. The $6.8m Hutt Road project provides a separated path for cycling and pedestrians, the replacement of informal parking ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of career diplomat Si’alei van Toor as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Russia. “I’m pleased to appoint Ms van Toor to this position. She brings a wealth of experience to the role having previously served as Senior Trade Adviser to the ...
The Treasury’s 2019 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU) will be released on Wednesday December 11, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Coalition Government will publish the 2020 Budget Policy Statement at the same time, outlining the priorities for Budget 2020. Further details on arrangements for the release will ...
A new initiative to better support small businesses through hands-on mentoring and advice has been launched by the Minister for Small Business. The first event in the Kiwi Business Boost series of regional workshops and online tools has been launched in Wairoa by Stuart Nash. “The Business Boost initiative combines ...
The latest Quarterly Connectivity Report shows that more and more New Zealanders are moving to Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB), with Rolleston having the highest uptake at 74 per cent, as at the end of September. “This means that nearly three quarters of Rolleston’s households and businesses have moved to ultra-fast services. ...
The passing of the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill will help ensure a safe planet for our kids and grandkids, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw said today. The landmark legislation which provides a framework to support New Zealanders to prepare for, and adapt to, the effects ...
The review of Oranga Tamariki practice around the planned uplift of a Hastings baby in May shows significant failings by the Ministry and that the planned and funded changes to shift from a child crisis service to a proper care and protection service need to be accelerated, Children’s Minister Tracey ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins has wished students the best of luck for this year’s NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams which start tomorrow. Around 140,000 students will have participated in 119 NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship exams by the end of the exam period on 3 December. “I want to ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today announced the appointment of Bede Corry as New Zealand’s next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. “The appointment of a senior diplomat to this important role underlines the significance New Zealand places on our relationship with the United Kingdom,” said Mr Peters. “The United ...
An innovative approach to boosting the number of frontline Police has seen 20 new officers graduate from one of the uncommon training wings in Auckland. Police Minister Stuart Nash says the graduation of 20 constables today means that 1,765 new Police officers have been deployed since the coalition government took ...
Based on their study of trans wellbeing Aotearoa, the research team at Counting Ourselves find six data points that highlight the strength of our trans and non-binary community.Last month the first comprehensive national survey on transgender health and wellbeing in Aotearoa was published by the academics and researchers at Counting ...
The SpinoffBy Dr Jaimie Veale, Jack Byrne and Ahi Wi-Hongi
Ten thousand years ago, roasted hares and figs were flat-layed on Levantine flax leaves. Now, we drape prosciutto over strawberries on computer desks. Josie Adams mourns the death of the platter.Three days ago I stumbled on an accidental recreation of a 1950s platter: a giant ham, a cake that was ...
India’s decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership promoted by China is politically significant. But its impact on trade and prosperity is more nuanced, as Bloomberg explains.It avoids some market opening on both sides (India to agriculture; others to services) that would have been economically beneficial. But ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra [embedded content]University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Geoff Crisp discusses the the week in politics the government’s response to the bush fires as well as the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action. They also talk about ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The proposed acquisition of infant formula producer Bellamy’s Australia Ltd by China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited has been given approval by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Strict, legally enforceable conditions, have been set by the treasurer, which ...
The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) is condemning the All Saints Day evening raid on 31 October. With the arrest of over 60 union organisers, human rights defenders and activists in the Philippines province of Negros. The 16th of November is an international ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Assistant professor, University of Canberra What’s happening? Suddenly, at the level of central banks, Australia is regarded as an investment risk. On Wednesday Martin Flodén, the deputy governor of Sweden’s central bank, announced that because Australia and Canada were “not ...
SPECIAL REPORT: By Philip Cass in Brisbane Opening session – Day OneThe problems of operating in the Pacific and the impact of online news and the emergence of ‘citizen journalists’ were common concerns for all delegates to this week’s Melanesian Media Freedom Forum.The forum, held at Griffith ...
Standoff between protesters and the police at Yeung Uk Road, Hong Kong. Image by Studio Incendo – 20190825 Tsuen Wan March. CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81751531.The recent surge in social protests world-wide is quantitatively and qualitatively different than in previous ages. The advent of individualised mass communications technologies and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is going to start asking internet service providers to block certain offshore gambling websites. The decision follows former New South Wales premier ...
The Zero Carbon Act (ZCA) is over a week old, but it’s still being heavily debated and analysed. After all, depending on who you listen to, it’s the most significant new law of the year, of this Government, or even of some people’s lifetime. And it deals with a giant ...
Green MP and refugee Golriz Ghahraman was there last night when the former Manus Island detainee and acclaimed writer arrived in New Zealand.Last night, quietly and without fanfare a small group made up of human rights activists, literary folk, and just two journalists, came together at Auckland Airport to welcome ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra D’urso, Researcher, The Australian Centre, University of Melbourne To perform an exit is not as simple as it sounds. In fact, exiting a situation can be almost impossible for some. Exit Strategies is a new production by indie performer and theatre ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Niro Kandasamy, Tutor, University of Melbourne Sri Lanka’s presidential election on Saturday comes at a critical time for the country. The government has been in turmoil since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked the prime minister last year and replaced him with former strongman ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Hansen, Chief of Staff, The Conversation If you have kids, chances are you’ve worried about their presence on social media. Who are they talking to? What are they posting? Are they being bullied? Do they spend too much time on it? ...
New Zealand Police has won a prestigious World Class Policing Award for its ‘more street than station approach’ Mobility programme, which has saved millions of hours of officers’ time. ...
SEA-Unite SkyCity workers are expected to strike this weekend after 50 called in sick with symptoms linked to smoke inhalation from the convention centre fire. ...
In a powerful rebuff to critics who question whether the prime minister is willing to use her political capital, this morning she powerfully demonstrated her commitment to New Zealand culture.For two years, my professional life has been devoted to winning respect for the lowbrow, beaten-up, off-brand artefacts that truly define ...
MPs and staffers will likely begin moving out of their Bowen House offices over the next six months, so the building can undergo earthquake strengthening work. ...
The party that sold off the BNZ, NZ Rail, Petrocorp, Postbank, the Shipping Corporation, Air New Zealand, the State Insurance Office, the Tourist Hotel Corporation and a host of other New Zealand assets is at it again – with the assistance of its coalition ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trent Penman, Associate professor, University of Melbourne As sure as night follows day, this week’s bushfires prompted inevitable debate about whether fire authorities should have carried out more hazard reduction burning, and whether opposition from conservationists prevented this. There are two key ...
A new poem by writer and performer Freya Daly Sadgrove.TURDUCKEN I blow my body around like the huge clump of brown hairthat I once saw blowing up Cuba StreetI follow its movements with interestI put a video of it on the internet my favourite bragis that a groundskeeper ...
PHARMAC has backed down on a controversial drug brand switch affecting patients with epilepsy and mental health conditions after three people died following the change. ...
Tara Ward reviews Goodnight Kiwi, a new series that features well-known New Zealanders reading bedtime stories to kids. It’s strange to think that New Zealand television wasn’t always the 24-hour, infomercial-tastic extravangza that it is today. Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, our televisions used to go dark every night at ...
FIRST Union members at Countdown have ratified a new agreement that will set their supermarket team on a path towards a living wage, and significantly raise the pay of 15,000 workers across the country. ...
13 moments that prove the music awards are so much > than all other award showsBENEE cleaned up, every performance was somewhere between an eight and a ten, there was an unfeasible quantity of award presenter awkwardness and many nights ended very late. The music awards are over 50 and ...
While the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Commission are examining whether New Zealand laws properly balance the issues of freedom of speech and hate speech (whatever that might be), taxpayers are helping to finance Chinese propaganda. Hateful propaganda, we suggest. The Screen Production Grant has handed a $243,000 subsidy to a ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.Media Peter Thompson (Stuff): A new model for public media – but have the old ...
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 Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout (Viking Penguin $35)“Olive struggles to figure herself out, and has an urgent ...
After more than seven months of trying to end a tenancy to protect neighbours, a Rotorua property manager has finally received approval from the High Court to end the tenancy. ...
We agree with the Ombudsman Peter Boshier in his new report on councils QUOTE ; “leaders, officials lack of action to "ensure an approach is adopted that is consistent with openness and transparency" Un-quote. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1911/S00186/chief-ombudsman-new-report-wakeup-call-for-council-leaders.htm ...
Māori food systems are rich with potential, and whānau-based food producers across the country are looking to traditional ways to ensure their communities thrive in the future. Alice Neville reports from the Eat New Zealand Food Hui.In recent years there has been much talk – in food business, hospitality, tourism ...
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The biggest shakeup in the country’s broadcasting history looks to be looming as the Government gets serious about its options for strengthening public service broadcasting. ...
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Class and grace.
During a rally in Charlotte, N.C., this Friday, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg drew thunderous applause after shutting down a heckler who interrupted her speech.
“I think if you want to speak with me personally, maybe you can do it later,” Thunberg said before the crowd broke into cheers and chants of her name.
The heckler, who can be heard off camera yelling an unintelligible screed, seemed to back off after Thunberg called her out.
Watch the moment below. The relevant portion begins at about the 4:30 mark of the video:
https://deadstate.org/greta-thunberg-fires-back-at-heckler-if-you-want-to-speak-to-me-personally-we-can-do-it-later/
Greta must have had an appendix provided as mandatory part of each stage managed talk she's involved in now.
Greta is being used as a human shield. The adults and corporates behind her are clearly identifiable.
While you’re providing recs to watch your hero in action. I'm sure you can also locate the vids where she clearly had no script and was unable to mount a coherent response to simple questions.
Easy to locate Joe. I'm sure you know the vids I'm referring to.
🙄
rubbish – Greta is a hero and you are just envious. She is very brave to stick to the science when her haters just want to attack her personally – weak little humans her enemies are
Gee One Two, for us readers that aren't following Thunberg as closely as you and you think joe90 are, how about providing actual links instead of vague insinuations?
One two believes Greta thunburg is a personification of why you don’t vaccinate
That's just barely scratching the surface of one Two's interesting beliefs. Trust me.
Facebooks most valuable customer 9/10 months this year
If you're looking for a weak person, look for someone that is slapping Greta.
Those that want to strike the messenger have no reply for the message.
She's a kid saying "Please take a close look at this."
We should.
More a case of progressive identity crisis IMO, David.
For those who are watching on, indeed cheering on while a child is used by adults and is backed by large corporate industry.
I would agree that those who aim disapproval at Greta, are pointing in the wrong direction.
Listening to an exploited kid on an issue as complex and important as this, witnessing as 'policy' is coerced out by staging of the message, is simply a reflection of how far gone we are.
You should avoid speculating on what you reckon my beliefs are, Climaction.
I don’t recognise your handle. Been commenting here long?
Long enough….
to know how to use the search function.
something you could do with google to provide even a shred of evidence Greta is a lizard person
now boyan slant, there is a climate hero
Great conversation had here on the elephant in the room…
The Center Cannot Hold Off Climate Catastrophe
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-center-cannot-hold-off-climate-catastrophe/
About now, eighty one years ago.
so next year will be the 82nd anniversary…don't forget to remind everyone.
you'd prefer people forget?
Same happening right now in Xijiang with the Uighurs, in that great communist country, China. reminds me of Animal Farm: all are equal, just some are more equal than others.
And same happening as in 1938: the world ignores it.
Yes the Nazi instigated overnight rampage that happened on 9 November 1938 is awful, disgusting and revolting. Thanks joe90 for reminding us.
I am saddened that Israel with it's deep understanding of the psychology behind such inhumane actions failed to sign the letter to the U N Human Rights Council condemning the Chinese treatment of the Uighur people.
We can be proud that NZ did.
https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/supporting_resources/190708_joint_statement_xinjiang.pdf
+1 Israel seem to have lost any sense morality, they sink further and further into the darkness with every passing year.
In Seattle, the Amazon-backed candidate loses and the socialist wins.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/09/seattle-amazon-kshama-sawant-socialist-elections
Go the underdog.
Racist attitudes 'whitewashed' modern philosophy. What can be done to change it?
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-10/modern-philosophical-canon-has-always-been-pretty-whitewashed/11678314
Food for
thoughtcontemplation.On Nat candidate Luxon's evangelical church: http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2019/11/chosen-to-rule-what-sort-of-christian.html
Also in the Koru Lounge of life…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/117274169/christopher-luxon-knows-that-in-the-koru-lounge-of-life-everythings-a-transaction
Perhaps, just perhaps, the MSM is beginning a proper assessment of the Shonkey government,
"How ought history judge the contribution of John Key? You put your finger in a glass of water, you take it back out. What gap is left behind?"
A refreshing read.
If the glass is not full, there is no gap. No history remains save swirling for a while.
If the glass is full, then the ullage is equal to the volume of the finger and to the rate at which it is inserted and withdrawn…….it's all something about fat fingers, making a splash and ending up wasting more.
Was John Key rather a show-off doing dive-bombs in the pool of history?
Billionaires panic.
The billionaire tax calculator – https://elizabethwarren.com/calculator/ultra-millionaire-tax
He's tRump sans the racism.
He opposes legalizing marijuana and criminal justice reform; used the "gateway drug" argument.
He's against investing in tech education in public schools because -get this- "we invest in computers and then they're used for porn and to plagiarize homework" , verbatim.
I could spend a whole thread just on this but there's more to cover.
He's against minimum wage and regulation around income and aid for poor Americans who have to hold several jobs just to make ends meet
Literally said "you can't train people to do tech jobs, they're just not wired that way" when asked about tech education to mitigate job loss because of AI advances
He ranted for several minutes about younger generations wanting to retire (?) and how that makes things hard on the economy #okboomer
at some point said "women all of a sudden have opportunities now" so there are 2 bread winners in every family…
Sorry Mike, ALL OF A SUDDEN?
And finally, he said "we need to go back to how things were done in Clinton days, when he'd get 3 democrats, 3 Republicans and take them golfing, then go lock themselves in a room, close the door, smoke cigars and make all the decisions" (all men implied)
In conclusion, pls don't.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1192593117708509190.html
I've been as critical of Barry Soper as much as anyone else here in the past, but this time he's right on the money over the Winston Peters over-payment saga:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12283407
I refer in particular to this segment:
That is my view as well. This was an overtly political act of attempted electoral sabotage. Most likely from within the National party or its staffers. It is unlikely to have been public service staff in MSD etc. They would have known full well that it was a criminal offense for them to expose this information.
I suspect that it was also politically idiotic. It probably didn’t do much good in diminishing the NZ First vote, and we have seen remarkably similar tactics used before. It was very obvious what was going on.
If anything, it probably helped the NZ First vote, as the only people who’d have been irate about it were already National voters.
It made it pretty damn sure that the NZ First politicians had vivid memories of dealing with untrustworthy arseholes in 1998 and 2008 when it came to coalition talks. Even the NZF MPs who’d been leaning towards a National coalition would have been aghast at the level of political cynicism that it displayed. Who’d want to deal with a party with fuckwits like that in it.
What's the point being made there? That the staffers shouldn't have told their CEs?
No. That the MSD and SSC chiefs should not have told the two ministers. The pension over-payment to Winston Peters had no impact on their portfolio responsibilities so there was no requirement to tell them.
The leak came from National within 24 hrs of Jacinda Ardern becoming the leader of the Labour Party. That was no coincidence.
the timing aside, I can't tell what is reasonable re CEs telling the Ministers because I don't know how this compares to other situations.
Since there was no necessity for the CEOs to advise their ministers of an operational matter such as an over-payment to another parliamentarian then why did they tell the ministers? Doing it only a few weeks before a general election makes it worse.
If on the other hand they had information which would impact on the ability of the ministers to carry out their portfolio responsibilities then it is incumbent on them to tell the ministers. The over-payment was not one of them.
No matter how they dress it up, it had to be a politically motivated action on the part of the CEOs concerned.
Or they did not trust their own agency's staff to avoid blabbing to the media, and their Minister to be blindsided by that. The subsequent inquiry showed that would not have been not a valid belief.
Oh and I’d welcome the ‘no surprises’ policy being consigned to the rubbish bin of history. Toxic.
So, they preferred someone from National leaking it rather than a public servant. Yes, it's possible.
Oh what a tangled web…………………..
They are only responsible for their staff embarrassing their minister.
How the heck am I still alive? Just luck I guess, and the fact the 2011 earthquake hit Christchurch instead of Wellington. I was in an office in the Terrace at the time.
I wonder if that BNZ/State building (Aon) is affected…always had a dodgy feel going down there.
There was an anecdote from Tim Shadbolt many years ago, when he was talking about working on building sites in Auckland. IIRC, it went along the lines of:
… when pouring the structural concrete into the forms around the rebar, sometimes it would take so long to get the mixed concrete to the upper floors it had started setting. Because they didn't use vibrating wands back then, it was only when they removed the forms that they realised that there were big voids in the pour. So, they packed the voids and plastered them over.
From my recollection, he said that many multi-towered builds in Auckland at that time had problems with the concrete structure.
This is from so long ago, I can't remember if I read it, but I have a feeling it was a radio interview.
Something very strange about this story – certainly got the anti 1080's energised – post after post after link on facecloth.
Very strange indeed as some of the rat carcasses look like pet rats rather than bush rats.
Council poison operation at the dump? Escapee pet rat went out with the rubbish and set up and interbred with the locals….
Don't think the offspring would stay white over generations though. I wondered if they'd lost their hair in the river.
Pretty much everything washes up bald if they've been in the tide long enough.
Yep, corpses in rivers often lose patches of hair. If those rat corpses truly come from over 100km up the Buller river, I'd be a little surprised there aren't reports of rat corpses lining the riverbanks all the way down. Corpses of other animals are a fairly common sight on riverbanks after floods.
Modern landfill and waste management practices mean that most people don't get to observe the rats, cats and other wildlife at the dump any more. You get some interesting hybrid rats, occurrence sort of in line with popularity of pet rats at the time, and some pretty flash cats. They stow away in a rubbish bag or wheelie bin and away they go. The surviving cats usually make their way home but the rats become part of the local population. We're near a bridge between our dump and town and have a cat a month pass through.
I see lots of dumped cats in odd places too (unbelievably people take cats out to the bush to dump them).
Totally believe there are hybrid rats out there, but I think interbreeding won't yield pure white offspring.
I saw a pure black rabbit in the wild the other day, which was pretty cool.
Hmmm, just learnt something. Pet, or fancy rats are usually Rattus norvegicus, which can be locally rare in NZ, generally Rattus Rattus is dominant, although there could be a population at the Westport dump. So, if a population became established, say at Westport dump after they stowed away in a household's rubbish, they would become self sustaining, rather than interbreed with the locals. Also from that link, "Rats are pets that are allowed in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter series." Which would have given a recent surge in popularity. R. Rattus can be domesticated too but doesn't have white forms.
Black rabbits are cool, there's a population near us that does the odd black one, and they don't seem to move far from their home.
Sounds more like Brodifacoum than 1080 to have birds and fish associated. But wave action will sort flotsam by density, whether that's rocks, gold or dead things, so quite natural for all the dead things that got washed down the river in a fresh to get washed up on the same bit of beach.
Probably went something like a rat poisoning operation up a nearby river, animals would seek water when they are dying and die within flood zone, a good rain after a good dry period, dead things get washed down river and up onto beach.
BTW, brodifacoum is probably nastier than 1080 as it hangs around for a very long time, 3 year exclusion for game animal recovery .
Surprised no one has owned up yet because it looks like a bit of a win against the rats – I suppose the tests will show which poison got them – your scenario makes sense to me.
There's a line in the story that reeks of spin:
reports of dead fish and birds, along with the rats, were not consistent with the way 1080 is understood to work
They assume the rats are 1080 kills, but have to pretend it is not responsible for contemporaneous bird kills.
I though the fish and birds fed on the rats and that killed them – toxicology tests will hopefully help clarify in this regard
They may have, 1080 is quite broad spectrum – originally an insecticide after all.
Hmmm, they were found on North Beach, the Westport rubbish dump is right next to the lagoon that meets the sea at one end of North Beach, brodifacoum makes its victims very thirsty, 1080 doesn't. Brodifacoum is also very toxic to birds and fish, 1080 is less toxic to birds and fish than to mammals. I reckon Graeme's probably onto it with his comments above.
Could well be true – but it's more a matter of what's in use nearby than relative toxicity. The pellets used to kill a possum of up to 4kg will always suffice to kill a kea of up to 1kg. Stuff provisionally attributes the kill to 1080, though carcasses are being collected for testing – we shall find out eventually.
They assumed nothing. "may have".
Basically, they go "there are all these dead rats. Poison would be likely, as predators eat the rats. We did a poison drop a hundred miles away, it might be that, but other factors which I have not seen directly are inconsistent with our poison drop."
This is so stupid imo – keeping good relations? wtf?
ok what has this cat done
Between hedgehogs and cats, sounds like the dotteral area needs a guard with a BB gun.
Who has authority to do pest control on that area?
Pretty sure it's against the law to shoot domestic cats.
Not if you do it properly.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/killing-neighbours-cat-technically-not-cruelty-rspca-says
Also a cat isn't counted as property in the same way a dog is, largely because you don't have to register them.
A neighbouring bird fancier killed damned nearly every cat in the street. And as they were on his property he did so legally, too.
I remember an old fella in CHCH that would kill any cat seen in his tiny veggie garden, and he wasn't shy about announcing it.
This suggests there are still legal issues with killing someone else's cat,
http://nzala.org/when-your-animal-is-harmed/
That doesn't say it's legal to kill someone else's cat.
I know dogs are specifically alowed to be shot under the dog control act. At the very least, there would be a defense of property excuse for cats.
Or announce a poison drop in the nesting area – even if there's no poison, that'll make the owners control their moggy.
Normally I'm not too worried about cats, but this is an endangered species.
There was another case reported recently with endangered sea birds (not sure if same species). The kills were mainly from feral cats in an area where there were also house cats. The story was that they were having trouble killing the feral cats because of the house cats. This is not a hugely difficult problem to solve (eg have shooting nights twice a month that the community knows in advance is happening). So before we get to the locking cats up thing, maybe we should look at the range of solutions available and what is appropriate to each situation.
Locking cats up is pretty difficult for many people. I couldn't do it with mine. Think the number of people that have kids and an indoor/outdoor life where doors and windows are left open routinely. Not only is it cruel to lock up cats that are used to being outside, it's a really big ask to expect people to change their lives that much.
It seems reasonable to establish cat free areas over time, using natural attrition to achieve that, where there is a high need. But that one cat isn't responsible for that species being endangered and there's a fair amount of hypocrisy in NZ over this issue, where cats are seen as an easy target but we still want to keep on with our habitat destroying ways and not put money into predator fencing or paying people to do ground control.
So we let it wipe out the colony because muffy is an outdoor cat?
no, get better strategies than reactionary 'lock up your cats'.
or actually more like, get better strategies rather than hand wringing about cats. The other case is a clear example of the problem being humans. Probably this one too. Generic locking up the cats is the lazy arse approach.
Except in this case a particular cat is the main threat. So what are the "better strategies" in this specific case?
Strategy would depend on that particular situation and none of us here know what that is. eg what is the owner like? What's the relationship between the owner and the conservationists?
What's the distance between the house and the nesting site? Is the nesting site amenable to a predator fence?
Lots of things to take into account.
The better strategies comment was to point to the problem of knee-jerk 'lock the cats up'. If that one cat gets locked up and nothing else changes what happens to the birds when a feral cat or other wild predator turns up?
well, the feral ones can be shot.
is that happening? As I said elsewhere in the thread, in the other recent situation about beach nesting birds, they weren’t controlling the feral cats because of the house cats. That’s not a hard situation to fix, so why aren’t we? I think the whole anti-cat thing is a problem and we should instead be looking at how cat owners and conservationists can work together in the context of better planning. Also mentioned was the hypocrisy. NZ loves to love its birds, but we are still actually quite bad at land management for that.
Given that they're filming the nest, another option would be to watch the cat kill a chick and charge the owners with killing a protected species because of their negligence. That'll filter out the domestic cats really quickly.
I’m sensing a fair degree of cat antipathy (or apathy) rather than a strong commitment to good conservation design. One problem with this approach is that it will lessen support for conservation among cat owners (who are legion and passionate) and we already have too much vegan, anti-predator control culture on the rise as it is.
I'm a fan of systemic, nuanced approaches at a broad level.
But this is a specific colony that might not exist in a couple of years due in no small part to specific, identified, individual animals with known owners.
To me, this discussion is like a kid in ED with a grossly infected cut. Sure, we can and should look at preventing injuries and providing equitable access to primary healthcare. That might be very useful and could help many children in the future. But right now this kid needs debriding, cleaning and antibiotics as soon as possible (barring any contraindications).
Cats used to be classed as wild animals, unable to be trained. Whereas dogs are trainable and there is onus then on the owner to train and control them, apart from being able to be shot if found on anyone's farm.
interesting
It takes a while for cats to train their humans.
lolna. Had to feed a friend's cat last weekend. There was some food outside for it on the washing machine, but it was looking like it couldn't get up that high so I found a low table and shifted his food and water to that.
Apparently he was just being lazy and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I was vary quick to be trained 🙂
More things to make you go hmmmm. Bannon, Stone, Wikileaks and probably Trump lies under oath to Mueller …
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/steve-bannon-says-trump-team-saw-roger-stone-as-access-point-to-assange/
Home?
These things will find their way to the KSA.
U.S.-Turkish relations have plunged to a new nadir. In the past month, a senior Republican senator has suggested suspending Turkey’s membership in the NATO alliance, while the secretary of state implied a readiness to use military force against America’s wayward ally. In these circumstances, U.S. nuclear weapons have no business in Turkey. It is time to bring them home.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/its-time-get-us-nukes-out-turkey-92081
Nope, not a cutesy video of a beluga playing fetch.
It's probably former captive Hvaldimir, who's thought to have escaped a Russian military program.
Hvaldimir is alone, malnourished, injured, and roams the seas looking for food and attention from people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hvaldimir
sums it up –
whale playing fetch = fake news
whale escaped from military facility = true news
dirty humans
shit's getting real
He was fissen ta git rowdy.
My mind would need to be in an extraordinary place for me to consider Trump a valuable President. I continue to be amazed that some do. Don't these people have family and aspirations?
Come now, these people are admirably open-minded. So open-minded the breeze whistles as it passes through.
What will the reaction be when the real one is deflated?
Probably depends a bit on how that deflation comes about. But that whistling breeze will likely turn stormy, with lightning and thunder quite probable.
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/8/28/17789510/bike-cycling-netherlands-dutch-infrastructure
This is a really good read about how they make cycling work in the netherlands (and they don't wear helmets !)
Kia Ora 1 News.
We need all the money we can spear to mitigate Global Warming. Wasting money on moving the Port of Auckland up North is dumb. They should go with the most economic choices move more fright to Tauranga and more up North and keep the Auckland port going I think is the best model
'' I "" if you don't Wai Te tipu tipu they won't grow up to their best potential.
Our honest Scientists have been predicting that Reality for the last 20 years it good that the Australian authorities are planning ahead and evacuating Te tangata
Yes Te Mama great contributions to our society need to be recognised and honoured.
The toxic people are the ones harassing Eco Maori.
Ka kite Ano
We have to change the way we behave and minimise our carbon usage immediately the sooner we start the less disruptive it will be to the way we live. The longer we take to act the more drastic targets we will have to set in reducing our carbon footprint.
Cutting the speed of ships has huge benefits for humans, nature and the climate, according to a new report.
A 20% reduction would cut greenhouse gases but also curb pollutants that damage human health such as black carbon and nitrogen oxides.
This speed limit would cut underwater noise by 66% and reduce the chances of whale collisions by 78%.
UN negotiators will meet in London this week to consider proposals to curb maritime speeds.
Ships, of all sorts and sizes, transport around 80% of the world's goods by volume. However they are also responsible for a significant portion of global greenhouse emissions thanks to the burning of fuel.
Shipping generates roughly 3% of the global total of warming gases – that's roughly the same quantity as emitted by Germany.
While shipping wasn't covered by the Paris climate agreement, last year the industry agreed to cut emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels
Ka kite Ano link below.
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment-50348321
While I was farming I noticed to that in summer the grass growth was fast in the shade. I posted a story thee other day that makes a good case to have solar panels mounted 7 foot high on wooden poles and wooden frames it great logic
Renewable Energy Gives Farmers Another Reason To Love It
As if the case for renewable energy needs any more making, along comes a new study showing that wind and solar power are good for the water table and they could help farmers survive periods of drought, too. That’s especially big news for California. The state has suffered through a series of droughts, leading to unsustainable use of its underground water resources by farmers and other users. But wait, there’s a weird hydropower angle in there, too Ka kite Ano link below.
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/11/11/renewable-energy-gives-farmers-another-reason-to-love-it/amp/
Kia Ora 1 News.
Hopefully the School reform will improve the education for all tamariki but especially the lower classes.
All the big construction projects should that are planned should help businesses confidence in Aotearoa.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News
The Whakatane Council is just flickering the buck they are the ones who made a mess of the election process.
I agree with Te Wahine Maori Mana is being down trodden and that has a negative effect on people I see it everywhere in Aotearoa times are changing for the better Ma Te Wa.
Its great to see people getting confidence to help other people less fortunate than them.
I think that the chances to our schools will help lift all tangata whenua tamariki and Pacific tamariki climb higher up their ladders of life.
Good call my Tamariki used to paddle in Horouta waka aka club I think that they deserve some recognition they have been cleaning up for years now.
Ka kite Ano
I say our native bat's needs to be saved we have to save there habitants and invest in their protection in Waikato they are our Taonga build those whare for them to.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Breakfast.
The Kiwi hatching are cute Aotearoa was the whenua of the Titi.
All the new infrastructure spends needs to have goals of lowering our carbon footprint.
The new laws of the miscarriage of justices being sent back to the courts by a commission is great it will save innocent tangata being locked up.
All our tamariki need to feel and be safe at school.
Insurances are sold to Te tangata with the myths that the many paying premium spreads the risk for the cost of a desaster on the shoulder of the many but reality is they cheery pick the risk. They put profits before Te tangata wellbeing.
Ka kite Ano