Open mike 10/11/2021

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 10th, 2021 - 163 comments
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Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

163 comments on “Open mike 10/11/2021 ”

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  1. Dennis Frank 1
    10 November 2021 at 7:30 am

    Looks like we are getting a rerun at 1984; agents of the state are taking over the personal identities of private citizens. The method involves voluntary yielding of the right to share identity, authorised by bureaucratic form.

    Police are trying to assume the online identities of suspects and defendants by taking over their social media and email accounts to gather information. Defence lawyers concerned about their young and vulnerable clients alerted RNZ to a form the police are using, titled 'Consent to Assume Online Internet Identity'.

    The New Zealand Bar Association and the Auckland District Law Society have written to Police Commissioner Andrew Coster, expressing their concern about police trying to assume people's online identities.

    "Given the nature of the form and the concerns it raises, we are hoping for an urgent response," Queen's Counsel James Rapley said.

    Criminal Bar Association president Fiona Guy Kidd said she was also concerned about the police tactic. "It is often very vulnerable people who are being asked to sign these." Auckland District Law Society president Marie Dyhrberg QC has also put her name to the concerns expressed to the Police Commissioner.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/455331/police-try-to-assume-people-s-online-identities

  2. Blazer 2
    10 November 2021 at 8:43 am

    I was reading 'Snowcolour and the 7 little people' to my grandchild the other day,and it dawned on me that they faced a completely different world ,than what I had experienced growing up.

    This brave new world of transformation, where people are offended,made uncomfortable or find words inappropriate means a reset of historical literature and the arts.

    Batperson & Robin

    Person of La Mancha

    Superperson

    Wonderperson

    'Peoplekind' have alot to look forward to.

    At least we can put…..'mansplaining' to…bed.

    cue Cathy Areu..masters degree,she's a treasure..

    https://youtu.be/byn0fBCVeHA

    • Cinder 2.1
      10 November 2021 at 9:00 am

      She's not a treasure, she's a fucking disgrace for going along with the disingenuous crap that Tucker Carlson is spouting…

      Manhatten, Goldman Sachs!

      What next? Manawatu?

      • Cinder 2.1.1
        10 November 2021 at 9:43 am

        Also, don't link to Tucker Carlson. He is a racist and a white supremacist, you shouldn't give him any more exposure than he already has.

        • RedLogix 2.1.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 10:39 am

          I see a pattern here.

        • Blazer 2.1.1.2
          10 November 2021 at 11:45 am

          its about her….not him.

          • McFlock 2.1.1.2.1
            10 November 2021 at 1:56 pm

            He's tagged by fox news to the youtube video. So he benefits. And Fox benefits.

            • Blazer 2.1.1.2.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 3:04 pm

              K…so who's on the black list?

              • McFlock …
                10 November 2021 at 5:16 pm

                No black list.

                But if you don't want to help youtube throw money at racist fucks, now you know.

                Aren't you the one who recently linked to OAN? Now Tucker Carlson? Ever thought of linking to someone who doesn't have a far-right extremist fan base?

                • joe90 …
                  10 November 2021 at 5:35 pm

                  Convergence = admiration for a smirking .01 percenter.

                • Blazer …
                  10 November 2021 at 5:39 pm

                  Any suggestions?

                  • McFlock …
                    10 November 2021 at 9:00 pm

                    Nah mate, but if you find someone interesting, give 'em a quick google to see if nazi-adjacents are amongst their biggest fans.

                    That's my rule of thumb. Looking at a source helps figure out if they're publishing something because it suits their agenda, or if they're well out of their lane.

                    Then, if there's a claim of fact, check that – not with their links, with your own searches. Find items as close to original sources as possible. 99% of the time the most outrageous bits of a story have been over-egged.

                    And if there's no specific claim of fact, what good is the opinion in the real world? It affects nothing.

                    • Blazer …
                      10 November 2021 at 9:15 pm

                      Interesting over view.Quite a depressing one if you subscribe to the lies,damn lies and statistics faction.

                      Or even the 'opinions are like arseholes …everyone has one'.

                      'don't try…no one cares'-Charles Bukowski.

                    • McFlock …
                      10 November 2021 at 10:31 pm

                      Media opinion pieces are like someone approaching you in the street, or knocking on your door. Very few people are doing it to advise you of an emergency or problem you need to know about. And most of them will be actual official "news".

                      But most people want something from you. They want money, or your name for a contact list they'll use to sell you stuff later, your soul, they want something. It's not about you, there's something in it for them. Sometimes it's something I'm prepared to go for, mostly it's not.

                      If I sign a petition, my contact number will often go onto a list for me to be sold something related to the petition later on.

                      These days, many media opinionators do the same thing – they get outrage clicks, but that still counts as "engagement". So more of that drivel gets made, and more of it gets targeted at you. The'll give you less John Oliver, more fucker carlson. And you'll begin to accept as normal some of the less extreme views, and the next thing you know you're a 5g antivax nutter believing Ardern is wearing a home detention ankle strap so she's under the control of the lizard people.

                      Check the basics, check your sources, you can avoid being a conceptual dumpster fire.

        • Puckish Rogue 2.1.1.3
          10 November 2021 at 4:52 pm

          You can link to something to show he's any of these things?

          • Anker 2.1.1.3.1
            10 November 2021 at 5:04 pm

            100% PR. Yes Cinder if yu are going to make claims that someone is a white supremicist please link.

            I have no idea who he is althugh I have heard his name.

            • Anker 2.1.1.3.2.1
              10 November 2021 at 5:29 pm

              Thanks Weka.

            • Shanreagh 2.1.1.3.2.2
              10 November 2021 at 9:43 pm

              This is a good site to check the bias etc of news media sites

              https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

              The listing for Fox News states in part

              'These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Right Bias sources.

              • We rate Fox News strongly Right-Biased due to editorial positions and story selection that favors the right. We also rate them Mixed factually and borderline Questionable based on poor sourcing and the spreading of conspiracy theories.'
          • alwyn 2.1.1.3.3
            10 November 2021 at 5:24 pm

            I wouldn't know about his views on race but I'm pretty sure that you would definitely disapprove of his economic theories. From the Wikipedia article on him it claims that

            "Carlson has criticized hedge funds (singling out the Republican donor Paul Singer in 2019) and private equity (in criticizing Mitt Romney, former CEO of Bain Capital). He described the business model of firms like Bain as: "Take over an existing company for a short period of time, cut costs by firing employees, run up the debt, extract the wealth and move on, sometimes leaving retirees without their earned pensions. … Meanwhile, a remarkable number of the companies are now bankrupt or extinct." He attacked payday lenders, saying they "loan people money they can't possibly repay" and "charge them interest that impoverishes them" He praised Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's economic plan and called her book The Two Income Trap "one of the best books I've ever read on economics".

            What is there for a lefty not to love?

            • Dennis Frank 2.1.1.3.3.1
              10 November 2021 at 5:56 pm

              So not a moron after all. I'll have to revise my view of the guy. Well, I'll give it a go but I suspect the false assumption will stick like a limpet & I may be unable to winkle my crowbar under the edge of it…

            • weka 2.1.1.3.3.2
              10 November 2021 at 5:56 pm

              link or I will delete. Really sick of having to tell regular this.

              • alwyn …
                10 November 2021 at 6:14 pm

                OK. I thought the remark " From the Wikipedia article on him it claims that" would cover it. The link is –

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucker_Carlson

                • weka …
                  10 November 2021 at 7:51 pm

                  no, it doesn't. If someone wants to make an argument based on quoting something off site, then a link is required, so that people can look at the argument and quote easily in context. Don't expect other people to do your work. The reason for that is because some people like to misrepresent arguments and cherry pick. Linking means people can pull them up on it easily.

    • Ad 2.2
      10 November 2021 at 10:02 am

      The book "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" has been around for 30 years.

      Politically Correct Bedtime Stories : James Finn Garner : 9780285640412 (bookdepository.com)

      It includes:

      – Snow White's relationship with seven vertically challenged men,

      – Little Red Riding Hood, her grandma and the cross-dressing wolf who set up an alternative household based on mutual respect and cooperation,

      – The Duckling Who Was Judged on her Merits Alone, and

      – The Emperor who was not naked but was endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle.

      It's fun, nothing more.

      • Sabine 2.2.1
        10 November 2021 at 10:18 am

        fun, depends …..

        https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lgbt-activists-get-word-mother-axed-from-government-policies-q6q6bxtf6

        The term “mother” was removed from Scottish government maternity policies after they were lobbied by a leading LGBT+ charity, it has emerged.

        Stonewall urged ministers to remove gendered terms from policy documents and replace them with “gender neutral equivalents”.

        lol. But yeah, shit ain't happening at all, no one is being erased, and when that erasure happens its to be 'inclusive' or its 'fun'.

        Non Males, are they even human?

        Luckily it is now time for the men to be erased. Cause why the fuck not. Vote "Left", when we are done with you guys, you all be 'people' the 21st century equivalent of 'peasant'.

        Non Females, are they even human?

        Good grief, the left has become a parody of everything that it ever stood for.

        Vote left peasants, cause only the "left" knows what is good for you. Vote, peasant.

        Also, it seems that alot of people read the Grimms stories and understood nothing.
        The emperor did not promote alternative clothing, the emperor got fleeced by a conman and it took a kid to call him and his cowardly entourage and fearful citizens out on it. Just saying. But then vote left peasant, its all just fun and games.

        • Cinder 2.2.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 11:18 am

          That's not quite true, I wonder why you would misrepresent what actually happened. 🙄

          "removed from policy documents regarding MATERNITY LEAVE".

          https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scottish-governments-deletion-of-the-word-mother-from-maternity-leave-documents-after-advice-from-stonewall-is-lunacy-brian-wilson-3429706

          If you stilled your outrage for a moment and thought about it you might understand.

          If this sort of thing went to the courts and the word mother was existant then male same sex adoptive couples would be unable to claim maternity leave. Same for an intersex parent if they had male on their birth certificate.

          And if you think a shitty employer wouldn't argue the case then more fool you.

          Its about inclusion, not erasure.

          • Sabine 2.2.1.1.1
            10 November 2021 at 11:30 am

            You mean this

            https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/scottish-governments-deletion-of-the-word-mother-from-maternity-leave-documents-after-advice-from-stonewall-is-lunacy-brian-wilson-3429706

            Incredibly, it appears to be true and the word “mother” no longer appears in Scottish government documents relating to maternity leave. On a pedantic note, you can’t really have “maternity” leave if you don’t have “mothers” since they both have the same derivation.

            or this https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/10/15/scotlands-civil-service-deletes-mother-maternity-policy-stonewall/

            or this https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/10/15/scotlands-civil-service-deletes-mother-maternity-policy-stonewall/

            In one of several changes aimed at climbing the rankings, the Scottish government removed the word “mother” from its maternity policy, replacing a passage that included the term with “you must be the spouse or partner (including same-sex partner) or the pregnant woman”.

            Honey, i will never still my outrage, being a good obedient submissive doormat ain't my stylez…sorry.

            Secondly, Women – and only Women – and that includes trans identified women and 'Non Males' of all pronouns, are the ones to give birth. Only them. And the word means nothing more then women giving birth. Freddy McDonald might want to pretend they are a man getting IVF for their second child, but frankly no.

            but because you don't actually seem to know what the word maternity means:

            maternity

            /məˈtəːnɪti/

            noun

            1. motherhood.

            Your emperor is naked dear.

            • Cinder 2.2.1.1.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 11:40 am

              You have complety missed the point.

              A male workmate of mine has returned from maternity leave recently, was he a woman during that period?

              Which these individuals is the mother?

              https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/love-sex/77456903/what-are-the-options-for-gay-couples-to-have-kids

              And I will post this link again. Science & facts prove you’re wrong.

              https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19155947/

              Intersex can get pregnant and give birth. Case closed.

              • francesca …
                10 November 2021 at 1:20 pm

                11 reported cases in the whole wide world OMG this changes everything

                not

                • Cinder …
                  10 November 2021 at 1:38 pm

                  oh my god!

                  Do you honestly think that study looked across the entire planet? You're not the first ideologue to make that mistake.

                  You are stating that a minority are not entitled to similar protections and privileges you enjoy.

                  Cool, cool. 🙄

                  • francesca …
                    10 November 2021 at 1:59 pm

                    Oh Sorry Cindy

                    I forgot that the very rare occurrences in nature are the new norm and female mothers don't actually give birth as a rule.

                    I don't see why , for true inclusivity, the word mother cannot be used in the term maternity leave. Mothers most often will be applying.Simply because they earn less, and have the anatomy for breast feeding.

                    So we could have "mothers and others providing primary care"

                    Why get rid of the term "mother "when that is the very person most often being the prime carer

                    • DukeEll …
                      10 November 2021 at 2:13 pm

                      Isn't it called paternity leave when you are the father? that's what I was kindly given 3 days of by my workplace many moons ago.

                    • Cinder …
                      10 November 2021 at 2:41 pm

                      Gotta say that you and Sabine are incredibly patronising and passive aggressive, not exactly motherly traits 😁

                      And starting with a strawman argument is a good way to demonstrate you are not coming to this issue in good faith.

                      If you had read and listened, you would understand.

                      Scottish intersex person gets pregnant & applies for maternity leave.

                      Shitbag employer points out that the policy and legislation states mother.

                      Points to the definition of mother.

                      Employment court requests policy documents to determine intent of legislation.

                      Court only sees the word mother in policy documents, ties it to definition.

                      Finding = not a mother, no maternity leave.

                      Intersex parent fucked over because people like you want to determine who is and is not mother.

                      Why do I feel that the link to that study is a bit of a Galileo moment for the GC dogmatists here? Oh yeah, because it proves their "only women" argument is wrong, that's why.

              • Anker …
                10 November 2021 at 5:19 pm

                "Intersex can get pregnant and give birth". Of course they can if they have ovaries and a womb.

                These very rare intersex people have both male and female genitalia. I don't know what you case (closed) is.

                I think the issue is that a small minority of very vocal people are trying to change language and many people don't agree with that. As well as language a small minority who believe in a certain ideology are trying to change how we categorized men and women. This has implications for all sorts of things particularly for women…… spaces such as changing rooms to protect women and girls privacy and decency, level playing field sporting competitions just to name a couple are areas where many biological women want to preserve their separte categories. I always smell a rat when people are telling me I have to accept their view or else I am a bigot aka a really bad person. I am not the type to go along with endorsing the emperors new clothes just because of group think. Or the spin line the emperor is not naked he is just endorsing a new clothing optional life style (funny, maybe but I also think of other euphemisms aimed at disguising truth)

                Many who comment on this site fail to acknowledge the validity of this and piss around with links such as you have about a very, very very very rare biological abnormality that has allowed an infitesinal number of people to fertilize their own ovas. It proves nothing. Biological sex is real and immutable.

                • Cinder …
                  10 November 2021 at 5:35 pm

                  Maybe you should type less and read more.

                  You have repeatedly stated there are only two sexes. You state this above as well as acknowledging there are intersex people. These are mutually incompatible statements.

                  Sabine stated that only women can give birth. That was incorrect. CASE MOTHER FUCKING CLOSED.h

                  Those pregnant intersex individuals DID NOT impregnate themselves. And, to repeat this for the cognitively challenged IT IS NOT A STUDY OF EVERY INTERSEX INDIVIDUAL IN THE WORLD.

                  You have never acknowledged these errors and still refuse to. This makes you the ideologue. If you think this makes you a bigot, that's on you.

                  Can't be bothered with the rest of your screed, you will never acknowledge your mistakes so its pointless.

                  • Anker …
                    10 November 2021 at 6:03 pm

                    Cinder please don't use shouty caps.

                    I have to say I am one of the few people on this site who do acknowlegde my mistakes. On occassion people have use this against me. So be it.

                    The vast majority of the small minority of people who are intersex are either xx or xy chromosome. The information about intersex people is often used by trans activist to muddy the waters about the issue of biological men identitfying as women and their demands for above and beyond the human rights we all have. These activists demand that we suspend our reality and treat them as if they had the biology of a woman not a man. This includes feeling entitled to demand that biological men who identify as women should be allowed to conduct intimate examinations on women for example women have been raped.

                    The issue for me is gender ideology and some of its proponants claim that biological sex is irrelevant and gender identity trumps it. I strongly disagree with this position. Women like myself are being shut down with cheap shots like accusing us of biogetry or transphobia. The fear of being accused of this mean many people fall into line with the demands of the trans activists. I don't

                  • Molly …
                    10 November 2021 at 9:07 pm

                    Intersex is an umbrella term for those who have different types of DSD – Differences of Sex Development.

                    Like other words it has been appropriated to mean something else.

                    There are problems with this, most particularly for those with DSD.

              • Gypsy …
                10 November 2021 at 7:41 pm

                Sex is binary. The extremely rare exceptions prove the rule. Get over it.

        • mary_a 2.2.1.2
          10 November 2021 at 2:36 pm

          If the word mother is to be erased from Scottish maternity public documents, where does that leave the word "mater-nity?" Mater = mother.

          • Cinder 2.2.1.2.1
            10 November 2021 at 2:47 pm

            It's not being erased from the government documents.

            For fucks sake people, calm down, go to the Scottish government website and search.

            Here is one from a month ago

            https://www.gov.scot/publications/mother-baby-unit-family-fund-terms-conditions/

            • Dennis Frank 2.2.1.2.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 3:02 pm

              I'm male & usually critical of the alphabet soup tribe, but I get that you seem to be making a valid point.

              Scottish intersex person gets pregnant & applies for maternity leave. Shitbag employer points out that the policy and legislation states mother. Points to the definition of mother. Employment court requests policy documents to determine intent of legislation. Court only sees the word mother in policy documents, ties it to definition. Finding = not a mother, no maternity leave.

              So this intersex pregnant person cannot be a mother legally despite being a mother in biological reality. Am I right?

              If so, the law is an ass (as usual). It will have to be changed to encompass relevant minority rights. Natural justice!

              • Cinder …
                10 November 2021 at 3:10 pm

                Yes Dennis, you got it in one.

                Although the intersex person would have to have male on their birth certificate – thus not a mother despite giving birth.

                Lollipop for you

                • Anker …
                  10 November 2021 at 5:36 pm

                  So we get rid of the word mother that best describe the very vast majority of people who give birth. We like the word mother. Its part of our identity as women.

                • Sabine …
                  10 November 2021 at 6:27 pm

                  Can you point to a link of any news organization that would have written about the story that you are trying to peddle here, cause i can find nothing. Unless you do, i consider your story to be not valid.

                  And contrary to some, i don't refuse news organizations just because they might not be 'my type of ' news. So feel free to link and let us all read up on the Story of the Intersex person who was refused maternity leave by an employer for reasons.

                  • Anker …
                    10 November 2021 at 6:50 pm

                    100% agree Sabine. Part of this problem is people including journos get cancelled unless they are right think………….

                    Not sure there is a link from Cinder cause I have a feeling it was a hypothetical example. But maybe I will be proved wrong.

              • francesca …
                10 November 2021 at 4:29 pm

                Why either or , Why not both?

              • Anker …
                10 November 2021 at 5:21 pm

                Isn't that because the intersex person has identified as a man?

                Anyway, change the shit head employer not the word mother. Take him to court. Afterall people like Maya Forstatar had to go to court to defend her GC views.

            • francesca 2.2.1.2.1.2
              10 November 2021 at 4:25 pm

              Are you saying that the word "mother" has not been deleted from the maternity policy document of the Scottish Civil Service, which is what I see that Sabine was writing about.

              You're linking to some other unit.

              I totally agree about the shitbag employer, but that isn't fixed by getting rid of the word "mother"

              How about "mother or other primary caregiver"

              Language is for clarity , not obscuration in the name of inclusiveness.

              • Cinder …
                10 November 2021 at 5:07 pm

                Nope, maternity is still there.

                https://www.gov.scot/publications/delivering-maternity-neonatal-services-through-covid-19-pandemic-beyond-level-zero/

                Although you could have checked that yourself.

                Think of a Venn diagram, not all women are mothers and not all mothers are women. Venn diagrams are an excellent way of measuring inclusion / exclusion.

                As for 'language is for clarity"- "other primary caregiver" is pretty vague and open to interpretation and abuse as the NZ Family Court has demonstrated.

                You should recognise this if you're so keen on clarity.

                Speaking of which, want to explain why you called me "Cindy"? Its Cinder, or is there a Cindy that you were directing that question to?

                Just kidding, I know you were just being a patronising dick.

                Right Franny?

                • alwyn …
                  10 November 2021 at 5:34 pm

                  "not all mothers are women"

                  You appear to have a very different definition of "mother" and "women" than the one I am used to, unless you are looking outside the human race.

                  Oh well "Vive la difference"

                  • Cinder …
                    10 November 2021 at 5:39 pm

                    Jesus fucking christ, have IQ's plumetted around here recenty?

                    Read the fucking study, those intersex individuals are not women. Especially according to some of the more dogmatic individuals on this website.

                    Fuck my life, has Covid rotted peoples minds or something?

                    • mary_a …
                      10 November 2021 at 6:39 pm

                      Cinder, with respect to your opinions in response to those of others, as far as I'm concerned your comments are coming through as being quite aggressive and rude. Shouting is not necessary. Tone it down a bit.

                    • Sabine …
                      10 November 2021 at 6:41 pm

                      Can intersex people have children or get pregnant?

                      The short answer is: maybe. Like any person, it depends on body parts. (And sometimes, help from technology.)

                      Making an embryo requires sperm from testes to meet an egg from an ovary. After that, the fetus needs a place to grow—usually that’s a uterus. These days, there are many ways for all of that to happen, even for non-intersex people. It is not possible for any human to reproduce without another person, including with donation and medical technology!

                      Can intersex people reproduce?

                      If an intersex person has a penis and testes that make sperm, they may be able to cause a pregnancy. Some intersex people have a vulva, vagina, and internal testes. Those testes might contain tissue that could be used to reproduce, with technology’s help in the future.

                      If an intersex person has a uterus, they may be able to carry a pregnancy. If they have ovaries or ovotestes, that tissue could be used for reproduction in some cases. Some intersex people do have ovaries, a uterus, and a vagina, and could get pregnant by contact with sperm.

                      Fertility is different for each intersex person. Many, but not all, intersex variations do result in infertility. Plenty of other intersex people have had their fertility taken away by non-consensual surgeries to make their bodies appear “normal.” Examples include when internal testes are removed, or when other genital surgeries create scar tissue that makes penetrative sex painful or impossible. This is a sensitive topic. Let intersex people share at their own pace, if they choose.

                      from here https://interactadvocates.org/faq/

                      Now frankly i think you made up a bit of a story, to bolster a point you never had. But i am happy to see you link to your support your story.

                      But for a bit of fun lets play with the removal of words to be properly excluding of the female body (who gives a fuck about our emotions and needs anyways) who ejected a non female child some two thousand and 21 years ago.

                      Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among persons and blessed is the fruit of thy incubator, Jesus. Holy Mary, Ejector of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

                      Would that work for your and all others who would like to remove any mention of women from the reproductive cycle?

                      And let me remind you again, just in case you forgot or have a hard time understanding, men don't birth children, trans identified men don't birth children, non of the male pronoun punters will ever birth a child. The ones birthing children on this planet are the women, trans identified females, and female pronoun punters. And just for some basic decency leave intersex people out of this discussion as they have a very different live compared to most of us.

                • francesca …
                  10 November 2021 at 6:04 pm

                  Franny's good, I like it

            • left for dead 2.2.1.2.1.3
              10 November 2021 at 6:27 pm

              Cinder,how about you calm down.Look at you with your shoutie words.

          • left for dead 2.2.1.2.2
            10 November 2021 at 6:28 pm

            Cinder,stop shouting at people !

        • Craig Hall 2.2.1.3
          10 November 2021 at 4:34 pm

          The New Zealand legislation (from 1987) refers to parental leave (including in the title) and partner leave. One reason for that is it can be shared between the parents.

    • weka 2.3
      10 November 2021 at 5:57 pm

      Mansplaining will always be a thing unfortunately.

      • Cinder 2.3.1
        10 November 2021 at 6:51 pm

        That is dangerously close to doxxing and utterly irrelevant.

        You're an admin. Do better.

        • weka 2.3.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 7:30 pm

          Doxing who? I replied to Blazer, because they said,

          At least we can put…..'mansplaining' to…bed.

          Read their whole comment, context is everything.

          My moderator (not Admin) suggestion, is that you settle down and pay attention to how things work here. Numbering on replies would be a start, but culture would help too.

      • Anker 2.3.2
        10 November 2021 at 6:55 pm

        Cinders a man? Ok.

      • Blazer 2.3.3
        10 November 2021 at 7:41 pm

        Do tell..I know who came out on top in this debate…

        https://youtu.be/ZOXh5repOWI

        • weka 2.3.3.1
          10 November 2021 at 7:46 pm

          ah, so you don't know what mansplaining actually is, good to know.

          • Blazer 2.3.3.1.1
            10 November 2021 at 8:15 pm

            Ah…doesn't sound like anyone does…so its not worth entertaining on that..basis.

            • weka 2.3.3.1.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 8:28 pm

              Lol, you telling a feminist there’s no such thing as mansplaining?

              • Blazer …
                10 November 2021 at 8:30 pm

                Perhaps you can indulge me and define it then.

                Clearly you are not enamoured with the Australian senators explanation(non male senator)

                  • Blazer …
                    10 November 2021 at 8:38 pm

                    Same explanation that the non male senator gave.If you accept that definition…you must also accept…womansplaining…agree?

                    • solkta …
                      10 November 2021 at 8:44 pm

                      No i don't agree.

                    • weka …
                      10 November 2021 at 10:43 pm

                      Same explanation that the non male senator gave.If you accept that definition…you must also accept…womansplaining…agree?

                      No. Mansplaining is a thing because we live in a sexist society. It's specific to men, probably a combination of socialisation alongside the tendency of men to be single point focused and women tending to be collective focused (socialisation is most like the far bigger influence).

                      I didn't bother with the video, stopped watching at the point I realised his probable mansplaining had been edited out (i.e. early on) and so the rest couldn't be judged in context.

                      btw, I think the definition in the Lexico link is limited. Mansplaining is when a man tries to explain to a woman something she patently already understands, especially when it's her area of expertise. But where he fails to recognise her understanding/expertise because sexism. Hence the patronising or condescending tone.

                    • Blazer …
                      11 November 2021 at 8:34 am

                      It seems 'mansplaining' is a subjective term that relies on another premise=toxic masculinity.

                      Not very compelling …at all.

                    • weka …
                      11 November 2021 at 8:43 am

                      Nope, it's not reliant on toxic masculinity (a term I don't use). It's reliant on observation of how some men function in society. It's not rocket science. It's clear by now that you don't like it being named /shrug.

                    • Blazer …
                      11 November 2021 at 9:03 am

                      ' It's reliant on observation of how some men function in society. '

                      Logically we can follow your definition and accept that 'womansplaining' is an equal observation.

                    • weka …
                      11 November 2021 at 9:07 am

                      please provide three different examples (quotes and links, not just quotes) of womansplaining that fits the definition I gave except it's done by women. And then provide evidence that it's a social phenomenon not just some random occurences.

                    • RedLogix …
                      11 November 2021 at 9:14 am

                      @weka
                      I could suggest as an example your own untiring efforts this past year or so at explaining – very patiently I must say – that males and females are biologically different and that this has substantial implications on how the two sexes both behave and are treated in society.

                      It's been quite the revelation. devil

                    • weka …
                      11 November 2021 at 9:41 am

                      I've always believed that, you just weren't listening prior to the gender/sex wars.

                      It's not an example of womansplaining.

                    • Blazer …
                      11 November 2021 at 10:01 am

                      for RL-John Gray wrote 'Men are from Mars,Women are from Venus' around 30 years ago.

                      @Weka-the t&c's you demand ,negate any realistic ,subjective acceptance of human nature that is not exclusive to gender.

                      Its a futile argument.

                    • weka …
                      11 November 2021 at 10:12 am

                      Blazer, you made the claim that there is a social dynamic called womansplaining. I'm asking you for some evidence if this dynamic. That you can't produce any is in no way surprising to me, because it's not actually a thing. My boundaries around evidence are pretty standard and I can easily provide this evidence for the existence of mansplaining.

                    • Blazer …
                      11 November 2021 at 10:23 am

                      @Weka my claim is based on logic=if indeed mansplaining is provable ,so too must be womansplaining.

                      Human nature says it must be…so.

                    • weka …
                      11 November 2021 at 10:25 am
                      1. if indeed mansplaining is provable ,so too must be womansplaining.
                      2. Human nature says it must be…so.

                      That's not logic. It's 1) an assertion not supported by evidence and 2) a belief.

                    • Blazer …
                      11 November 2021 at 10:28 am

                      'a belief' …..I certainly agree with that!

                      As for evidence'-'physician ,heal thyself'.

                      'I didn't bother with the video, stopped watching at the point I realised his probable mansplaining had been edited out (i.e. early on) and so the rest couldn't be judged in context.'

                  • Blazer …
                    10 November 2021 at 8:47 pm

                    O.K can a transgender be guilty of…'mansplaining'?

                    • Molly …
                      10 November 2021 at 9:23 pm

                      Transplaining?

                      Probably, especially if they are biologically male… that'd give them a head-start…laugh

              • Puckish Rogue …
                10 November 2021 at 9:11 pm

                Want me to explain mansplaining? angel

  3. dv 3
    10 November 2021 at 9:02 am

    Interesting cases yesterday

    Japan 174

    NZ 192

    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

  4. Pete 4
    10 November 2021 at 9:36 am

    Recent protestors have been on about lifting all covid restrictions – going back to 'normal.' We are too conservative they say. We should follow the model of other places, we're dragging the chain. Maybe a report out today could focus us.

    Denmark has a population of 5.8 million. They've had 405,000 covid cases and 2,740 deaths.

    "Two months ago, Denmark was riding high. The European nation lifted all remaining domestic coronavirus restrictions as the government declared Covid-19 was no longer "an illness which is a critical threat to society.”

    With a successful vaccine rollout in their back pocket, Danes essentially returned to pre-pandemic daily life. They visited nightclubs and restaurants without showing a "Covid passport," used public transport without having to wear a mask and met in large numbers without restrictions.

    The optimism of mid-September has been short-lived.

    Denmark, like many countries across Europe, is now considering whether to reinstate restrictions as the continent battles a surge of Covid-19 cases that has pushed the region back into the epicenter of the pandemic.

    Denmark's rise in case comes after a successful vaccine rollout, with 88.3% of its adult population fully vaccinated, according to the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC).

    On Monday the Danish government proposed reintroducing a digital "corona pass" — used as proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test — for entering bars and restaurants, as the country faces a third wave of infections, Reuters reported.

    The measure will be subject to parliamentary approval. But it comes against the urgent new backdrop of steadily rising cases — from a low of just over 200 daily infections in mid-September to around 2,300 in recent days.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/09/europe/denmark-restrictions-europe-covid-intl/index.html

    • Dennis Frank 4.1
      10 November 2021 at 10:50 am

      88.3% of its adult population fully vaccinated

      Despite that they still have this surge:

      https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/denmark/

      So we head back to normal when we hit 90%, get a similar surge, then everyone says `oh well, it was worth a try, too bad'…

      • Sabine 4.1.1
        10 November 2021 at 11:22 am

        How about we just start to come to grips with the reality that the pfizer jab does not prevent catching the virus, transmitting the virus, and will probably not prevent long term Covid issues either.

        The best we can hope for is that we don't all need the hospital at the same time. And considering the sad state of our healthcare we all should pray that it wont come to the overload and the expected collapse of our health care system.

        The worst, is that we catch Covid despite the jabs, even more then once, and every time Covid will kill us a bit, and our healthcare system collapses.

        It is the plague, and we are in for a ride that will last at least two more years. We have not seen anything yet, i fear.

        • garibaldi 4.1.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 11:58 am

          I want to know why we have virtually put all our eggs in the pfizer basket. They, like all the Pharma companies, are untrustworthy. Let's see independent research results of the range of vaccines available( and that includes the Sputnik) and make 3 or 4 of them widely available.

          • Patricia Bremner 4.1.1.1.1
            10 November 2021 at 2:11 pm

            Well I'm surprised the Government is recommending Astra Zeneca as the alternative. A number of problems with Australia's version. They are now offering Pfizer.

            • Craig Hall 4.1.1.1.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 4:36 pm

              Going by Dr Bloomfield's comments in the press conference, it was to give people an alternative to mRNA vaccines.

          • Blazer 4.1.1.1.2
            10 November 2021 at 5:56 pm

            I think NZ Govt has orders for the Novavax vaccine when it is approved .

            Apparantly it has a different makeup to most existing vaccines.

        • francesca 4.1.1.2
          10 November 2021 at 12:03 pm

          Thats why I keep banging on about investigating and getting and using effective treatments for covid before it develops into a serious infection, instead of waiting for hospitalisations.

          • lprent 4.1.1.2.1
            10 November 2021 at 10:23 pm

            Thats why I keep banging on about investigating and getting and using effective treatments for covid…

            They have been since the start of the epidemic. There are at least 4 effective treatments currently known. The new antivirals from Merck, from Pfizer, and at least two other ones. A antibody infusion and at least one other antiviral remdesier (or something like that) which was useless on critical cases but ok on preventative after infection. All of these are effective post infection.

            I am not even going to comment on the travesties of self interest with invermectin, chloroquinine and bleach – all of which failed basic testing, even when you include the faked studies.

            But what you are after – a preventative treatment before infection that isn't a vaccine is actually the hardest to get. It is usually a matter of luck and decades before one of those is found. It is also the hardest to prove – just look at how long it took to prove the HIV cocktail. Frequently the side effects make the risk only worth while if you have a grave risk of contracting the disease.

            I suspect that there is a lot of work going on for that kind of treatment. I haven't read of any credible trials yet.

            Typically the best preventative for most disease is any vaccine because it diminishes the chances of beachhead or breakthrough infections. It does it by training your own immune system.

            • francesca 4.1.1.2.1.1
              11 November 2021 at 7:39 am

              yes of course it is the best

              Tell your 14 year old daughter to wait before having sex .Tell her it is the best , safest option

              She tells you you are full of shit and says she's not going to take your advice

              You keep on trying to persuade her

              She digs her heels in

              Eventually you stop your futile insistence and do something else .Like provide a contraceptive.

              You can bang on about vaccines til the cows come home and the horses have bolted the stable, there will be many , by the looks of it , who will still refuse.

              Remdesivir, fluvoxamine perhaps might make up useful treatments

            • RedLogix 4.1.1.2.1.2
              11 November 2021 at 7:59 am

              all of which failed basic testing, even when you include the faked studies.

              Having followed some of this a lot more closely that you have – there is a lot more to the story than your airy dismissal.

              Ivermectin now has a well described mechanism of action against viral replication, and what a lot of people missed was that it was already being studied for this before COVID came along. It's why it was trialed by the original Monash University team in the first place.

              If the clinical evidence has proven difficult to pin down – and there are many legit reasons why this has been so – the odious torrent of unjustified 'horse dewormer' bullshit from the 'only the vaccines can save us' crowd isn't.

              • francesca …
                11 November 2021 at 10:11 am

                I suspect that most of the clinical trials have been with hospitalised cases(very easy and convenient sample to source), rather than the just tested positive cases.Its the early intervention ivermectin is being touted for.

      • Poission 4.1.2
        10 November 2021 at 11:22 am

        Not far away from the 90% level from a different perspective.Over the last three weeks the breakthrough cases for fully vaccinated has risen from 4.75 to 8.8% of the positive cases, an increase of around 85%.

    • Treetop 4.2
      10 November 2021 at 11:21 am

      The reason/s for the surge in Denmark needs to be answered.

      Are winter viruses, the Delta plus variant, waning immunity, the immune system changing or a combination the cause?

      • Patricia Bremner 4.2.1
        10 November 2021 at 1:25 pm

        It appears they Denmark, did not have any rules once "Freedom" arrived. So no vaccination passes, no masks, and clubs pubs, and concerts for 50 000 took place.

        • dv 4.2.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 1:41 pm

          And they are getting 2500 abt cases a day.

          Pop 5.9m

          • UncookedSelachimorpha 4.2.1.1.1
            10 November 2021 at 2:45 pm

            …and Denmark is having around 4-5 deaths per day, which is so far a lot fewer than in the peaks of their previous waves (which were 10-30+ per day for quite long periods). Presumably deaths are lower because of the vaccination rate, but they are also currently creeping up.

        • Treetop 4.2.1.2
          10 November 2021 at 1:45 pm

          Yes I did read that.

          The herd immunity theory seems to be flawed even with vaccination helping to save lives

          • Dennis Frank 4.2.1.2.1
            10 November 2021 at 2:19 pm

            herd immunity theory seems to be flawed

            Herd immunity was recognized as a naturally occurring phenomenon in the 1930s when it was observed that after a significant number of children had become immune to measles, the number of new infections temporarily decreased.

            Mass vaccination to induce herd immunity has since become common and proved successful in preventing the spread of many infectious diseases.

            Opposition to vaccination has posed a challenge to herd immunity, allowing preventable diseases to persist in or return to populations with inadequate vaccination rates. The exact herd immunity threshold (HIT) varies depending on the basic reproduction number of the disease.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity

            Google tells us

            We identified five studies, which estimated the basic reproductive number for Delta. Table 1 shows that the basic reproductive number for Delta ranged from 3.2 to 8, with a mean of 5.08.

            And here

            R-naught estimates are complex and not as straightforward as many assume. The number is constantly changing and is not an exact science. The variables that scientists use to calculate the R-naught can range across populations. The R-naught value is a representation—not an exact number— of how infectious a disease may be. The more time that passes, and the more data that is collected, the more accurate the number will be.

            The R-naught for influenza is two, which means an average person sick with the flu will infect two others. Some people will infect more than two others, and some will infect fewer. However over a long enough period of time, we can estimate that the average is two.

            The R-naught for the original strain of COVID-19 was recently estimated to be three. That is greater than the R-naught for influenza and lower than the R-naught for HIV. Because the Delta variant is more contagious than the original strain of COVID-19, its R-naught is higher than original strains of the virus.

            The current R-naught for the Delta variant falls between five and nine, according to recent documents from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC).

            So the flaw in herd immunity theory is psychological, inasmuch as it gets promoted in the media & word of mouth as something that works – whereas the extent to which it actually works is context-dependent.

            From an ecological perspective, it makes sense to see it as a dynamic interplay between the evolving Covid strains & the immune systems of people in particular social contexts…

            • Jenny how to get there 4.2.1.2.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 6:18 pm

              The level at which herd immunity for Delta is as yet unknown.

              For figure for polio it is 80% for measles the figure is 95%. I suspect that 95% range is where herd immunity for Delta will be reached.

              The 90% target is a political target not a scientific and medical target.

              With the trouble we are having in reaching the 90% level of vaccination.

              It will take a lot to reach 95%.

              https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-delta-variant-has-affected-our-ability-to-reach-herd-immunity

              If a surge occurs at 90%, a return to level 4 lockdown as a circuit breaker will be needed.

              A good strategy might be to take the opportunity to use the L4 as a whip to get vaccination up, not lifting the L4 lockdown till the 95% vaccination level is reached.

            • Treetop 4.2.1.2.1.2
              10 November 2021 at 9:27 pm

              Estimating the R – naught is not accurate enough and waning antibodies would not help.

  5. Enough is Enough 5
    10 November 2021 at 9:37 am

    So I see the sale of state assets is continuing under this government.

    The Australian inurance giant NIB is acquiring 100% of the shares in Kiwi Insurance Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned bank and financial services provider Kiwi Group Holdings Limited.

    I thought a change in government in 2017 was going to end this.

    Again we are left deepely disappointed with this big talk, but little do government.

  6. dv 6
    10 November 2021 at 10:59 am

    See that Natz want to make sure kids get covid.

    Education spokesman Paul Goldsmith released a new suite of education policies on Tuesday, arguing schools currently closed, should immediately reopen to make up for lost class time.

  7. swordfish 7
    10 November 2021 at 11:08 am

    .

    More evidence in favour of Ivermectin … but I'm seriously confused here because I've been led to believe by aggressively assertive Clintonista echo-chamber tribalists that this could only be deliberate misinformation spouted by Trump-supporting anti-vaxxer "deplorables" who never went to boarding-school … yet John Campbell is a doubly-vaxxed leading medic, looking forward to his upcoming booster shot … & almost certainly of a Lab / Lib Dem persuasion. So now I'm scrathcing my head. It’s almost as if – for all their outrageously pompous swaggering – the Clintonista Shill-boys have a tendency to talk complete & utter bollocks.

    https://youtu.be/ufy2AweXRkc?t=1

    • Sabine 7.1
      10 November 2021 at 11:12 am

      That goes hand in hand with this dairy Daily Kos, which talks about the little already approved generic pill that could very cheaply vs the not yet approved – but hyped branded pills that may do, but very expensively so.

      https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/11/9/2063225/-Trials-suggests-best-treatment-for-COVID-19-may-be-one-that-s-cheap-generic-and-FDA-approved

      • swordfish 7.1.1
        10 November 2021 at 11:13 am

        Absolutely.

      • SPC 7.1.2
        10 November 2021 at 12:16 pm

        It is useful because of its anti-inflammation effect, it can be given after monoclonal antibodies, and earlier than the steroid is used. Of course it can also be given to the vaccinated alongside anti-viral treatments.

      • UncookedSelachimorpha 7.1.3
        10 November 2021 at 2:59 pm

        Yes, fluvoxamine is looking promising and very cheap!

        Ivermectin has a well-understood safety profile when a recommended course at the recommended dose is used. Unfortunately some people are taking random amounts in random ways, which is not necessarily safe at all.

    • gsays 7.2
      10 November 2021 at 11:21 am

      One of the interesting examples of 'the de-wormer that dare not speak it's name' is it's use prophylactically in Utter Pradesh.

      Their rates of infection have reversed dramatically

    • RedLogix 7.3
      10 November 2021 at 12:36 pm

      If it turns out that Ivermectin is useless the cost for not using it will be nil. If it turns out it was useful all along – how do we count the cost of that?

      Otherwise the dry Scottish /sarc is a thing of joy.

      • francesca 7.3.1
        10 November 2021 at 1:49 pm

        That video that swordfish put up is very good It seems that ivermectin has the same modality as the new Pfizer drug

    • McFlock 7.4
      10 November 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Let's say that ivermectin actually is beneficial against covid:

      The people who jumped at it based on scant evidence still fucked up. They could have as easily jumped on the hydowhatsis, vitamin D, and other bandwagons with the same meagre amount of evidence.

      Meanwhile, they pushed up the price for people who actually needed all those things for uses that had a good evidence base at the time. So, yay. Nutters lucked out.

      And I might say that for real if the evidence base is more than youtube-dude shilling thunkses to the gullible.

      • Rosemary McDonald 7.4.1
        10 November 2021 at 3:33 pm

        That youtubedude actually provides links to all the research papers he discusses so yous can go and checkitout for yourselfs. Do your own thunking.

        • McFlock 7.4.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 3:53 pm

          reread my comment.

          The comment is independent of whether someone finally has a solid evidence base for their youtube claims. And how long has this dude been plugging it? Isn't he the dude with a phd in some sort of online nurse training? what else has he been shilling for clicks?

      • weka 7.4.2
        10 November 2021 at 3:52 pm

        why are you using red text?

        • McFlock 7.4.2.1
          10 November 2021 at 3:56 pm

          Because it's fun. And it separates the hypothetical consequences of the "let's say" from the rest of the comment, while bullet points or blockquotes seemed a bit weird in that context.

          • weka 7.4.2.1.1
            10 November 2021 at 5:13 pm

            I found it hard to understand what you meant and the red made it worse.

            • McFlock 7.4.2.1.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 5:20 pm

              Yeah, the colour contrast is a bit… garish? I'm crap at that sort of stuff. Seemed like a good idea at the time…

              • weka …
                10 November 2021 at 10:47 pm

                Maybe blue would have worked?

                Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut in sollicitudin lacus. Cras augue massa, iaculis vitae condimentum nec, tristique at erat. Sed vel risus turpis. Sed est arcu, accumsan id neque quis, iaculis scelerisque neque. Donec in consectetur nisi. Duis bibendum euismod libero, at semper nulla lacinia ac. Maecenas aliquam lorem non est egestas, nec dictum odio posuere. In ultricies magna eu lobortis tempor. Praesent consequat egestas libero, et cursus lectus mollis in. Vivamus viverra tristique ante, sit amet porttitor eros euismod vel. Nulla aliquam nunc sed enim ultricies egestas. Integer tincidunt ligula orci, convallis rhoncus leo ornare vitae. Nunc at mollis risus. Integer fermentum tincidunt purus, in pulvinar enim dapibus a.

      • francesca 7.4.3
        10 November 2021 at 4:37 pm

        What was the initial price and how much has it risen?

        I see a few countries have widely used it for covid with none of the ill effects warned of .Are you saying they drove the price up?Has its wide use in Africa driven the price up ?

        I doubt that people buying veterinary ivermectin have priced it off the market for horse owners

        India makes tonnes of it.

        • McFlock 7.4.3.1
          10 November 2021 at 5:18 pm

          Don't know, don't care. Just aware of how supply and demand works.

          • gsays 7.4.3.1.1
            10 November 2021 at 6:35 pm

            "Don't know, don't care."

            But care enough to pooh-pooh or diminish any Ivermectin korero…

            • McFlock 7.4.3.1.1.1
              10 November 2021 at 8:53 pm

              Yes. Because I care about snake oil remedies and grasping at straws when they undermine actual knowledge about how to deal with this pandemic.

              It's quackery being shilled by people who are paid for the attention they get rather than the accuracy of their information.

              Pharmac has progressively announced funding for about half a dozen treatments based on their cost and effectiveness. If ivermectin is cheap and has a research base to support it, does pharmac fund it for covid? Quick, send them youtube videos!

        • Rosemary McDonald 7.4.3.2
          10 November 2021 at 5:59 pm

          I hate not being able to properly reference this, but the cost of Ivermectin was literally pennies. Cheap as. Mostly used in extremely poor third world countries. Unfortunately Covid has forced the price up (that old supply and demand thing) and I believe some are paying mega bucks. Here in NZ, when it was still able to be prescribed by your GP, I know of one couple who paid about $250 each for enough tablets for their family for prevention and if necessary treatment. And no, was not me. (Although it would be a handy tool to have in the tool box.)

  8. Sabine 8
    10 November 2021 at 11:18 am

    How does it feel to lose your job to bullying, homophobia and just because 'women' who don't fully submit don't get to have nice things. And yes resigning – aka self selecting to get out of a shitty situation because your employer and your union can't be bothered upholding their own goddamn standards and 'values' is still being fired and i do hope that Kathleen Stock may consider action against her ex employer and the union involved.

    Kathleen Stock at the BBCs Women hour in her own words.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001153q?at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_custom3=%40BBCWomansHour&at_custom2=twitter&at_campaign=64&at_medium=custom7&at_custom4=E0AE9ED4-3C87-11EC-BE34-937496E8478F

  9. SPC 9
    10 November 2021 at 12:03 pm

    National is demanding that children in Auckland have a month of schooling before the end of the year. It seems that their COVID for Christmas campaign is going up to the top gear.

    The horror of rest of the world standard pandemic management is presumably supposed to drive people back to their cold embrace.

    Back in 2020 the Irish hosted their relatives living in the UK home for Christmas.

    Our risk is young people infected and their grandparents whose vaccine immunity meeting at Christmas (we need a lot of rapid testing before the get togethers).

    • Alan 9.1
      10 November 2021 at 1:56 pm

      Labour appear to think that Nationals' demand is a great idea

    • Treetop 9.2
      10 November 2021 at 1:56 pm

      I really cannot see ANY benefit in sending children back to school this year in areas which are in lockdown.

      I would have supported children in their learning and assisted parents to cope with home schooling.

      If a parent was not coping they could be treated like an essential worker and send the child/ren to school part time.

      I have a lot more to say on this but I am too busy this afternoon.

      • Herodotus 9.2.1
        10 November 2021 at 3:44 pm

        From emails already received from parents regarding attendances, will be 40-60% attendance. So there will be a reduced risk there.

        Feel sympathy towards those school leaders and the prep that has and will be required for next week. It will me messy and for simplistic reasons perhaps primary school would have been best to continue on line, with a visit to pick up work and clear out their desks on a staged basis during the last week of school. Hopefully parents that are keeping their children at home will not expect any on line teaching for the remaining 4 weeks.

        Did I hear correctly that the curriculum changes have been deferred a year ?

        • Treetop 9.2.1.1
          10 November 2021 at 8:39 pm

          Not just the prep but the logistics of getting them to and from school, explaining the rules and reassuring the children. Children are resilient but they also know when they are being hood winked.

          I collect 2 primary school age children a couple days a week. I have done so throughout the pandemic, I see what goes on.

    • Poission 9.3
      10 November 2021 at 2:10 pm

      20% of covid cases are in children under 12.

    • Jimmy 9.4
      10 November 2021 at 4:18 pm

      Haven't Labour just decided they will go back on the 17th of November? Aren't they still the government?
      I wasn’t expecting the young ones to go back until next year.

  10. UncookedSelachimorpha 10
    10 November 2021 at 12:25 pm

    Any worker who quit working at the Dunedin bakery that just got ordered to pay $300k for shocking abuse and underpayment of staff, could have had a WINZ stand down of over three months before getting an unemployment benefit.

    Stand down periods should go, they take the power from the worker and give it to the employer – including to employers that don't deserve to have any power.

    • Tricledrown 10.1
      10 November 2021 at 2:58 pm

      Mbie haven't got any where enough investigative staff.Allowing these heinous employers to get away with slavery.Since the employment contracts act employer's have been getting away with wage theft.

  11. observer 11
    10 November 2021 at 3:17 pm

    If anyone hasn't yet caught up with what the protest placards were saying in Wellington yesterday, here's a helpful guide. Again: it's right there, in their own words.

    https://www.renews.co.nz/a-disinformation-researcher-on-all-the-nazi-signs-at-the-wellington-anti-vax-protest-today/

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    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • What makes us tick

    This morning the sky was bright.The birds, in their usual joyous bliss. Nature doesn’t seem to feel the heat of what might angst humans.Their calls are clear and beautiful.Just some random thoughts:MāoriPaul Goldsmith has announced his government will roll back the judiciary’s rulings on Māori Customary Marine Title, which recognises ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 day ago
  • Foreshore and seabed 2.0

    In 2003, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision in Ngati Apa v Attorney-General, ruling that Māori customary title over the foreshore and seabed had not been universally extinguished, and that the Māori Land Court could determine claims and confirm title if the facts supported it. This kicked off the ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the Royal Commission report into abuse in care

    Earlier this week at Parliament, Labour leader Chris Hipkins was applauded for saying that the response to the final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had to be “bigger than politics.” True, but the fine words, apologies and “we hear you” messages will soon ring ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: In news breaking this morning:The Ministry of Education is cutting $2 billion from its school building programme so the National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government has enough money to deliver tax cuts; The Government has quietly lowered its child poverty reduction targets to make them easier to achieve;Te Whatu Ora-Health NZ’s ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Weekly Roundup 26-July-2024

    Kia ora. These are some stories that caught our eye this week – as always, feel free to share yours in the comments. Our header image this week (via Eke Panuku) shows the planned upgrade for the Karanga Plaza Tidal Swimming Steps. The week in Greater Auckland On ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 day ago
  • God what a relief

    1. What's not to love about the way the Harris campaign is turning things around?a. Nothingb. Love all of itc. God what a reliefd. Not that it will be by any means easye. All of the above 2. Documents released by the Ministry of Health show Associate Health Minister Casey ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 day ago
  • Trust In Me

    Trust in me in all you doHave the faith I have in youLove will see us through, if only you trust in meWhy don't you, you trust me?In a week that saw the release of the 3,000 page Abuse in Care report Christopher Luxon was being asked about Boot Camps. ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 day ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 26

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking about the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in Care report released this week, and with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent on a UN push to not recognise carbon offset markets and ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 26

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 26, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Transport: Simeon Brown announced $802.9 million in funding for 18 new trains on the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines, which ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 day ago
  • Radical law changes needed to build road

    The northern expressway extension from Warkworth to Whangarei is likely to require radical changes to legislation if it is going to be built within the foreseeable future. The Government’s powers to purchase land, the planning process and current restrictions on road tolling are all going to need to be changed ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    1 day ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #30 2024

    Open access notables Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?, Sippel et al., Weather and Climate Dynamics: Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • First they came for the Māori

    Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFirst they came for the doctors But I was confused by the numbers and costs So I didn't speak up Then they came for our police and nurses And I didn't think we could afford those costs anyway So I ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Join us for the weekly Hoon on YouTube Live

    Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on UnsplashWe’re back again after our mid-winter break. We’re still with the ‘new’ day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when we have our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm.Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Will the real PM Luxon please stand up?

    Notes: This is a free article. Abuse in Care themes are mentioned. Video is at the bottom.BackgroundYesterday’s report into Abuse in Care revealed that at least 1 in 3 of all who went through state and faith based care were abused - often horrifically. At least, because not all survivors ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    2 days ago
  • Will debt reduction trump abuse in care redress?

    Luxon speaks in Parliament yesterday about the Abuse in Care report. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:PM Christopher Luxon said yesterday in tabling the Abuse in Care report in Parliament he wanted to ‘do the ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • Olywhites and Time Bandits

    About a decade ago I worked with a bloke called Steve. He was the grizzled veteran coder, a few years older than me, who knew where the bodies were buried - code wise. Despite his best efforts to be approachable and friendly he could be kind of gruff, through to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago
  • Why were the 1930s so hot in North America?

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Those who’ve trawled social media during heat waves have likely encountered a tidbit frequently used to brush aside human-caused climate change: Many U.S. states and cities had their single hottest temperature on record during the 1930s, setting incredible heat marks ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago
  • Throwback Thursday – Thinking about Expressways

    Some of the recent announcements from the government have reminded us of posts we’ve written in the past. Here’s one from early 2020. There were plenty of reactions to the government’s infrastructure announcement a few weeks ago which saw them fund a bunch of big roading projects. One of ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Thursday, July 25 are:News: Why Electric Kiwi is closing to new customers - and why it matters RNZ’s Susan EdmundsScoop: Government drops ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • The Possum: Demon or Friend?

    Hi,I felt a small wet tongue snaking through one of the holes in my Crocs. It explored my big toe, darting down one side, then the other. “He’s looking for some toe cheese,” said the woman next to me, words that still haunt me to this day.Growing up in New ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago
  • Not a story

    Yesterday I happily quoted the Prime Minister without fact-checking him and sure enough, it turns out his numbers were all to hell. It’s not four kg of Royal Commission report, it’s fourteen.My friend and one-time colleague-in-comms Hazel Phillips gently alerted me to my error almost as soon as I’d hit ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Thursday, July 25

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Thursday, July 25, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day were:The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry published its final report yesterday.PM Christopher Luxon and The Minister responsible for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago
  • A tougher line on “proactive release”?

    The Official Information Act has always been a battle between requesters seeking information, and governments seeking to control it. Information is power, so Ministers and government agencies want to manage what is released and when, for their own convenience, and legality and democracy be damned. Their most recent tactic for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    3 days ago
  • 'Let's build a motorway costing $100 million per km, before emissions costs'

    TL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown is accelerating plans to spend at least $10 billion through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to extend State Highway One as a four-lane ‘Expressway’ from Warkworth to Whangarei ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Lester's Prescription – Positive Bleeding.

    I live my life (woo-ooh-ooh)With no control in my destinyYea-yeah, yea-yeah (woo-ooh-ooh)I can bleed when I want to bleedSo come on, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)You can bleed when you want to bleedYea-yeah, come on (woo-ooh-ooh)Everybody bleed when they want to bleedCome on and bleedGovernments face tough challenges. Selling unpopular decisions to ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago
  • Casey Costello gaslights Labour in the House

    Please note:To skip directly to the- parliamentary footage in the video, scroll to 1:21 To skip to audio please click on the headphone icon on the left hand side of the screenThis video / audio section is under development. ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    3 days ago
  • Why is the Texas grid in such bad shape?

    This is a re-post from the Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler Headline from 2021 The Texas grid, run by ERCOT, has had a rough few years. In 2021, winter storm Uri blacked out much of the state for several days. About a week ago, Hurricane Beryl knocked out ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on a textbook case of spending waste by the Luxon government

    Given the crackdown on wasteful government spending, it behooves me to point to a high profile example of spending by the Luxon government that looks like a big, fat waste of time and money. I’m talking about the deployment of NZDF personnel to support the US-led coalition in the Red ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:40 am on Wednesday, July 24 are:Deep Dive: Chipping away at the housing crisis, including my comments RNZ/Newsroom’s The DetailNews: Government softens on asset sales, ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • LXR Takaanini

    As I reported about the city centre, Auckland’s rail network is also going through a difficult and disruptive period which is rapidly approaching a culmination, this will result in a significant upgrade to the whole network. Hallelujah. Also like the city centre this is an upgrade predicated on the City ...
    Greater AucklandBy Patrick Reynolds
    3 days ago
  • Four kilograms of pain

    Today, a 4 kilogram report will be delivered to Parliament. We know this is what the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care weighs, because our Prime Minister told us so.Some reporter had blindsided him by asking a question about something done by ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    3 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Wednesday, July 24

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Wednesday, July 24, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Beehive: Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced plans to use PPPs to fund, build and run a four-lane expressway between Auckland ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago
  • Luxon gets caught out

    NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking, who can usually be relied on to give Prime Minister Christopher Luxon an easy run, did not do so yesterday when he interviewed him about the HealthNZ deficit. Luxon is trying to use a deficit reported last year by HealthNZ as yet another example of the ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    3 days ago
  • A worrying sign

    Back in January a StatsNZ employee gave a speech at Rātana on behalf of tangata whenua in which he insulted and criticised the government. The speech clearly violated the principle of a neutral public service, and StatsNZ started an investigation. Part of that was getting an external consultant to examine ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    4 days ago
  • Are we fine with 47.9% home-ownership by 2048?

    Renting for life: Shared ownership initiatives are unlikely to slow the slide in home ownership by much. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy today are:A Deloitte report for Westpac has projected Aotearoa’s home-ownership rate will ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • Let's Win This

    You're broken down and tiredOf living life on a merry go roundAnd you can't find the fighterBut I see it in you so we gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsWe gonna walk it outAnd move mountainsAnd I'll rise upI'll rise like the dayI'll rise upI'll rise unafraidI'll rise upAnd I'll ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago
  • Waimahara: The Singing Spirit of Water

    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

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