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Testing again. There was an authentication issue between the internal caching (w3 cache and the cloudflare). The email address was used in the authentication and that go changed this week.
Wow, I hadn't realised just how fast the site is for people who aren't logged in for current pages. I'm usually logged in, so effectively it is serving up much of the content as a special page just for me.
If you're not logged in and in NZ, then you're getting the page from cache in Sydney. Overseas readers may get a cached page from another 'local' server.
If no-one has done a comment that displays, then you're getting a really fast page if it is cached. The page cache time is about 4 hours for pages that are fairly static.
The side bars on the desktop site are little 'pages' in their own right. So they come in cached as well.
Really kind of slow for a page that nothing has scanned for a while (and right now that is most things because I cleared the caches), and if you drill into the old posts even slower. That is because those pages are generated – once.
How is the current aviation fuel issue something that can be attributed to the Government?
"The refinery could have remained a going concern had the government properly recognised what capability was available and made arrangements to secure that – or even just ensured the plant was not demolished and then investigated mothballing it.
Yet even as improved information about the plants’ capabilities was made available to the Government, and the threat of imminent demolition made clear to it, the Government remained impervious to seeing the plant’s fuller potential, and seemed unable to recalibrate for the rising risks that preservation of the refinery could help to reduce."
Who is responsible for our energy security and ability to function as a society is absolutely a matter of opinion.
There are those who think those are a matter for 'the state,' a collective government working on behalf of all the people.
There are those who disdain a collective government. They have it that individuals work for themselves, form advantageous collectives when it suits their purposes. And everything will be sweet.
Oh, suits their purposes when they aren't advantaged, then they want a government involved. Not for everyone, but to protect them and their financial interests.
Coincidentally, I was just writing about that with respect to the electricity 'market'. The major generators have been using borrowed capital to pay off investors with dividends.
Since the advent of neoliberalism, 'western' governments around the world have abnegated their responsibility for all forms of security – food security, fuel security, housing security……
It also implicitly highlights the tension between de-carbonising and maintaining a functioning society.
The quaint notion often heard that a break in oil supplies just means “we are back to horse and cart” is worryingly simplistic.
Supply chains for food and medicine, essential utilities and emergency services will all remain highly dependent on oil products for quite a few years under any transition plan – just as general transport will. Ditto much of the productive economy, from agriculture to tourism, despite the alarming climate change implications.
The absence of serious plans for managing those risks through the transition to sustainable onshore fuels is an exposure New Zealand needs to address pronto.
Interesting Pat. A good friend of ours who has worked pretty high up in business expressed his concerned about a strategic asset (Marsden Point) being made inoperable two months ago. And now it has come to pass
I think a story on Stuff today provides a good public service. It is about a landlord operating in Wellington and serves as a warning to would-be renters.
The more people who are aware of the landlord the better. Everyone, renters and tradespeople, can make what they will of the information and make decisions accordingly.
Part of the Greens 2020 housing policy included a registration and licensing for property managers and landlords:
We will also require landlords to be registered with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. We expect that an annual registration fee of $50 (or $1 a week) for landlords would generate enough revenue to cover the costs of administering a simple registration system. Better records of landlords would allow the Tenancy Tribunal and others to keep track of the small number of landlords who engage in repeated poor behaviour, so appropriate enforcement action can be taken.
This will provide protection for tenants, create more clarity over the role of property managers, and give confidence to landlords and the property management sector that bad practices will be identified and addressed.
Newsroom has been providing informative and useful articles on the Three Waters reforms (and on a whole load of other important societal issues) and dare I say it, in a non-partisan way.
Up to 74 rural communities will be allowed to take ownership of water supplies owned by councils, in the final tranche of Three Waters legislation introduced to Parliament last night.
It is and always has been a fine balancing act but it is now taking place in full (?) public view.
If the Three Waters reforms were to cost Labour the election, Mahuta would remain confident the reforms were the right thing to do: "Absolutely, because I know that public health and environmental health are important to New Zealanders," she says. "I want our kids to have the assurance of clean drinking water, to go to their local beach or river and be able to swim in it – and sadly that's not the case around many parts of New Zealand."
Indeed, Labour is prepared to ‘die on this hill’ which sets them apart slightly from the usual political opportunists and pragmatists, at least this time.
The whole article is worth reading, suffice to say.
Yes that is a good read. Adern is meeting the two groundswell leaders this coming week? and I think some of the things in this article will open their eyes.
Because in their own words they haven't been reading the legislation, preferring the reckons of all the scuttlebutt from Facebook I suspect.
After the disruptions and domestic dissent in Lithuania, and Taiwan's choice to massively invest in chip production in Lithuania, there is good evidence the Lithuania-China crisis will end in a way that reflects well on democratic principles and deters future Chinese bullying. This is a battle won in the broader war that Biden talks about.
I sure hope Australia's DFAT and New Zealand's MFAT are watching that contest really closely and are rehearsing the scenario.
But with China peaking and Russia rapidly declining I am a lot more optimistic about 2023's global politics then I have been since Hillary lost.
If we are entering a time of scarce resources (as all the indications are, be it due to climate, geo politics or simply a dearth of) then the requirement for impartiality of access increases in lockstep with lack of availability…..never has the phrase 'we are all in this together' been more pertinent.
There is the argument that representative democracy is increasingly managerial and professionalised, this has the effect of alienating the public from engaged participation. Democracy and politics is seen as something separate from society, or something that only occurs once every three years. And to some extent that's correct.
The principles of democracy as we hold them are generally completely absent from most peoples lives (except in the false democracy of consumer choices), we spend the majority of our time employed, without choice or vote on how the business operates. This is accepted as completely right and proper in our supposedly democratic society.
What is true is that democracy is already limited, if we are to rejuvenate it then it must begin in the workplace.
And that argument can be made….however ultimately it only occurs because we allow it.
Why have we underinvested in e.g. water infrastructure for decades when 'everyone' claims to desire otherwise?
If we dsire an outcome we have the potential to force our representatives to comply through the ballot box…..if we dont that is our failure.
Or perhaps we dont mean what we say?
It is true we are disconnected from our governors as we are spending most of our energy living day to day and it is only when the likes of 3Waters gains prominence that it draws our attention but those are the times to reaffirm that we subscribe to the needs of the many rather than the desires of the few.
Rejuvenating dosnt require altering, rather it demands strengthening.
If the ballot is all the public gets regarding democracy then it is no surprise that people are disengaging. The issue is systemic and can’t be strengthened by continuing with the status quo.
Being ‘all in this together’ is at odds with the stratified and individualist economy that we exist in. It must be altered for many reasons, one of those is in order to make democracy stronger and a more present aspect of public life.
By increasing worker participation in the decision-making of industries. Society isn't altered purely by parliamentary politics. Democracy and the collectivism we need to sufficiently address current and future crises is strengthened by acknowledgement and elevation of our shared stuggles, and the workplace is the best place to start.
It may, it may not. Either way, achieving change at the ballot box becomes easier when you have workers already familiar with the importance of solidarity and the power of numbers. The decline in unionism has had many consequences including the legislative focus of successive governments.
There is the argument that representative democracy is increasingly managerial and professionalised, this has the effect of alienating the public from engaged participation
Complacency. It seems to me that other than pol-tragics, most don't give a rats who's running the shop.
No big ticket items at stake, nothing new, no radical departure from established policies, the consequences of participating or not are neither here nor there for a bored majority living in relative comfort/affluence, so they can't be arsed.
I’d agree there’s a decent proportion who are apathetic about ballot box democracy, but plenty of them have strong opinions of what should be done to improve society. Without looking too hard (often because unfamiliarity with parliamentary politics) they have determined that none of the self-interested careerists (as they see them) offer anything for which it is worth voting. It has the same consequences as complacency but doesn’t accompany comfort or affluence, just alienation. It’s also less easy to condemn them as lazy, nor is that condemnation motivating. Getting people involved in worker organising can demonstrate that politics isn’t just voting while hopefully giving them the understanding to feel empowered by their vote.
This seems to be a damning indictment of routine Crown Law and police operations.
It doesn't seem hard to simply follow the disclosure rules (which they all know about) in a timely fashion.
And, with the current clogging of the courts system – all of those cancelled, deferred, or re-heard trials simply add to the problem. Justice delayed, is justice denied.
Most lawyers were quick to acknowledge the pressure on police. However, some recent cases have also highlighted that sometimes, police aren’t just failing to disclose information because they’re busy, but because they seem to misunderstand their obligations.
I'd like to see penalties imposed on the prosecuting legal team – fines and/or other penalties – by the Judge.
I don't agree with dismissing the case – that's profoundly unfair to the victims. But it's equally unfair to the accused, when the prosecution blatantly disregards the law and their legal responsibilities – and face no consequences.
This seems to be an outstanding good news story – major solar power operation opening in Tonga.
Kiwi company Sunergise NZ Ltd worked alongside Tonga Power Ltd to implement the 6 megawatt solar power plant as part of a power purchase agreement, with support form the Asian Development Bank.
The NZ-based company has implemented over 20 megawatt of solar energy around Aotearoa, Fiji, Tonga and other parts of the South Pacific.
At first blush, Christopher Luxon’s comment at the parliamentary powhiri at Waitangi this year sounded tone deaf. The Leader of the Opposition in talking about the Treaty of Waitangi described New Zealand as “a little experiment”. It seemed to diminish the treaty and the very idea of our nation. Yet ...
by Don Franks While on holiday,I stayed a few days in Scotland with a friend who showed me one of the country’s great working-class achievements. It was a few miles out of central Edinburgh, a huge cantilever bridge across the river Forth. The Forth Bridge was the first major structure ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 29, 2023 thru Sat, Feb 4, 2023. Story of the Week Social change more important than physical tipping points1.5-degree Goal not plausible Photo: CLICCS / Universität Hamburg Limiting global warming ...
So Long - And Thanks For All The Fish: In the two-and-a-bit years since Jacinda Ardern’s electoral triumph of 2020, virtually every decision she made had gone politically awry. In the minds of many thousands of voters a chilling metamorphosis had taken place. The Faerie Queen had become the Wicked ...
The Herald’s headline writers are at it again! A sensible and balanced piece by Liam Dann on the battle against inflation carries a headline that suggests that NZ is doing worse than the rest of the world. Check it out and see for yourself if I am right. Is this ...
Workers Now is a new slate of candidates contesting this year’s general election. James Robb and Don Franks are the people behind this initiative and they are hoping to put the spotlight on working people’s interests. Both are seasoned activists who have campaigned for workers’ rights over many decades. Here is ...
Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...
Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...
Mark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...
One of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...
Poor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...
New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed.Mainly because it turns ...
Currently the government's strategy for reducing transport emissions hinges on boosting vehicle fuel-efficiency, via the clean car standard and clean car discount, and some improvements to public transport. The former has been hugely successful, and has clearly set us on the right path, but its also not enough, and will ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing that unemployment has risen slightly to 3.4%. There are now 99,000 people unemployed - 24,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the Reserve Bank's plan to throw people out of work to stop wage rises "inflation", and ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular reforms in water and DHB centralisation ...
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...
Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...
A ‘small target’ strategy is not going to cut it anymore if National want to win the upcoming election. The game has changed and the game plan needs to change as well. Jacinda Ardern’s abrupt departure from the 9th floor has the potential to derail what looked to be an ...
I n some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Friday’s deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort. As Friday evening became night, Mayor Collins seemed to be everywhere: talking with ...
I know, that is a pretty corny title but given the circumstances here in the Auckland region, I just had to say it. The more oblique reference embedded in the […] ...
How much confidence should the public have in authorities managing natural disasters? Not much, judging by the farcical way in which the civil defence emergence in Auckland has played out. The way authorities dealt with Auckland’s extreme weather on Friday illustrated how hit-and-miss our civil defence emergency system is. In ...
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The recent leadership change in the governing Labour party resulted in a very strange response from National’s (current) leader, Christopher Luxon. Mr Luxon berated Labour for it’s change of leader, citing no actual change.As ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 22, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 28, 2023. Story of the Week New Study Reveals Arctic Ice, Tracked Both Above and Below, Is Freezing LaterClimate change is affecting the timing of both ...
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.It was another ‘SHOCK! HORROR!’ headline from a media increasingly venturing into tabloid-style journalism:Andrea Vance’s article seemed to focus on the "million dollar sums from the Government as the country grapples with a housing ...
What Was the Prime Minister Reading in the Runup to Election Year?It’s the summer break. Everyone settles down with family, books, the sun and some fishing. But the Prime Minister has a pile of briefing papers prepared just before Christmas, which have to be worked through. I haven’t seen them. ...
In case you hadn't noticed, FYI, the public OIA request site, has been used to conduct a significant excavation into New Zealand's intelligence agencies, with requests made for assorted policies and procedures. Yesterday in response to one of these requests the GCSB released its policy on New Zealand Purpose and ...
South Islands farmers are whining about another drought, the third in three years. If only we knew what was causing this! If only someone had warned them that they faced a drying climate! But we do know what is causing it: climate change. And they have been warned, repeatedly, for ...
Ok, there’s good news and bad news in this week’s inflation figures, but bad > good. Our inflation rate held steady but hey, at a level below the inflation rate in Australia. The main reason for the so/so result here? A fall in petrol prices of 7.2% offset the really ...
Since her shock resignation announcement, Jacinda Ardern has been at pains to point out that she isn’t leaving because of the toxicity directed at her on social media and elsewhere, rebutting journalists who suggested misogyny and hate may have driven her from office. Yet there have been dozens of columns ...
The Clinical Magus: Of particular relevance to New Zealanders struggling to come to terms with the sudden departure of their prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, is Jung’s concept of the anima. Much more than what others have called “the feminine principle”, the anima is what the human male has made out of ...
Such are the 2020s, the age when no-one, it seems, actually respects the basic underpinnings of democracy. Even in New Zealand. This week, I stumbled across a pair of lengthy and genuinely serious articles, that basically argue that Something is Rotten in the state of New Zealand democracy. One ...
Smiling And Waiving A Golden Opportunity: Chris Hipkins knew that the day at Ratana would be Jacinda’s day – her final opportunity to bask in the unalloyed love and support of her followers. He simply could not afford to be seen to overshadow this last chance for his former boss ...
Extremism Consumes Itself: The plot of “Act of Oblivion” concerns the relentless pursuit of the “regicides” Edward Whalley and William Goffe – two of the fifty-nine signatories to King Charles I’s death warrant. As with his many other works of historical fiction, Robert Harris’s novel brings to life a period ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Samantha Harrington Imagine it’s a cold February night and your furnace breaks. You want to replace it with an electric heat pump because you’ve heard that tax credits will help pay for the switch. And you know that heat pumps can reduce ...
A very informative video discussion: Are we getting the whole story about Ukraine? | Robert Wright & Ivan Katchanovski Getting objective information on the situation in Ukraine and the cause of this current war is not easy. There is the current censorship and blatant mainstream media bias – which ...
In 2005, then-National Party leader based his entire election campaign on racism, with his infamous racist Orewa speech and racist iwi/kiwi billboards. Now, Christopher Luxon seems to want to do it all again: Fresh off using his platform at this week's Rātana celebrations to criticise the government's approach to ...
It’s a big day for New Zealand; our 41st Prime Minister has taken office and the new, “Chippy” era of politics is underway. Or, on the other hand, the Labour Party continues to govern with an overall majority and much the same leadership team in place. Life goes on and ...
NewsHub has a poll on the cost-of-living crisis, which has an interesting finding: the vast majority of kiwis prefer wage rises to tax cuts: When asked whether income has kept up with the cost of living, 54.8 percent of people surveyed said no and according to 58.6 percent of ...
Labour has begun 2023 with the centre-left bloc behind in the polls and losing ground. That being so, did his colleagues choose Chris Hipkins as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern because they think he has a realistic shot at leading them to victory this year, or because he‘s the best ...
This is a re-post from the Citizens' Climate Lobby blogIn last year’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress included about $20 billion earmarked for natural climate solutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for deciding how those funds should be allocated to meet the climate ...
Two Flags, Two Masters? Just as it required a full-scale military effort to destroy the first attempt at Māori self-government in the 1850s and 60s (an effort that divided Maoridom itself into supporters and opponents of the Crown) any second attempt to establish tino rangatiratanga, based on the confiscatory policies ...
You’ve really got to wonder at the introspection, or lack thereof, from much of the mainstream media post Jacinda Ardern stepping down. Some so-called journalists haven’t even taken a breath before once again putting the boot in, which clearly shows their inherent bias and lack of any misgivings about fueling ...
Over the weekend I was interviewed by a media outlet about the threats that Jacinda Ardern and her family have received while she has been PM and what can be […] ...
A Different Kind Of Vibe: In the days and weeks ahead, as the Hipkins ministry takes shape, the only question that matters is whether New Zealand’s new prime minister possesses both the wisdom and the courage to correct his party’s currently suicidal political course. If Chris “Chippy” Hipkins is able to steer ...
Going to try to get into the blogging thing again (ha!) what with anew PM, an election coming up and all that.So today I thought I'd start small and simple, by merely tackling the world's (second) richest man.I am not suggesting Elon Musk literally light this fire. But he is ...
Well, that was a disappointment. As of today, the New Zealand Labour Caucus opted for Chris Hipkins as our new Prime Minister, and I cannot help but let loose a cynical cackle. ...
Things have gone sideways… and it’s only the third week of January? It was political earthquake time. For some the Prime Minister made a truly significant announcement. For others – did you have this on your bingo card? – a body double did so (sit tight, you’ll understand later, ...
People complain about their jobs being meaningless. Does it matter?David Graeber, author of Bullshit Jobs: The Rise of Pointless Work and What We Can Do About It, would have smiled at Elon Musk’s sacking half the Twitter workforce. Musk seems to be confirming the main thesis of the book, that ...
I warned about the trap of virtue signaling in my article Virtue signaling over Ukraine. This video is still relevant – but have we moved on since then? The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was universally condemned at the time. Or was it? Certainly, the political atmosphere ...
Open access notables Bad news delivered by an all-star cast of familiar researchers: Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans. From the abstract: In 2022, the world’s oceans, as given by OHC, were again the hottest in the historical record and exceeded the previous 2021 record maximum. According to IAP/CAS data, ...
One of my earliest political memories is the resignation of Prime Minister David Lange in August 1989. I remember this because of a brown felt-tipped pen drawing I did of the Beehive, the building that houses the Executive of the New Zealand Government. More than thirty years later, we ...
She gave it her all. No New Zealand Prime Minister has ever dominated the political scene at home as she has done, or has established an international profile to match hers. No New Zealand Prime Minister has had to confront such a sequence of domestic and international catastrophes – from ...
Jacinda Ardern's shock resignation announcement today has left a lot of us with a lot of complicated feelings. In my case, while I've been highly critical of Ardern's government, I'm still sorry to see her go. We've had far too many terrible things happen during her term as Prime Minister ...
The decision by Jacinda Ardern to end her term as Prime Minister on February 7 has come as a stunning surprise. It turns the task of a centre-left government winning re-election this year from difficult to nigh on impossible. No-one else among the Labour caucus has Ardern’s ability to explain ...
Jacinda Ardern’s first press conference as Labour leader in August 2017 was a defining moment in the past decade of New Zealand politics. A young woman (by the standards of politics) who had long been tipped for higher office, she had underperformed as a shadow minister and Andrew Little’s noble ...
An Astonishing Rapport: Jacinda Ardern's "Politics of Kindness" raised so many progressive possibilities. Her own tragedy, and New Zealand's, is that so few of them were realised.MUCH WILL BE WRITTEN in the coming days about "The Ardern Years", some of it sympathetic and insightful, most of it spiteful and wrong.For ...
The Herald this morning reports on the rich's efforts to buy this year's election. And you'll never guess who their chosen vehicle is: The National Party may start election year with a $2.3 million war chest raised from 24 big donors in 2022, while Labour has declared just $150,000 ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah Wesseler You walk into your kitchen to make pasta. After filling a pot with water, you place a small silicone mat in the middle of your counter, then set the pot above it and open a stovetop app on your phone. ...
You know it as well as I, the famous Ring Verse from The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien: Three Rings for the Elven Kings under the sky Seven for the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die One ...
Kia ora e te whānau. Today, we mark the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi - and our commitment to working in partnership with Māori to deliver better outcomes and tackle the big issues, together. ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta departs for India tomorrow as she continues to reconnect Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. The visit will begin in New Delhi where the Foreign Minister will meet with the Vice President Hon Jagdeep Dhankar and her Indian Government counterparts, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
Sure, Scotty Morrison’s Māori At Work is a wonderful resource for Aotearoa’s collective te reo Māori journey. But is it judgemental enough for the modern office environment?First published September 12 2019 The growing strength of te reo is palpable across Aotearoa, with record numbers of people participating in Mahuru ...
Screenwriter Dana Leaming’s debut comedy series Not Even is out now on Prime and Neon. This is the out the gate story of how it got there.Kia ora, Hi, What up? Up to? U up? …I’m Dana. I wrote and co-directed (with Ainsley Gardiner) the TV show Not Even ...
The Human Rights Commission, Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, last week released two reports on racism and the impact of colonialism in Aotearoa. Among their many insights was the necessity of a wider understanding of how racism manifests itself. I was honoured to accept an invitation by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata ...
Vincent O’Malley reviews a history of the battle of Gate Pā.First published February 5, 2019 Head up Cameron Road, one of Tauranga’s main arterial routes, a few kilometres out of the city centre and you drive over one of New Zealand’s most important historical sites. The road, named after ...
For nine years he steered the ship he built, but last week Duncan Greive announced his surprise resignation as CEO of The Spinoff. He joins guest host, Jane Yee, to discuss how doing things differently took The Spinoff from an irreverent TV blog to a respected online magazine, and why ...
Three decades ago one of the giants of New Zealand thinking and writing, Ranginui Walker, published Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou, Struggle Without End. The book, originally released in 1990 and revised in 2004, is a history of Aotearoa from a Māori perspective. It had a profound influence and today remains ...
THE (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding. BRIAN EASTON writes: Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has described this morning's Waitangi dawn service as moving and says he welcomes the shift away from a focus on politics. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Mick Tsikas/AAP A federal Newspoll, conducted February 1-4 from a sample of 1,512, gave Labor a 55-45 lead, unchanged on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Murray Goot, Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University Support for embedding an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the Constitution has fallen. The polls provide good evidence once you work out how to find it. However, the voters who have ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Doug Drury, Professor/Head of Aviation, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock When booking a flight, do you ever think about which seat will protect you the most in an emergency? Probably not. Most people book seats for comfort, such as leg room, or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Libby Rumpff, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne David Crosling/AAP The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20 were cataclysmic: a landmark in Australia’s environmental history. They burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly forests in southeast Australia. Many of our most ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Grové, Fulbright Scholar and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash University Anete Lusina/Pexels School attendance levels in Australia are a massive issue according to Education Minister Jason Clare. As he told reporters last week, he hopes to talk to state colleagues ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marion Terrill, Transport and Cities Program Director, Grattan Institute Revising the generous fuel tax credits given to businesses should be a priority for the Albanese government, because keeping them would conflict with two other pressing priorities: reducing carbon emissions and repairing the ...
Paul Diamond’s book about the 1920s scandal that shocked Whanganui is on the longlist for the Ockhams (in the hotly contested General Non-Fiction category). Victor Rodger reviews. A closeted mayor with huge ambitions. A handsome, young, returned soldier with ambiguous motivations.A scandalous shooting that leads to a spectacular ...
It is hard to separate the politics from Waitangi, but the day party leaders were welcomed on to Te Whare Rūnanga was largely free of inflammatory rhetoric and political point scoring. ...
An easy, low sugar jam that tastes even better than the sickly-sweet stuff. Often jam recipes call for much more sugar that I think is necessary, resulting in a cloyingly sweet jam whose flavour sadly becomes lost. Where some recipes will call for equal measures of fruit and sugar, this ...
Rheive Grey pays tribute to one political party’s unapologetic commitment to markers of Māori identity, from hei tiki to waiata to tikitiki. I’m proud to be Māori. If you’re like me, it’s hard to read that sentence without singing it in your head. That’s either the power of good campaigning, ...
When I was a man my dick was only average size, but learning how to tuck it out of sight is a steep learning curve for a girl on a budget. The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.Illustrations: Sloane Hong The dick ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Australia’s Reserve Bank is set to push up rates once again at its first meeting for the year on Tuesday, according to all but ...
By David Robie When Papuan journalist Victor Mambor visited New Zealand almost nine years ago, he impressed student journalists from the Pacific Media Centre and community activists with his refreshing candour and courage. As the founder of the Jubi news media group, he remained defiant that he would tell the ...
Today, Te Pāti Māori officially announced Mariameno Kapa-Kingi as their candidate for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate in this year’s General Election. The announcement was part of the pōwhiri for MPs at Te Whare Rūnanga o Waitangi. “Making the announcement ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Enshrining a constitutional Voice to parliament will bring better practical outcomes and give the best chance for Closing the Gap, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will say in a major address on the referendum on Sunday. ...
It’s been exactly a decade since Seven Sharp first appeared on our screens. Remember the first episode? We’ve unearthed the tapes. On this day in 2013, a bombshell was thrown into the New Zealand television landscape. “Time for us to make way, because you’re here to see what everyone’s talking ...
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris has fronted endless media requests and live crosses this week. Is he getting it right? Lewis Ferris is trying to find his weather map. “This week’s been so insane” he mutters as he closes multiple tabs on the three screens across his Wellington desk. He’s ...
By Jamie Tahana, RNZ News Te Ao Māori journalist at Waitangi, and Russell Palmer, digital political journalist Iwi leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have accused opposition parties National and ACT of “fanning the flames of racism”, urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on Three ...
After four years, executive director Max Tweedie has stepped down from Auckland Pride. He tells Sam Brooks about shepherding the festival through a tumultuous few years, and where he’s going from here.This year’s Auckland Pride Festival is set to be the biggest one yet. Over the course of more ...
A flailing mayor was only the public face of a multifaceted flooding communications failure. Duncan Greive examines the mess, and asks what can be done to improve it.It’s a chilling timeline. Stuff’s Kelly Dennett catalogued, beat-by-beat, the 12 hours in which Auckland was pummelled by a catastrophic deluge, interspersing ...
Labour's position has alternated over the past few days: first Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would speak, then he wouldn't, and then he would again. ...
Te Pāti Māori Co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer are announcing a transformative defence and foreign affairs policy which asserts the Mana Māori Motuhake and Tino Rangatiratanga of tangata whenua in Aotearoa at their Party’s ...
The Green Party calls on the Government to end perpetual leases over Māori land so that Māori landowners can directly control their lands. “Māori landowners continue to be locked out of their own whenua by perpetual leases that allow others ...
Buzz from the Beehive Politicians keen to curry favour with Māori tribal leaders have headed north for Waitangi weekend. More than a few million dollars of public funding are headed north, too. Not all of this money is being trumpeted on the Beehive website, the Government’s official website. ...
The Dunedin branch of the Green Party has selected Francisco Hernandez as its candidate for the Dunedin electorate in this year’s general election. Francisco Hernandez was the Otago University Students Association President in 2013. He has held a number ...
About this time last week it had become apparent that Auckland was in for a bit more than just a wet Friday. While the state of emergency remains in place for another seven days, it appears the worst should now be behind us. Last night, Niwa shared a fascinating thread ...
Viewers across the United States were today shown a slice of New Zealand, with a reporter for Good Morning America broadcasting live from Rotorua. Robin Roberts, a co-anchor for the popular morning TV show, has been touring the country this week. During her visit to Rotorua’s Te Puia centre, she ...
They can be environmentally unsound and are a symbol used to shame millennials, but everyone still loves an avo. I love avocados, always have, always will. The buttery golden-green flesh from a perfectly ripe avocado is a culinary blessing. Today I’d love to simply wax poetic about twisting open a ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press, $50) The beautiful ...
A new poem by Robin Peace. To the kahikatea I see from my bed Thinking inside the square, the ellipse, the round of what life is, I only see the trees. Not only as if that were the only thing I see, but only as if the tree matters more. ...
A week ago, Elton John’s first Auckland show was called off at the last minute. What was it like getting there, being there, and trying to return home afterwards?Elton John has long been a blessing for our ears, but in recent years his Auckland shows have been cursed. His ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has conceded he “dropped the ball” during last Friday’s major flooding event. The state of emergency in the super city has today been extended for a further seven days, though Brown said he expects it will be lifted early. After a week of defensiveness over his ...
As the reality TV juggernaut returns for a new season, Tara Ward steps into the minds of the show’s relationship experts to assess the compatibility of this year’s brides and grooms. Married at First Sight: Australia returns on Monday night, and by season ten, you’d think the show’s relationship experts ...
Auckland’s state of emergency is expected to be extended for another seven days, according to the Herald. It was due to expire overnight after being declared a week ago, the day of the worst flooding in the super city. While weather conditions have improved, the city is continuing to experience ...
Iwi leaders have accused National and ACT of "fanning the flames of racism", urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on three waters. ...
The government has confirmed the money will be spent in Northland, including unlocking greenfields land and transport upgrades like a new bridge in Kamo. ...
Ours Not Mines is cautiously excited about reporting that the Government is drafting legislation to ban new mines on conservation land. The anti-mining group's spokesperson, Morgan Donoghue says: "The Government has been promising us some action for ...
People who enjoy the outdoors for recreation, fishing and hunting will lose rights under the Natural and Built Environments Bill. Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan says the proposed replacement for the Resource Management ...
Proposed pay equity claim settlements for school librarians and science technicians have been reached between the Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa, Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted and NZEI Te Riu Roa president, Mark Potter, announced ...
Members of NZEI Te Riu Roa negotiating on behalf of school librarians, library assistants and science technicians are excited to announce that proposed pay equity settlements are ready to be voted on by their colleagues. They include pay increases of up to ...
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for Michael Wood, the Minister of Transport, and now Auckland, to cancel the light rail project immediately. Auckland Light Rail was never going to happen, as our group has repeatedly said dozens of ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been asked to intervene following confirmation today that the Government plans to implement a ban on all extractive sector activities on the conservation estate. Wayne Scott, CEO of the Aggregate and Quarry Association, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
I am delighted to announce the appointment of John Price ONZM as the new Director Civil Defence Emergency Management and Deputy Chief Executive Emergency Management for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). John has been a member of the ...
Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki are calling on the new Prime Minister and new Minister of Conservation Willow Jean Prime to immediately implement the 2017 promise to ban new mining activity on conservation lands. “ The mining industry group Straterra ...
Analysis - Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has had a dream start with polls showing Labour ahead of National, but now he has to prove himself in Parliament and quickly deliver on his promises. ...
The Bus and Coach Association supports the Government’s decision to continue half-price fares on public transport services. The fare reduction was set to expire on 31 March 2023, but will now continue to 30 June 2023. “Half-price fares have cost ten-times ...
“The decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to not replace the late Queen with Charles on the Aussie $5 note should indicate to our Reserve Bank that it’s time to change the NZ $20 note” said Lewis Holden, campaign chair of New ...
Establishing a Truth, Reconciliation and Justice Commission and recognising Māori tino rangatiratanga are among several recommendations in two pivotal reports released today (Friday 3 February) by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission. The ...
The decision turns Wellington into a 2023 battleground, with three brand new faces set to contest the electorate - and Shaw has already thrown his support behind Tamatha Paul. ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
Continuing fuel subsidies despite official and expert advice urging otherwise is focused on helping New Zealanders in the here and now, the finance minister says. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Chris Hipkins says Aotearoa has "some tough calls to make as a country" regarding the future of communities in places vulnerable to extreme weather events. ...
A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...
Analysis - Jacinda Ardern is one of New Zealand's most historically significant leaders. But she did not achieve the grand vision for Aotearoa her outsized rhetoric promised. ...
This appears to be our issue at CloudFlare. Hopefully they will get it fixed sooner rather than later.
Identified – The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.
Dec 09, 2022 – 17:23 UTC
Investigating – Cloudflare is aware of and investigating an issue with Cloudflare Pages build delays which potentially impacts multiple customers. Further detail will be provided as more information becomes available.
Dec 09, 2022 – 17:09 UTC
Thanks for all you do. Has been weird in the last couple of days.
A bit of experimentation shows that they have most of the problem solved.
Reverted to using Cloudflare as the forward cache
Paused it caching again.
I keep having issues with different devices and cloudflare caching.
I suspect that the cloudflare plugin simply isn't working with wordpress 6.1. But I'll check with the local caching system as well.
Testing again. There was an authentication issue between the internal caching (w3 cache and the cloudflare). The email address was used in the authentication and that go changed this week.
That was probably it.
It is often [the] simple little things that trip you up.
Had to uninstall the Cloudflare plugin and reinstall.
There may be some cached pages around from the transition. I'll tell everything to purge.
That is a wrap – it is now updating the way that it should. Even on my cell phones firefox – but also on test clients offshore.
I'll push the caching time up again.
Wow, I hadn't realised just how fast the site is for people who aren't logged in for current pages. I'm usually logged in, so effectively it is serving up much of the content as a special page just for me.
If you're not logged in and in NZ, then you're getting the page from cache in Sydney. Overseas readers may get a cached page from another 'local' server.
If no-one has done a comment that displays, then you're getting a really fast page if it is cached. The page cache time is about 4 hours for pages that are fairly static.
The side bars on the desktop site are little 'pages' in their own right. So they come in cached as well.
If you want to see just what a different it makes. Try looking at monthly pages in the archive https://thestandard.org.nz/archivepage/
Really kind of slow for a page that nothing has scanned for a while (and right now that is most things because I cleared the caches), and if you drill into the old posts even slower. That is because those pages are generated – once.
But if you go drill into a page that I was just in like https://thestandard.org.nz/2007/09/page/2/ – then it is freaking fast.
How is the current aviation fuel issue something that can be attributed to the Government?
"The refinery could have remained a going concern had the government properly recognised what capability was available and made arrangements to secure that – or even just ensured the plant was not demolished and then investigated mothballing it.
Yet even as improved information about the plants’ capabilities was made available to the Government, and the threat of imminent demolition made clear to it, the Government remained impervious to seeing the plant’s fuller potential, and seemed unable to recalibrate for the rising risks that preservation of the refinery could help to reduce."
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/national-cost-of-marsden-point-closure-highlighted-by-christmas-jet-fuel-shortage
Ultimately who is responsible for our energy security and ability to function as a society?
Who is responsible for our energy security and ability to function as a society is absolutely a matter of opinion.
There are those who think those are a matter for 'the state,' a collective government working on behalf of all the people.
There are those who disdain a collective government. They have it that individuals work for themselves, form advantageous collectives when it suits their purposes. And everything will be sweet.
Oh, suits their purposes when they aren't advantaged, then they want a government involved. Not for everyone, but to protect them and their financial interests.
Coincidentally, I was just writing about that with respect to the electricity 'market'. The major generators have been using borrowed capital to pay off investors with dividends.
Since the advent of neoliberalism, 'western' governments around the world have abnegated their responsibility for all forms of security – food security, fuel security, housing security……
It's all about the market……
"Ultimately"
You wish to suggest the role of Government is somehow not to maintain a functioning society?
Well I guess that depends on your definition of 'functioning'.
True, it may…however I doubt that anyone could claim an inability to make food available to the population as such.
We are a tiny market at the very end of an increasingly fraught international supply chain ….and we persist in increasing our exposure to that risk.
Hardly an example of 'good governance'.
Perhaps we could ask our good friends in the CCP to help out if need be.
Good article pat.
It also implicitly highlights the tension between de-carbonising and maintaining a functioning society.
Interesting Pat. A good friend of ours who has worked pretty high up in business expressed his concerned about a strategic asset (Marsden Point) being made inoperable two months ago. And now it has come to pass
Is that the same person you know who’s high up in Health NZ? Asking for a friend.
Elon?
If so that may well explain the situation then
I was only half-joking.
as was I
My half was funny
as in ha ha?
What! No LOL??
only a semi LOL…remember we were only half joking….and Elon is peculiar.
1/2 LOL = LC
I think a story on Stuff today provides a good public service. It is about a landlord operating in Wellington and serves as a warning to would-be renters.
The more people who are aware of the landlord the better. Everyone, renters and tradespeople, can make what they will of the information and make decisions accordingly.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130628181/vexatious-landlord-cheryl-scott-the-scion-of-a-property-empire-or-a-fantasist
Part of the Greens 2020 housing policy included a registration and licensing for property managers and landlords:
Newsroom has been providing informative and useful articles on the Three Waters reforms (and on a whole load of other important societal issues) and dare I say it, in a non-partisan way.
It is and always has been a fine balancing act but it is now taking place in full (?) public view.
Indeed, Labour is prepared to ‘die on this hill’ which sets them apart slightly from the usual political opportunists and pragmatists, at least this time.
The whole article is worth reading, suffice to say.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ultimate-three-waters-bills-reveal-impact-on-councils
Yes that is a good read. Adern is meeting the two groundswell leaders this coming week? and I think some of the things in this article will open their eyes.
Because in their own words they haven't been reading the legislation, preferring the reckons of all the scuttlebutt from Facebook I suspect.
Yup, this week.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/130724729/ardern-agrees-to-meet-groundswell-nz-leaders-after-long-standoff
In 1995 Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev warned the world.
I have a sneaky feeling that we are at Peak China.
Global Economic Outlook 2023: China Edition (conference-board.org)
This is certainly reinforced by a massive weakening of its ally Russia in coming years.
Impact of sanctions on the Russian economy – Consilium (europa.eu)
And the weakening of China and Russia is very good for small states like ours, such as Lithuania:
Tiny Lithuania Could Change How The World Handles China | HuffPost Latest News
After the disruptions and domestic dissent in Lithuania, and Taiwan's choice to massively invest in chip production in Lithuania, there is good evidence the Lithuania-China crisis will end in a way that reflects well on democratic principles and deters future Chinese bullying. This is a battle won in the broader war that Biden talks about.
I sure hope Australia's DFAT and New Zealand's MFAT are watching that contest really closely and are rehearsing the scenario.
But with China peaking and Russia rapidly declining I am a lot more optimistic about 2023's global politics then I have been since Hillary lost.
Guns N Roses at Eden Park – jeez they will need wetsuits it is pissing down something shocking here
And jack Johnson at Western Springs and Christmas in the Park at the domain.
I reckon they will need a snorkel as well. we are about 800m away from Eden Park and it is absolutely bucketing down here.
Christmas in the Park also looks as though it will be a soggy experience.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300761892/aucklands-christmas-in-the-park-will-go-ahead-despite-thunderstorm-warning
Why is democracy more important (now) than ever?
If we are entering a time of scarce resources (as all the indications are, be it due to climate, geo politics or simply a dearth of) then the requirement for impartiality of access increases in lockstep with lack of availability…..never has the phrase 'we are all in this together' been more pertinent.
The alternatives do not bear thinking about.
There is the argument that representative democracy is increasingly managerial and professionalised, this has the effect of alienating the public from engaged participation. Democracy and politics is seen as something separate from society, or something that only occurs once every three years. And to some extent that's correct.
The principles of democracy as we hold them are generally completely absent from most peoples lives (except in the false democracy of consumer choices), we spend the majority of our time employed, without choice or vote on how the business operates. This is accepted as completely right and proper in our supposedly democratic society.
What is true is that democracy is already limited, if we are to rejuvenate it then it must begin in the workplace.
And that argument can be made….however ultimately it only occurs because we allow it.
Why have we underinvested in e.g. water infrastructure for decades when 'everyone' claims to desire otherwise?
If we dsire an outcome we have the potential to force our representatives to comply through the ballot box…..if we dont that is our failure.
Or perhaps we dont mean what we say?
It is true we are disconnected from our governors as we are spending most of our energy living day to day and it is only when the likes of 3Waters gains prominence that it draws our attention but those are the times to reaffirm that we subscribe to the needs of the many rather than the desires of the few.
Rejuvenating dosnt require altering, rather it demands strengthening.
If the ballot is all the public gets regarding democracy then it is no surprise that people are disengaging. The issue is systemic and can’t be strengthened by continuing with the status quo.
Being ‘all in this together’ is at odds with the stratified and individualist economy that we exist in. It must be altered for many reasons, one of those is in order to make democracy stronger and a more present aspect of public life.
And if you dont change it at the ballot box how do you propose it is changed?
By increasing worker participation in the decision-making of industries. Society isn't altered purely by parliamentary politics. Democracy and the collectivism we need to sufficiently address current and future crises is strengthened by acknowledgement and elevation of our shared stuggles, and the workplace is the best place to start.
That may require an Act of Parliament to occur
It may, it may not. Either way, achieving change at the ballot box becomes easier when you have workers already familiar with the importance of solidarity and the power of numbers. The decline in unionism has had many consequences including the legislative focus of successive governments.
Complacency. It seems to me that other than pol-tragics, most don't give a rats who's running the shop.
No big ticket items at stake, nothing new, no radical departure from established policies, the consequences of participating or not are neither here nor there for a bored majority living in relative comfort/affluence, so they can't be arsed.
I’d agree there’s a decent proportion who are apathetic about ballot box democracy, but plenty of them have strong opinions of what should be done to improve society. Without looking too hard (often because unfamiliarity with parliamentary politics) they have determined that none of the self-interested careerists (as they see them) offer anything for which it is worth voting. It has the same consequences as complacency but doesn’t accompany comfort or affluence, just alienation. It’s also less easy to condemn them as lazy, nor is that condemnation motivating. Getting people involved in worker organising can demonstrate that politics isn’t just voting while hopefully giving them the understanding to feel empowered by their vote.
This seems to be a damning indictment of routine Crown Law and police operations.
It doesn't seem hard to simply follow the disclosure rules (which they all know about) in a timely fashion.
And, with the current clogging of the courts system – all of those cancelled, deferred, or re-heard trials simply add to the problem. Justice delayed, is justice denied.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/130652066/how-cogs-are-being-tossed-into-the-already-clunky-wheels-of-justice
I'd like to see penalties imposed on the prosecuting legal team – fines and/or other penalties – by the Judge.
I don't agree with dismissing the case – that's profoundly unfair to the victims. But it's equally unfair to the accused, when the prosecution blatantly disregards the law and their legal responsibilities – and face no consequences.
This seems to be an outstanding good news story – major solar power operation opening in Tonga.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/talanoa/biggest-solar-power-plant-in-south-pacific-opens-in-tonga/PPGRYZEYZRCE5EQTEE5FPH56TI/
Ki the aha whano