I don't allow climate change denial under my posts. I've moved your comment to Open Mike so others can pull it apart if they want to without derailing my post.
It would help if you said what trees you are talking about (i.e. where). Then we can address the climate conditions of that area in an evidence based way. We also will know that you're not making shit up or generalising madly.
Denial is a rational response in the face of overwhelming bad news. Why anyone would bother trying to pick that^ apart at this stage is beyond me. Clutching at straws.
Hope your cognitive dissonance clears up in time for you to be a useful member of todays climate threatened society.
the only value I see in picking it apart is that it shows readers the flaws in the arguments and helps them to be able to spot the bullshit still coming out of corporate denial machines. Maybe also helps people sitting on the fence.
But yeah, tend to agree it's not the best use of time, and this is why I don't allow it under my posts.
"Denial is a rational response in the face of overwhelming bad news."
It can be, but in the case of climate change denial the overwhelming majority derives from deliberate action by people with a financial interest in continuing to burn fossil fuels.
A short bit of google shows where these assertions came from – they are on established climate-change-denial websites (I won't link).
Looking at the source material I could find (relating to Iceland) – seems these stumps are there because of a cycle of glacier retreat / growth (involving 0.5C temperature change or so) that occurred since the last ice age. Nothing unusual about that, and certainly says nothing about current warming predicament, where we seem to be heading to 2+ C increases.
"How can that be if now is the warmest in the last 100,000 years……."
The earth is rapidly warming now, and it takes time for glaciers to retreat and forests to grow. So it is completely possible for the climate to currently be warmer than during the Holocene climatic optimum, which lasted thousands of years and was when those trees that ended up under glaciers grew.
Yep – it's quite possible for these trees to have been growing during a period that was cooler than today. As you say US, it takes a bit of time for our anthropogenically-forced high temps to cause glacier retreat. And if we wait around for a few decades they will retreat further and maybe will reveal some 100,000 year old tree stumps higher up the glacier – which would make CD's argument somewhat hollow.
"It's not good for them to think they can buy us. And it's not good for us to be the whore of the South Pacific. Time to give them their money back, revoke their residency and tell them politely but firmly that if they want to come in they can queue up like everyone else."
I would ask for 20 million and have a cap of 50 per year for the entry category. I would then use the money to build state homes. There might actually be a balance of rich person helping struggling person.
The Stuff comments are a bit disappointing. Nobody on either side of the debate there has mentioned the political power that accrues to people with significant wealth – through donations to political parties and networks of influence. And as such people are generally very conservative on economic policy despite being socially 'liberal', a large influx of them will make it harder for us to elect governments actually willing to make the decisions needed on CC, inequality, taxes, housing etc. The short-term sugar hit of their money is simply not worth their long-term pernicious ideological influence.
Yeah particularly that American conservative influence.
Years ago there was some good commentary on how things like the explosion of craft magazines were led by fundamentalist christians in the US publishing them to encourage women back into the home.
Some years later there were a couple of articles about a group of about 40 conservative US businessmen who felt they could shape New Zealand into the image of the country they wanted the US to be and who had started moving here cause you know the US was turning to hell. I've looked but can't find the article. It was around the same time as Sensible Sentencing trust changed their funding model from donations to ??.
Then there was the election year when it turned out several (5?) ACT candidates had to quickly get permanent residency/citizenship in order to stand (3 elections ago I think).
hey, some of my best friends are or have been whores.
None of them were avaricious sociopaths who powered their rocket trips to the edge of space with govt-subsidised staff who don't even get toilet breaks.
I spent the weekend with a mate who is near retirement age and is an Ambo. He spoke of 'resenting te reo being shoved down his throat'. Use of Aotearoa came up for being disliked too.
It ended up suggesting that he was a relic from a long past age and while his opinions were relevant, it was to fewer and fewer people.
Excellent report and its time the nay-sayers pulled their heads in and started to get with the programme. First off: GET VACCINATED. Follow all the requirement requests to keep NZ as safe as is possible. There are plenty of rocks ahead, and without the full cooperation of everybody we're going to end up in the same boat as New South Wales and elsewhere.
Stop reading screwed-up bile posted online and start listening to our top medical scientists who up there among the best in the world.
Anything less than that amounts to treason in my book and should be treated as such.
in terms of climate and ecology crises, we're better off with the borders closed and adapting around that. In terms of conservation, local economies, building resiliency, likewise.
Rushing the vaccination rollout to prematurely reopen the borders seems daft by comparison.
Helen Clark apparently said she doesn't expect resumption of international travel the way it was before covid to happen within her lifetime.
Then there's this, from your link,
"But then I think the second point that people should be aware of is there's still huge uncertainty at the moment and and there is still a significant risk that we may see a new variant that's even more transmissible than Delta that really puts these plans on hold and forces us to rethink what we do at the border."
We'd be better off debating the nuances. The idea that we will open borders BAU once we have everyone vaccinated isn't a given. So many unknowns, and this actually serves us. We should be planning our lives around uncertainty and building emotional security in other ways, because that's the climate change world we are in now.
It seems like a sensible report. Conceptually it pushes elimination back from being almost all about about cast-iron borders, to a diffuse combination of some border restrictions, vaccination and public health action in the community. And it was actually always blindingly obvious that this was the way forward.
But it won't be lauded by our local commentariat (ZB, Herald, business, Bishop etc.) as "a plan" or "a roadmap" in the way they did for Scomo's five blathering bullet points a few weeks back. That's because it doesn't say what they want to hear.
All in all the report is reasonable and sensible. Particularly around the staged opening of the border.
But it's a bit vague on what might be involved in "some localised elevation of alert levels".
Personally, after all of us that want vaccination have got it, I would find it quite unpalatable to have repeats of levels 3 and 4 with their restrictions on travel between regions, and requirements to keep withing bubbles.
For all the histrionics going around about forced vaccinations being a violation of the Bill of Rights (nobody is proposing forced vaccination), the travel restrictions and bubble requirements in level 3 and level 4 are actual violations of the Bill of Rights. Specifically, 16 Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, 17 Freedom of Association, and 18 Freedom of Movement.
Clearly over-riding these rights using section 70 of the Health Act was and is the right thing to do for as long as there are people among us that haven't yet had reasonable opportunity to get vaccination.
But the fact that the vaccine is safe, free, and very effective, means that once everyone that wants vaccination has received it, there won't be a public health emergency anymore that justifies use of section 70 across the entire population. At worst there might be a stupidity emergency among the unvaccinated, that justifies targeted applications of section 70.
edit: The actual document from the advisory group to the government is well worth reading in the original form.
!!This post isn't intended as treason!! Our people are good, but a little bit behind the really rapid changes in data.
Timestamp 31:13 through 35:40
Two experts + the one interpreting it ate stating we can't reach heard immunity with vaccines. Of course if you already think this is "screwed up bile" you probs won’t watch. Eventually it will be accepted our vaccine strategy needs to shift to early identification and effective treatment which I expect to occur before the end of the year (about the time it takes for information to filter through).
Two experts + the one interpreting it ate stating we can't reach heard immunity with vaccines.
lol, from the youtube link (I'll put the interesting bit in italics):
This video is intended for EDUCATIONAL and ENTERTAINMENT purposes ONLY and is NOT to be construed as LEGAL, FINANCIAL or MEDICAL ADVICE. Repeat: THIS IS NOT LEGAL, FINANCIAL or MEDICAL ADVICE. We are not legal, financial or medical experts. In case we lose our YouTube channel, be prepared to subscribe to us in other ways
As for not reaching herd immunity with vaccines, let's assume that you're correct. Just for the sake of it. Doesn't that just make vaccination just as important as it is now, just for a much longer term? E.g. influenza or tetanus, rather than smallpox?
You might need to explain why herd immunity being out of reach makes vaccination that much more important. Prob'ly best to do it s l o w l y with short simple words.
The health system needs to be prepared to manage Covid short and long term.
Individual responsibility for being vaccinated is probably all that can be done. Hopefully in the next 6 months there will be more reliable data on who ends up in hospital, the vaccinated or the unvaccinated.
Dr Sandhya Ramanathan started filming Covid-19 home-help videos last year. The aim was to inform her family members back in India, but the videos soon went viral.
“I felt extremely responsible, I always have. Even if I didn’t have family over there, I would have produced these videos,” she told 1 NEWS.
In the videos, Sandhya gives advice on prevention, how to keep your family safe and breathing exercises to try if you catch the virus.
The Ministry of Health did not offer any public advice whatsoever on how best to manage mild Covid at home last year (before the roll out of the vaccine) and the calm and reasoned advice given by this true doctor has been of enormous value and comfort for literally millions throughout the world.
Good to know when Delta finally makes it to these shores you'll now be able to to use your 'home medical management plan for mild covid', and won't need to come on again daily, complaining how the government isn't giving you enough free ppe
talk of borders reopening is very premature . was talking to my mechanic yesterday, owns a two person garage in small horowhenua town, and a conservative. said his business is flatout, as are the other garages in town. he made the comment that with five million in our waka, we have enough internal money and demand that we really dont need to import more people.I know that the roads are certainly very busy and there is no shortage of kiwis out and about ,spending and enjoying our country.
Not sure to whom you are responding there, but as a Labour member I like:
really high wages – great careers – exceptional public services and social security – and a high performing successful economy that shares wealth and innovation alike.
You can start to get that with long term really really low unemployment.
Try being a renter and then competing with an influx of people.
As a side issue a friend told me today that they think landlords who do not need to charge the market rental rates do so to pay off their mortgage quicker on the rental property.
In 1902, Churchill called China a "barbaric nation" and advocated for the "partition of China". He wrote:
I think we shall have to take the Chinese in hand and regulate them. I believe that as civilized nations become more powerful they will get more ruthless, and the time will come when the world will impatiently bear the existence of great barbaric nations who may at any time arm themselves and menace civilized nations. I believe in the ultimate partition of China – I mean ultimate. I hope we shall not have to do it in our day. The Aryan stock is bound to triumph.
In May 1954, Violet Bonham-Carter asked Churchill's opinion about a Labour Party visit to China. Winston Churchill replied:
I hate people with slit eyes and pigtails. I don't like the look of them or the smell of them – but I suppose it does no great harm to have a look at them.
We have Covid and its restrictions we have Climate Change requiring us to pull our strings in. Good time to start doing that right – Start learning to live within our environmental means … Start consolidating or down sizing . Start working with the people already here in NZ.
Leader of the opposition, Arnold Rimmer, is demanding Coronavirus be allowed into New Zealand in early 2022, revives "plan B":
ACT leader David Seymour wants border restrictions to begin easing at the start of next year, even if rates of vaccination aren't high enough.
"If we can't have risk proportional safe reopening, with antigen testing, rapid testing, with good contact tracing and isolation – if all of that requires vaccination and if vaccination doesn't work then we're isolated forever, so clearly we have to have a plan B from vaccination being the endgame. And if we're not prepared to do it at the start of next year, then when are we prepared to do it?"
Just imagine if this clown had been anywhere near power when the pandemic struck. We'd have bodies in the streets.
I agree with him. NZ can't remain closed forever. By the end of this year, everyone that wants to be vaccinated should be vaccinated (hopefully that's at least 80% but I tend to think it may end up being less). This will give us as close to herd immunity that we will ever get. Yes vaccinated people will get the virus, but since they are vaccinated the symptoms should be far less. Those that choose not to be vaccinated will be the most at risk but that is up to them.
At the moment, it's only authorised for 16 and over. Medsafe have recommended it be authorised for 12 and over as it is in the US, but our government haven't yet made a decision.
Pfizer apparently expect to submit data for extending the authorisation to 5 – 11 year olds, expected in September, and a little bit later in the year for over 2.
If we add those age groups into our vax schedule, that will likely extend the rollout into early next year, so likely March or April or so before it can fairly be said that everyone that wants vaccination has had a reasonable opportunity to get fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated meaning 2 weeks after the second dose.
edit: There’s also data suggesting better long term immunity results from extending the gap from first to second jab out to eight weeks. If that’s adopted, it will also push the date out a bit further.
Thanks Andre, all those points are helpful for thinking about when every NZer who chooses to get vaccinated will be protected against Covid.
I'll be pleasantly surprised if vaccine coverage plateaus above 80% of NZers being protected against serious illness and/or death due to Covid-19 infection. Hope it doesn't take more NZ deaths to persuade at least some of the hesitant to get the protection that vaccination provides. The risk is real – just look across the ditch – 35 more tragic Covid-attributed deaths in Australia over the last 30 days.
March/April is also good because it gives the MoH another month or so to do more promotion and access. People will be distracted in December and January, end of year is a shit time to trial border opening of the goal is to prevent community transmission.
Here's the real news: there is growing evidence that — for whatever reason (higher viral loads, something different about how the virus is handled by less mature immune systems, or something else), children infected by the Delta variant may develop a more severe form of the disease compared to illness caused by other forms of the virus.
Go onto the cdc tracker linked in the first tweet, and look at the region by region data by age group. Virtual chocolate fish for anyone who correctly guesses which regions have had that sudden recent spike of covid in kids, and which ones haven't.
Despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread, some states have reduced the frequency of their coronavirus data updates or stopped reporting deaths and cases entirely over the last month.
According to research from USAFacts, eight states have changed their COVID-19 data reporting as of Aug. 3.
Except for those that can't get vaccinated, children, babies, those with immuno issues, so fuck them? It's really not that black and white. We can open up, eventually, but with quarantine etc.
Immunocompromised can safely get the Pfizer vaccine. It's just unlikely to do them much good, because, well, immunocompromised means their immune systems aren't working well or not at all. So yeah, they will still mostly be dependent on the rest of us getting vaccinated for community immunity.
The only real contraindication I'm aware of is for those at risk of allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the vaccine. Dunno if the plan is to get in small quantities of one of the other vaccines for them, but I certainly hope something like that is underway.
There's also a note that young males should be especially alert to symptoms of myocarditis after vaccination. The evidence seems to be that in the very rare cases that do get myocarditis they recover quickly with no lasting effects, but it's still better to get properly diagnosed and treated.
It's reasonably likely that children down to the age of two will have the vaccine authorised for them by the end of the year.
I understand NZ only has 300 ICU beds and most of them are allocated for non Covid cases. There is always the risk of health rationing were Covid to take hold.
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Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that “New Zealand’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful”. They also believe that “New Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful”. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australia’s inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and it’s now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
Pōneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealand’s complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the Rákóczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).Sándor Hegedűs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesn’t really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didn’t really want to, because of a war they didn’t ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the public’s democratic right to have “a fair say” and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard – in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
I’m on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener you’re likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
“Never again - No AUKUS” was the message of the wreath laid at this morning’s national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now she’s very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice – both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high school’s head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble.Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhire’s 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.My World War I Poem Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging. Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihan’s gorgeous and sad debut Kōhine, Noelle McCarthy’s memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend Ngāhuia te ...
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I have seen reports that the latest IPCC report says that the last decade is the warmest in the last 100,000 year , to 125,000 years.
As the glaciers melt in this unprecedented warming, they leave behind interesting debris, most notably the stumps of old trees.
Carbon dating pegs them with ages ranging from 3000 to 8000 years old, depending on the particular glacier, scattered over the globe
How can that be if now is the warmest in the last 100,000 years…….
For a forest to have grown there it must have been warmer, cause last time I checked, forests don't grow under glaciers
Guess you would have to call those tree stumps inconvenient facts…..
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
I don't allow climate change denial under my posts. I've moved your comment to Open Mike so others can pull it apart if they want to without derailing my post.
It would help if you said what trees you are talking about (i.e. where). Then we can address the climate conditions of that area in an evidence based way. We also will know that you're not making shit up or generalising madly.
Denial is a rational response in the face of overwhelming bad news. Why anyone would bother trying to pick that^ apart at this stage is beyond me. Clutching at straws.
Hope your cognitive dissonance clears up in time for you to be a useful member of todays climate threatened society.
the only value I see in picking it apart is that it shows readers the flaws in the arguments and helps them to be able to spot the bullshit still coming out of corporate denial machines. Maybe also helps people sitting on the fence.
But yeah, tend to agree it's not the best use of time, and this is why I don't allow it under my posts.
"Denial is a rational response in the face of overwhelming bad news."
It can be, but in the case of climate change denial the overwhelming majority derives from deliberate action by people with a financial interest in continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Provide a link to your source of information, then we can look at it. If you "have seen reports", you should be able to say exactly where they were.
A short bit of google shows where these assertions came from – they are on established climate-change-denial websites (I won't link).
Looking at the source material I could find (relating to Iceland) – seems these stumps are there because of a cycle of glacier retreat / growth (involving 0.5C temperature change or so) that occurred since the last ice age. Nothing unusual about that, and certainly says nothing about current warming predicament, where we seem to be heading to 2+ C increases.
…Looking at CD's comment
"How can that be if now is the warmest in the last 100,000 years……."
The earth is rapidly warming now, and it takes time for glaciers to retreat and forests to grow. So it is completely possible for the climate to currently be warmer than during the Holocene climatic optimum, which lasted thousands of years and was when those trees that ended up under glaciers grew.
"Inconvenient facts"- I don't think so.
Yep – it's quite possible for these trees to have been growing during a period that was cooler than today. As you say US, it takes a bit of time for our anthropogenically-forced high temps to cause glacier retreat. And if we wait around for a few decades they will retreat further and maybe will reveal some 100,000 year old tree stumps higher up the glacier – which would make CD's argument somewhat hollow.
"It's not good for them to think they can buy us. And it's not good for us to be the whore of the South Pacific. Time to give them their money back, revoke their residency and tell them politely but firmly that if they want to come in they can queue up like everyone else."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/126023257/dont-pander-to-those-who-put-themselves-in-prison
All the indications are we are indeed a 10 million dollar whore.
I would ask for 20 million and have a cap of 50 per year for the entry category. I would then use the money to build state homes. There might actually be a balance of rich person helping struggling person.
The Stuff comments are a bit disappointing. Nobody on either side of the debate there has mentioned the political power that accrues to people with significant wealth – through donations to political parties and networks of influence. And as such people are generally very conservative on economic policy despite being socially 'liberal', a large influx of them will make it harder for us to elect governments actually willing to make the decisions needed on CC, inequality, taxes, housing etc. The short-term sugar hit of their money is simply not worth their long-term pernicious ideological influence.
Political influence could partly be sorted out by having all party donations declared, the donor named and loopholes closed.
Though, oddly enough, the major parties don't seem too fussed about that.
Nailed it AB. We don't need any more rich entitled opinionated antisocial… I'll stop there, but there's plenty more adjectives where that came from.
Yeah particularly that American conservative influence.
Years ago there was some good commentary on how things like the explosion of craft magazines were led by fundamentalist christians in the US publishing them to encourage women back into the home.
Some years later there were a couple of articles about a group of about 40 conservative US businessmen who felt they could shape New Zealand into the image of the country they wanted the US to be and who had started moving here cause you know the US was turning to hell. I've looked but can't find the article. It was around the same time as Sensible Sentencing trust changed their funding model from donations to ??.
Then there was the election year when it turned out several (5?) ACT candidates had to quickly get permanent residency/citizenship in order to stand (3 elections ago I think).
Ahhh making New Zealand in their own image….
hey, some of my best friends are or have been whores.
None of them were avaricious sociopaths who powered their rocket trips to the edge of space with govt-subsidised staff who don't even get toilet breaks.
Some of your best friends….was one of them the NZ Gov?
I went to Otago, so there might be a couple of govt folks who think I'm a bit of a dick.
Mercury Energy (10/08/2021): Not fair, it's not our fault!
Mercury Energy (11/08/2021): Here's a million in compensation to prove it's not our fault!
Making amends is a deterent to prevent a reoccurence.
I applaud making of amends. It will just come off our shares though. Corporations only want to be seen to be responsible. PR, not humanity.
I didn't think about the shares dividend.
There would be stuff people do not know about their energy provider, just the best rate to be on, basic charges.
Sounds to me like it was Transpower that was at fault not Genesis, Mercury or any of the others.
Heat goes on Transpower after Wel Networks reveals grid operator made huge error | Stuff.co.nz
I have been impressed with TJ Perenara as a player and lately with his off the field efforts.
https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/300379943/tj-perenara-seeks-answers-after-insulting-comments-by-hurricanes-board-member
I spent the weekend with a mate who is near retirement age and is an Ambo. He spoke of 'resenting te reo being shoved down his throat'. Use of Aotearoa came up for being disliked too.
It ended up suggesting that he was a relic from a long past age and while his opinions were relevant, it was to fewer and fewer people.
This Bowker rooster falls into the same category.
Then there is this from Newshub with an example of how not to win friends and influence people
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2021/08/hurricanes-star-tj-perenara-blasts-team-s-part-owner-troy-bowker-for-m-ori-loving-agenda-comments.html
I wonder how you fire a part owner. This ancient relic is not doing much good for the brand as well as offending large numbers of people.
His ignorance seems to be boundless……I really cannot get over his ignorance in taking on Sir Ian Taylor who has never struck me as 'some radical'.
So often that ignorance is found in those who are affluent.
a boof head type statement from Bowker. 25 years haven't made much difference in that respect it seems.
It may have already been discussed on this site:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/448932/full-vaccine-rollout-required-to-start-opening-border-report-says
Excellent report and its time the nay-sayers pulled their heads in and started to get with the programme. First off: GET VACCINATED. Follow all the requirement requests to keep NZ as safe as is possible. There are plenty of rocks ahead, and without the full cooperation of everybody we're going to end up in the same boat as New South Wales and elsewhere.
Stop reading screwed-up bile posted online and start listening to our top medical scientists who up there among the best in the world.
Anything less than that amounts to treason in my book and should be treated as such.
in terms of climate and ecology crises, we're better off with the borders closed and adapting around that. In terms of conservation, local economies, building resiliency, likewise.
Rushing the vaccination rollout to prematurely reopen the borders seems daft by comparison.
Helen Clark apparently said she doesn't expect resumption of international travel the way it was before covid to happen within her lifetime.
Then there's this, from your link,
We'd be better off debating the nuances. The idea that we will open borders BAU once we have everyone vaccinated isn't a given. So many unknowns, and this actually serves us. We should be planning our lives around uncertainty and building emotional security in other ways, because that's the climate change world we are in now.
It seems like a sensible report. Conceptually it pushes elimination back from being almost all about about cast-iron borders, to a diffuse combination of some border restrictions, vaccination and public health action in the community. And it was actually always blindingly obvious that this was the way forward.
But it won't be lauded by our local commentariat (ZB, Herald, business, Bishop etc.) as "a plan" or "a roadmap" in the way they did for Scomo's five blathering bullet points a few weeks back. That's because it doesn't say what they want to hear.
Anything less than that amounts to treason in my book and should be treated as such.
Are you polishing off your needles a la tricoteuse?
All in all the report is reasonable and sensible. Particularly around the staged opening of the border.
But it's a bit vague on what might be involved in "some localised elevation of alert levels".
Personally, after all of us that want vaccination have got it, I would find it quite unpalatable to have repeats of levels 3 and 4 with their restrictions on travel between regions, and requirements to keep withing bubbles.
For all the histrionics going around about forced vaccinations being a violation of the Bill of Rights (nobody is proposing forced vaccination), the travel restrictions and bubble requirements in level 3 and level 4 are actual violations of the Bill of Rights. Specifically, 16 Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, 17 Freedom of Association, and 18 Freedom of Movement.
Clearly over-riding these rights using section 70 of the Health Act was and is the right thing to do for as long as there are people among us that haven't yet had reasonable opportunity to get vaccination.
But the fact that the vaccine is safe, free, and very effective, means that once everyone that wants vaccination has received it, there won't be a public health emergency anymore that justifies use of section 70 across the entire population. At worst there might be a stupidity emergency among the unvaccinated, that justifies targeted applications of section 70.
edit: The actual document from the advisory group to the government is well worth reading in the original form.
https://www.scribd.com/document/519645361/Embargoed-Skegg-Advice#fullscreen&from_embed
Grateful Andre. I will read the document as soon as I can.
Thanks for all the info. you provide us on a daily basis. I've come to rely on it for my own edification.
!!This post isn't intended as treason!! Our people are good, but a little bit behind the really rapid changes in data.
Timestamp 31:13 through 35:40
Two experts + the one interpreting it ate stating we can't reach heard immunity with vaccines. Of course if you already think this is "screwed up bile" you probs won’t watch. Eventually it will be accepted our vaccine strategy needs to shift to early identification and effective treatment which I expect to occur before the end of the year (about the time it takes for information to filter through).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVBD_LZIlZ4
lol, from the youtube link (I'll put the interesting bit in italics):
As for not reaching herd immunity with vaccines, let's assume that you're correct. Just for the sake of it. Doesn't that just make vaccination just as important as it is now, just for a much longer term? E.g. influenza or tetanus, rather than smallpox?
You might need to explain why herd immunity being out of reach makes vaccination that much more important. Prob'ly best to do it s l o w l y with short simple words.
The health system needs to be prepared to manage Covid short and long term.
Individual responsibility for being vaccinated is probably all that can be done. Hopefully in the next 6 months there will be more reliable data on who ends up in hospital, the vaccinated or the unvaccinated.
The "reliable" data is already available Treetop. It's the unvaccinated who largely fill the intensive care units.
That is how I also see it now and down the track.
It wasn't all criticism and mockery at the Royal NZ College of GP's conference in Wellington last week.
Awards were given to Kiwi doctors who had gone the extra mile to provide care to their communities over the past year, and I was very pleased to see Dr. Sandhya Ramanathan was appropriately recognised.
Dr Sandhya Ramanathan started filming Covid-19 home-help videos last year. The aim was to inform her family members back in India, but the videos soon went viral.
“I felt extremely responsible, I always have. Even if I didn’t have family over there, I would have produced these videos,” she told 1 NEWS.
In the videos, Sandhya gives advice on prevention, how to keep your family safe and breathing exercises to try if you catch the virus.
The Ministry of Health did not offer any public advice whatsoever on how best to manage mild Covid at home last year (before the roll out of the vaccine) and the calm and reasoned advice given by this true doctor has been of enormous value and comfort for literally millions throughout the world.
Namaste, Dr Sandhya, and thank you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZoBb-ngk5k&t=20s
Good to know when Delta finally makes it to these shores you'll now be able to to use your 'home medical management plan for mild covid', and won't need to come on again daily, complaining how the government isn't giving you enough free ppe
Please don’t. Express your personal opinion but not directed at other commenters in a nasty way.
Sure
thank-you 🙏
talk of borders reopening is very premature . was talking to my mechanic yesterday, owns a two person garage in small horowhenua town, and a conservative. said his business is flatout, as are the other garages in town. he made the comment that with five million in our waka, we have enough internal money and demand that we really dont need to import more people.I know that the roads are certainly very busy and there is no shortage of kiwis out and about ,spending and enjoying our country.
Who does NZ really need here?
You are clearly not in a company needing workers.
Even applicants per job advertisement have dropped sharply.
Thought you all liked the vagaries of supply and demand.
Not sure to whom you are responding there, but as a Labour member I like:
really high wages – great careers – exceptional public services and social security – and a high performing successful economy that shares wealth and innovation alike.
You can start to get that with long term really really low unemployment.
But you want more foreign workers, they gaurentee lower wages.
Who does?
Your comment at 7.1.1 made it sound like you do .
Try being a renter and then competing with an influx of people.
As a side issue a friend told me today that they think landlords who do not need to charge the market rental rates do so to pay off their mortgage quicker on the rental property.
Paying off your mortgage quickly is indeed a good thing. Fully agree.
Is the word, "disgusted" overused by right wing populist politicians? And the word, "actually" for that matter.
Computer says yes:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/do-they-want-stalin-up-there-judith-collins-lashes-out-at-greens-for-ditching-churchill/TH2ARIOS3I7T2Y3OUWEX6ZXRN4/
It is hard to recall a day when Judith Collins has not said, "disgusted, actually", actually.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_views_of_Winston_Churchill
We have Covid and its restrictions we have Climate Change requiring us to pull our strings in. Good time to start doing that right – Start learning to live within our environmental means … Start consolidating or down sizing . Start working with the people already here in NZ.
Leader of the opposition, Arnold Rimmer, is demanding Coronavirus be allowed into New Zealand in early 2022, revives "plan B":
Just imagine if this clown had been anywhere near power when the pandemic struck. We'd have bodies in the streets.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/448957/act-leader-wants-border-restrictions-eased-at-start-of-2022
I agree with him. NZ can't remain closed forever. By the end of this year, everyone that wants to be vaccinated should be vaccinated (hopefully that's at least 80% but I tend to think it may end up being less). This will give us as close to herd immunity that we will ever get. Yes vaccinated people will get the virus, but since they are vaccinated the symptoms should be far less. Those that choose not to be vaccinated will be the most at risk but that is up to them.
At the moment, it's only authorised for 16 and over. Medsafe have recommended it be authorised for 12 and over as it is in the US, but our government haven't yet made a decision.
Pfizer apparently expect to submit data for extending the authorisation to 5 – 11 year olds, expected in September, and a little bit later in the year for over 2.
If we add those age groups into our vax schedule, that will likely extend the rollout into early next year, so likely March or April or so before it can fairly be said that everyone that wants vaccination has had a reasonable opportunity to get fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated meaning 2 weeks after the second dose.
edit: There’s also data suggesting better long term immunity results from extending the gap from first to second jab out to eight weeks. If that’s adopted, it will also push the date out a bit further.
Thanks Andre, all those points are helpful for thinking about when every NZer who chooses to get vaccinated will be protected against Covid.
I'll be pleasantly surprised if vaccine coverage plateaus above 80% of NZers being protected against serious illness and/or death due to Covid-19 infection. Hope it doesn't take more NZ deaths to persuade at least some of the hesitant to get the protection that vaccination provides. The risk is real – just look across the ditch – 35 more tragic Covid-attributed deaths in Australia over the last 30 days.
Again I raise a glass to everyone involved in the covid response, including a second glass for everyone in MIQ.
Outstanding work at keeping us safe, and under greater pressure now than ever.
March/April is also good because it gives the MoH another month or so to do more promotion and access. People will be distracted in December and January, end of year is a shit time to trial border opening of the goal is to prevent community transmission.
Meanwhile, US pediatric hospitalisations are at an all time high.
https://twitter.com/juliaraifman/status/1424077820838436870
https://twitter.com/JohnBerman/status/1425063214132437011
Here's the real news: there is growing evidence that — for whatever reason (higher viral loads, something different about how the virus is handled by less mature immune systems, or something else), children infected by the Delta variant may develop a more severe form of the disease compared to illness caused by other forms of the virus.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/02/opinions/worrisome-thing-about-delta-variant-sepkowitz/index.html
Go onto the cdc tracker linked in the first tweet, and look at the region by region data by age group. Virtual chocolate fish for anyone who correctly guesses which regions have had that sudden recent spike of covid in kids, and which ones haven't.
Surprise surprise..
https://twitter.com/VanityFair/status/1424875475546120193
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1425155135370502147
https://twitter.com/Cleavon_MD
For joe90 and aj
Latest tool in the fight – can't see me now.
https://twitter.com/TedGenoways/status/1424566606588436485
Despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread, some states have reduced the frequency of their coronavirus data updates or stopped reporting deaths and cases entirely over the last month.
According to research from USAFacts, eight states have changed their COVID-19 data reporting as of Aug. 3.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2021-08-05/states-slow-covid-19-data-reporting-as-delta-variant-spreads
Like Thatcher stopping measurement of unemployment or the Nats refusing to measure poverty.
We kind of can, Jimmy.
In theory, yes. But I suspect the vaccinated majority of us would find the idea quite unpalatable.
I wouldn't bet on it.
Except for those that can't get vaccinated, children, babies, those with immuno issues, so fuck them? It's really not that black and white. We can open up, eventually, but with quarantine etc.
Immunocompromised can safely get the Pfizer vaccine. It's just unlikely to do them much good, because, well, immunocompromised means their immune systems aren't working well or not at all. So yeah, they will still mostly be dependent on the rest of us getting vaccinated for community immunity.
The only real contraindication I'm aware of is for those at risk of allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in the vaccine. Dunno if the plan is to get in small quantities of one of the other vaccines for them, but I certainly hope something like that is underway.
There's also a note that young males should be especially alert to symptoms of myocarditis after vaccination. The evidence seems to be that in the very rare cases that do get myocarditis they recover quickly with no lasting effects, but it's still better to get properly diagnosed and treated.
It's reasonably likely that children down to the age of two will have the vaccine authorised for them by the end of the year.
I understand NZ only has 300 ICU beds and most of them are allocated for non Covid cases. There is always the risk of health rationing were Covid to take hold.