Open mike 11/10/2022

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 11th, 2022 - 123 comments
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123 comments on “Open mike 11/10/2022 ”

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  1. weston 1
    11 October 2022 at 6:56 am



    You couldnt make this shit up !! It just goes to show how dumbed down populations have become courtesy of their media , did they think there would be no retaliation ??

    • Adrian Thornton 1.1
      11 October 2022 at 7:55 am

      Yeah, like people whom you think are half smart seriously informing you that the Russians are shelling the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant…that they control!…sabotaged their own (just completed) Nord stream infrastructure…and now would have you believe that there is some sort of mystery around who struck the Crimea bridge….if nothing else I guess it does prove that good old fashioned propaganda still works a treat.

      Notice how the number civilians killed was never mentioned in the western coverage of the Crimea bridge attack….some lives are more worthy than others it would seem…luckily we have the BBC, The Guardian and RNZ there to tell us which ones they are.

      • Tony Veitch 1.1.2
        11 October 2022 at 9:19 am

        Adrian, I'd be interested in your take on a leader who labels an attack on a legitimate military target as a 'terrorist' attack, and then sends missiles into apartment blocks at 2am.

      • Sanctuary 1.1.3
        11 October 2022 at 10:57 am

        "…Notice how the number civilians killed was never mentioned in the western coverage of the Crimea bridge attack…"

        Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have died so far in this war. Don't come here and all of a sudden whine about civilian losses your Kremlin toad.

        • Adrian Thornton 1.1.3.1
          11 October 2022 at 12:36 pm

          "whine about civilian losses"….man you are one sick individual…I was just pointing out how MSM propaganda projects the worthiness on one life over another depending on which way they are directing their propaganda….of course that simple logic wouldn't resonate with you.

          • Stuart Munro 1.1.3.1.1
            11 October 2022 at 1:40 pm

            I was just pointing out

            You were pushing the proPutin material that constitutes your characteristic response to absolutely anything. You are a little too far down the apologist slippery slope to be casting aspersions.

            • Adrian Thornton 1.1.3.1.1.1
              11 October 2022 at 2:48 pm

              "You were pushing the proPutin material"…exactly where did I do that?…please do copy and paste a line or two from my comments today and show us all the outragous “proPutin material” you speak of…

              • Stuart Munro …
                11 October 2022 at 3:05 pm

                You were congratulating Weston on his pro-Putin find, of a clip criticizing Ukrainians for celebrating the destruction of the Kerch Strait Bridge, and then you went on to single out the three civilian casualties of that attack as examples of the inhumanity of Ukrainians, while your Fuhrer was busy conducting this mass bombardment of civilian targets, to which you gave your silent assent.

                Non-stop repetition of Putin's talking points and endorsements of his atrocities is about as progressive as Pol Pot. Have you no shame?

      • Jenny are we there yet 1.1.4
        11 October 2022 at 11:39 am

        Who would benefit most from the destruction and melt down of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant?

        All the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been of the sub-station and feeder lines to the Ukraine Grid.

        The targeting of the Ukrainian electicity supply is also a feature of Russia's latest missile attacks on Ukraine cities. Not just apartment buildings were targeted by Russian missiles but so were sub-stations and power lines.
        One of the side effects of this targetting of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant’s connection to the Ukraine power grid, is that in the event of a power outage or even a maintenance shutdown, power is fed back into the plant from the grid to keep the reactor cooling pumps working.
        Without this connection to the grid the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is reliant on diesel powered generators to keep the cooling pumps going. These pumps have a limited supply of diesel on site. And under war time conditions and Russian occupation have very little chance of being topped up.
        These factors make the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant much more vulnerable to melt down.

        Genocide is in the toolbox of every imperialist.

        The shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant also lines up with Putin's nuclear threat. With the added benefit of deniability. The perpetrators of nuclear genocide, just like the perpetrators of other genocides like to be able to deny it. Hitler himself secretly awarded medals to the administrators of the Holocaust promising them that their crimes would be kept secret. Hitler never expected that one day his empire would be cracked right open to expose its inner workings to the world.

      • mpledger 1.1.5
        11 October 2022 at 1:29 pm

        Yes, I was upset when I saw the bridge explosion and saw their was a truck on the bridge that took the full blast. Ukraine is to blame for that attack that killed that life (as a best guess it was Ukraine). However, who put Ukraine in a position that they had to defend their own territory? If you don't accept that it is morally allowable to be able to defend you're own territory then you just let people who choose to be immoral win.

        You can't pretend that Putin is doing this for any noble cause.

        • Adrian Thornton 1.1.5.1
          11 October 2022 at 2:40 pm

          I didn't say or even imply anything you said in the later part of your comment…I only pointed out the way MSM..BBC, The Guardian, RNZ etc choose the civilians that they deem worthy of feeling empathy for and the civilian lives which they don't.

          And it is not just in this war I might add…look at the news cycle on BBC/RNZ today, the Venezuela landslides don't even make the front page..36 swept away to their deaths, dozens missing….or the recent monsoon rains that triggered the most severe flooding in Pakistan’s recent history, washing away whole villages..1700+ dead, leaving the entire country on the brink of starvation, the coverage lasted a few days at best, no updates…nothing….

          ..now contrast that coverage with the storm that battered the US from couple of weeks ago…we got first hand accounts and actual names to the faces from some those affected, daily (almost hourly) updates….yep when it comes to MSM media, there are lives that we are meant to care about and those that don't…especially not Brown, Black, Yellow lives and as it has become obvious..the civilians of any enemy of the West.

          • Stuart Munro 1.1.5.1.1
            12 October 2022 at 7:25 pm

            I only pointed out the way MSM..BBC, The Guardian, RNZ etc choose the civilians that they deem worthy of feeling empathy for and the civilian lives which they don't.

            And if you were not the faithful mirror image of that partisanship you might have a point. But you are, so you don't.

            The evidence thus far suggests that you don’t in fact know how the MSM makes such decisions, or why. Which is in part how you are able to maintain your delusion of false equivalence between Putin’s propaganda, which is made out of whole cloth, and journalism, which, though it is imperfect, is not founded upon lies.

    • Stuart Munro 1.2
      11 October 2022 at 9:03 am

      Why shouldn't they celebrate the humiliation of a monstrous enemy – the genocidal despot that has killed thousands of their people?

      A small country under the jackboot of a fascist superpower celebrates the victories it can – Snake Island, and the Kerch Bridge.

      • Sanctuary 1.2.1
        11 October 2022 at 10:50 am

        Anyone else noticed an uptick in Kremlin propaganda since the Russian defeats in the Ukraine? Quite desperate stuff from the fascist fellow travellers who hitched their stars to Putin' s wagon and who are now discovering what they thought was a sure thing is turning out to be anything but. Their salty tears are so delicious I'd gladly slurp them from their faces with my large and raspy tongue.

        I would suggest Putins's craven fools spend a bit more time with an atlas. The Russian army is a railway army. All the rail links in this region run North to South. The main rail supply lines to the Russian forces in the Donbas used to run from Urozovo in Russia to the critical major rail marshalling yards in Kupyansk and this hub fed the entire Donbas – Severodontensk, Donetsk, Horlivka, and Luhansk all rely on this line. That is why the Ukrainian capture of Kupyansk was such a big deal – it severed the main supply route for the entire Russian grouping of forces in the Donbas. The Russians now rely on the main highway network hub based on Starobilisk to supply their forces, which is why you are seeing them impressing all sorts of civilian vans and pickups for road re-supply. If the Starobilisk road links can be brought under observed fire then it's all over for the Russians in the Donbas – they'll have to retreat back into Russia for supplies.

        Now, the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are supplied via the rail link that runs northwards from Rostov parallel to the border with the Ukraine to Voronezh (it also runs eastwards to Volgograd but this is strategically unimportant for now). From the Ukrainian border this rail link is in easy HIMARS range and also very vulnerable to commando raids on choke points. Therefore a complete Russian defeat in the Donbas and a retreat into Russia proper imperils the entire Russian logistics position from Kherson to Voronezh.

        Now, From Rostov the line also runs over the Crimea bridge to supply Sevastopol and thence to the Russian group of forces in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. So now you can see why the Kerch bridge is a legtimate military target. It is THE critical logistics link back to Russia via Rostov and Voronezh. The Russians are aware of this so are really, really sensitive to the obviousness of approaching defeat if their rail links get broken by attacks anywhere south of Voronezh. Already there are early reports of fuel and ammunition shortages in the Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Personally, I hope the Ukrainians take down the illegally contructed bridge for good with some US supplied ATACMS missiles and take out the rail supply route to Russia for good.

        • Jenny are we there yet 1.2.1.1
          11 October 2022 at 12:21 pm

          ‘
          "The Russian army is a railway army." Sanctuary

          Since the American Civil War, railways have been a vital part of modern warfare.

          As guns got bigger they could no longer be towed by horses. This was amplified with the invention of the battle tank. Heavy and slow moving tanks can not be brought from the rear to the front in any reasonable time without rail. Admittedly freight trucks can manage some heavy military equipment, but are limited in size and weight and capacity.

          As armies got bigger with numbers of soldiers in the field measured in the hundreds of thousands, even millions, they could not be supplied by wagons. (or even trucks).

          As guns became mechanised their rapid rate of fire consumed ammunition at a phenomenal rate, a rate of consumption that could only be resupplied by heavy freight.
          Without a reliable rail connection the Russian military in Kherson have been dealt a deadly blow.

          “Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.” General Omar Bradley

          The attack on the Kerch road/rail bridge supplying and connecting the Russian occupied Ukrainian territory of Crimea to Russia, is a major set back to the Russian war effort, and is a legitimate military target.

          The Russian Federation revenge attacks on civilian infrastructure is not.

          Calvary, (or its modern equivalent, air power) do not win wars, feet on the ground do.

          Without being able to supply their front line soldiers Russia’s defeat in Ukraine is guaranteed. It’s only a matter of time.

        • Adrian Thornton 1.2.1.2
          11 October 2022 at 2:46 pm

          "Their salty tears are so delicious I'd gladly slurp them from their faces with my large and raspy tongue"…..and that would suit you perfectly…being such a willing a lap dog of Western Imperialism and all.

          • Jenny are we there yet 1.2.1.2.1
            11 October 2022 at 5:05 pm

            '

            "…being such a willing a lap dog of Western Imperialism and all." Adrian Thornton

            That's rich coming from you Adrian. …being such a willing a lap dog of Russian Imperialism and all.

            .

    • Jenny are we there yet 1.3
      11 October 2022 at 11:19 am

      Hi Weston, watched the YouTube video contained in your link.

      The voice over, condemns Ukraine citizens "gloating" over the attack on the Kherson Bridge, which also killed two unfortunate civilian Russian YouTube bloggers caught in the blast. But then goes hypocritically goes on to gloat at the Russian revenge attacks on civilian centres in Ukraine, that deliberately targeted and killed many more civilians, than that.

      John Minto has an excellent post over at the Daily Blog today that skewers the pro-Russian hypocrites for their support for the annexation of Ukrainian territory, linking it to the West's hypocrisy over the annexation of Palestine territory.

      Time to treat annexation by Israel the same as we do with Russia

      By John Minto

      October 11, 2022

      https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/10/11/time-to-treat-annexation-by-israel-the-same-as-we-do-with-russia/

      It has been refreshing to see the government stand firmly against the Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine…..

      I have argued that the defeat of Russian Imperialism will weaken Imperialism everywhere. It will do this in a number of ways.

      Exposing the hypocrisy of the global Imperialist rivals, openly criticising the crimes of of each other but silent on their own crimes.

      The humbling of Russia by the people of Ukraine will remind us that as murderous and genocidal and hypocritical as all imperialist powers are. Imperialism is not all powerful.

      America learnt this lesson in Vietnam. The USSR learnt this lesson in Afghanistan. The Americans learnt this lesson in Afghanistan.

      And the Russians are about to learnt the very same lesson in Ukraine.

      Imperialist colonial conquest and imperial global rivalry and war are so last century. Or at least should be.

      Russia's defeat will be an encouragement to all progressive Left anti-imperialists the globe over.

      Slava Ukraine – Free Palestine

      • Molly 2.2.1
        11 October 2022 at 9:57 am

        For the interested:

        Detrans subreddit at 14 June 2022: 33.6K members

        Last update on 17 June 2022: 34.2K members

        As at 11 October 2022: 40.2K members

      • Sabine 2.2.2
        11 October 2022 at 10:34 am

        That is what happens when biology is considered bigotry. You can't actually teach reality when fantasy is what is pushed.

        So yeah, they can get those tits back, but not without pain, cost and misery. And i am very sure that wile medicaid/ medicare in the US will pay for removal of the breast, they will not pay for reconstructive surgery. Not sure if ACC here in NZ would pay for reconstructive surgery should a de-transitioner claim ' children can not consent to surgeries intended to desex them'. Which i am hoping will come sooner then later.

        Might have to go dig and find a few accounts on twitter that are currently undergoing the fights with insurance etc to cover medical de-transitioning.

        Never mind the boys who are castrated for ever. Or those that ended up having nullification surgery as what ever was done in the bottom surgeries failed. They ain't ever going to have that back, and while i have little patience with adults (although mental illness should be considered when pushing them on that path), kids can not consent to castration, sterility, being without any sexual function, and a lifetime of medicalization cause you just got your gonads cut of or your ovaries removed.

        This neo – religion of the gendered soul and the rush to irreversible body modification is the cruelest cult of them all. You can check in, but you will never check out.

        • weka 2.2.2.1
          11 October 2022 at 10:40 am

          Spot on Sabine.

          That video the other day of the woman saying it's up to children to decide with the surgeons, she said this in the context of PBs and micropenises. When told they're locked into the micropenis, she said they probably want that. As if a mentally distressed 13 year old can give informed consent.

        • weka 2.2.2.2
          11 October 2022 at 10:42 am

          and please keep laying out the physical realities of the surgeries and meds. Reading that stuff is not for the fainthearted. I don't know how progressives can look at the evidence and ignore the horror of it, so I'm going to assume many are in lala land and don't understand what the surgeries involve or what the outcomes can be like.

          • Sabine 2.2.2.2.1
            11 October 2022 at 11:10 am

            I truly believe that many just want to be kind. And that kindness was taken hostage and now it is very hard to walk away from it as the damage to many was done.

            But what we are creating are eunuchs, male and female ones. And once these kids grow up and fully understand the damage and the permanent nature of that damage issues will arise.

            I hope that saner heads will prevail, but i don't have any hope to be honest.

            • weka 2.2.2.2.1.1
              11 October 2022 at 11:26 am

              I agree about the kindness thing.

              Eunuchs now being represented by WPATH as trans and continued ignoring of detrans people is not a coincidence

              • Sabine …
                11 October 2022 at 11:33 am

                Well they have too. All of them that go through with the removal of secondary sex organs and primary reproductive organs and re-assignment surgery will be a eunuch. Every single one of them.

                What i am afraid is in the near future when these people realise they are now infertile and want kids. Who will have to provide them with a 'birthing enabled body' in order to gestate the children they can no longer father/incubate themselves?

                Will 'birthing body' become a job? Will people be forced into that job on the grounds of sanctions and removal of benefits?

          • Molly 2.2.2.2.2
            11 October 2022 at 12:32 pm

            Ritchie's recent thread with link to pro-surgery data here:

            https://twitter.com/TullipR/status/1578872772729896960?s=20&t=w4Fup4jZypONn173ONZ45w

      • Anker 2.2.3
        11 October 2022 at 10:42 am

        https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/980899?src=MKM_transgender_health_YYMMD_MSCMRK&uac=427125AX&impID=4725169&fbclid=IwAR0xlYFZY7dj-RPeRzKFmzXyVGVT9JFKJ-G8KkmOjRjmksPVkkJD6lOKcIE

        I came across this link on voice surgery for transgender people about very high complications rates for laryngoplasty.

        I am still waiting for those on the left to suddenly wake up and see gender ideology for what it is. Some of us post a great deal of good quality information about many aspects of this harmful ideology, including medicalising of children and still many on the left turn a blind eye.

      • Anker 2.2.4
        11 October 2022 at 10:55 am

        Matt Walsh posted a clip from Nashville Hospital, of a Dr talking about how gender surgeries can bring in big money compared to hormones only ie masectomies, phalloplasty and vagioplasty. It apparently brings in a lot of $$$

        • arkie 2.2.4.1
          11 October 2022 at 11:13 am

          Matt Walsh? This also is Matt Walsh:

          Walsh asserted that “girls getting pregnant” at a “young age” is perfectly normal. He said that teen pregnancy isn’t a problem as long as the teens are married and stressed that it’s normal for 16-year-old girls to get pregnant because that’s when they’re “technically most fertile.”

          “So to all of a sudden act like this phenomenon of girls getting pregnant at that — at a young age — that we consider young, 16 or 17, to act like it’s a new thing is ridiculous,” he said. “It’s always been that way. … Girls between the ages of like 17 and 24 is when they’re technically most fertile.”

          https://www.mediamatters.org/matt-walsh/msnbcs-joy-reid-matt-walshs-defense-teenage-pregnancy-shows-anti-abortion-movement-about

          • Sabine 2.2.4.1.1
            11 October 2022 at 11:22 am

            Yes, the most fertile age for young women is between 16 – and mid late twenties.

            A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline becomes more rapid once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely for most women.

            https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/having-a-baby-after-age-35-how-aging-affects-fertility-and-pregnancy#:~:text=A%20woman's%20peak%20reproductive%20years,is%20unlikely%20for%20most%20women.

            And yes, he is a Christian man who believes that women should have children as 'god' intended them too, and as many as 'god is willing' to grant.
            For those that don't want gazillion of children they can use many forms of pregnancy controls including vasectomies for men – which btw seems to be the friendliest form there of as it is reversible, and no one needs to insert foreign objects into their bodies nor dose themselves with hormones every day for years.

            Non of that undoes the video of a doctor telling other doctors that castrating children is really good for business because these operations go wrong many times and you need to revisit err revision that botched penectomy/inverting the penis into something loosely resembling a vulva and a 'vagina'. Ditto for the botched phalloplasty surgeries . Ditto for the sepsis, necrotic tissue, constant UTI and so on and so forth. All make money. So much money.

            Matt Walsh is like many of his kind a broken clock, but twice a day he is correct.

            And here is the Lady Doctor (very liberal and highly educated for sure) in her own words as to how everyone can get a never ending bucket of gold for castrating and sterilizing children in the name of gender woo woo.

            https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313523232931840

          • weka 2.2.4.1.2
            11 October 2022 at 11:33 am

            What's your point Arkie? Are you saying that because Walsh is a hard right fundamentalist then everything he says is wrong? Or not trustworthy? Or we should ignore it even when he is right or saying something useful that the left won't say because so many people are too scared to speak out?

            Did you watch his film What is a Woman? Do you know why women will reference it despite Walsh’s beliefs and politics?

            Do you have anything to say about the opening tweet and the lifelong physical damage being done to young men and women? The left won't talk about it, so it' being left to the right to define the narratives in the general public. This is why there is an increasing backlash against trans people.

            The conversation being had by gender critical feminists this week is what to do about the connections between child sex advocates, Queer Theory, and the trans child charity Mermaids. If you object to Anker posting a Walsh video then you might want to consider this

            https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1579105734926929920

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

            • Anker 2.2.4.1.2.1
              11 October 2022 at 12:13 pm

              Speaking of What is a Woman (Matt Walsh's film), the Babylon Bee did a hilarious "sequel", what is a man?

              No need to continue to look after 2 – 3 minutes (spoiler alert, once the credits start rolling).

              Sometimes humour is what gets you through.

            • arkie 2.2.4.1.2.2
              11 October 2022 at 12:16 pm

              My point is that Matt Walsh isn't a feminist ally. His 'documentary' isn't accurate or scientific, he is a defender of the patriarchy, he sees women as subservient to men:

              The fear-mongering of “gender ideology” is grounded in two beliefs: first, that LGBTQ people somehow threaten Christian values and the traditional family, and, second, that men and women should follow antiquated gender roles, lest they corrupt society.

              https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/in-what-is-a-woman-matt-walsh-asks-a-question/

              You have said that GCFs respect trans people, Matt Walsh does not:

              You are all child abusers. You prey upon impressionable children and indoctrinate them into your insane ideological cult, a cult which holds many fanatical views but none so deranged as the idea that boys are girls and girls are boys. By imposing this vile nonsense on students to the point even of forcing young girls to share locker rooms with boys, you deprive these kids of safety, of privacy, and of something more fundamental, too, which is truth. If education is not grounded in truth, then it is worthless, worse, it is poison. You are poison. You are predators. I can see why you try to stop us from speaking, you know that your ideas are indefensible, you silence the opposing side because you have no argument. You can only hide under your beds like pathetic little gutless cowards, hoping that we will shut up and go away. But we won’t. I promise you that.

              • Molly …
                11 October 2022 at 12:27 pm

                So you posted a promotion of Matt Walsh views, because you don't like them?…OK.

                "You have said that GCFs respect trans people,"

                Gender Critical is just a shared understanding. Gender Critical people are not a hive mind. Matt Walsh is not Gender Critical.

                Do you know what Gender Critical is?

                • Molly …
                  11 October 2022 at 2:21 pm

                  Note: Didn't think it needed pointing out that Matt Walsh neither claims to be or is – a feminist, of any kind, or any ordinal number of wave.

              • Anker …
                11 October 2022 at 2:29 pm

                Criticising Matt Walsh is a great diversion for you Arkie, when you don't want to face up to the harm gender ideology is doing by confusing children about their sexed bodies, leading vulnerable young people into a path of medical transition that many later regret (utterly minimizing the number of de-transitioners), disrespecting women's rights to safe spaces. And shutting down feminists groups such as Speak Up For Women when they want to hold public meetings to discuss a piece of legislation that impacts women.

                But thank you so very, very much for informing us gals who is a feminist ally (or not). We are simply not capable of figuring that out for ourselves!

                BTW I think it is up to all of us to decided who our allies are whether we are feminist or not. Listen to yourself mate. Your a man telling women that another man isn't a feminist ally………………I think there is a word for that………

          • Molly 2.2.4.1.3
            11 October 2022 at 11:46 am

            Yes, Matt Walsh is arguably an idiot.

            But not so much of an idiot as to not save the videos that hospitals THEMSELVES posted, before they came under scrutiny and removed them.

            Now, if an appropriately quanitifiable left-wing progressive had done the same, then posted on their site, a link could be given to that source. But AFAIK, none did.

            The video remains the same in both cases.

            But this point is now moot, as Youtube has removed it.

            (I'll post if I can find a copy without Matt Walsh's commentary, which is all I got from my initial search frown):

            https://youtu.be/RDhshvoJnqU

            • Sabine 2.2.4.1.3.1
              11 October 2022 at 11:52 am

              you find the clip in my comment above.

              there is also the clip form a admin person in that hospital advising people to 'not' consientiously object to such surgeries and the use of 'trans buddies' to acompany children being brought to the hospital for these surgeries.

              they really did document all and made it public.

              https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313566589468672

              and the trans buddies

              https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1572313627008405504

              this really has very little to do with people who have a debilitating mental health crisis in regards to their sexed bodies and their own discomfort with these bodies. This is just a money making machine that profits from diagnosing as many as you can as fast as you can and you put them on the conveyer belt of 'revisions'.

              • Molly …
                11 October 2022 at 12:20 pm

                Thanks, again Sabine.

                I've grown increasingly curious at the excuses people continue to make just to avoid looking at information that challenges their (let's face it, their mostly uninformed and determined to be so) positions.

                So, as the mountain of evidence increasingly is brought to light, the reality is that for them, no evidence will be considered, let alone accepted.

                It's not a question of quality, it never has been.

            • weka 2.2.4.1.3.2
              11 October 2022 at 12:07 pm

              what clip did YT remove?

          • Anker 2.2.4.1.4
            11 October 2022 at 12:08 pm

            Thank everyone for responding to Arkie (and with the appropriate responses to) who is trying to distract from what my link was showing. A Dr at a hospital promoting trans surgeries because it is such a great money spinner, much better than hormones alone.

            Matt Walsh of course is a christian conservative and actually is entitled to his views. It so happens that he is able to see through gender ideology and the harms it is causing and is skillful at calling it out. I salute him, even though I don't share a lot of his views.

          • AB 2.2.4.1.5
            11 October 2022 at 1:29 pm

            Excellent if Walsh has just discovered that profit-driven healthcare might set up some perverse incentives for the providers. And that these perverse incentives result in harm to others. Just like profit-driven anything else. And that therefore, profit-driven activities need sensible regulation – and perhaps total exclusion from areas of life that are essential to human wellbeing like health, education, policing & justice, infrastructure (transport, energy), housing (at a basic level) and maybe others..

            But he won't come to that conclusion because from the (fortunately) little I've seen of him he sounds like a RW loon. But yes, the gender identity/ideology furore is throwing up some distinctly weird bedfellows.

            • Anker 2.2.4.1.5.1
              11 October 2022 at 3:33 pm

              Agree about the distinctly weird bedfellows AB. Nevertheless I think the other angle on this is that even when medicine is privatised, clinically it is most often driven by science and ethics. But gender medicine has unfortunately been taken over by activists, (in NZ Patha and worldwide Wpath). It is shocking to realise this.

            • Sabine 2.2.4.1.5.2
              11 October 2022 at 5:07 pm

              It actually matters not one bit what Matt Walsh does with this information.

              It matters what we do with it.

              Yes, the US Healthcare system is a for profit driven system. Thus safeguarding makes sense, and not sending healthy kids onto the castration and revision to the castration conveyer belt is important if one cares about kids being left to be kids, and to keeping their healthy bodies healthy until they grow into an age where they truly can make an informed desicion affecting their health, presentation, reproductive rights and so on.

              Why would I or anyone else for that matter exclude correct and horrific information just because the source that it comes from is not to my liking or my political affiliation.

              The point is why is no one on the left – or so called good guys – pointing out that this University Clinic promoted the removal of healthy sexual primary and secondary organs, and a replacement of these organs with fake organs made from penile material, the scrotum, and in the case of the transmen fake dicks rolled from forearm muscle/nerve/skin tissue or inner thigh tissue (the later leading to needed liposuctions as females have fat cells in these inner thighs and thus teh fake penises can grow fat), that they threated doctors who might not be inclined to such medical actions with 'consequences' if they were to abstain on the grounds of conscience. Which btw, means that they could refuse an abortion but not the chemical castration of a boy who has yet to reach Tanner Stage 1 of his puperty and who is put on blockers via an implant or self / parent administered injections. .

              A whole lot of people can disagree on many things and yet agree for example that climate change is real and that castrating and sterilising children is wrong.

              So Matt Walsh is exactly the dick that he always was, just for once he is correct.

              And fwiw, he did nothing much more then post the many video clips that the staff from Vanderbilt University Clinic posted on their webpage for public viewing. Maybe the liberal, highly trained, highly paid proponents of these sex re-assignment surgeries did not think that some people might dislike what they are doing and would call them out on their shit?

              • arkie …
                11 October 2022 at 5:23 pm

                that castrating and sterilising children is wrong

                This is only happening in Matt Walsh's imagination. Children are not undergoing sex re-assignment surgeries, it's not correct, it just isn't happening:

                On average, VUMC has provided five gender affirming surgeries to minors every year since its transgender clinic opened in 2018. All were over the age of 16 and had parental consent, and none received genital procedures.

                https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/vanderbilt-pause-gender-affirming-surgeries-minors-rcna51445

                • weka …
                  11 October 2022 at 5:53 pm

                  In the US the age that one becomes an adult is 18. In NZ it's 20. Obviously children mature at different rates and in some contexts we would refer to a 16 yr old as an adult, others as a child.

                  Pertinent here is that some teens come into their transition very young. They may have to wait until 16 to get surgery, but they can get puberty blockers before then. This then becomes a pathway that has long term impacts on development. Look at the rates of young teens on PBs that go on to surgery and cross sex hormones.

                  and none received genital procedures.

                  I consider unnecessary mastectomies to be brutal. The issue here is whether you believe that all these kids are inherently trans and have such severe GD that they will kill themselves without surgery, or whehther you believe at least some of them are gay, lesbian and/or autistic, who are traumatised and who have concurrent other mental health issues that are being ignored and many of whom will grow up to be gay/lesbian and GNC rather than trans.

                  I'm in the latter camp. I've listened to a lot of detrans stories. Those kids are being socialised into being trans, and the girls in particular are a concern for feminists because they hit their teens hating the bodies, with gross sexual pressure from boys who came of age on internet porn, and who just find it easier to be a man than a woman.

                  I think many of those supportive of gender identity ideology have no idea what is happening, or the extent of the rage that women who get it are feelings. We've all been here before, only this time it's not the conservatives that are doing the damage, it's the liberals.

                  • arkie …
                    11 October 2022 at 7:51 pm

                    Pertinent here is that some teens come into their transition very young. They may have to wait until 16 to get surgery, but they can get puberty blockers before then.

                    Yes, to block puberty they are taken before puberty.

                    Look at the rates of young teens on PBs that go on to surgery and cross sex hormones.

                    Social transition is the first step, those who are then prescribed PBs are taking the next step, both of these steps are completely reversible. Before surgery and hormones these teens have often been living with their gender affirmed for 5-10 years, it is not a decision made lightly.

                    You are entitled to beliefs, but the decision is ultimately that of the patient and their parents, and medical professionals.

                    I’ve listened to trans people. I am supportive of them in their authentic expression of themselves. There is no ‘gender identity ideology’ making people transition:

                    The phrase is neither a legitimate academic term, nor a political movement.

                    It is a theory drummed up by hard-right religious activists, who present it as a gay- and feminist-led movement out to upend the traditional family and the natural order of society. It’s a catchall phrase to sell a false narrative and justify discrimination against women and LGBT people. And it is winning elections.

                    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/mar/30/gender-ideology-big-bogus-and-coming-to-a-fear-campaign-near-you

                    • Anker …
                      11 October 2022 at 8:08 pm

                      RE puberty blockers the MInistry of Health has just changed the advice on their website that PBs are "safe and fully reversible". And has been the case in many other countries. So you are out of date Arkie.

                      Teen girls who come out as trans is a completely new cohort, almost never heard of until around 2012. This was around the time the smart phone was introduced. Many of these young girls start identifying as trans after visiting trans chat rooms where they start developing a trans identity.

                      puberty blockers inevitably lead in almost all cases to cross sex hormones. Many of the de=transitioners I have listened to have deep voices and facial hair and no longer appear female. If you listen to them, it is impossible to think that medically transitioning people unless the are well out of adolescence is an appalling idea.

                      I feel very sure that this movement to medically transition young people will be found to be mass medical adventure.

                      Some say we have this new cohort now because it is finally o.k. to come out as trans. But if this was the case we would be seeing women in their 30's , 40's, 50's and 60s coming out as Trans. We are not. BTW generally speaking NZders have been accepting of transgender people. Think Carmen, Georgina Beyer and Bob Moodie (the police commissioner who used to cross dress in kaftans).

                • Sabine …
                  11 October 2022 at 6:54 pm

                  hahahahahahahahaha

                  5 every year since 2018? That comes to 30. And 30 is a number greater then 0.

                  30 children that have lost their tits, their uteruses. 30 children that are now in menopause if we assume it is only girls.

                  And in saying that, god knows what they will admit too tomorrow.

        • Sabine 2.2.4.2
          11 October 2022 at 11:14 am

          Vanderbilt University Clinic in Tennessee. They just anounced that they would no longer offer surgery to minors, thus admitting that they offered surgery to minors. But yes, with surgeries having high failure rates, high rates for revisions, and more revisions and then some more this type of 'mental health care by surgery' is very very lucrative.

          trigger alert, this is from the daily fail

          https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11296557/Vanderbilt-University-Medical-Center-suspends-transgender-operations-kids-report.html

          Vanderbilt University Medical Center [VUMC] confirmed it was freezing all 'gender affirmation surgery' on underage patients pending a review of their processes, in response to calls from Tennessee lawmaker to investigate the hospital.

          The center came under fire last month after conservative activist Matt Walsh released a 2018 video showing Dr Shayne Taylor – an LGBTQ specialist at the hospital – touting transgender surgeries as 'huge money makers' for the hospital.

    • Ad 2.3
      11 October 2022 at 3:44 pm

      It's not the progressives you need to worry about Weka. Transition support is company policy. Fletchers have confirmed it today.

      Fletcher Building Introduces Gender Affirmation Leave And Transitioning At Work Guidelines | Scoop News

      Naturally this now becomes a recruitment competitive advantage so the other key employers will now rapidly follow suit.

      Been around in the main institutions like Otago University since 2017.

      Whichever way they are going, the NZ public service entities are all required to assist transitioning people.

      Transgender employees » Employment New Zealand

      • Sabine 2.3.1
        11 October 2022 at 5:12 pm

        What do you think Ad, will neutered people be better wage slaves?

        • Ad 2.3.1.1
          11 October 2022 at 5:56 pm

          Increasingly.

          • Sabine 2.3.1.1.1
            11 October 2022 at 6:56 pm

            Maybe we should castrate them in the uterus. After all, we only need some zombies for the economy to grow. Sleep, work, eat some roaches err crickets or some plant based mush, work, sleep. Humans. they are great to farm.

      • weka 2.3.2
        11 October 2022 at 5:34 pm

        It's not the progressives you need to worry about Weka

        Useful to know that you are ok with teenage girls having their breasts removed thinking they can grow them back later if need be.

        • weka 2.3.2.1
          11 October 2022 at 5:35 pm

          maybe it's not clear. The issue in the tweet is about medical people not getting informed consent. If progressives won't talk about that, like you just didn't, it's on them.

        • Ad 2.3.2.2
          11 October 2022 at 5:54 pm

          As per above, your argument is not with me but with the largest employers in New Zealand.

          • Molly 2.3.2.2.1
            11 October 2022 at 6:32 pm

            You provided nothing in the way of argument, Ad.

            Just a company policy.

            • Ad 2.3.2.2.1.1
              11 October 2022 at 6:37 pm

              Oh you caught onto the point then.

              Commerce is advancing as fast as the NZ legislation intended.

              Any local rearguard action is long lost.

              • Sabine …
                11 October 2022 at 7:00 pm

                You know what? They might be offering some bonuses in the future to have every child sterilized, reproductive organs removed, with a wee nullification operation leaving only a urethra to piss – in a toilet of ones gender of course. We are kind about that.

                This might even be encouraged by a progressive government under the guise of kindness and inclusivity by a charismatic butcher of a leader.

                What it is not is moral, ethical and kind.

                But then, we have farmed everything, destroyed everything and now we are farming and destroying the next generations of us.

                Some even call that progress in the name of an evergrowing economy.

                Humans, what are they even good for. ey?

                Do you think we will lock uteruses to beds for nine month to bring forth the next lot of castrated nullified sentient bodybags?

                • Ad …
                  11 October 2022 at 7:13 pm

                  "Castrated nullified sentient bodybags." Even today over at the big Agritech conference today they were praising the rise of lab grown meat. Sabine, Marge Piercy and Margaret Attwood would be proud of a sentence like that.

                  And yet weirdly here we are, it's been public sector employment policy for years, law for over a year, the main NZ companies and sports authorities are figuring it out, and when I step out my door females haven't collapsed as a category of human being.

                  • Sabine …
                    11 October 2022 at 8:09 pm

                    We are talking here about children who are being de-sexed by doctors who tout the good growth business of desexing children like they were puppies or kittens. But then for some capitalism and making money is all that matters.

                    However, Who or what is a female or a male? I mean really could you at least define the words that you sprout in order to make sense of whom you are speaking of?
                    Do you speak of Lady Dicks or Man Pussies? Some consider them both ‘female’.

              • Molly …
                11 October 2022 at 8:42 pm

                "Oh you caught onto the point then."

                Yes. The point is you have nothing of worth to offer here.

                Using corporate policy as your left-wing analysis on the unevidenced affirmative healthcare model should be an embarrassment for you.

                I suspect however, you feel like you have dominated the conversation with your precise corporate justification.

                Try engaging your concern for transgender youth in a productive manner, and really look at the decision making and evidence behind our healthcare approach.

      • Anker 2.3.3
        11 October 2022 at 7:16 pm

        Oh the corporates are allowing leave for gender transition surgery! Well if the corporates think it is good, it must be mustn't it! Nothing to see here! Wonderful! Stunning and brave!

        At least if these people are in the work force, they are likely adults and may be more able to give informed consent.

        I hope the corporates realize how many of these surgeries go wrong and how many of the patients need follow up surgeries? They may find that these employees cost them a lot in time off.

        But this aside Ad you and others on this site never seem to be able to face up to gender ideologies sinister influence on children.

        • Sabine 2.3.3.1
          11 October 2022 at 8:30 pm

          I read at least one account from a detransitioner that is taking her insurance to court as they paid for her double masectomy on grounds of 'gender affirmation' and thus now she again needs 'gender affirmation' this time to get back the tits that were sliced of previously in the name of gender woo and the golden cash cow that must be fed with fresh meat daily.

        • Anker 2.3.4.1
          11 October 2022 at 8:30 pm

          Incognito of course banks lead the way. This is corporate virtual signalling at its height.

          • Incognito 2.3.4.1.1
            11 October 2022 at 8:42 pm

            I don’t mind virtual signalling at all, but I hadn’t heard the dog whistle 😉

            Of course, you were fully aware of banks leading the way in this, but I wasn’t. It must be tough competing in a very competitive industry and in a tight labour market, don’t you think?

            • Anker 2.3.4.1.1.1
              11 October 2022 at 8:55 pm

              I think we are veering off topic now if you are rasing difficulty competiting in a tight labour market……..I no very little about that.

              What I do know is that gender surgery is very problematic, even when adults have it. Many complications (I posted a link early on this thread about voice surgery (has a medical name, that I can't think of off hand). Very high rates of complications.

              Also latest Sweedish survey shows that tragically people who have gender surgery are not doing well at all at 10 year follow up (can find the link if required).

              The trouble with virtue signalling is that it is often done without being fully informed as part of a trendy group think. So not necessarily helpful

            • Molly 2.3.4.1.1.2
              11 October 2022 at 9:36 pm

              Incognito, if you don't have any concerns about the medical transitioning of children, just put it out there. Then you can advise what convinced you, and what evidence you have looked at.

              My impression is that those who redirect the conversation do so because they have no basis to challenge what is presented, and yet feel confident enough to assume their contributions are of value.

              • Incognito …
                11 October 2022 at 9:47 pm

                As you can see from the comment numbering in this nested thread, I was replying to Ad’s comment @ 2.3. Seems to me that you want to re-direct my comments into a different direction, again. Feel free to ignore any comments that are of no value to you; no one is stopping you from having the convos that you want with likeminded others – this is the beauty of TS.

                • Molly …
                  11 October 2022 at 10:16 pm

                  sigh

                  The beauty of TS is also that you can query someone's contribution.

                  Both you and Ad seem to think that your contributions to this thread are valuable to this specific conversation in some way. I don't.

                  "Feel free to ignore any comments that are of no value to you; no one is stopping you from having the convos that you want with likeminded others – this is the beauty of TS."

                  There is also an ugliness in not addressing the concerns regarding irreversible treatments for children, but oh… don't worry, the banks approve.

                  • Incognito …
                    12 October 2022 at 2:21 pm

                    The beauty of free speech in a free society is that people can agree to disagree and cannot be forced, coerced, or pressured to take any position on any moral-ethical issue or even think about it, if they don’t want to. You can query judge away as much as you like and ignore any PoV or comment that you don’t like; this is your prerogative too.

                    Your reasoning reeks of either you’re with us or you’re against us. Before you jump to really absurd assumptions about what I think, stating what banks and other corporates do or not do is neither approving nor disapproving. At most, I was pointing to a piece of information that I personally wasn’t aware of and HT to Ad for helping me find this tiny piece.

  3. Adrian Thornton 3
    11 October 2022 at 8:56 am

    It is a world gone crazy when the only sane politician in US politics turns out to be Donald Trump…but then it turns out that the Imperialist war Hawks on both the Right and more importantly the Left(?) seem quite OK in risking total annihilation to maintain Western (ie; white) world hegemony……

    • Peter 3.1
      11 October 2022 at 10:19 am

      It is indeed a world gone crazy when a tiny snippet of one comment made from a pool of hundreds of thousands of comments from this person, deems him the "only sane politician in US politics."

      It is indeed a crazy world if I'm expected to believe that the only politician in the US to say "War is bad," or "This could end in a world war," is Trump.

    • bwaghorn 3.2
      11 October 2022 at 10:31 am

      Dose the bronze buffoon enlighten us on how putin will react to the demand to negotiate?

    • Jenny are we there yet 3.3
      11 October 2022 at 10:03 pm

      Adrian Thornton

      11 October 2022 at 8:56 am

      It is a world gone crazy when the only sane politician in US politics turns out to be Donald Trump…

      Sez the only sane person on the internet.

  4. arkie 4
    11 October 2022 at 9:48 am

    Example of the difference between Labour and the Greens:

    https://twitter.com/NZGreens/status/1579571692862865408

    Labour needs to stop being subservient to lobbying from supporters of the status quo. Action on climate change will not happen without the Greens.

  5. Muttonbird 5
    11 October 2022 at 11:07 am

    The suggestion that those complaining about the price of vegetables simply grow their own carries with it a whiff of moral judgement: that if you can’t afford vegetables you should grow them and if you don’t, well, that’s on you.

    I find this immensely troubling.

    It suggests that when it comes to such basic and fundamental an item as fresh vegetables, the wealthier have unfettered access. The poor, on the other hand, can only eat vegetables if they produce their own.

    Read that again. The poor can only eat vegetables if they produce their own.

    I'd add that despite record high grocery prices, cost savings by growing in a suburban garden, even if one is available, are negligible unless you are already well established, and have plenty of time and experience.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/300707036/we-cant-garden-our-way-out-of-a-costofliving-crisis-and-nor-should-we-have-to

    • tc 5.1
      11 October 2022 at 11:35 am

      You also have to have the right type of soil, lucky you if you're on the old volcanic soils most aren't.

      It's far from cheap once you factor in the time, water which you pay for, materials such as netting to protect crops etc etc with no guarantee of success.

    • satty 5.2
      11 October 2022 at 11:40 am

      Find it hard to understand why we don't introduce a lower GST on fresh food.

      Germany has a standard GST rate of 19%, but a lower GST rate of 7% for food, books, culture etc.

      • Poission 5.2.1
        11 October 2022 at 11:50 am

        German food inflation is nearly twice that of NZ,it is worse in the Netherlands,and will continue with its desire to replace foodland for bioenergy.

        • satty 5.2.1.1
          11 October 2022 at 12:03 pm

          I can't see the link between GST on food and food inflation (in Germany). As far as I remember Germany always had a reduced GST rate on food (and other products I mentioned above).

          In my opinion, the food price inflation in Europe is mainly linked to the significant increase in energy costs (petrol and natural gas => machinery, greenhouses and artificial fertiliser. I remember one book pointed out we "eat fossil fuels", not literally). Oh, and I never really understood how biofuels will ever be able to solve anything on the gigantic scale required…

          • Poission 5.2.1.1.1
            11 October 2022 at 12:13 pm

            So there is no correlation on gst on food then.

            • satty 5.2.1.1.1.1
              11 October 2022 at 2:37 pm
              • There's no correlation between GST on food and recent food price inflation
              • There might be a correlation between GST on food and food price
    • Radical Alternative 5.3
      11 October 2022 at 12:00 pm

      As someone who used to work at Kings Plant Barn, convincing people that growing your own food is a good way to save money is one of the greatest scams ever pulled. That being said, it would be cool to see the government implement some sort of urban gardening scheme.

      • Ad 5.3.1
        11 October 2022 at 5:58 pm

        +100. And all power to Kings Plant Barn for at least keeping us fools in contact with nature.

        Urban park conversion is a policy matter for local councils not central government.

  6. Molly 6
    11 October 2022 at 11:30 am

    For those who have abandoned any and all understanding of child development and maturity: Find your basic common sense and start applying it.

    "Affirming healthcare" is a sub-standard unethical indefensible response to ANY person, but particularly heinous when delivered to children.

    If you are starting to think… maybe I need to look into this?… I have bookmarked this episode from the excellent podcast series:

    https://gender-a-wider-lens.captivate.fm/episode/90-tomboy-at-tavistock-ellies-desistance-story

    Ellie was a gender nonconforming 90s kid in the UK. She became a patient of what came to be the Gender Identity Development Services (GIDS) at Tavistock. She was seen at the time by Dr. DiCeglie, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and the GIDS founder. Ellie describes her psychological treatment with him and her decision, early on in life, that medicalization simply was not an option. She tells us about her family life and coming to terms with being gay in her teens. Ellie is now married to her wife and living happily. But she also talks about gender dysphoria being something she, and many lesbians, simply learn to live with.

    What is interesting, is that there is archived BBC footage from her time at the Tavistock.

    With "affirming healthcare" her life would likely be markedly different:

    https://youtu.be/zRU8TtOqGSA

    • Visubversa 6.1
      11 October 2022 at 2:27 pm

      Funny how this so called "gender affirming care" always involves altering the primary and secondary sex characteristics. Gender idealogues maintain that sex and gender are different, that gender is in the mind, and sex is in the body. Then they try and change the body to match the mind with chemical castration of children and young people, and sterilizing and mutilating surgeries with very high "complication" rates. The results are sterile and anorgasmic human beings who have even more mental problems after surgery than they did before.

      Interestingly, many of the proponents of this medical pathway are adults who will never have such surgery themselves.

      • Molly 6.1.1
        11 October 2022 at 2:45 pm

        "Interestingly, many of the proponents of this medical pathway are adults who will never have such surgery themselves."

        This. So transparent to those who are watching who retain basic safeguarding skills.

  7. joe90 7
    11 October 2022 at 2:15 pm

    Poor buggers. It's happening again.

    The one with the rifle shoots! One out of two gets a rifle. The one without follows him! When the one with the rifle gets killed, the one who is following picks up the rifle and shoots!

    – Enemy at the Gates

    https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1579520443232681984

    • Incognito 8.1
      11 October 2022 at 5:33 pm

      Stuart Smith has finally found a PONS (pothole of National significance). National’s plan to fix it has 2 bullet points:

      1. Build a bridge over it, without cycle lane or walkway
      2. Build a tunnel underneath it, without train track
      • Nic the NZer 8.1.1
        11 October 2022 at 6:17 pm

        Damn shame, when the report is released its actual location will be redacted.

      • Mac1 8.1.2
        13 October 2022 at 9:02 pm

        Do you want to know where the pothole is? I know. I have taken photos of it.

        What would it mean if the pothole in question was, say, in the middle of a provincial town?

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    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Sweet Moderation? What Christopher Luxon Could Learn From The Germans.
    Stuck In The Middle With You: As Christopher Luxon feels the hot breath of Act’s and NZ First’s extremists on the back of his neck and, as he reckons with the damage their policies are already inflicting upon a country he’s described as “fragile”, is there not some merit in reaching out ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • A clear warning
    The unpopular coalition government is currently rushing to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. The clause is Oranga Tamariki's Treaty clause, and was inserted after its systematic stealing of Māori children became a public scandal and resulted in physical resistance to further abductions. The clause created clear obligations ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 day ago

  • Poll results and Waitangi Tribunal report go unmentioned on the Beehive website – where racing tru...
    Buzz  from the Beehive The government’s official website – which Point of Order monitors daily – not for the first time has nothing much to say today about political happenings that are grabbing media headlines. It makes no mention of the latest 1News-Verian poll, for example.  This shows National down ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 day ago

  • Listening To The Traffic.
    It Takes A Train To Cry: Surely, there is nothing lonelier in all this world than the long wail of a distant steam locomotive on a cold Winter’s night.AS A CHILD, I would lie awake in my grandfather’s house and listen to the traffic. The big wooden house was only a ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Comity Be Damned! The State’s Legislative Arm Is Flexing Its Constitutional Muscles.
    Packing A Punch: The election of the present government, including in its ranks politicians dedicated to reasserting the rights of the legislature in shaping and determining the future of Māori and Pakeha in New Zealand, should have alerted the judiciary – including its anomalous appendage, the Waitangi Tribunal – that its ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Ending The Quest.
    Dead Woman Walking: New Zealand’s media industry had been moving steadily towards disaster for all the years Melissa Lee had been National’s media and communications policy spokesperson, and yet, when the crisis finally broke, on her watch, she had nothing intelligent to offer. Christopher Luxon is a patient man - but he’s not ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 day ago

  • Will political polarisation intensify to the point where ‘normal’ government becomes impossible,...
    Chris Trotter writes –  New Zealand politics is remarkably easy-going: dangerously so, one might even say. With the notable exception of John Key’s flat ruling-out of the NZ First Party in 2008, all parties capable of clearing MMP’s five-percent threshold, or winning one or more electorate seats, tend ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Tuesday, April 30
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:30am on Tuesday, May 30:Scoop: NZ 'close to the tipping point' of measles epidemic, health experts warn NZ Herald Benjamin PlummerHealth: 'Absurd and totally unacceptable': Man has to wait a year for ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Bryce Edwards writes – Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    2 days ago

  • Worst poll result for a new Government in MMP history
    Luxon will no doubt put a brave face on it, but there is no escaping the pressure this latest poll will put on him and the government. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    2 days ago

  • Pinning down climate change's role in extreme weather
    This is a re-post from The Climate Brink by Andrew Dessler In the wake of any unusual weather event, someone inevitably asks, “Did climate change cause this?” In the most literal sense, that answer is almost always no. Climate change is never the sole cause of hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, or ...
    Skeptical Science
    2 days ago

  • Serving at Seymour's pleasure.
    Something odd happened yesterday, and I’d love to know if there’s more to it. If there was something which preempted what happened, or if it was simply a throwaway line in response to a journalist.Yesterday David Seymour was asked at a press conference what the process would be if the ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    2 days ago

  • Webworm LA Pop-Up
    Hi,From time to time, I want to bring Webworm into the real world. We did it last year with the Jurassic Park event in New Zealand — which was a lot of fun!And so on Saturday May 11th, in Los Angeles, I am hosting a lil’ Webworm pop-up! I’ve been ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    2 days ago

  • “Feel good” school is out
    Education Minister Erica Standford yesterday unveiled a fundamental reform of the way our school pupils are taught. She would not exactly say so, but she is all but dismantling the so-called “inquiry” “feel good” method of teaching, which has ruled in our classrooms since a major review of the New ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    2 days ago

  • 6 Months in, surely our Report Card is “Ignored all warnings: recommend dismissal ASAP”?
    Exactly where are we seriously going with this government and its policies? That is, apart from following what may as well be a Truss-Lite approach on the purported economic “plan“, and Victorian-era regression when it comes to social policy. Oh it’ll work this time of course, we’re basically assured, “the ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    2 days ago

  • Bread, and how it gets buttered
    Hey Uncle Dave, When the Poms joined the EEC, I wasn't one of those defeatists who said, Well, that’s it for the dairy job. And I was right, eh? The Chinese can’t get enough of our milk powder and eventually, the Poms came to their senses and backed up the ute ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    2 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: Why Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating in the country
    Polling shows that Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has the lowest approval rating of any mayor in the country. Siting at -12 per cent, the proportion of constituents who disapprove of her performance outweighs those who give her the thumbs up. This negative rating is higher than for any other mayor ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    2 days ago

  • Justice for Gaza?
    The New York Times reports that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over their genocide in Gaza: Israeli officials increasingly believe that the International Criminal Court is preparing to issue arrest warrants for senior government officials on ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    2 days ago

  • If there has been any fiddling with Pharmac’s funding, we can count on Paula to figure out the fis...
    Buzz from the Beehive Pharmac has been given a financial transfusion and a new chair to oversee its spending in the pharmaceutical business. Associate Health Minister David Seymour described the funding for Pharmac as “its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff”. ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    2 days ago

  • FastTrackWatch – The case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Bryce Edwards writes – Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    3 days ago

  • Bernard’s pick 'n' mix for Monday, April 29
    TL;DR: Here’s my top 10 ‘pick ‘n’ mix of links to news, analysis and opinion articles as of 10:10am on Monday, April 29:Scoop: The children's ward at Rotorua Hospital will be missing a third of its beds as winter hits because Te Whatu Ora halted an upgrade partway through to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Gordon Campbell on Iran killing its rappers, and searching for the invisible Dr. Reti
    span class=”dropcap”>As hideous as David Seymour can be, it is worth keeping in mind occasionally that there are even worse political figures (and regimes) out there. Iran for instance, is about to execute the country’s leading hip hop musician Toomaj Salehi, for writing and performing raps that “corrupt” the nation’s ...
    Gordon CampbellBy lyndon
    3 days ago

  • Auckland Rail Electrification 10 years old
    Yesterday marked 10 years since the first electric train carried passengers in Auckland so it’s a good time to look back at it and the impact it has had. A brief history The first proposals for rail electrification in Auckland came in the 1920’s alongside the plans for earlier ...
    Greater AucklandBy Matt L
    3 days ago

  • Coalition's dirge of austerity and uncertainty is driving the economy into a deeper recession
    Right now, in Aotearoa-NZ, our ‘animal spirits’ are darkening towards a winter of discontent, thanks at least partly to a chorus of negative comments and actions from the Government Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    3 days ago

  • Disability Funding or Tax Cuts.
    You make people evil to punish the paststuck inside a sequel with a rotating castThe following photos haven’t been generated with AI, or modified in any way. They are flesh and blood, human beings. On the left is Galatea Young, a young mum, and her daughter Fiadh who has Angelman ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    3 days ago

  • Of the Goodness of Tolkien’s Eru
    April has been a quiet month at A Phuulish Fellow. I have had an exceptionally good reading month, and a decently productive writing month – for original fiction, anyway – but not much has caught my eye that suggested a blog article. It has been vaguely frustrating, to be honest. ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    3 days ago

  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #17
    A listing of 31 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 21, 2024 thru Sat, April 27, 2024. Story of the week Anthropogenic climate change may be the ultimate shaggy dog story— but with a twist, because here ...
    Skeptical Science
    3 days ago

  • Pastor Who Abused People, Blames People
    Hi,I spent about a year on Webworm reporting on an abusive megachurch called Arise, and it made me want to stab my eyes out with a fork.I don’t regret that reporting in 2022 and 2023 — I am proud of it — but it made me angry.Over three main stories ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    3 days ago

  • Vic Uni shows how under threat free speech is
    The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    4 days ago

  • Winston remembers Gettysburg.
    Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    4 days ago

  • 25
    She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8.  The universe was ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    4 days ago

  • Fact Brief – Is Antarctica gaining land ice?
    Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago

  • Policing protests.
    Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
    KiwipoliticoBy Pablo
    5 days ago

  • Open letter to Hon Paul Goldsmith
    Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Bryce Edwards: FastTrackWatch – The Case for the Government’s Fast Track Bill
    Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
    Democracy ProjectBy bryce.edwards
    5 days ago

  • Luxon gets out his butcher’s knife – briefly
    Peter Dunne writes –  The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • More tax for less
    Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago

  • Real News vs Fake News.
    We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago

  • Another way to roll
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Share ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • Simon Clark: The climate lies you'll hear this year
    This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
    Skeptical Science
    5 days ago

  • Cutting the Public Service
    It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    5 days ago

  • Luxon’s demoted ministers might take comfort from the British politician who bounced back after th...
    Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious:  we live in a troubled ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago

  • This is how I roll over
    1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago

  • The Waitangi Tribunal is not “a roving Commission”…
    …it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition   NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes –  The High Court ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Is Oranga Tamariki guilty of neglect?
    Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same? Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Three Strikes saw lower reoffending
    David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • Luxon’s ruthless show of strength is perfect for our angry era
    Bryce Edwards writes – 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 politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    6 days ago

  • 'Lacks attention to detail and is creating double-standards.'
    TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago

  • One Night Only!
    Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago

  • What did Melissa Lee do?
    It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago

  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #17 2024
    Open access notables Ice acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment: In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago

  • Maori Party (with “disgust”) draws attention to Chhour’s race after the High Court rules on Wa...
    Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    6 days ago

  • Who’s Going Up The Media Mountain?
    Mr Bombastic: Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
    Bowalley Road
    7 days ago

  • “That's how I roll”
    It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    7 days ago

  • “Comity” versus the rule of law
    In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    1 week ago

  • Aotearoa: a live lab for failed Right-wing socio-economic zombie experiments once more…
    Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder. In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
    exhALANtBy exhalantblog
    1 week ago

  • Water is at the heart of farmers’ struggle to survive in Benin
    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére Sosou Market gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • At a time of media turmoil, Melissa had nothing to proclaim as Minister – and now she has been dem...
    Buzz from the Beehive   Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago

  • Minister acknowledges passing of Sir Robert Martin (KNZM)
    New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    8 hours ago

  • Speech to New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Parliament – Annual Lecture: Challenges ...
    Good evening –   Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us.  ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    9 hours ago

  • Accelerating airport security lines
    From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    11 hours ago

  • Community hui to talk about kina barrens
    People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago

  • Kiwi exporters win as NZ-EU FTA enters into force
    Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    17 hours ago

  • Mining resurgence a welcome sign
    There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    18 hours ago

  • Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill passes first reading
    The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Government to boost public EV charging network
    Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure.  The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Residential Property Managers Bill to not progress
    The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago

  • Independent review into disability support services
    The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Justice Minister updates UN on law & order plan
    Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Ending emergency housing motels in Rotorua
    The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Trade Minister travels to Riyadh, OECD, and Dubai
    Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Education priorities focused on lifting achievement
    Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • NZTA App first step towards digital driver licence
    The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say.  “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Supporting whānau out of emergency housing
    Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago

  • Tribute to Dave O'Sullivan
    Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Speech – Eid al-Fitr
    Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Government saves access to medicines
    Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff.    “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago

  • Pharmac Chair appointed
    Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago

  • Taking action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
    Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says.  “Every day, ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • New sports complex opens in Kaikohe
    Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Diplomacy needed more than ever
    Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges.    “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address, Buttes New British Cemetery Belgium
    Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service.  It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – NZ National Service, Chunuk Bair
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • Anzac Commemorative Address – Dawn Service, Gallipoli, Türkiye
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    6 days ago

  • PM announces changes to portfolios
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New catch limits for unique fishery areas
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Minister welcomes hydrogen milestone
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Urgent changes to system through first RMA Amendment Bill
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Overseas decommissioning models considered
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Release of North Island Severe Weather Event Inquiry
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Justice Minister to attend Human Rights Council
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Patterson reopens world’s largest wool scouring facility
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Speech to the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective Summit, 18 April 2024
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Government to introduce revised Three Strikes law
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • New diplomatic appointments
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Humanitarian support for Ethiopia and Somalia
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

  • Arts Minister congratulates Mataaho Collective
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

  • Supporting better financial outcomes for Kiwis
    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 ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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