On a previous thread about Maori language I commented that naming Ministries Maori names provided some issues for me (but was keen to point out I realize the world doesn’t revolve around me). In the current climate if seems if people query the use of Maori language they are often branded racist.
indded there was a case last year where a Bluebird employer spoke on their personal FB page about being sick of Maori language being everywhere eg hospitals. Someone dobbed this worker in to their employer and she lost her job. This happened in the context of Te Reo Whittakers chocolate.
so my real life example was last night, late at night, I went to hospital as an elderly relative was there unexpectedly. They were in a special unit waiting for a bed. The unit had a Maori name that I didn’t recognise. I was running around outside in the dark and then inside trying to find it, trying to remember that name when I came across the late staff in the corridors.
I was a little frantic and would have appreciated a simple name (maybe a colour) to help me locate where I needed to be. I will likely not need to know this name again (hopefully).
I don't believe people should lose their jobs for saying casual racist things on their own sm account.
I also think it's ok to name racism when we see it.
The issue you had with the hospital, I've had that in other contexts with names in English. We used to have Southland Regional Council, Canterbury Regional Council etc and then many rebranded and it's hard to know what an organisation is by its name. This is stupid imo, and serves as a barrier to public engagement, much language is now designed for in house.
However with regards to te reo Māori, imagine what its like for people in hospitals for whom English is a second language, or for whom medical language is not easily understood. Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate? To my mind, the need to save te reo is a high priority, and we are all going through a period of change and some of that will be hard. The solution to not getting Māori names isn't to remove the names but to increase literacy across the population.
(it would make sense at this point in time to use both English and Māori in places like a hospital).
Otherwise we are saying that te reo is not to be integrated into NZ fully, and yes I would call that racist. We have a Treaty we need to honour, Māori are one of the partners, and they have the right to be here fully in this culture. I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate.
But we can also ignore this polite nonsense of putting both languages up and just use the one currently in favor, and thus ignoring the vast majority that do not speak the language at all and have no link to it – including many people who self identify as Maori, have no cultural claim to this language, might not be able to learn a foreign language easily, just to name a few issues around learning a foreign language specially as adults.
Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate?
Well it should be about ease of access for everyone. I doubt there is anyone in NZ who only speaks Maori. New arrivals who speak little English will likely find learning Maori and English a tall order.
"I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate".
I don't want to dominate anyone. I was telling an anecdote, largely because someone got sacked from their job for saying they are sick of seeing Maori everywhere, including hospitals. After last night, I can see a point to what they are saying.
In honouring the Treaty then all signs should be in English and Te Reo.
In the middle or rather very late at night in the dark and the cold and then in empty corridors, I thought make it as simple as possible. I have since heard other parts of the hospital are colour coded and it would have been good if their part was as well.
ease of access in hospitals isn't just about the signage. It's also about culture. Hospitals are generally run along Pākehā lines. That has negative impacts on Māori.
You can not want to dominate, but most Pākehā find the system suits them and don't understand why it not might suit Māori. That's a Pākehā dominated system whether you are part of it or not.
After last night, I can see a point to what they are saying.
Yes, but you also appear to be advocating for the segregation of Māori culture rather than the integration, and for Pākehā culture to remain dominant.
If you have problems with word recognition, particularly of Maori words, then perhaps try a work around.
If I had been looking for an unfamiliar place/word I would have written the word down and showed someone to ask them for directions. I always carry a pen and paper in my purse. Or looked for that name whenever I came to a sign board. Or taken a picture on my phone. This means that in looking at it you are refreshing yourself of the word and may remember it for future reference.
Seeing as this is an ongoing problem, instead of just having a random piece of paper you could carry a small hardcovered notebook and enter the word there. Use it to find the directions then when you get home look it up online for meaning and enter the meaning against the word.
By not accepting and doing you are really perpetuating the problem you have and not giving yourself the best chance to get around it/learn.
When travelling many people write things down/carry images on their phones to ask for directions.
Also when language learning travelling the hard covered book was what I used, I used to write local idiom to check meaning later.
Otherwise we are saying that te reo is not to be integrated into NZ fully, and yes I would call that racist. We have a Treaty we need to honour, Māori are one of the partners, and they have the right to be here fully in this culture. I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate.
The hospitals I have been in usually have a name/ward number/colour code and colour lines in the corridors.
Happy language learning. I am sure you will get better and better as you follow a language learning approach.
Thanks for the suggestion is all that was required.
It was well meant and has worked for me and many others in becoming familiar with language. I have learned French and German and the suggestion helped me tremendously to get to be comfortable in the surroundings. As it worked for me I suggested that it might work for you. I have also had flatmates from the UK & USA who have used this to note down NZ idiom that they did not understand.
If you wish to persist in a stubborn sort of denial that we have a three language system then I guess that is up to you.
I for one am tired of the complaints when you have one great advantage that many of us don't and that is a partner/spouse who is Maori and who would lovingly work with you if you wanted to lessen this fear you have. As my Maori husband did when we were married.
Is there nothing you feel you can do, other than having the state pay for language lessons that would make it more comfortable for you.
PS I have always found that in times of stress writing directions etc is a godsend
PPS I was not suggesting carrying a dictionary but a wee notebook. Surely you would have written the name of the place down?
Which you can choose not to do, but you then can't turn around and complain about not being able to understand common Māori words in mainstream usage.
If the state wanted me to, they should have provided it at school (as I have previously advocated for)
Pretty hard for the government to enact policy retrospectively. I would love to have learned te reo at school. I was a child of the 70s, a time when Māori were having to occupy ancestral land or go on land marches to get the state to take them seriously. Māori worked long and hard to save te reo and bring it back and it's still a battle.
Had the state not practiced institutional racism for 150 years, we'd all be bilingual. I'm not sure how you think teaching te reo at school will work if people then don't use the language in everyday life eg hospitals, government departments, TV.
The following are purely rhetorical questions that don’t need to be answered but could be pondered, if you wish.
Did you learn at school how to use a computer or mobile phone and to navigate the internet? If no, when, where and why did you learn these skills?
Did you choose any non-compulsory subjects at school? If yes, why?
Did you learn any other different new skills and stuff after you finished school? If yes, why?
Is school the (only?) place where you should be taught useful skills?
Do you do always and everything the state ‘wants’ from you and nothing and never it does not ‘want’ from you? Or only when it suits you?
Hospitals are confusing places. Medical emergencies are scary and stressful events. A trivial issue with the name of the unit, which could have been in any language, exacerbated and coloured your overall negative experience.
NZ should follow Canada's example and have English and Maori names for departments side by side as they do with English and French.
If a govt department makes a press release or statement in English they immediately make one one in french.
We should do that with English and Maori.
It solves every issue.
Its insane that there's no "/" after a govt department with a Maori name, it causes loads of problems and resentment and really seems to piss off the million odd first generation immigrants who speak English as a second language.
Hopefully National changes govt departments to English name/Maori name or Maori name/English name when they get elected in October or in 2026.
there was a case last year where a Bluebird employer spoke on their personal FB page about being sick of Maori language being everywhere eg hospitals. Someone dobbed this worker in to their employer and she lost her job. This happened in the context of Te Reo Whittakers chocolate.
Without seeing the FB post, it sounds like an employee of a food company criticised another food company in public. I am guessing they did not have authority to do so as part of their job. Their employment contract may have had a standard clause about not bringing the company into disrepute.
The unit had a Maori name that I didn’t recognise.
Hospitals regularly use names like Oncology or Othopaedics (rather than cancer and bones). Not in English either. Nobody has consulted me about that, yet I am not upset or afraid.
He was brought in to lead the war in Ukraine and target civilians with the levels of brutality he used in Syria. He failed, Ukraine remains standing and grows stronger by the day.
"The more things change, the more they stay the same "
Sad about the British volunteer though .Clearly a good guy with the best motivations. May be Bagshaw, may be Parry, both passports found on body Originally I found this on your site, can't locate it , but its here on Arab news
The Turkish government has elections coming up this year. And most parties are running with a policy of sending Syrian refugees home.
Erdogan is seeking a Turkish military occupation 30 miles into Syria all along the border, including Kurdish areas. And intends to send refuges there (ethnic cleansing of Kurds/replacement with Arabs from part of their homeland in the NE of Syria). He will allow Sweden and Finland into NATO if he is allowed to do this.
PS A subplot, why Turkey is backing the Tripoli faction in Libya.
"The fossil energy we lever, magnifies our labour hundreds of times (try pushing your car home, or doing the work of a 12-ton digger with your shovel). So we irrupted; exponentially increased our population and exponentially increased our collection of energy-requiring infrastructure. The problem was as predictable as the results of overstocking a paddock are; we have overshot. There is not enough stored solar energy, to maintain the current level of activity. Nor, ultimately, to maintain the current human population.
Looking ahead, an equilibrium will be reached, with or without without our help. We would be better landing that plane as gently as possible, rather than waiting for it to crash."
"There are not enough real-time solar acres to support as many humans as there are now, doing as much as they are currently doing. Mentioning ‘money’, or the word ‘financial’ (an apparent default-setting for Ryan?) is pointless in the face of that dilemma – which is entirely a question of energy-physics. Even biology is a subsequent topic; life depends on energy; energy doesn not depend on life. And money is so distantly-subsequent as to be a complete red herring."
As the latest announcements about resource shortages continue in our media it may be time to reflect on the real causes and ultimate outcomes.
When we have been operating at maximum capacity to maintain current consumption it dosnt take much to create specific shortages…as MG notes it is a feature of overshoot.
I want to also record the loss to music of Seamus Begley from West Kerry, singer and accordion player of Irish music who died on Tuesday aged 73. He visited NZ on tour and was top rate, with "the voice of an angel" according to Mary Black. He was good enough to get a eulogy from the Irish President.
He carried forward the music, language and culture of Ireland, with strong ties to family and the land. Those attributes are also what we prize in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
“ NZ anti-government groups on the far Right use Trump/Bannon rhetoric to denounce not only the current government but also the NZ “Deep State.” This was amply seen during the parliament protests, occupation and riot early last year. Platforms like Counterspin and VFF reportedly have funding support from Bannon’s media conglomerate, with people listed as his correspondents misusing press credentials to get close to the Prime Minister in order to harangue her. (The security implications of this are serious and need to be addressed as a priority by those responsible for her protection).”
Interesting shift. Tracks with how people feel about trans-identified males in women's toilets too. Once people realise what it means there is significantly less support.
What's important to understand about the UK in that time is that there's been a huge increase in public coverage of the issues especially in the past few years.
wtf. You’d think the Windsors would have better PR advisors now, on things like how not to talk about your mother’s lips and your penis in the same paragraph.
Guy's mental health issues appear to be even worse than we'd previously thought.
How the desperation for $$$ can lead to self-destructive behaviour (as we see in plenty of other celebrities).
It’s easy to swallow what conservative media tells you.
Harry seems perfectly capable and coherent, decisive and driven. These are not ready indicators for someone with mental health issues.
Some people are poor readers (in this case listeners) and don't immediately comprehend intent. It's clear to me anyway Harry is doing what writers do, using literary devices to create interest. Irony and juxtaposition, yes, Freudian, certainly, but a nightmare? Not unless you are a prig stuck in the 19th century.
Framing him as not sound is a deliberate strategy by conservative media to feed to nationalist Brits.
It was inevitable his detractors would use the mental health label. Its an old trick coming from the 'powers that be' and their media lackeys in particular who want someone discredited because the truth does not show them in a good light.
An example is the claim he accused his stepmother (Camilla) of being a villain. My take from the excerpt I saw is that… during the period between his parents' breakup and his father's remarriage, Camilla was regarded as the villain in the piece. That was indeed the case.
He did get a few things wrong but who hasn't in the course of a lifetime. The airline ticket for Meghan's father's booking from Mexico to the UK (which he never took up) was not Air NZ. They have never flown that route.
Good on him for telling his side of the story. He was more than entitled to, given the trash that has been written about them ever since they married. Racism and jealousy in all its glory!
Given that even the Harry apologists are starting to question his 'recollection' of events, it seems more like the outpourings of a Kardashianesque diva determined to remain in the spotlight, while decrying the media who keep him there.
His touching recollection of being at Eton when he was informed of the Queen Mum's death, turns out to be a tissue of lies – he was actually on a skiing holiday with his Dad and big brother in Switzerland.
And this is not an isolated instance.
When many fact-checkable elements (some not exactly in the distant past – cf the AirNZ flight), turn out to be blatant inventions, it does make people question the other elements of his story.
It's amusing to watch the rabid right become so triggered over a few minor details. The mysterious Air New Zealand flight from Mexico seems to be one royalist Kiwis hang onto the most as if evidence Harry's entire experience did not exist at all.
Amazing how the loony left (as opposed to the rabid right) are so blind to the multiple documented inconsistencies in the ever-rolling docudrama which is the Sussex story.
Even the US (with their surprisingly inconsistent love of royalty) are starting to become disenchanted with them.
The negative press-coverage in the UK seems to go across the political spectrum from ultra-conservative right to far left.
Here's an article heartless, RWNJ doubters might like to read. It deals with grief:
The idea of “time healing all wounds” is a myth. Pain is ongoing. And by silencing someone’s pain, this can worsen it. The public, health professionals, the media and family can all silence someone’s grief by minimising discussions about the impact of losing a loved one.
Since Harry had help to write the book, it sounds like someone got their wires crossed over the airline in question. It wouldn't surprise me if it was Air India not Air NZ but, for the sake of forthcoming pedantry, I might be wrong.
I have no quarrel with Queen Consort Camilla. She was once very badly treated too. I also have no doubt that Princess Diana over indulged Harry when he was a child. She would have known he was always going to be in William's shadow and be treated as such, and she tried hard [too hard perhaps] to make up for it.
Whether he will succeed has yet to be seen, but he deserves full marks for choosing his own destiny and standing up to the class-ridden politics that is conservative/Conservative Britain.
Well said Patricia. I can see both the positives and the negatives of the British Royal family. I don't hate them. For the most part they are doing their best. Their lives are not their own to live. "The Firm" is full of sociopaths and upper class twats telling them what they can and can't do.
Harry and Meghan rebelled and 'jolly' good luck to them. Here's hoping they succeed.
Megan Woods accepted 'advice' from officials and Marsden Point closed. Among other things, Marsden Point was responsible for plenty/most/lots of CO2 production.
Nowhere does it mention governmental responsibility.
To me it looks like a similar scenario in a two year time frame to the chicken industry which had ten years to sort out its prospective problems.
Marsden indicated its desire to close early in 2021.
Could a C02 producing plant big enough for NZ's needs be built and operational in that time frame?
Could CO2 have been imported in sufficient quantities since March 2022?
Is National spokesperson, Stuart Smith, denying industry's role in this shortage?
"The nationwide shortage of carbon dioxide will make goods more expensive and hurt New Zealand’s exporters, National’s Energy and Resources spokesperson Stuart Smith says.
I have come into this exchange from the point of view Marsden Point should not have been closed. Minister Woods needed nore courage and better arguments to push the idea of nationalising it. The CO2 shortage is a direct consequence of that. Todd could close it's plant and there would not be the issues now. That is without considering the loss of resilience and independence fuel wise.
I couldn't care less about some opposition MP's brainfarts, my criticism is of those that do have the power and their actions or inactions.
The closure had been signalled well in advance and happened in early 2022. Indeed, the industrial players were well aware of the situation. For example, from your link of 6 Oct, 2022 [that is 3 months ago and about 6 months after the closure]:
Eriksen said the brewery was looking at alternatives to CO2 – including nitrogen – but this came at a cost.
"We are trying to figure out ways to become more independent."
He said major disruptions to production were lurking in the future and breweries were going to feel the pressure coming into the warmer season.
Director of government relations and public affairs at the NZ Beverage Council, Belinda Milnes, said ongoing supply issues had been exacerbated by the closure of the Marsden Point refinery.
"The beverage sector is one of many industries [that] have been impacted, and companies have had to manage supply carefully."
She said importing CO2 was an alternative, but it was an expensive option due to the high freight costs.
It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong.
The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?
"The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?" Yes, especially when they blame the wrong people.
Stuart Smith blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim. He jumped on silly Simeon Brown's band wagon and blamed government. Of course, roads in town are the Council's responsibility, so blame was apportioned wrongly.
Then he gets into the "government ought to" blame game over the teaching of research and analysis skills so long as they don't teach about climate change being a physical, scientific, evidence-based reality.
Had Mr Smith looked at school curriculum as to what it does teach now? Ot maybe he just wanted it taught compulsorily to age 18, as the Tory PM advocated.
Research and and analysis skills are taught in many subjects, not just maths. I changed in Year 12 to History. 'What were the causes of WW1?"
What effect did climate change have upon past history? A good topic in history, social studies, science, agriculture and economics……..
I 50% agree with you in that often the wrong people cop flak. However, rather than blaming anyone, why not start holding them to account by asking pertinent questions and scrutinising actions? In my experience, when this is done in an open, respectful, non-judgemental, and constructive manner one receives better responses/answers that lead to better understanding and decision-making in future by the powers that be who are responsible. It is all part of engagement with (the) stakeholders and providing (positive) feedback.
"blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim"
Do you have a link to a report of this complaint? The only thing I have seen was a complaint about the Picton Road which would be SH1. The maintenance of State Highways, even in the middle of towns, has always been a Central Government responsibility and not a Council one.
How the Minister is supposed to know about it is difficult to see but he is, in theory, responsible for everything his Department does.
More than dreaming, Alwyn; deliberately misleading or at best uninformed.
If this were a castle, he'd be saying that the causeway, drawbridge and courtyard surface were the king's responsibility not the lord's; that the water in the moat, (a mixture of the three waters after all), was not an issue for the king but could the king please give us some money to treat it as we see fit; and limiting wagons, carriages and horses to 80 km/h on windy hills is unfair on cartage owners and undertakers.
"It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong."
Not a lot to argue with there.
My issue, as I mentioned to Mac above, is what those with the power did or didn't do.
One person's "blame game" is another's attempt at holding the PTB to account. (No matter how ham-fisted it was.)
"To ensure you can register your baby’s name, avoid using official titles, numeric characters or symbols – like a backslash or punctuation mark – and swear words."
I am curious as to what happens if you do not register your baby's name and why?
The law apparently requires that you register the birth. The form for doing so states "Your child must be registered with a surname or family name, and one or more given names."
What they would do if you never fill in the form is not obvious, at least to me. Please don't do it though. I know of a case where the New Zealand parents of a child born in Spain never notified the birth to the New Zealand Government. When they did return to New Zealand the original action at the border was to tell them that, having no evidence that the child was a NZ citizen the youngster, still under a year old, was not going to be allowed into the country.
It apparently took a great deal of argument by the family to get them to change their mind.
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This story was originally published by Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Within just a week, the sheer devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires has pushed to the fore fundamental questions about the impact of the climate crisis that have been ...
In this world, it's just usYou know it's not the same as it wasSongwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Thomas Edward Percy Hull / Tyler Sam JohnsonYesterday, I received a lovely message from Caty, a reader of Nick’s Kōrero, that got me thinking. So I thought I’d share it with you, ...
In past times a person was considered “unserious” or “not a serious” person if they failed to grasp, behave and speak according to the solemnity of the context in which they were located. For example a serious person does not audibly pass gas at Church, or yell “gun” at a ...
Long stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Thursday, February 13 are:The coalition Government’s early 2024 ‘fiscal emergency’ freeze on funding, planning and building houses, schools, local roads and hospitals helped extend and deepen the economic and jobs recession through calendar ...
For obvious reasons, people feel uneasy when the right to be a citizen is sold off to wealthy foreigners. Even selling the right to residency seems a bit dubious, when so many migrants who are not millionaires get turned away or are made to jump through innumerable hoops – simply ...
A new season of White Lotus is nearly upon us: more murder mystery, more sumptuous surroundings, more rich people behaving badly.Once more we get to identify with the experience of the pampered tourist or perhaps the poorly paid help; there's something in White Lotus for all New Zealanders.And unlike the ...
In 2016, Aotearoa shockingly plunged to fourth place in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index. Nine years later, and we're back there again: New Zealand has seen a further slip in its global ranking in the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). [...] In the latest CPI New Zealand's score ...
1. You’ve started ranking your politicians on how much they respect the rule of law2. You’ve stopped paying attention to those news publications3. You’ve developed a sudden interest in a particular period of history4. More and more people are sounding like your racist, conspiracist uncle.5. Someone just pulled a Nazi ...
Transforming New Zealand: Brian EastonBrian Easton will discuss the above topic at 2/57 Willis Street, Wellington at 5:30pm on Tuesday 26 February at 2/57 Willis Street, WellingtonThe sub-title to the above is "Why is the Left failing?" Brian Easton's analysis is based on his view that while the ...
Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2025 report highlights falling living standards, the highest unemployment rates since the 1990s and half of all Pacific children going without food. There are reports of hundreds if not thousands of people are applying for the same jobs in the wake of last year’s ...
Mountain Tui is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Correction: On the article The Condundrum of David Seymour, Luke Malpass conducted joint reviews with Bryce Wilkinson, the architect of the Regulatory Standards Bill - not Bryce Edwards. The article ...
Tomorrow the council’s Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meet and agenda has a few interesting papers. Council’s Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport Every year the council provide a Letter of Expectation to Auckland Transport which is part of the process for informing AT of the council’s priorities and ...
All around in my home townThey're trying to track me down, yeahThey say they want to bring me in guiltyFor the killing of a deputyFor the life of a deputySongwriter: Robert Nesta Marley.Support Nick’s Kōrero today with a 20% discount on a paid subscription to receive all my newsletters directly ...
Hi,I think all of us have probably experienced the power of music — that strange, transformative thing that gets under our skin and helps us experience this whole life thing with some kind of sanity.Listening and experiencing music has always been such a huge part of my life, and has ...
Business frustration over the stalled economy is growing, and only 34% of voters are confidentNicola Willis can deliver. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Wednesday, February 12 are:Business frustration is growing about a ...
I have now lived long enough to see a cabinet minister go both barrels on their Prime Minister and not get sacked.It used to be that the PM would have a drawer full of resignations signed by ministers on the day of their appointment, ready for such an occasion. But ...
This session will feature Simon McCallum, Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Computer Science (VUW) and recent Labour Party candidate in the Southland Electorate talking about some of the issues around AI and how this should inform Labour Party policy. Simon is an excellent speaker with a comprehensive command of AI ...
The proposed Waimate garbage incinerator is dead: The company behind a highly-controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in the Waimate District no longer has the land. [...] However, SIRRL director Paul Taylor said the sales and purchase agreement to purchase land from Murphy Farms, near Glenavy, lapsed at ...
The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been a vital tool in combatting international corruption. It forbids US companies and citizens from bribing foreign public officials anywhere in the world. And its actually enforced: some of the world's biggest companies - Siemens, Hewlett Packard, and Bristol Myers Squibb - have ...
December 2024 photo - with UK Tory Boris Johnson (Source: Facebook)Those PollsFor hours, political poll results have resounded across political hallways and commentary.According to the 1News Verizon poll, 50% of the country believe we are heading in the “wrong direction”, while 39% believe we are “on the right track”.The left ...
A Tai Rāwhiti mill that ran for 30 years before it was shut down in late 2023 is set to re-open in the coming months, which will eventually see nearly 300 new jobs in the region. A new report from Massey University shows that pensioners are struggling with rising costs. ...
As support continues to fall, Luxon also now faces his biggest internal ructions within the coalition since the election, with David Seymour reacting badly to being criticised by the PM. File photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Not since 1988 when Richard Prebble openly criticised David Lange have we seen such a challenge to a Prime Minister as that of David Seymour to Christopher Luxon last night. Prebble suggested Lange had mental health issues during a TV interview and was almost immediately fired. Seymour hasn’t gone quite ...
Three weeks in, and the 24/7 news cycle is not helping anyone feel calm and informed about the second Trump presidency. One day, the US is threatening 25% trade tariffs on its friends and neighbours. The reasons offered by the White House are absurd, such as stopping fentanyl coming in ...
This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Wherever you look, you'll hear headlines claiming we've passed 1.5 degrees of global warming. And while 2024 saw ...
Photo by Heather M. Edwards on UnsplashHere’s the key news, commentary, reports and debate around Aotearoa’s politics and economy in the week to Feb 10 below. That’s ahead of live chats on the Substack App and The Kākā’s front page on Substack at 5pm with: on his column in The ...
Is there anyone in the world the National Party loves more than a campaign donor? Why yes, there is! They will always have the warmest hello and would you like to slip into something more comfortable for that great god of our age, the High Net Worth Individual.The words the ...
Waste and fraud certainly exist in foreign aid programs, but rightwing celebration of USAID’s dismantling shows profound ignorance of the value of soft power (as opposed to hard power) in projecting US influence and interests abroad by non-military/coercive means (think of “hearts and minds,” “hugs, not bullets,” “honey versus vinegar,” ...
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut almost half of its data and digital positions – more than 1000 of them. The PSA has called on the Privacy Commissioner to urgently investigate the cuts due to the potential for serious consequences for patients. NZNO is calling for an urgent increase ...
We may see a few more luxury cars on Queen Street, but a loosening of rules to entice rich foreigners to invest more here is unlikely to “turbocharge our economic growth”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short, the top six things in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate ...
Let us not dance daintily around the elephant in the room. Our politicians who serve us in the present are not honest, certainly not as honest as they should be, and while the right are taking out most of the trophies for warping narratives and literally redefining “facts”, the kiwi ...
A few weeks ago I took a look at public transport ridership in 2024. In today’s post I’m going to be looking a bit deeper at bus ridership. Buses make up the vast majority of ridership in Auckland with 70 million boardings last year out of a total of 89.4 ...
Oh, you know I did itIt's over and I feel fineNothing you could say is gonna change my mindWaited and I waited the longest nightNothing like the taste of sweet declineSongwriters: Chris Shiflett / David Eric Grohl / Nate Mendel / Taylor Hawkins.Hindsight is good, eh?The clarity when the pieces ...
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on UnsplashHere’s what we’re watching in the week to February 16 and beyond in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty:Monday, February 10The Kākā’s weekly wrap-up of news about politics and the economy is due at midday, followed by webinar for paying subscribers in Substack’s ...
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 2, 2025 thru Sat, February 8, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
Today, I stumbled across a Twitter Meme: the ending of The Lord of the Rings as a Chess scenario: https://x.com/mellon_heads/status/1887983845917564991 It gets across the basic gist. Aragorn and Gandalf offering up ‘material’ at the Morannon allows Frodo and Samwise to catch Sauron unawares – fair enough. But there are a ...
Last week, Kieran McAnulty called out Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis for their claims that Kāinga Ora’s costs were too high.They had claimed Kāinga Ora’s cost were 12% higher than market i.e. private devlopersBut Kāinga Ora’s Chair had already explained why last year:"We're not building to sell, so we'll be ...
The Government’s newly announced funding for biodiversity and tourism of $30-million over three years is a small fraction of what is required for conservation in this country. ...
The Government's sudden cancellation of the tertiary education funding increase is a reckless move that risks widespread job losses and service reductions across New Zealand's universities. ...
National’s cuts to disability support funding and freezing of new residential placements has resulted in significant mental health decline for intellectually disabled people. ...
The hundreds of jobs lost needlessly as a result of the Kinleith Mill paper production closure will have a devastating impact on the Tokoroa community - something that could have easily been avoided. ...
Today Te Pāti Māori MP for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, released her members bill that will see the return of tamariki and mokopuna Māori from state care back to te iwi Māori. This bill will establish an independent authority that asserts and protects the rights promised in He Whakaputanga ...
The Whangarei District Council being forced to fluoridate their local water supply is facing a despotic Soviet-era disgrace. This is not a matter of being pro-fluoride or anti-fluoride. It is a matter of what New Zealanders see and value as democracy in our country. Individual democratically elected Councillors are not ...
Nicola Willis’ latest supermarket announcement is painfully weak with no new ideas, no real plan, and no relief for Kiwis struggling with rising grocery costs. ...
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report. ...
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation report is a bleak indictment on the failure of Government to take steps to end poverty, with those on benefits, including their children, hit hardest. ...
New Zealand First has today introduced a Member’s Bill which would restore decision-making power to local communities regarding the fluoridation of drinking water. The ‘Fluoridation (Referendum) Legislation Bill’ seeks to repeal the Health (Fluoridation of Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2021 that granted centralised authority to the Direct General of Health ...
New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill aimed at preventing banks from refusing their services to businesses because of the current “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework”. “This Bill ensures fairness and prevents ESG standards from perpetuating woke ideology in the banking sector being driven by unelected, globalist, climate ...
Erica Stanford has reached peak shortsightedness if today’s announcement is anything to go by, picking apart immigration settings piece by piece to the detriment of the New Zealand economy. ...
Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. The intention was to establish a colony with the cession of sovereignty to the Crown, ...
Te Whatu Ora Chief Executive Margie Apa leaving her job four months early is another symptom of this government’s failure to deliver healthcare for New Zealanders. ...
The Green Party is calling for the Prime Minister to show leadership and be unequivocal about Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition to a proposal by the US President to remove Palestinians from Gaza. ...
The latest unemployment figures reveal that job losses are hitting Māori and Pacific people especially hard, with Māori unemployment reaching a staggering 9.7% for the December 2024 quarter and Pasifika unemployment reaching 10.5%. ...
Waitangi 2025: Waitangi Day must be community and not politically driven - Shane Jones Our originating document, theTreaty of Waitangi, was signed on February 6, 1840. An agreement between Māori and the British Crown. Initially inked by Ngā Puhi in Waitangi, further signatures were added as it travelled south. ...
Despite being confronted every day with people in genuine need being stopped from accessing emergency housing – National still won’t commit to building more public houses. ...
The Green Party says the Government is giving up on growing the country’s public housing stock, despite overwhelming evidence that we need more affordable houses to solve the housing crisis. ...
Before any thoughts of the New Year and what lies ahead could even be contemplated, New Zealand reeled with the tragedy of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming losing her life. For over 38 years she had faithfully served as a front-line Police officer. Working alongside her was Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson will return to politics at Waitangi on Monday the 3rd of February where she will hold a stand up with fellow co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick. ...
Te Pāti Māori is appalled by the government's blatant mishandling of the school lunch programme. David Seymour’s ‘cost-saving’ measures have left tamariki across Aotearoa with unidentifiable meals, causing distress and outrage among parents and communities alike. “What’s the difference between providing inedible food, and providing no food at all?” Said ...
The Government is doubling down on outdated and volatile fossil fuels, showing how shortsighted and destructive their policies are for working New Zealanders. ...
Green Party MP Steve Abel this morning joined Coromandel locals in Waihi to condemn new mining plans announced by Shane Jones in the pit of the town’s Australian-owned Gold mine. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to strengthen its just-announced 2030-2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and address its woeful lack of commitment to climate security. ...
Today marks a historic moment for Taranaki iwi with the passing of the Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill in Parliament. "Today, we stand together as descendants of Taranaki, and our tūpuna, Taranaki Maunga, is now formally acknowledged by the law as a living tūpuna. ...
The Government’s commitment to get New Zealand’s roads back on track is delivering strong results, with around 98 per cent of potholes on state highways repaired within 24 hours of identification every month since targets were introduced, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says. “Increasing productivity to help rebuild our economy is ...
The former Cadbury factory will be the site of the Inpatient Building for the new Dunedin Hospital and Health Minister Simeon Brown says actions have been taken to get the cost overruns under control. “Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin ...
From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It ...
New Zealand’s strong commitment to the rights of disabled people has continued with the response to an important United Nations report, Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston has announced. Of the 63 concluding observations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), 47 will be progressed ...
Resources Minister Shane Jones has launched New Zealand’s national Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List, documents that lay a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector, with the aim of doubling exports to $3 billion by 2035. Mr Jones released the documents, which present the Coalition Government’s transformative vision ...
Firstly I want to thank OceanaGold for hosting our event today. Your operation at Waihi is impressive. I want to acknowledge local MP Scott Simpson, local government dignitaries, community stakeholders and all of you who have gathered here today. It’s a privilege to welcome you to the launch of the ...
Racing Minister, Winston Peters has announced the Government is preparing public consultation on GST policy proposals which would make the New Zealand racing industry more competitive. “The racing industry makes an important economic contribution. New Zealand thoroughbreds are in demand overseas as racehorses and for breeding. The domestic thoroughbred industry ...
Business confidence remains very high and shows the economy is on track to improve, Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says. “The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, released yesterday, shows business confidence and expected own activity are ‘still both very high’.” The survey reports business confidence fell eight points to +54 ...
Enabling works have begun this week on an expanded radiology unit at Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital which will double CT scanning capacity in Hawke’s Bay to ensure more locals can benefit from access to timely, quality healthcare, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. This investment of $29.3m in the ...
The Government has today announced New Zealand’s second international climate target under the Paris Agreement, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand will reduce emissions by 51 to 55 per cent compared to 2005 levels, by 2035. “We have worked hard to set a target that is both ambitious ...
Nine years of negotiations between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki have concluded following Te Pire Whakatupua mō Te Kāhui Tupua/the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill passing its third reading in Parliament today, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “This Bill addresses the historical grievances endured by the eight iwi ...
As schools start back for 2025, there will be a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly so all Kiwi kids grow up with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to grow the New Zealand of the future, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “A world-leading education system is a key ...
Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid. “In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says. “As part ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year. “As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On ...
Minister for Children Karen Chhour has intervened in Oranga Tamariki’s review of social service provider contracts to ensure Barnardos can continue to deliver its 0800 What’s Up hotline. “When I found out about the potential impact to this service, I asked Oranga Tamariki for an explanation. Based on the information ...
A bill to make revenue collection on imported and exported goods fairer and more effective had its first reading in Parliament, Customs Minister Casey Costello said today. “The Customs (Levies and Other Matters) Amendment Bill modernises the way in which Customs can recover the costs of services that are needed ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has achieved significant progress in completing applications for New Zealand citizenship. “December 2024 saw the Department complete 5,661 citizenship applications, the most for any month in 2024. This is a 54 per cent increase compared ...
Reversals to Labour’s blanket speed limit reductions begin tonight and will be in place by 1 July, says Minister of Transport Chris Bishop. “The previous government was obsessed with slowing New Zealanders down by imposing illogical and untargeted speed limit reductions on state highways and local roads. “National campaigned on ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced Budget 2025 – the Growth Budget - will be delivered on Thursday 22 May. “This year’s Budget will drive forward the Government’s plan to grow our economy to improve the incomes of New Zealanders now and in the years ahead. “Budget 2025 will build ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sonia R. Grover, Clinical Professor of Gynaecology, The University of Melbourne Polina Zimmerman/Pexels Menstruation, or a period, is the bleeding that occurs about monthly in healthy people born with a uterus, from puberty to menopause. This happens when the endometrium, the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ella Barclay, Senior Lecturer, School of Art and Design, Australian National University Despite the perceived outrage at Khaled Sabsabi’s depiction of Hassan Nasrallah in his 2007 work You, Australian art has long made subjects of outlaws and questionable figures. And it is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Pryke, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Sydney Lisa Tomasetti/Opera Australia “It’s an old song”, Hermes (Christine Anu) sings at the opening of Hadestown, but “we’re gonna sing it again and again”. Based on a ...
An additional $13 million will be invested in tourism infrastructure, including upgrading huts and resolving the backlog in Milford Sound concessions. ...
The reality is that we have no obligation to tolerate the intolerant. They are using violence to shut down and silence others. The result of tolerating intolerant views is the loss of everyone’s freedom of speech except for the one who most effectively ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University Adwo/Shutterstock Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely ...
Alex Casey unearths Simon Court’s full sales pitch for how menstrual cups could end poverty. On Friday last week, Act MP Simon Court was accused of “mansplaining” during a parliamentary committee hearing about benefit sanctions. After submitter Rachel Dibble shared her concerns about period poverty and the impact that sanctions ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato It’s an unfortunate fact that bad people sometimes want guns. And while laws are designed to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, the determined criminal can be highly resourceful. There are three main ...
Asia Pacific Report Two independent Jewish Voices groups in Aotearoa New Zealand have written an open letter to the government condemning the Zionist “colonisation” project leading to genocide and criticising the role of the NZ Jewish Council for its “unelected” and “uncritical support” for Israel. The groups, Alternative Jewish Voices ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Newspoll, conducted February 10–14 from a sample of 1,244, gave the Coalition a 51–49 lead, unchanged from the previous Newspoll, ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you enjoy whip-smart satire: The White Lotus (Neon, February 17) HBO’s award-winning The White Lotus is back for what critics are calling “an absolutely exquisite third ...
NZPF called for a slowdown of the curriculum change, asking for one subject at a time, so that teachers and principals could be fully trained and feel confident and competent to implement the changes, New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) President ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication & Digital Media, RMIT University Indonesia’s TVOne launched an AI news presenter in 2023.T.J. Thomson Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has taken off at lightning speed in the past couple of years, creating disruption in ...
Many of the young vapers interviewed by a team of public health researchers said they felt unable to resist the pro-vaping environment that surrounded them. New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree ...
Analysis: While most Wellingtonians enjoyed a rare but unbeatable sunny day on Saturday, some New Zealand diplomats will have been briefly shocked by a screenshot making the rounds on social media showing US President Donald Trump calling us a “third world country”.The image, it appears, was a fake – certainly a ...
ActionStation Director, Kassie Hartendorp says that the Treaty Principles Bill has galvanised the biggest movement in support of Te Tiriti in modern history. ...
While it is in the interests of Wellington ratepayers to sell off this subsidy for the rich, it is unfortunate that it has come to this point. The council should have never spent a penny on this programme, and the $3.4 million spent is a flagrant abuse ...
A search for the person behind a social media account ridiculing Māori.Last week, while scrolling Facebook, I came across a post shared to the New Zealand Centre for Political Research group. The post began, “From Matua Kahurangi on X”, before pasting his critique of iwi leadership – particularly Ngāpuhi ...
On the heels of The White Lotus season three, Tara Ward travels to Koh Samui, Thailand, to live her best life as a five-star wannabe. I’ve never been one for luxury travel. Despite religiously watching TV shows like Luxury Escapes: World’s Best Holidays and harbouring grand dreams of one day ...
The Treaty Principles Bill submission hearings continue at Parliament today with a range of submitters expected including councils, iwi, community organisations and individuals. ...
It’s become of one of Christchurch’s most famous landmarks online, but why? Alex Casey steps through the portal of the brutalist Timezone. Ask anyone what Christchurch’s most iconic building is and you might expect to hear some of the dusty old classics like the Cathedral, or the Town Hall, or ...
New Zealand’s alignment with the White House is further underscored by its refusal to oppose Trump’s sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janet Hoek, Professor in Public Health, University of Otago Shutterstock/Aliaksandr Barouski New Zealand’s smokefree law was hailed around the world for creating a smokefree generation that would have lifelong protection from smoking’s harms. The smokefree generation would have ended sales of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Disney, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne Edwin Tan/Getty Images When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established in 2013, one of its driving aims was to make disability services and support systems fairer. However, our new ...
The resignation of the director general of health is the latest departure in what Labour is calling a ‘purge’ of health leadership. Another day, another health resignation It’s a dangerous time to be a top health executive. On Friday, Dr Diana Sarfati announced her resignation as director general of health ...
Labour and the Greens say the government should focus spending on tourism infrastructure like tracks, toilets and protection of nature instead of more advertising. ...
Hundreds of people called the former prime minister vile and dehumanising things online. Internet safety agencies did nothing - then called in the lawyers. ...
Hundreds of people called the former prime minister vile and dehumanising things online. Internet safety agencies did nothing - then called in the lawyers. ...
After a morning spent calf marking, Flock Hill Station manager Richard Hill headed up Bridge Hill – about 100km from Christchurch on the way to the West Coast – to check on a fire near the station’s boundary.It was December 5 last year, and the Craigieburn area had experienced three ...
indded there was a case last year where a Bluebird employer spoke on their personal FB page about being sick of Maori language being everywhere eg hospitals. Someone dobbed this worker in to their employer and she lost her job. This happened in the context of Te Reo Whittakers chocolate.
so my real life example was last night, late at night, I went to hospital as an elderly relative was there unexpectedly. They were in a special unit waiting for a bed. The unit had a Maori name that I didn’t recognise. I was running around outside in the dark and then inside trying to find it, trying to remember that name when I came across the late staff in the corridors.
I was a little frantic and would have appreciated a simple name (maybe a colour) to help me locate where I needed to be. I will likely not need to know this name again (hopefully).
I don't believe people should lose their jobs for saying casual racist things on their own sm account.
I also think it's ok to name racism when we see it.
The issue you had with the hospital, I've had that in other contexts with names in English. We used to have Southland Regional Council, Canterbury Regional Council etc and then many rebranded and it's hard to know what an organisation is by its name. This is stupid imo, and serves as a barrier to public engagement, much language is now designed for in house.
However with regards to te reo Māori, imagine what its like for people in hospitals for whom English is a second language, or for whom medical language is not easily understood. Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate? To my mind, the need to save te reo is a high priority, and we are all going through a period of change and some of that will be hard. The solution to not getting Māori names isn't to remove the names but to increase literacy across the population.
(it would make sense at this point in time to use both English and Māori in places like a hospital).
Otherwise we are saying that te reo is not to be integrated into NZ fully, and yes I would call that racist. We have a Treaty we need to honour, Māori are one of the partners, and they have the right to be here fully in this culture. I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate.
You don't have to favor anyone.
Both languages should be used to describe what ever in Te Reo and English.
Just like this
Te Aka Whai Ora / Māori Health Authority
https://www.futureofhealth.govt.nz/maori-health-authority/
or like this
https://www.health.govt.nz/
Manatū Hauora Ministry of Health
and well some what failing here as no english in the link
https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ
But we can also ignore this polite nonsense of putting both languages up and just use the one currently in favor, and thus ignoring the vast majority that do not speak the language at all and have no link to it – including many people who self identify as Maori, have no cultural claim to this language, might not be able to learn a foreign language easily, just to name a few issues around learning a foreign language specially as adults.
Using te reo makes those places more accessible for Māori. Whose needs should predominate?
Well it should be about ease of access for everyone. I doubt there is anyone in NZ who only speaks Maori. New arrivals who speak little English will likely find learning Maori and English a tall order.
"I don't accept that Pāhekā culture should dominate".
I don't want to dominate anyone. I was telling an anecdote, largely because someone got sacked from their job for saying they are sick of seeing Maori everywhere, including hospitals. After last night, I can see a point to what they are saying.
In honouring the Treaty then all signs should be in English and Te Reo.
In the middle or rather very late at night in the dark and the cold and then in empty corridors, I thought make it as simple as possible. I have since heard other parts of the hospital are colour coded and it would have been good if their part was as well.
ease of access in hospitals isn't just about the signage. It's also about culture. Hospitals are generally run along Pākehā lines. That has negative impacts on Māori.
You can not want to dominate, but most Pākehā find the system suits them and don't understand why it not might suit Māori. That's a Pākehā dominated system whether you are part of it or not.
Yes, but you also appear to be advocating for the segregation of Māori culture rather than the integration, and for Pākehā culture to remain dominant.
Here's what National MP Stuart Smith said in 2021. He wanted Aotearoa banned from official public sector usage. Even some colleagues disagreed.
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/national-mp-floats-ban-on-public-sector-using-aotearoa
And who knows what the extremists in Act or Winston First might insist on during coalition negotiations.
If you have problems with word recognition, particularly of Maori words, then perhaps try a work around.
If I had been looking for an unfamiliar place/word I would have written the word down and showed someone to ask them for directions. I always carry a pen and paper in my purse. Or looked for that name whenever I came to a sign board. Or taken a picture on my phone. This means that in looking at it you are refreshing yourself of the word and may remember it for future reference.
Seeing as this is an ongoing problem, instead of just having a random piece of paper you could carry a small hardcovered notebook and enter the word there. Use it to find the directions then when you get home look it up online for meaning and enter the meaning against the word.
By not accepting and doing you are really perpetuating the problem you have and not giving yourself the best chance to get around it/learn.
When travelling many people write things down/carry images on their phones to ask for directions.
Also when language learning travelling the hard covered book was what I used, I used to write local idiom to check meaning later.
The hospitals I have been in usually have a name/ward number/colour code and colour lines in the corridors.
Happy language learning. I am sure you will get better and better as you follow a language learning approach.
Shanreagh your suggestion is ridiculous.
I was called out late at night for a family emergency.
I had no idea I would have difficulty finding the unit and the last thing on my mind was, oh I must take my Maori to English notebook dictionary.
I am not intending to learn Maori. If the state wanted me to, they should have provided it at school (as I have previously advocated for)
Thanks for the suggestion is all that was required.
It was well meant and has worked for me and many others in becoming familiar with language. I have learned French and German and the suggestion helped me tremendously to get to be comfortable in the surroundings. As it worked for me I suggested that it might work for you. I have also had flatmates from the UK & USA who have used this to note down NZ idiom that they did not understand.
If you wish to persist in a stubborn sort of denial that we have a three language system then I guess that is up to you.
I for one am tired of the complaints when you have one great advantage that many of us don't and that is a partner/spouse who is Maori and who would lovingly work with you if you wanted to lessen this fear you have. As my Maori husband did when we were married.
Is there nothing you feel you can do, other than having the state pay for language lessons that would make it more comfortable for you.
PS I have always found that in times of stress writing directions etc is a godsend
PPS I was not suggesting carrying a dictionary but a wee notebook. Surely you would have written the name of the place down?
Have you suggested to the health facility that they might need to look at the directions?
Hopefully yes.
Or are you going to continue with the great NZ character trait of becoming a 'moaning Minnie'.
Life's too short
A few easy words re Govt depts
Manatu means Ministry
Hauora means health
Waka canoe/transport is used in Waka Kotahi
Land Information NZ – a bit harder but Toitu te Whenua is an extract from the whakatauki (saying) 'the land alone endures'
The full saying is 'Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua' people may come and go but the land alone endures.
Taake is the word for tax. So Te Tari Taake is the department for taxes IRD
Te Tari Kaumatua also is the Te Tari (Department) with a common word Kaumatua (elders) and is used in . – The Office for Seniors.
By building up word recognition from common words such as Kaumatua, Waka we can give ourselves a chance at working out the names of the Govt Depts.
Which you can choose not to do, but you then can't turn around and complain about not being able to understand common Māori words in mainstream usage.
Pretty hard for the government to enact policy retrospectively. I would love to have learned te reo at school. I was a child of the 70s, a time when Māori were having to occupy ancestral land or go on land marches to get the state to take them seriously. Māori worked long and hard to save te reo and bring it back and it's still a battle.
Had the state not practiced institutional racism for 150 years, we'd all be bilingual. I'm not sure how you think teaching te reo at school will work if people then don't use the language in everyday life eg hospitals, government departments, TV.
The following are purely rhetorical questions that don’t need to be answered but could be pondered, if you wish.
Did you learn at school how to use a computer or mobile phone and to navigate the internet? If no, when, where and why did you learn these skills?
Did you choose any non-compulsory subjects at school? If yes, why?
Did you learn any other different new skills and stuff after you finished school? If yes, why?
Is school the (only?) place where you should be taught useful skills?
Do you do always and everything the state ‘wants’ from you and nothing and never it does not ‘want’ from you? Or only when it suits you?
Hospitals are confusing places. Medical emergencies are scary and stressful events. A trivial issue with the name of the unit, which could have been in any language, exacerbated and coloured your overall negative experience.
We have a Labour government – of course Anker's experience was negative!
She’ll be Right!
NZ should follow Canada's example and have English and Maori names for departments side by side as they do with English and French.
If a govt department makes a press release or statement in English they immediately make one one in french.
We should do that with English and Maori.
It solves every issue.
Its insane that there's no "/" after a govt department with a Maori name, it causes loads of problems and resentment and really seems to piss off the million odd first generation immigrants who speak English as a second language.
Hopefully National changes govt departments to English name/Maori name or Maori name/English name when they get elected in October or in 2026.
which government departments have a Māori name and no English name?
I have noticed govt departments starting to use the 'pipe' character | between bilingual names.
The French Canadian example is an interesting one, though they are not indigenous so the equivalent is really their First Nations people.
Not white insecurity, unfortunately.
Without seeing the FB post, it sounds like an employee of a food company criticised another food company in public. I am guessing they did not have authority to do so as part of their job. Their employment contract may have had a standard clause about not bringing the company into disrepute.
Hospitals regularly use names like Oncology or Othopaedics (rather than cancer and bones). Not in English either. Nobody has consulted me about that, yet I am not upset or afraid.
Surovikin's reputation preceded him.
He was brought in to lead the war in Ukraine and target civilians with the levels of brutality he used in Syria. He failed, Ukraine remains standing and grows stronger by the day.
(1/2 of 13)
https://twitter.com/MarkGaleotti/status/1613225533172551701
https://www-svoboda-org.translate.goog/a/komanduyuschim-gruppirovkoy-voysk-rf-v-ukraine-naznachen-gerasimov/32219081.html?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Wow
Radio Liberty huh, that old spin doctor from the Cold war , still funded by the US govt, and relied on for the necessary spin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europe/Radio_Liberty
"The more things change, the more they stay the same "
Sad about the British volunteer though .Clearly a good guy with the best motivations. May be Bagshaw, may be Parry, both passports found on body Originally I found this on your site, can't locate it , but its here on Arab news
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2230881/world
The Turkish government has elections coming up this year. And most parties are running with a policy of sending Syrian refugees home.
Erdogan is seeking a Turkish military occupation 30 miles into Syria all along the border, including Kurdish areas. And intends to send refuges there (ethnic cleansing of Kurds/replacement with Arabs from part of their homeland in the NE of Syria). He will allow Sweden and Finland into NATO if he is allowed to do this.
PS A subplot, why Turkey is backing the Tripoli faction in Libya.
The defence ministers of Turkey, Russia and Syria recently met in Moscow with a view to settling the Syrian war, which would allow refugees to return
Erdogan has also said he's willing to talk with Assad and the foreign ministers will meet soon
https://www.reuters.com/world/top-turkey-syria-russia-diplomats-meet-soon-turkish-official-2023-01-11/
"The fossil energy we lever, magnifies our labour hundreds of times (try pushing your car home, or doing the work of a 12-ton digger with your shovel). So we irrupted; exponentially increased our population and exponentially increased our collection of energy-requiring infrastructure. The problem was as predictable as the results of overstocking a paddock are; we have overshot. There is not enough stored solar energy, to maintain the current level of activity. Nor, ultimately, to maintain the current human population.
Looking ahead, an equilibrium will be reached, with or without without our help. We would be better landing that plane as gently as possible, rather than waiting for it to crash."
https://www.interest.co.nz/rural-news/118216/murray-grimwood-has-different-take-damien-oconnor-radio-interview-he-points-out
"There are not enough real-time solar acres to support as many humans as there are now, doing as much as they are currently doing. Mentioning ‘money’, or the word ‘financial’ (an apparent default-setting for Ryan?) is pointless in the face of that dilemma – which is entirely a question of energy-physics. Even biology is a subsequent topic; life depends on energy; energy doesn not depend on life. And money is so distantly-subsequent as to be a complete red herring."
As the latest announcements about resource shortages continue in our media it may be time to reflect on the real causes and ultimate outcomes.
Haven't seen Murray Grimwood around for a while, excellent. He usually nails it.
What were the latest announcements about resource shortages?
The latest shortage announcements?…take your pick.
Labour, potable water, various food stuffs, oil, natural gas, fert etc…in NZ of late, aviation fuel, housing, labour, eggs, toilet paper, food grade CO2, numerous consumer products.
When we have been operating at maximum capacity to maintain current consumption it dosnt take much to create specific shortages…as MG notes it is a feature of overshoot.
thanks. Didn't know there were shortages of avgas for instance.
Hoping people start to connect the dots soon.
Another part of our youth passes. Jeff Beck RIP. I like Nessun dorma on here @5:15:
Yes, great playing and a loss to music.
I want to also record the loss to music of Seamus Begley from West Kerry, singer and accordion player of Irish music who died on Tuesday aged 73. He visited NZ on tour and was top rate, with "the voice of an angel" according to Mary Black. He was good enough to get a eulogy from the Irish President.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41044790.html
He carried forward the music, language and culture of Ireland, with strong ties to family and the land. Those attributes are also what we prize in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
God bless big pharma eh! Hehhehheh
”U.S.D.A. Approves First Vaccine for Honeybees
Dalan Animal Health’s vaccine for American foulbrood, an aggressive bacterial disease, is the first for any insect in the United States.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/07/science/honeybee-vaccine.html
Pablo at Kiwipolitico is always worth a read.
https://www.kiwipolitico.com/2023/01/trumps-toxic-tail/
“ NZ anti-government groups on the far Right use Trump/Bannon rhetoric to denounce not only the current government but also the NZ “Deep State.” This was amply seen during the parliament protests, occupation and riot early last year. Platforms like Counterspin and VFF reportedly have funding support from Bannon’s media conglomerate, with people listed as his correspondents misusing press credentials to get close to the Prime Minister in order to harangue her. (The security implications of this are serious and need to be addressed as a priority by those responsible for her protection).”
Yes absolutely.
Heck of a job, Pooty.
https://twitter.com/JosephPolitano/status/1613298303797547010
And now of course, India and China are hoovering up Russian oil, and China is upping its imports of Russian gas .
Russia can provide both oil and gas cheaply because they don’t need to frack .US oil is 50% fracked, but it comes with a cost., same as the gas.
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/putin-says-russia-increase-gas-sales-to-east-2022-12-15/
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/China-And-India-Are-Buying-Up-Russias-Arctic-Oil.html
the US is going gangbusters with the fracking
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/11/us-fracking-climate-fossil-fuel-gases
Interesting shift. Tracks with how people feel about trans-identified males in women's toilets too. Once people realise what it means there is significantly less support.
What's important to understand about the UK in that time is that there's been a huge increase in public coverage of the issues especially in the past few years.
https://twitter.com/NatCen/status/1612389027256143879
wtf. You’d think the Windsors would have better PR advisors now, on things like how not to talk about your mother’s lips and your penis in the same paragraph.
https://twitter.com/domwakeford/status/1613099763020488704
Guy's mental health issues appear to be even worse than we'd previously thought.
How the desperation for $$$ can lead to self-destructive behaviour (as we see in plenty of other celebrities).
It’s easy to swallow what conservative media tells you.
Harry seems perfectly capable and coherent, decisive and driven. These are not ready indicators for someone with mental health issues.
Some people are poor readers (in this case listeners) and don't immediately comprehend intent. It's clear to me anyway Harry is doing what writers do, using literary devices to create interest. Irony and juxtaposition, yes, Freudian, certainly, but a nightmare? Not unless you are a prig stuck in the 19th century.
Framing him as not sound is a deliberate strategy by conservative media to feed to nationalist Brits.
Spot on Muttonbird.
It was inevitable his detractors would use the mental health label. Its an old trick coming from the 'powers that be' and their media lackeys in particular who want someone discredited because the truth does not show them in a good light.
An example is the claim he accused his stepmother (Camilla) of being a villain. My take from the excerpt I saw is that… during the period between his parents' breakup and his father's remarriage, Camilla was regarded as the villain in the piece. That was indeed the case.
He did get a few things wrong but who hasn't in the course of a lifetime. The airline ticket for Meghan's father's booking from Mexico to the UK (which he never took up) was not Air NZ. They have never flown that route.
Good on him for telling his side of the story. He was more than entitled to, given the trash that has been written about them ever since they married. Racism and jealousy in all its glory!
None of these cranks have put themselves in Harry's shoes for one moment.
Given that even the Harry apologists are starting to question his 'recollection' of events, it seems more like the outpourings of a Kardashianesque diva determined to remain in the spotlight, while decrying the media who keep him there.
His touching recollection of being at Eton when he was informed of the Queen Mum's death, turns out to be a tissue of lies – he was actually on a skiing holiday with his Dad and big brother in Switzerland.
And this is not an isolated instance.
When many fact-checkable elements (some not exactly in the distant past – cf the AirNZ flight), turn out to be blatant inventions, it does make people question the other elements of his story.
It's amusing to watch the rabid right become so triggered over a few minor details. The mysterious Air New Zealand flight from Mexico seems to be one royalist Kiwis hang onto the most as if evidence Harry's entire experience did not exist at all.
No wonder the book’s called “Spare”.
Amazing how the loony left (as opposed to the rabid right) are so blind to the multiple documented inconsistencies in the ever-rolling docudrama which is the Sussex story.
Even the US (with their surprisingly inconsistent love of royalty) are starting to become disenchanted with them.
The negative press-coverage in the UK seems to go across the political spectrum from ultra-conservative right to far left.
Here's an article heartless, RWNJ doubters might like to read. It deals with grief:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/300783465/what-prince-harrys-memoir-spare-tells-us-about-complicated-grief-and-the-longterm-impact-of-losing-a-mother-so-young
Since Harry had help to write the book, it sounds like someone got their wires crossed over the airline in question. It wouldn't surprise me if it was Air India not Air NZ but, for the sake of forthcoming pedantry, I might be wrong.
I have no quarrel with Queen Consort Camilla. She was once very badly treated too. I also have no doubt that Princess Diana over indulged Harry when he was a child. She would have known he was always going to be in William's shadow and be treated as such, and she tried hard [too hard perhaps] to make up for it.
Whether he will succeed has yet to be seen, but he deserves full marks for choosing his own destiny and standing up to the class-ridden politics that is conservative/Conservative Britain.
Personally I find Harry credible, and the 'photos of the locked jaw of William finally explained. (He is often teeth clenched in recent ‘photos)
Strange how even now some would deny Harry his voice.
Oh and the errors, well most autobiographies have them.
Ask 6 witnesses to report on an incident and there will be 6 variations.
He will remember some details differently, and so will his family, that does not make him a liar.
The Royals’ "stiff upper lip" can be harmful, when it denies natural grief.
He has found a life purpose in his Invictus Games for wounded veterans, his fundraising for causes and a life with Megan and children.
I wish him well, and yes he is better than just a spare wheel for the Royal Buggy.
Memory can be faulty, but the feelings remain, and can be triggered by events or actions. PTSD
Declaration. I am not a Royalist.
Well said Patricia. I can see both the positives and the negatives of the British Royal family. I don't hate them. For the most part they are doing their best. Their lives are not their own to live. "The Firm" is full of sociopaths and upper class twats telling them what they can and can't do.
Harry and Meghan rebelled and 'jolly' good luck to them. Here's hoping they succeed.
The very best that can be said about the entire royal family is that . . . they are irrelevant!
Though perhaps you could add that they're entertaining! In a 'I wouldn't be caught doing that' sort of way.
Leadership
https://twitter.com/SharnelleVella/status/1613316700421881856
Old thread, still pertinent.
https://twitter.com/youarelobbylud/status/1431515228957814786
Succinct
https://twitter.com/kevorkian82/status/1613257921999294464
Also concise
https://twitter.com/RawiriTaonui/status/1613115735169208321
The National Party cannot organise a piss-up in a brewery and blames government for CO2 shortage.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130960498/national-says-ministers-should-have-done-more-as-alarm-grows-over-co2-shortage
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/482148/drink-makers-concerns-bubbling-to-surface-after-todd-energy-kapuni-outage
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2023/01/nationwide-co2-shortage-could-force-breweries-to-close.html
The government should have planned for this?
A quick read over the first article suggests there are two options:
1. Mothball the plant in case it needs to be used again. Presumably at horrendous cost for zero output. Great thinking, idiots.
2. Government to build a state owned CO2 plant to ensure we have a plentiful supply of strawberries and craft beer. Now we are talking!
This is yet again a failure of private sector. Market did not provide.
The governments fingerprints are on this issue.
Megan Woods accepted 'advice' from officials and Marsden Point closed. Among other things, Marsden Point was responsible for plenty/most/lots of CO2 production.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/295556/$40m-co2-plant-opens-at-marsden-point
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/local-co2-shortage-crippling-new-zealands-beverage-industry-brewer/23WVUCCKP75ZFOY4ATTF77K64M/
The industry in March 2022 knew there could be problems and even then talked about slowing production happening them.
The alternative to building a CO2 plant was to import but industry said that was more expensive.
The media published this article in June 2022.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/129007533/carbon-dioxide-shortage-threatens-to-take-fizz-out-of-craft-beer
Nowhere does it mention governmental responsibility.
To me it looks like a similar scenario in a two year time frame to the chicken industry which had ten years to sort out its prospective problems.
Marsden indicated its desire to close early in 2021.
Could a C02 producing plant big enough for NZ's needs be built and operational in that time frame?
Could CO2 have been imported in sufficient quantities since March 2022?
Is National spokesperson, Stuart Smith, denying industry's role in this shortage?
"The nationwide shortage of carbon dioxide will make goods more expensive and hurt New Zealand’s exporters, National’s Energy and Resources spokesperson Stuart Smith says.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2301/S00022/inaction-on-co2-supplies-to-hit-prices-and-exporters.htm
I ask rather what did business do to solve its problem?
I have come into this exchange from the point of view Marsden Point should not have been closed. Minister Woods needed nore courage and better arguments to push the idea of nationalising it. The CO2 shortage is a direct consequence of that. Todd could close it's plant and there would not be the issues now. That is without considering the loss of resilience and independence fuel wise.
I couldn't care less about some opposition MP's brainfarts, my criticism is of those that do have the power and their actions or inactions.
Business wants shortages, its good for business.
The closure had been signalled well in advance and happened in early 2022. Indeed, the industrial players were well aware of the situation. For example, from your link of 6 Oct, 2022 [that is 3 months ago and about 6 months after the closure]:
It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong.
The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?
"The blame game is such a mug’s game, don’t you agree?" Yes, especially when they blame the wrong people.
Stuart Smith blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim. He jumped on silly Simeon Brown's band wagon and blamed government. Of course, roads in town are the Council's responsibility, so blame was apportioned wrongly.
Then he gets into the "government ought to" blame game over the teaching of research and analysis skills so long as they don't teach about climate change being a physical, scientific, evidence-based reality.
Had Mr Smith looked at school curriculum as to what it does teach now? Ot maybe he just wanted it taught compulsorily to age 18, as the Tory PM advocated.
Research and and analysis skills are taught in many subjects, not just maths. I changed in Year 12 to History. 'What were the causes of WW1?"
What effect did climate change have upon past history? A good topic in history, social studies, science, agriculture and economics……..
I 50% agree with you in that often the wrong people cop flak. However, rather than blaming anyone, why not start holding them to account by asking pertinent questions and scrutinising actions? In my experience, when this is done in an open, respectful, non-judgemental, and constructive manner one receives better responses/answers that lead to better understanding and decision-making in future by the powers that be who are responsible. It is all part of engagement with (the) stakeholders and providing (positive) feedback.
"blamed government recently for a pothole on a pedestrian crossing in Blenheim"
Do you have a link to a report of this complaint? The only thing I have seen was a complaint about the Picton Road which would be SH1. The maintenance of State Highways, even in the middle of towns, has always been a Central Government responsibility and not a Council one.
How the Minister is supposed to know about it is difficult to see but he is, in theory, responsible for everything his Department does.
Look at Open Mike 11 October 2022 at aj's post at #8 and following comments.
The pothole is not on a state highway but on a Blenheim street 150 meters from the MP's office. I've seen it, identified it, photographed it.
The MP was wrong to say it was the government's fault.
Thank you.
As the Australian movie The Castle would put it.
If it's on a Council maintained road we can tell Stuart Smith "He's dreaming".
More than dreaming, Alwyn; deliberately misleading or at best uninformed.
If this were a castle, he'd be saying that the causeway, drawbridge and courtyard surface were the king's responsibility not the lord's; that the water in the moat, (a mixture of the three waters after all), was not an issue for the king but could the king please give us some money to treat it as we see fit; and limiting wagons, carriages and horses to 80 km/h on windy hills is unfair on cartage owners and undertakers.
The world is a better place. The above mentioned pothole has been filled and painted white- man and car alike can proceed.
My thanks to the government for taking time over the Christmas/ New Year period to fix it.
When you gets the blame, deserved or not, you should get the kudos as well!
Stuart?
"It is a bit rich, and lazy, to blame others and government for poor business decisions. RWNJs are so contrary. OTOH, they want the State and Government to do as little as possible and stay out of and away from markets, but OTOH they assert that Government is primarily responsible for anything and everything that goes wrong and demand it fixes it, immediately – things inevitably go wrong."
Not a lot to argue with there.
My issue, as I mentioned to Mac above, is what those with the power did or didn't do.
One person's "blame game" is another's attempt at holding the PTB to account. (No matter how ham-fisted it was.)
Pointing fingers is not asking questions as to what, when, and why? Also see my reply @ 15.2.2.1.1 to Mac1 (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12-01-2023/#comment-1930243).
david seemore fancies himself as a philosopher when in fact he is merely a second rate sophist.
Might call him David Sophist from now on. A dreadful human being.
"To ensure you can register your baby’s name, avoid using official titles, numeric characters or symbols – like a backslash or punctuation mark – and swear words."
I am curious as to what happens if you do not register your baby's name and why?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/parenting/300783393/king-the-most-declined-name-in-nz-for-14th-year-in-a-row
The law apparently requires that you register the birth. The form for doing so states "Your child must be registered with a surname or family name, and one or more given names."
What they would do if you never fill in the form is not obvious, at least to me. Please don't do it though. I know of a case where the New Zealand parents of a child born in Spain never notified the birth to the New Zealand Government. When they did return to New Zealand the original action at the border was to tell them that, having no evidence that the child was a NZ citizen the youngster, still under a year old, was not going to be allowed into the country.
It apparently took a great deal of argument by the family to get them to change their mind.