The wonderful former NZ Herald cartoonist Malcolm Evans is still going strong…..
We live in a world where war criminals are free and revered, and a journalist like Julian Assange who exposed their war crimes is at risk of dying in a high-security dungeon. pic.twitter.com/2Vgel5uvmL
I s'pose it's too much to ask to hold off on that judgement until Biden actually gets some of his appointments confirmed at the Justice Department? Particularly the Attorney General position?
At this point, everybody in the DoJ decision-making chain is still a carryover from the Twitterfinger J. Putinpussy kakistocracy, so they're entirely operating on cruise control. Including the spokesgargoyle, Raimondi, that the statement is attributed to. There is a Friday deadline in the UK for filing to continue the extradition case, so of course it's going to just carry on on autopilot.
I get it that for Saint Julian of the Assflange cultists, this is one the anchorstones their world revolves around. But Biden's really got much more pressing issues for his urgent attention than an arsehole Australian in a British jail. In any case it would probably be procedurally inappropriate for Biden to intercede to drop the extradition case. That action really falls in the purview of the DoJ and Attorney General.
How about you put your money where your mouth is then…I bet $50 ( the loser pays the bet into the account of the others charity or organization of choice, with provided proof of this being done ) that Assange's extradition is still pursed by Biden officially within six months…
By evidence, I assume you mean something other than "Saint Julian", "Assflange cultists" and "arsehole Australian" – they're all just personal ‘opinions’, right?
But the point about holding off on judgement until an AG has been confirmed still stands. Of all the stuff facing the new administration in its first three weeks, Assange is not exactly at the top of the list.
Maybe the decision will go one way, or maybe the other. But there has been no indication so far that any decision-maker has even looked at Assange yet.
A spokesman who was working under the previous administration (so probably a career public servant) has made a statement consistent with the current policy. It's called a "transition". See what happens when it's complete. Maybe Adrian's hunch is based on wishful thinking as much as every other gambler's hunch.
Still, it's interesting to note that Caitlin Johnstone (author of Adrian Thornton's Consortium News piece) has acknowledged that Obama's position was to not go after Assange, on First Amendment grounds. So it follows that Johnstone understands that Assange stayed holed up in the embassy after 2013 purely to avoid facing up to the Swedish sexual allegations and the consequences for jumping bail.
Didn't think so, but then again it does not surprise me in the slightest that you or your cohorts don't stand behind your own stated positions….just a lot of spineless air bags, the last sort people you would want to have with you in a tight corner
I’m not particularly interested in attempting to have a conversation with someone acting like a belligerent bar drunk.
But anyhoo, the information in that Consortium News piece is totally consistent with the Department of Justice simply cruising along on autopilot. The key point being that there currently appears to be precisely nobody in the DoJ decision chain that was actually appointed by Biden, they are all still carryovers from the Mango Mugabe's maladministration.
Expected use of soft power – we see the results here on the Standard:
TRAITORS working for Communist Chinese Government?
However, the foreign reaction to the growing realization of the CCP's genocide of the Uyghurs has clearly got the Chinese worried about the potential boycott threat to Bejing Winter Olympics, and the inappropriate threats are starting.
Let's not disappoint the Butchers of Beijing – let's start calling for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics unless independent foreign observers are allowed to investigate the Uyghur genocide. Otherwise, attending the Beijing winter games is entirely akin to attending the 1936 Berlin games while the Jewish genocide was getting underway.
Yes thast is what I thought, cunning use of underpromise and over deliver! I am actually a lot happier than I thought I might be. Can't wait for my jab. And I hate needles!
And all that need for an economic development plan, or a poverty reduction plan, or a housing plan, just melts away as the Covid19 story simmers it all away into Ardern's ethereal steam.
I guess it is a matter of opinion but the "promise" was that New Zealand would be at the front of the queue in getting vaccines. After all it was Chris Hipkins who said "I think we're in a very good place to ensure that as vaccines start to come to market New Zealand will be at the front of the queue to be getting vaccines," That was in the middle of November last year.
I haven't counted the exact number of different countries in this list of the vaccination numbers by country but there must be about 100 that have already been carrying out vaccinations according to this list. They seem to use a rather odd definition of "country" in that they include both United Kingdom and England. My modern geography isn't really up to counting exactly how many different countries are really in this list.
If we do start next week that will put us in the bottom half of countries carrying out vaccinations won't it? Would you really say that was overdelivering against a promise that said we would be "at the front of the queue"?
The UK has done a lot of things very wrong but they are certainly in the leading pack when it comes to the vaccine roll out at 20.33 doses per 100 people.
Obviously they needed to get to that point quicker but I think it will be late winter before we get to that sort of coverage.
I see from todays news that the US will have enough vaccine doses to be able to vaccinate 300 million of their people by the end of July. In practice that probably means that everyone who is willing to be vaccinated will be.
They all appear to be Pfizer or Moderna, which have both been reported as being over 90% effective.
Wow! I guess we can greet them with a variant of the old song from the Great Depression era. Instead of "Buddy, can you spare a dime?" we can try "Buddy, can you spear a dose?"
Don't care how many times they've been vaccinated, if they're coming from countries such as the US or UK, with more than two active Covid-19 cases per 100 people, then I'll not be greeting them just yet – they can go into managed isolation like everyone else.
But if you're volunteering then why not greet them with a firm handshake Alwyn, since you’re consistently reaching (out)
Vaccinations should be rolled out first where they'll do most good, imho. Just between you and me, I’ve heard that there’s a plan to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to NZ border workers later this month.
I assure you that I have no wish to see visitors coming here just because they have been vaccinated. Before we allow any unnecessary visitors in I want to see that everyone in New Zealand has had a vaccination. And unnecessary visitors includes people like Green MP RMM's BFF. Why did we let him in?
I understand you can't work with such a visa so what is he going to do here? He was also, according to the same source I have linked to "
"During this period of October and November, my long-term partner based in Mexico took up the role of caring for both my parents," Menéndez March said.".
So rather than staying in Mexico to care for his family, and resigning from Parliament here, he has removed his parents' support in Mexico. How caring.
Funny Alwyn. We’re all waiting our turn – how cool is that! But if you’re impatient, or it’s a matter of life and death, then you could book a holiday in Israel, the UAE, UK or US (those countries with the highest rates of Covid-19 vaccination). Personally, I’d rather be here.
However, that joy was tempered by a warning from University of Otago immunologist Prof Frank Griffin that the illegal release of the virus would limit its chances of success.
The combination of the virus being released in the wrong season, MAF efforts to contain the outbreak and the sporadic release of RCD could not add up to a worse scenario, he said.
Partisan people like Allwinge are constantly looking for something negative to moan about. Even when he gets his shot he'll complain that so-in-so told him the needle wasn't going to hurt at all, silly little pricks are just trumpish like that.
Whether we are at the front of the queue or not, we have the luxury of being able to wait, and now to be selective about which ones are used for different groups – a choice not available to those who had to accept the first available. I am delighted that we are able to see which will do best with which strains; which have the least harsh side-effects, etc. We are able to give priorities based on need rather than availability. We are lucky not to need to be injecting as fast as possible; and we are being good world citizens in letting some others that are more desperate 'benefit' from early supplies.
Under promise? You’re kidding right. No need to go through the list of failed 2017 election promises yet again except to say under promising is certainly not one of this governments strong points.
Perhaps the government will get also an idea of how wide spread poverty is, when they put into place planing to vaccinate all our elderly, then the remainder of the population.
Those isolated or limited travel ability e.g. The homeless, The far North, East Cape etc. that find if difficult to travel to major centres on given days.
And what proof is there for us to have, should travel require proof of receiving a vaccination – Will there be a register with all our names on it ?
Interesting when the China "Debt Trap" was still a big thing in Western media, we all got bombarded with reports on the subject, but when some actual serious studies were done and debunked most of that narrative we got very little coverage of that (and from many sources , none)…makes you wonder…and if not maybe it should.
Debunking the myth of China’s “debt-trap diplomacy”
Foreign debt to a single source and sovereignty risk profile are always worth tracking when you're a very small and/or very poor nation. Every country's arrangement with Chinese state institutions is different in circumstance and in impact.
So a major international lender should always expect scrutiny and risk analysis. And generally they do.
There was plenty of debate 10 years ago well attested by many authors about the role of the World Bank and its 'structural adjustment' loans. The World Bank of course doesn't own the second largest military in the world, nor is it run by an autocrat, nor is it aggressively taking marine territory, nor does it have an explicit plan for total world resource and logistics.
Always great when risks don't work out, always necessary to track them.
Do we need to start to talk about the impact of much longer life spans and gerontocracy is having on governance everywhere? Surely Mr. Mori's problem isn't so much his comments – they were acceptable back in his salad days in the 1980-90s – but rather that at the great age of 83 he is still supposedly heading up the organisation of the Olympic games?
Seriously, it should simply be a question of stamina and cognitive ability. Were that the criterion, many younger might fail…….(nominate your candidate here).
In a lighter vein, retirement should be compulsory with age, says this 71 year-old, firstly because anyone who thinks they're so important that the country needs them to forgo retirement is not important; and secondly, people should be alert to the importance of retirement.
Spending time with the kids, and the kids' kids; gardening and making compost (before their own time comes to biodegrade); learning a musical instrument; commenting on blogs; composing a slim volume of verse or writing the memoirs.
Yes, other ways to contribute. I'm shortly off to play songs to a group of Alzheimers-affected people, singing the old songs that we know and love……. and remember.
Seriously, it should simply be a question of stamina and cognitive ability. Were that the criterion, many younger might fail…….(nominate your candidate here).
Broadly agree – personally wouldn't want to be working past 65, let alone 70 or 80, but maybe needs must in some cases. And if you (are lucky enough to) love your work, and particularly if you (still) do it well, then why not. Fauci is 80.
But I see too many over 70s 'voluntarily trapped' in work because they have few alternative interests/outlets; not everyone finds preparing for and then actual retirement easy. My maternal grandfather had worked his way up to a reasonably senior public service position. He did retirement hard and was allowed to return to work as an office gopher – died working. I admired and loved him, but feel fortunate not to have inherited that trait.
I personally know a lawyer still working daily in chambers in Auckland at 95. He's not quite as fast as a younger person, but there's nothing wrong with his judgment and capacity.
In my view we're going to start seeing ageing in more subtle dimensions – simple numeric years is only one measure. Years of healthy and active life are another quite different measure – and I believe we will start to extend this number quite dramatically this century. By 2100 it may not be unusual to have fit, active and socially engaged 120 yr olds.
That's going to make a lot of our current ideas around 'retirement' look very quaint indeed.
Why should retirement be compulsory when we know that after people retire they tend to go downhill?
Watched that documentary on blue zones. Wasn't there a Dr in his 90s based in Loma Linda still working as a heart surgeon? My own memory is starting to drift
Yup. It's essential to have purpose – and unless you've developed one independent of your 'career' by the time the ageists catch up with you and boot you out – then yes the decline sets in.
Our Cranky Uncle Game can already be played in eight languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. About 15 more languages are in the works at various stages of completion or have been offered to be done. To kick off the new year, we checked with how ...
The (new) Prime Minister said nobody understands what co-governance means, later modified to that there were so many varying interpretations that there was no common understanding.Co-governance cannot be derived from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It does not use the word. It refers to ‘government’ on ...
It’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump on this link for our chat about the week’s news with special guests Auckland Central MP Chloe Swarbrick and Auckland City Councillor Julie Fairey, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which ...
In March last year, in a panic over rising petrol prices caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government made a poor decision, "temporarily" cutting fuel excise tax by 25 cents a litre. Of course, it turned out not to be temporary at all, having been extended in May, July, ...
This month’s open thread for climate related topics. Please be constructive, polite, and succinct. The post Unforced variations: Feb 2023 first appeared on RealClimate. ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two fresh press releases had been posted when we checked the Beehive website at noon, both of them posted yesterday. In one statement, in the runup to Waitangi Day, Maori Crown Relations Minister Kelvin Davis drew attention to happenings on a Northland battle site in 1845. ...
It’s that time of the week again when I’m on the site for an hour for a chat in an Ask Me Anything with paying subscribers to The Kaka. Jump in for a chat on anything, including:Auckland’s catastrophic floods, which are set to cost insurers and the Government well over ...
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers (left) has published a 6,000 word manifesto called ‘Capitalism after the Crises’ arguing for ‘values-based capitalism’. Yet here in NZ we hear the same stale old rhetoric unchanged from the 1990s and early 2000s. Photo: Getty ImagesTLDR: The rest of the world is talking about inflation ...
A couple of weeks ago, after NCEA results came out, my son’s enrolment at Auckland Uni for this year was confirmed - he is doing a BSc majoring in Statistics. Well that is the plan now, who knows what will take his interest once he starts.I spent a bit of ...
Kia ora. What a week! We hope you’ve all come through last weekend’s extreme weather event relatively dry and safe. Header image: stormwater ponds at Hobsonville Point. Image via Twitter. The week in Greater Auckland There’s been a storm of information and debate since the worst of the flooding ...
Hi,At 4.43pm yesterday it arrived — a cease and desist letter from the guy I mentioned in my last newsletter. I’d written an article about “WEWE”, a global multi-level marketing scam making in-roads into New Zealand. MLMs are terrible for many of the same reasons megachurches are terrible, and I ...
Time To Call A Halt: Chris Hipkins knows that iwi leaders possess the means to make life very difficult for his government. Notwithstanding their objections, however, the Prime Minister’s direction of travel – already clearly signalled by his very public demotion of Nanaia Mahuta – must be confirmed by an emphatic ...
Open access notables Via PNAS, Ceylan, Anderson & Wood present a paper squarely in the center of the Skeptical Science wheelhouse: Sharing of misinformation is habitual, not just lazy or biased. The signficance statement is obvious catnip: Misinformation is a worldwide concern carrying socioeconomic and political consequences. What drives ...
Mark White from the Left free speech organisation Plebity looks at the disturbing trend of ‘book burning’ on US campuses In the abstract, people mostly agree that book banning is a bad thing. The Nazis did us the favor of being very clear about it and literally burning books, but ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has undergone a stern baptisim of fire in his first week in his new job, but it doesn’t get any easier. Next week, he has a vital meeting in Canberra with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, where he has to establish ...
As PM Chris Hipkins says, it’s a “no brainer” to extend the fuel tax cut, half price public subsidy and the cut to the road user levy until mid-year. A no braoner if the prime purpose is to ease the burden on people struggling to cope with the cost of ...
Buzz from the Beehive Cost-of-living pressures loomed large in Beehive announcements over the past 24 hours. The PM was obviously keen to announce further measures to keep those costs in check and demonstrate he means business when he talks of focusing his government on bread-and-butter issues. His statement was headed ...
Poor Mike Hosking. He has revealed himself in his most recent diatribe to be one of those public figures who is defined, not by who he is, but by who he isn’t, or at least not by what he is for, but by what he is against. Jacinda’s departure has ...
New Zealand is the second least corrupt country on earth according to the latest Corruption Perception Index published yesterday by Transparency International. But how much does this reflect reality? The problem with being continually feted for world-leading political integrity – which the Beehive and government departments love to boast about ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
TLDR: Including my pick of the news and other links in my checks around the news sites since 4am. Paying subscribers can see them all below the fold.In Aotearoa’s political economyBrown vs Fish Read more ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
In other countries, the target-rich cohorts of swinging voters are given labels such as ‘Mondeo Man’, ‘White Van Man,’ ‘Soccer Moms’ and ‘Little Aussie Battlers.’ Here, the easiest shorthand is ‘Ford Ranger Man’ – as seen here parked outside a Herne Bay restaurant, inbetween two SUVs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / ...
Transport Minister and now also Minister for Auckland, Michael Wood has confirmed that the light rail project is part of the government’s policy refocus. Wood said the light rail project was under review as part of a ministerial refocus on key Government projects. “We are undertaking a stocktake about how ...
Sometime before the new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that this year would be about “bread and butter issues”, National’s finance spokesperson Nicola Willis decided to move from Wellington Central and stand for Ohariu, which spreads across north Wellington from the central city to Johnsonville and Tawa. It’s an ...
They say a week is a long time in politics. For Mayor Wayne Brown, turns out 24 hours was long enough for many of us to see, quite obviously, “something isn’t right here…”. That in fact, a lot was going wrong. Very wrong indeed.Mainly because it turns ...
One of the most effective, and successful, graphics developed by Skeptical Science is the escalator. The escalator shows how global surface temperature anomalies vary with time, and illustrates how "contrarians" tend to cherry-pick short time intervals so as to argue that there has been no recent warming, while "realists" recognise ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: Here’s a quick roundup of the news today for paying subscribers on a slightly frantic, very wet, and then very warm day. In Aotearoa’s political economy today Read more ...
Tomorrow we have a funeral, and thank you all of you for your very kind words and thoughts — flowers, even.Our friend Michèle messaged: we never get to feel one thing at a time, us grownups, and oh boy is that ever the truth. Tomorrow we have the funeral, and ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
Lynn and I have just returned from a news conference where Hipkins, fresh from visiting a relief centre in Mangere, was repeatedly challenged to justify the extension of subsidies to create more climate emissions when the effects of climate change had just proved so disastrous. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The ...
A new Prime Minister, a revitalised Cabinet, and possibly revised priorities – but is the political and, importantly, economic landscape much different? Certainly some within the news media were excited by the changes which Chris Hipkins announced yesterday or – before the announcement – by the prospect of changes in ...
Currently the government's strategy for reducing transport emissions hinges on boosting vehicle fuel-efficiency, via the clean car standard and clean car discount, and some improvements to public transport. The former has been hugely successful, and has clearly set us on the right path, but its also not enough, and will ...
Buzz from the Beehive Before he announced his Cabinet yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced he would be flying to Australia next week to meet that country’s Prime Minister. And before Kieran McAnulty had time to say “Three Waters” after his promotion to the Local Government portfolio, he was dishing ...
The quarterly labour market statistics were released this morning, showing that unemployment has risen slightly to 3.4%. There are now 99,000 people unemployed - 24,000 fewer than when Labour took office. So, I guess the Reserve Bank's plan to throw people out of work to stop wage rises "inflation", and ...
Another night of heavy rain, flooding, damage to homes, and people worried about where the hell all this water is going to go as we enter day twenty two of rain this year.Honestly if the government can’t sell Three Waters on the back of what has happened with storm water ...
* Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused on “bread and butter” issues. The ministers responsible for unpopular reforms in water and DHB centralisation ...
Hi,It’s weird to me that in 2023 we still have people falling for multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs for short). There are Netflix documentaries about them, countless articles, and last year we did an Armchaired and Dangerous episode on them.Then you check a ticketing website like EventBrite and see this shit ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Nanaia Mahuta fell the furthest in the Cabinet reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: PM Chris Hipkins unveiled a Cabinet this afternoon he hopes will show wavering voters that a refreshed Labour Government is focused on ‘bread and butter cost of living’ issues, rather than the unpopular, unwieldy and massively centralising ...
Shortly, the absolute state of Wayne Brown. But before that, something I wrote four years ago for the council’s own media machine. It was a day-in-the-life profile of their many and varied and quite possibly unnoticed vital services. We went all over Auckland in 48 hours for the story, the ...
Completed reads for January Lilith, by George MacDonald The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Christabel (poem), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, by Anonymous The Lay of Kraka (poem), by Anonymous 1066 and All That, by W.C. Sellar and R.J. ...
Pity the poor Brits. They just can’t catch a break. After years of reporting of lying Boris Johnson, a change to a less colourful PM in Rishi Sunak has resulted in a smooth media pivot to an end-of-empire narrative. The New York Times, no less, amplifies suggestions that Blighty ...
On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth.Genesis 6:11-12THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS that dumped a record-breaking amount of rain on Auckland this anniversary weekend will reoccur with ever-increasing frequency. The planet’s atmosphere is ...
Buzz from the Beehive There has been plenty to keep the relevant Ministers busy in flood-stricken Auckland over the past day or two. But New Zealand, last time we looked, extends north of Auckland into Northland and south of the Bombay Hills all the way to the bottom of the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters When early settlers came to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers before the California Gold Rush, Indigenous people warned them that the Sacramento Valley could become an inland sea when great winter rains came. The storytellers described water filling the ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Wayne Brown managed a smile when meeting with Remuera residents, but he was grumpy about having to deal with “media drongos”. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: In my pick of the news links found in my rounds since 4am for paying subscribers below the paywall:Wayne Brown moans about the media and ...
Dr Bryce Edwards writes – Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins ...
Hipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...
Hipkins’ aim this year will be to present a ‘low target’ for those seeking to attack Labour’s policies and spending. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Anyone dealing with Government departments and councils who wants some sort of big or long-term decision out of officials or politicians this year should brace for ...
Last night’s opinion polls answered the big question of whether a switch of prime minister would really be a gamechanger for election year. The 1News and Newshub polls released at 6pm gave the same response: the shift from Jacinda Ardern to Chris Hipkins has changed everything, and Labour is back ...
Over the last few years, it’s seemed like city after city around the world has become subject to extreme flooding events that have been made worse by impacts from climate change. We’ve highlighted many of them in our Weekly Roundup series. Sadly, over the last few days it’s been Auckland’s ...
And so the first month of the year draws to a close. It rained in Auckland on 21 out of the 31 days in January. Feels like summer never really happened this year. It’s actually hard to believe there were 10 days that it didn’t rain. Was it any better where ...
A ‘small target’ strategy is not going to cut it anymore if National want to win the upcoming election. The game has changed and the game plan needs to change as well. Jacinda Ardern’s abrupt departure from the 9th floor has the potential to derail what looked to be an ...
When Grant Robertson talks about how the economy might change post-covid, one of the things he talks about is what he calls an unsung but interesting white paper on science. “It’s really important,” he says. The Minister in charge of the White Paper — Te Ara Paerangi, Future Pathways ...
The clean up has begun but more rain is on the way. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Auckland’s floods over the last three days are turning into a macroeconomic event, with losses from Aotearoa’s biggest-ever climate event estimated at around $500 million and Auckland’s schools all closed for a week until ...
The clean up has begun but more rain is on the way. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: Auckland’s floods over the last three days are turning into a macroeconomic event, with losses from Aotearoa’s biggest-ever climate event estimated at around $500 million and Auckland’s schools all closed for a week until ...
The news media were at one ceremony by the looks of things. The Governor-General, the Prime Minister and his deputy were at another. The news media were at a swearing-in ceremony. The country’s leaders were at an appointment ceremony. The New Zealand Gazette record of what transpired says: Appointment of ...
I n some alternative universe, Auckland mayor Efeso Collins readily grasped the scale of Friday’s deluge, and quickly made the emergency declaration that enabled central government to immediately throw its resources behind the rescue and remediation effort. As Friday evening became night, Mayor Collins seemed to be everywhere: talking with ...
They called it an “atmospheric river”, the weather bombardment which hit NZ’s northern region at the weekend. It exacted a terrible toll on metropolitan Auckland and the rest of the region. Few living there may have noted a statement from electricity generator Mercury Energy labelled “WET, WET, WET!” This was ...
I know, that is a pretty corny title but given the circumstances here in the Auckland region, I just had to say it. The more oblique reference embedded in the title is to the leadership failures exhibited by Mayor Wayne Brown and his so-called leadership team when confronted by the ...
How much confidence should the public have in authorities managing natural disasters? Not much, judging by the farcical way in which the civil defence emergence in Auckland has played out. The way authorities dealt with Auckland’s extreme weather on Friday illustrated how hit-and-miss our civil defence emergency system is. In ...
TLDR: Here’s the key news links and useful longer reads I’ve spotted since 4 am this morning, including:calls for a more ‘spongey’ urban infrastructure after Auckland’s floods;demands for an inquiry into Auckland Council’s communications failure;the latest on Chris Hipkins’ plans for Three Waters; inside the PR trainwreck that is Wayne ...
TLDR: Here’s the key news links and useful longer reads I’ve spotted since 4 am this morning, including:calls for a more ‘spongey’ urban infrastructure after Auckland’s floods;demands for an inquiry into Auckland Council’s communications failure;the latest on Chris Hipkins’ plans for Three Waters; inside the PR trainwreck that is Wayne ...
Mayor Wayne Brown, under fire for his communication failures, quietly visited the scene of the fatal Remuera slip on Sunday, with his staff taking photos for social media updates. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: The cleanup and the post-mortem have begun, even though the rain just keeps falling in Auckland after ...
Mayor Wayne Brown, under fire for his communication failures, quietly visited the scene of the fatal Remuera slip on Sunday, with his staff taking photos for social media updates. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTLDR: The cleanup and the post-mortem have begun, even though the rain just keeps falling in Auckland after ...
Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The recent leadership change in the governing Labour party resulted in a very strange response from National’s (current) leader, Christopher Luxon. Mr Luxon berated Labour for it’s change of leader, citing no actual change.As ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 22, 2023 thru Sat, Jan 28, 2023. Story of the Week New Study Reveals Arctic Ice, Tracked Both Above and Below, Is Freezing LaterClimate change is affecting the timing of both ...
We’ve just announced a massive infrastructure investment to kick-start new housing developments across New Zealand. Through our Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, we’re making sure that critical infrastructure - like pipes, roads and wastewater connections - is in place, so thousands more homes can be built. ...
The Green Party is joining more than 20 community organisations to call for an immediate rent freeze in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, after reports of landlords intending to hike rents after flooding. ...
When Chris Hipkins took on the job of Prime Minister, he said bread and butter issues like the cost of living would be the Government’s top priority – and this week, we’ve set out extra support for families and businesses. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to provide direct support to low-income households and to stop subsidising fossil fuels during a climate crisis. ...
The tools exist to help families with surging costs – and as costs continue to rise it is more urgent than ever that we use them, the Green Party says. ...
Over $10 million infrastructure funding to unlock housing in Whangārei The purchase of a 3.279 hectare site in Kerikeri to enable 56 new homes Northland becomes eligible for $100 million scheme for affordable rentals Multiple Northland communities will benefit from multiple Government housing investments, delivering thousands of new homes for ...
A memorial event at a key battle site in the New Zealand land wars is an important event to mark the progress in relations between Māori and the Crown as we head towards Waitangi Day, Minister for Te Arawhiti Kelvin Davis said. The Battle of Ohaeawai in June 1845 saw ...
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today. The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police ...
The Government is unlocking an additional $700,000 in support for regions that have been badly hit by the recent flooding and storm damage in the upper North Island. “We’re supporting the response and recovery of Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Northland, and Bay of Plenty regions, through activating Enhanced Taskforce Green to ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has welcomed the announcement that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, will visit New Zealand this month. “Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to ...
A new Government and industry strategy launched today has its sights on growing the value of New Zealand’s horticultural production to $12 billion by 2035, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. “Our food and fibre exports are vital to New Zealand’s economic security. We’re focussed on long-term strategies that build on ...
25 cents per litre petrol excise duty cut extended to 30 June 2023 – reducing an average 60 litre tank of petrol by $17.25 Road User Charge discount will be re-introduced and continue through until 30 June Half price public transport fares extended to the end of June 2023 saving ...
The strong economy has attracted more people into the workforce, with a record number of New Zealanders in paid work and wages rising to help with cost of living pressures. “The Government’s economic plan is delivering on more better-paid jobs, growing wages and creating more opportunities for more New Zealanders,” ...
The Government is providing a further $1 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced today. “Cabinet today agreed that, given the severity of the event, a further $1 million contribution be made. Cabinet wishes to be proactive ...
The new Cabinet will be focused on core bread and butter issues like the cost of living, education, health, housing and keeping communities and businesses safe, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced. “We need a greater focus on what’s in front of New Zealanders right now. The new Cabinet line ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next week for an in person meeting with Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. “The trans-Tasman relationship is New Zealand’s closest and most important, and it was crucial to me that my first overseas trip as Prime Minister was to Australia,” Chris Hipkins ...
The Government is providing establishment funding of $100,000 to the Mayoral Relief Fund to help communities in Auckland following flooding, Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty announced. “We moved quickly to make available this funding to support Aucklanders while the full extent of the damage is being assessed,” Kieran McAnulty ...
As the Mayor of Auckland has announced a state of emergency, the Government, through NEMA, is able to step up support for those affected by flooding in Auckland. “I’d urge people to follow the advice of authorities and check Auckland Emergency Management for the latest information. As always, the Government ...
Ka papā te whatitiri, Hikohiko ana te uira, wāhi rua mai ana rā runga mai o Huruiki maunga Kua hinga te māreikura o te Nota, a Titewhai Harawira Nā reira, e te kahurangi, takoto, e moe Ka mōwai koa a Whakapara, kua uhia te Tai Tokerau e te kapua pōuri ...
Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has activated Enhanced Taskforce Green (ETFG) in response to flooding and damaged caused by Cyclone Hale in the Tairāwhiti region. Up to $500,000 will be made available to employ job seekers to support the clean-up. We are still investigating whether other parts ...
The 2023 General Election will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today. “Announcing the election date early in the year provides New Zealanders with certainty and has become the practice of this Government and the previous one, and I believe is best practice,” Jacinda ...
Jacinda Ardern has announced she will step down as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Her resignation will take effect on the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A caucus vote to elect a new Party Leader will occur in 3 days’ time on Sunday the 22nd of ...
The Government is maintaining its strong trade focus in 2023 with Trade and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor visiting Europe this week to discuss the role of agricultural trade in climate change and food security, WTO reform and New Zealand agricultural innovation. Damien O’Connor will travel tomorrow to Switzerland to attend the ...
The Government has extended its medium-scale classification of Cyclone Hale to the Wairarapa after assessing storm damage to the eastern coastline of the region. “We’re making up to $80,000 available to the East Coast Rural Support Trust to help farmers and growers recover from the significant damage in the region,” ...
COMMENTARY:By Kayt Davies in Perth I wasn’t good at French in my final year of high school. My classmates had five years of language studies behind them. I had three. As a result of my woeful grip on the language, I wrote a terribly bad essay in my final ...
RNZ Pacific Journalist Victor Mambor, who is the chief editor of the West Papuan newspaper and websiteJubi, has received the Oktovianus Pogau Award from the Indonesian-based Pantau Foundation for courage in journalism. The foundation’s Andreas Harsono said Mambor’s decision to return to his father’s homeland and defend the rights ...
RNZ News Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick is brushing off concerns a temporary rent freeze in flood-hit Auckland would just see landlords hike rents even more when the controls were lifted — arguing they should stay permanently. More than 20 organisations have signed a letter urging Minister for Auckland Michael ...
Iwi leaders have accused National and ACT of "fanning the flames of racism", urging the prime minister to be brave and not walk away from partnership on three waters. ...
About this time last week it had become apparent that Auckland was in for a bit more than just a wet Friday. While the state of emergency remains in place for another seven days, it appears the worst should now be behind us. Last night, Niwa shared a fascinating thread ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra ShutterstockIndigenous Australians are respectfully advised that the following includes the names and images of some people who are now deceased. The Reserve Bank of Australia ...
The government has confirmed the money will be spent in Northland, including unlocking greenfields land and transport upgrades like a new bridge in Kamo. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW Sydney Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that sometime between August and November this year, the Australian people will go to a referendum for the first time since 1999. We’ll be asked whether we support ...
Viewers across the United States were today shown a slice of New Zealand, with a reporter for Good Morning America broadcasting live from Rotorua. Robin Roberts, a co-anchor for the popular morning TV show, has been touring the country this week. During her visit to Rotorua’s Te Puia centre, she ...
They can be environmentally unsound and are a symbol used to shame millennials, but everyone still loves an avo. I love avocados, always have, always will. The buttery golden-green flesh from a perfectly ripe avocado is a culinary blessing. Today I’d love to simply wax poetic about twisting open a ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press, $50) The beautiful ...
A new poem by Robin Peace. To the kahikatea I see from my bed Thinking inside the square, the ellipse, the round of what life is, I only see the trees. Not only as if that were the only thing I see, but only as if the tree matters more. ...
A week ago, Elton John’s first Auckland show was called off at the last minute. What was it like getting there, being there, and trying to return home afterwards?Elton John has long been a blessing for our ears, but in recent years his Auckland shows have been cursed. His ...
For Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, sorry seems to be the hardest word to say The mayoral chains must have been heavy this week for Auckland’s Wayne Brown, as his response to last week’s flood garnered its own veritable torrent of scandals and media scrutiny. Almost exactly one week on from ...
For Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, sorry seems to be the hardest word to say The mayoral chains must have been heavy this week for Auckland’s Wayne Brown, as his response to last week’s flood garnered its own veritable torrent of scandals and media scrutiny. Almost exactly one week on from ...
Ours Not Mines is cautiously excited about reporting that the Government is drafting legislation to ban new mines on conservation land. The anti-mining group's spokesperson, Morgan Donoghue says: "The Government has been promising us some action for ...
People who enjoy the outdoors for recreation, fishing and hunting will lose rights under the Natural and Built Environments Bill. Fish & Game New Zealand chief executive Corina Jordan says the proposed replacement for the Resource Management ...
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has conceded he “dropped the ball” during last Friday’s major flooding event. The state of emergency in the super city has today been extended for a further seven days, though Brown said he expects it will be lifted early. After a week of defensiveness over his ...
As the reality TV juggernaut returns for a new season, Tara Ward steps into the minds of the show’s relationship experts to assess the compatibility of this year’s brides and grooms. Married at First Sight: Australia returns on Monday night, and by season ten, you’d think the show’s relationship experts ...
Auckland’s state of emergency is expected to be extended for another seven days, according to the Herald. It was due to expire overnight after being declared a week ago, the day of the worst flooding in the super city. While weather conditions have improved, the city is continuing to experience ...
Proposed pay equity claim settlements for school librarians and science technicians have been reached between the Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa, Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted and NZEI Te Riu Roa president, Mark Potter, announced ...
Members of NZEI Te Riu Roa negotiating on behalf of school librarians, library assistants and science technicians are excited to announce that proposed pay equity settlements are ready to be voted on by their colleagues. They include pay increases of up to ...
The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is calling for Michael Wood, the Minister of Transport, and now Auckland, to cancel the light rail project immediately. Auckland Light Rail was never going to happen, as our group has repeatedly said dozens of ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has been asked to intervene following confirmation today that the Government plans to implement a ban on all extractive sector activities on the conservation estate. Wayne Scott, CEO of the Aggregate and Quarry Association, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Getty Images The heated (and often confused) debate about “co-governance” in Aotearoa New Zealand inevitably leads back to its source, Te Tiriti o Waitangi. But, as its long-contested meanings demonstrate, very little ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Hunter, Lecturer in Art and Performance, Deakin University Jodie Hutchinson/Red StitchReview: Wittenoom, directed by Susie Dee, Red Stitch Deep in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, the town of Wittenoom lies empty, desolate … and contaminated. Wittenoom ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Oliver Bown, Postdoctoral fellow, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock The past few years have seen an explosion in applications of artificial intelligence to creative fields. A new generation of image and text generators is delivering impressiveresults. Now AI has also found ...
New Zealand’s egg shortage is hitting cruise ships too – forcing the crew of one vessel to hatch a poaching plan. This story was first published on Stuff. On the hunt for eggs, a crew from a luxury cruise ship got cracking and hatched a cunning plan. Earlier this week, Stuff ...
Now demolished, the First Church of Christ Scientist was a masterclass of architectural imagination. Kate Linzey visits the site on which it once stood, to learn more. The object is delicate and small. Small enough to sit in the palm of my hand and weighing less than 300 grams. It ...
When your food parcel arrives before the emergency alert, you know something’s not working properly.This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. I’ve spent the last week desperately and at times fruitlessly attempting to drain and then sweep my whānau home of knee-deep water, pull up ...
Drongo-gate continues for another day with the Herald reporting that Auckland’s mayor has been caught out using the slang term for a second time. It comes this time from a former minor mayoral candidate, Mike Kampkes, who said he received a message from Brown in response to a media release ...
How does Aotearoa stop relying so heavily on agriculture to prop up our economy? Online tax and accounting service Hnry just raised $35m to grow its software on-demand service across the globe. Bernard Hickey talks with AirTree partner Jackie Vullinghs about how venture capitalists are funding Aotearoa’s fastest growing, least-polluting ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Guastella, Professor and Clinical Psychologist, Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health, University of Sydney Shutterstock With childcare and schools starting the new year, parents might be anxiously wondering how their child will adapt in a new ...
I am delighted to announce the appointment of John Price ONZM as the new Director Civil Defence Emergency Management and Deputy Chief Executive Emergency Management for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). John has been a member of the ...
Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki are calling on the new Prime Minister and new Minister of Conservation Willow Jean Prime to immediately implement the 2017 promise to ban new mining activity on conservation lands. “ The mining industry group Straterra ...
How does Aotearoa stop relying so heavily on agriculture to prop up our economy? Online tax and accounting service Hnry just raised $35m to grow its software on-demand service across the globe. In the latest episode of When the Facts Change, Bernard Hickey talks with AirTree partner Jackie Vullinghs about how ...
There’s a fear that highlighting menopause will undermine women, especially at work. But what have centuries of secrecy achieved for us? Are you sick of hearing about menopause? Kim Hill is. The living legend of Aotearoa broadcasting told actor Robyn Malcolm (also a legend) on her Saturday Morning show on RNZ ...
Dunedin city council has reached an agreement to save Foulden Maar from commercial mining. The maar is the site of a crater lake from 23 million years ago with the diatomite of the lake preserving fossils and a climate record covering 100,000 years from that period. It is fantastic news for Otago University ...
Some are speculating whether the Auckland Mayor's leadership is circling the drain. James Elliott hopes they're right. There’s never been a week quite like it. It was the week when the rains came. All of them. Even the rain from Spain that was supposed to fall mainly on the plain, came. ...
The Bus and Coach Association supports the Government’s decision to continue half-price fares on public transport services. The fare reduction was set to expire on 31 March 2023, but will now continue to 30 June 2023. “Half-price fares have cost ten-times ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Hipkins’ bread and butter reshufflePolitical scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues to be the new broom in Government, re-setting his Government away from its problem areas in his Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, and trying to convince voters that Labour is focused ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards. Political Roundup: Chris Hipkins hires a lobbyist to run the BeehiveNew Zealand Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, speaking when Minister of Education, at NZEI Te Riu Roa strike rally on the steps of the New Zealand Parliament, 15th August 2018. Image; Wiki Commons. New Zealand is ...
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. Items of interest and importance todayCO-GOVERNANCE, WAITANGI, THREE WATERS Chris Trotter (Daily Blog): Blowing Off The Froth: Why Chris Hipkins Must Ditch ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brian Tweed, Senior lecturer, Massey University Shutterstock/Renata Apanaviciene As we approach another Waitangi Day, we should be thinking again about what Te Tiriti o Waitangi means. As the late Moana Jackson commented, the meaning of Te Tiriti will be ...
Even prime ministers get caught in bad weather. It’s a week on from the devastating flooding that hit Auckland and Northland and Chris Hipkins has been forced to drive north for the start of Waitangi weekend commemorations after his plan was turned away from Kerikeri airport (twice). Today will see ...
Less than a year ago, co-governance had a future, at least as potentially accepted terminology. Now some iwi leaders want the label removed and replaced, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
“The decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to not replace the late Queen with Charles on the Aussie $5 note should indicate to our Reserve Bank that it’s time to change the NZ $20 note” said Lewis Holden, campaign chair of New ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Wolf, Associate Professor, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Australian National University Somchat Parkaythong/Shutterstock Black holes are bizarre things, even by the standards of astronomers. Their mass is so great, it bends space around them so tightly that nothing can escape, even ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Revell, Associate Professor in Environmental Physics, University of Canterbury Getty Images The ozone layer is on track to heal within four decades, according to a recent UN report, but this progress could be undone by an upsurge in rocket ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Clune, Honorary Associate, Government and International Relations, University of Sydney At the New South Wales election on March 25 a 12-year-old Coalition government will be seeking re-election. Hoping to return as premier is Liberal leader Dominic Perrottet – a political conservative ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Trauer, Associate Professor, Monash University Anastelfy/Shutterstock The XBB.1.5 subvariant, known informally as “Kraken”, is the latest in a menagerie of Omicron subvariants to dominate the headlines, following increasing detection in the United States and United Kingdom. But there ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeline Combe, Doctoral student, University of Technology Sydney Shutterstock As the economist Herman Daly pithily said, the economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment – not the reverse. Nature makes our lives possible through what scientists call ecosystem ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Jefferson, Lecturer in Education, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock Grit. Don’t quit. That’s the mantra many parents may have in mind when they, like me, spend what feels like years ferrying children to a seemingly endless variety of sports and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Humphery-Jenner, Associate Professor of Finance, UNSW Sydney Sam Shere/Wikimedia Commons A few weeks ago, Gautam Adani was indisputably India’s richest man. Now his fortune is slipping away as the stocks of his many companies crash, thanks to the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Divna Haslam, Senior Research Fellow, Queensland University of Technology Shutterstock Have you ever found yourself scrolling through social media and noticed you felt a bit down? Maybe a little envious? Why aren’t you on a yacht? Running a startup? Looking ...
The science of ‘event attribution’ is growing, with researchers working to accelerate their assessments. A leading NZ climate scientist tells Toby Manhire how it works, how climate change impacted the ‘off the chart’ weekend downpours, and why we can’t put a number on it tomorrow. Brutal, unexpected, record-breaking, destructive, tragic. ...
Those lockdown vibes are back – and maybe they never really went away. We were supposed to be organised. For a while there, we were. A uniform, purchased across a frenzied weekend dashing between specialist stores, was spread out over our son’s bed. Tags removed, shirts folded, socks in balls, ...
Establishing a Truth, Reconciliation and Justice Commission and recognising Māori tino rangatiratanga are among several recommendations in two pivotal reports released today (Friday 3 February) by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata Human Rights Commission. The ...
By extending the fuel excise duty cut, the Government is encouraging people to drive more, which will only worsen the climate challenges we face in the very near futureOpinion: By most accounts, the storms that have been wreaking havoc in Auckland and Northland are fuelled by climate change. The ...
Is a sponge city the answer to Auckland's flooding woes? The Detail finds out what the concept is all about. With the cleanup in full swing all over Auckland after this week's catastrophic flooding, people are starting to talk about throwing out the old building rules and "unengineering" our city - ...
Losing her mum at an early age, Ivari Christie found strength in netball. The explosive teen midcourter has now burst into the Southern Steel, with help from a couple of Silver Ferns legends, Suzanne McFadden writes. It was the biggest moment in Ivari Christie’s netball career; just 18 years old ...
The latest Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list, described by Steve BrauniasFICTION 1 Kāwai by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99) Huzzah to Monty Soutar, huzzah to his publishers, and huzzah to the three wise judges of the fiction prize at the 2023 Ockham New Zealand national book awards for ...
James Shaw says his Labour colleagues need to work with him to plug the emissions gap created by extending the fuel tax cuts Less than a week after a climate-fuelled storm laid waste to wide swathes of Auckland, the Government resurrected fossil fuel subsidies in the form of an extension ...
Jacinda Ardern was treated like royalty at Waitangi with people coming from near and far to see her every February. Newly minted Prime Minister Chris Hipkins isn’t a familiar face in the Far North and will have his work cut out this weekend, writes political editor Jo Moir.Analysis: About ...
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The wonderful former NZ Herald cartoonist Malcolm Evans is still going strong…..
Yes and Biden is turning out exactly as expected….no surprises there, he has a long history and proud history of being on the wrong side of history…
Biden Continues Trump’s War on the Press
"Biden isn’t just upholding Trump’s assault on press freedoms, he’s rejecting Obama’s decision not to charge Assange due to First Amendment concerns"
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/02/10/biden-continues-trumps-war-on-the-press/
I s'pose it's too much to ask to hold off on that judgement until Biden actually gets some of his appointments confirmed at the Justice Department? Particularly the Attorney General position?
At this point, everybody in the DoJ decision-making chain is still a carryover from the Twitterfinger J. Putinpussy kakistocracy, so they're entirely operating on cruise control. Including the spokesgargoyle, Raimondi, that the statement is attributed to. There is a Friday deadline in the UK for filing to continue the extradition case, so of course it's going to just carry on on autopilot.
I get it that for Saint Julian of the Assflange cultists, this is one the anchorstones their world revolves around. But Biden's really got much more pressing issues for his urgent attention than an arsehole Australian in a British jail. In any case it would probably be procedurally inappropriate for Biden to intercede to drop the extradition case. That action really falls in the purview of the DoJ and Attorney General.
@Andre @Andre @Andre
How about you put your money where your mouth is then…I bet $50 ( the loser pays the bet into the account of the others charity or organization of choice, with provided proof of this being done ) that Assange's extradition is still pursed by Biden officially within six months…
Put up or shut up.
Is money really a substitute for basing your opinions on demonstrable evidence?
By evidence, I assume you mean something other than "Saint Julian", "Assflange cultists" and "arsehole Australian" – they're all just personal ‘opinions’, right?
Those were indeed most colourful opinions.
But the point about holding off on judgement until an AG has been confirmed still stands. Of all the stuff facing the new administration in its first three weeks, Assange is not exactly at the top of the list.
Maybe the decision will go one way, or maybe the other. But there has been no indication so far that any decision-maker has even looked at Assange yet.
A spokesman who was working under the previous administration (so probably a career public servant) has made a statement consistent with the current policy. It's called a "transition". See what happens when it's complete. Maybe Adrian's hunch is based on wishful thinking as much as every other gambler's hunch.
Still, it's interesting to note that Caitlin Johnstone (author of Adrian Thornton's Consortium News piece) has acknowledged that Obama's position was to not go after Assange, on First Amendment grounds. So it follows that Johnstone understands that Assange stayed holed up in the embassy after 2013 purely to avoid facing up to the Swedish sexual allegations and the consequences for jumping bail.
Didn't think so, but then again it does not surprise me in the slightest that you or your cohorts don't stand behind your own stated positions….just a lot of spineless air bags, the last sort people you would want to have with you in a tight corner
Biden DOJ Files Appeal to Get Assange Extradited
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/02/12/biden-doj-files-appeal-to-get-assange-extradited/
I’m not particularly interested in attempting to have a conversation with someone acting like a belligerent bar drunk.
But anyhoo, the information in that Consortium News piece is totally consistent with the Department of Justice simply cruising along on autopilot. The key point being that there currently appears to be precisely nobody in the DoJ decision chain that was actually appointed by Biden, they are all still carryovers from the Mango Mugabe's maladministration.
Expected use of soft power – we see the results here on the Standard:
TRAITORS working for Communist Chinese Government?
However, the foreign reaction to the growing realization of the CCP's genocide of the Uyghurs has clearly got the Chinese worried about the potential boycott threat to Bejing Winter Olympics, and the inappropriate threats are starting.
Beijing 2022: ‘China will seriously sanction’ any country that boycotts Winter Olympics, says state-backed media chief | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)
Let's not disappoint the Butchers of Beijing – let's start calling for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics unless independent foreign observers are allowed to investigate the Uyghur genocide. Otherwise, attending the Beijing winter games is entirely akin to attending the 1936 Berlin games while the Jewish genocide was getting underway.
Great to see Ardern announce first vaccine arrival next Saturday.
Underpromise!
Sigh. Link: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/436268/covid-19-prime-minister-gives-briefing-on-vaccination-in-new-zealand
Yes thast is what I thought, cunning use of underpromise and over deliver! I am actually a lot happier than I thought I might be. Can't wait for my jab. And I hate needles!
And all that need for an economic development plan, or a poverty reduction plan, or a housing plan, just melts away as the Covid19 story simmers it all away into Ardern's ethereal steam.
Underpromise and overdeliver?
I guess it is a matter of opinion but the "promise" was that New Zealand would be at the front of the queue in getting vaccines. After all it was Chris Hipkins who said "I think we're in a very good place to ensure that as vaccines start to come to market New Zealand will be at the front of the queue to be getting vaccines," That was in the middle of November last year.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/new-zealand-front-queue-chris-hipkins-says-nation-well-placed-covid-19-vaccine-roll
I haven't counted the exact number of different countries in this list of the vaccination numbers by country but there must be about 100 that have already been carrying out vaccinations according to this list. They seem to use a rather odd definition of "country" in that they include both United Kingdom and England. My modern geography isn't really up to counting exactly how many different countries are really in this list.
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
If we do start next week that will put us in the bottom half of countries carrying out vaccinations won't it? Would you really say that was overdelivering against a promise that said we would be "at the front of the queue"?
The BBC has a good little counter, which shows how your country is compared to everyone else.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-56025355
The UK has done a lot of things very wrong but they are certainly in the leading pack when it comes to the vaccine roll out at 20.33 doses per 100 people.
Obviously they needed to get to that point quicker but I think it will be late winter before we get to that sort of coverage.
I see from todays news that the US will have enough vaccine doses to be able to vaccinate 300 million of their people by the end of July. In practice that probably means that everyone who is willing to be vaccinated will be.
They all appear to be Pfizer or Moderna, which have both been reported as being over 90% effective.
Wow! I guess we can greet them with a variant of the old song from the Great Depression era. Instead of "Buddy, can you spare a dime?" we can try "Buddy, can you spear a dose?"
https://people.com/health/biden-us-secure-600-million-covid-vaccine-doses-july/
Assuming that pans out,they might be able to keep their deaths down to half a million.
But please, continue to whine about how bad this government and the previous government are compared to the USA response.
Don't care how many times they've been vaccinated, if they're coming from countries such as the US or UK, with more than two active Covid-19 cases per 100 people, then I'll not be greeting them just yet – they can go into managed isolation like everyone else.
But if you're volunteering then why not greet them with a firm handshake Alwyn, since you’re consistently reaching (out)
Vaccinations should be rolled out first where they'll do most good, imho. Just between you and me, I’ve heard that there’s a plan to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to NZ border workers later this month.
https://www.nmdhb.govt.nz/nmdhb-news-and-notices/covid-19-vaccine-update-from-the-new-zealand-government/
I assure you that I have no wish to see visitors coming here just because they have been vaccinated. Before we allow any unnecessary visitors in I want to see that everyone in New Zealand has had a vaccination. And unnecessary visitors includes people like Green MP RMM's BFF. Why did we let him in?
How do you know he is 'unnecessary' if you do not know why 'we' let him in?
We have let him in on a six month Visitor's Visa, if RMM's story is correct.
"He was granted an invitation to apply for a visa on December 3 and was given a six-month visitor visa on January 11."
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/02/green-party-mp-ricardo-men-ndez-march-explains-serious-personal-family-matter-behind-travel-to-mexico.html
I understand you can't work with such a visa so what is he going to do here? He was also, according to the same source I have linked to "
"During this period of October and November, my long-term partner based in Mexico took up the role of caring for both my parents," Menéndez March said.".
So rather than staying in Mexico to care for his family, and resigning from Parliament here, he has removed his parents' support in Mexico. How caring.
Again, a question rather than an answer. I expect firm proclamations like you are making to be based on more than assumptions.
Funny Alwyn. We’re all waiting our turn – how cool is that! But if you’re impatient, or it’s a matter of life and death, then you could book a holiday in Israel, the UAE, UK or US (those countries with the highest rates of Covid-19 vaccination). Personally, I’d rather be here.
Alwyn – 5 deaths per million of population – no community transmission …….
Keep barking at that passing car Alwyn
Partisan people like Allwinge are constantly looking for something negative to moan about. Even when he gets his shot he'll complain that so-in-so told him the needle wasn't going to hurt at all, silly little pricks are just trumpish like that.
Whether we are at the front of the queue or not, we have the luxury of being able to wait, and now to be selective about which ones are used for different groups – a choice not available to those who had to accept the first available. I am delighted that we are able to see which will do best with which strains; which have the least harsh side-effects, etc. We are able to give priorities based on need rather than availability. We are lucky not to need to be injecting as fast as possible; and we are being good world citizens in letting some others that are more desperate 'benefit' from early supplies.
'Under-promise' is what the govt told the public via media over the last few weeks.
Under promise? You’re kidding right. No need to go through the list of failed 2017 election promises yet again except to say under promising is certainly not one of this governments strong points.
False equivalence
Perhaps the government will get also an idea of how wide spread poverty is, when they put into place planing to vaccinate all our elderly, then the remainder of the population.
Those isolated or limited travel ability e.g. The homeless, The far North, East Cape etc. that find if difficult to travel to major centres on given days.
And what proof is there for us to have, should travel require proof of receiving a vaccination – Will there be a register with all our names on it ?
Interesting when the China "Debt Trap" was still a big thing in Western media, we all got bombarded with reports on the subject, but when some actual serious studies were done and debunked most of that narrative we got very little coverage of that (and from many sources , none)…makes you wonder…and if not maybe it should.
Debunking the myth of China’s “debt-trap diplomacy”
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/debunking-myth-china-s-debt-trap-diplomacy
The myth of China’s ‘debt-trap diplomacy’
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-myth-of-china-s-debt-trap-diplomacy-
Experts dispel claims of China debt-trap diplomacy in Pacific but risks remain
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/21/chinese-loans-expose-pacific-islands-to-risk-of-unsustainable-debt-report-finds
Foreign debt to a single source and sovereignty risk profile are always worth tracking when you're a very small and/or very poor nation. Every country's arrangement with Chinese state institutions is different in circumstance and in impact.
So a major international lender should always expect scrutiny and risk analysis. And generally they do.
There was plenty of debate 10 years ago well attested by many authors about the role of the World Bank and its 'structural adjustment' loans. The World Bank of course doesn't own the second largest military in the world, nor is it run by an autocrat, nor is it aggressively taking marine territory, nor does it have an explicit plan for total world resource and logistics.
Always great when risks don't work out, always necessary to track them.
Good that this lady has been captured and will now face justice.
Note her name is Southern and the daughters name was Comfort!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/murder-accused-mother-who-cut-off-monitoring-bracelet-and-was-on-the-run-found/FDPHRPXIJW23IB2KRRPT2JAAJQ/
Do we need to start to talk about the impact of much longer life spans and gerontocracy is having on governance everywhere? Surely Mr. Mori's problem isn't so much his comments – they were acceptable back in his salad days in the 1980-90s – but rather that at the great age of 83 he is still supposedly heading up the organisation of the Olympic games?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/300228144/tokyo-olympics-organising-committee-boss-set-to-resign-over-sexist-remarks
The US is also afflicted with ancient politicians, if Trump runs against Biden 2024 then it'll be an 82 year old vs a 78 year old.
Should compulsory retirement from public office or large NGOs around 75 years old become a law? Or is that ageist?
Judges retire in NZ at 70….that seems to me to be the right age to retire from any public office.
BTW, the person running the impeachment hearing is 80-WTF?
Seriously, it should simply be a question of stamina and cognitive ability. Were that the criterion, many younger might fail…….(nominate your candidate here).
In a lighter vein, retirement should be compulsory with age, says this 71 year-old, firstly because anyone who thinks they're so important that the country needs them to forgo retirement is not important; and secondly, people should be alert to the importance of retirement.
Spending time with the kids, and the kids' kids; gardening and making compost (before their own time comes to biodegrade); learning a musical instrument; commenting on blogs; composing a slim volume of verse or writing the memoirs.
Yes, other ways to contribute. It is also a sign of trust and good faith to let following generations have their go at roles.
Yes, other ways to contribute. I'm shortly off to play songs to a group of Alzheimers-affected people, singing the old songs that we know and love……. and remember.
Broadly agree – personally wouldn't want to be working past 65, let alone 70 or 80, but maybe needs must in some cases. And if you (are lucky enough to) love your work, and particularly if you (still) do it well, then why not. Fauci is 80.
But I see too many over 70s 'voluntarily trapped' in work because they have few alternative interests/outlets; not everyone finds preparing for and then actual retirement easy. My maternal grandfather had worked his way up to a reasonably senior public service position. He did retirement hard and was allowed to return to work as an office gopher – died working. I admired and loved him, but feel fortunate not to have inherited that trait.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/123882376/exhausted-by-2020-here-are-5-steps-to-recover-and-feel-more-rested-in-2021
I personally know a lawyer still working daily in chambers in Auckland at 95. He's not quite as fast as a younger person, but there's nothing wrong with his judgment and capacity.
In my view we're going to start seeing ageing in more subtle dimensions – simple numeric years is only one measure. Years of healthy and active life are another quite different measure – and I believe we will start to extend this number quite dramatically this century. By 2100 it may not be unusual to have fit, active and socially engaged 120 yr olds.
That's going to make a lot of our current ideas around 'retirement' look very quaint indeed.
Why should retirement be compulsory when we know that after people retire they tend to go downhill?
Watched that documentary on blue zones. Wasn't there a Dr in his 90s based in Loma Linda still working as a heart surgeon? My own memory is starting to drift
Yup. It's essential to have purpose – and unless you've developed one independent of your 'career' by the time the ageists catch up with you and boot you out – then yes the decline sets in.
heh
It would be funny if it wasn't so depressingly true:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/124211827/why-i-dont-feel-sorry-for-landlords
Apparently more shares are now traded in Amsterdam than London. Taking back control starting to pay off bigtime.
Who took control back? Was it Euxit?
So much for one of the world's most pre-eminent financial centres.
Steadily becoming a smaller backwater than it was 2,000 years ago.
hey, don't knock backwaters.
soz, it's fast becoming the "pre-eminent financial centre" it was 2,000 years ago.
Definitely pre-eminent. Incredibly pre. Any eminence is very far in the future.