Thanks KJT. So the gist is that the numbers of people getting covid post-vaccine are small at .01%, and they don't have much data on long covid post-vaccine yet.
Based on the CDC’s preliminary data from April, about 30% of vaccine breakthrough infections were totally asymptomatic. An estimated 10% of people with breakthrough cases were hospitalized and 2% died, but it’s crucial to note that a decent portion of those hospitalizations and deaths were unrelated to COVID-19.
hmm, 10% and 2% isn't insignificant. 'Unrelated to covid' is really unclear especially given the low numbers.
160 is a manageable number to assess individual causes of death with regards to whether covid played a part. Especially when the median age of death is 82.
If there are 160,000 deaths, doing a study like this relies on administrative data. Many people won't have had coronial examinations, it'll basically be the death administrative data cross referenced with test result dataand maybe a cross reference with computerised hospital records. At best. The most timely data will be something like "died after a positive covid test, or with a postmortem positive covid test". Hence some denialists place weight on the term "died with covid" rather than "from covid", their theory being that I might be asymptomatic with covid and get hit by a bus, examiner draws blood and I "died with positive covid test". That doesn't explain why a hundred and sixty thousand people were suddenly hit by busses, but plague denialists don't have much to cling to.
But with 160 deaths, it's feasible for a small team doing the research to actually review each death and say "oh, that dude was hit by a bus, death not related to covid". Or confirm that the late-stage cancer was the reason the patient was admitted, and they were actually asymptomatic in hospital despite the positive test on admission and 'twas the cancer that got 'em.
to put it another way:
Each death would get a local area review (death cert, maybe hospital case review committee, maybe a referral to a coronial inquiry, that sort of thing) but they'd be putting in forms as well as detailed case notes, by and large. That form data gets coded into a system, and someone else looking for e.g. covid deaths might get 160k deaths with "covid" flagged in the contributing causes of death.
But with deaths measured in the dozens, a research committee with appropriate authority might be able to actually review the case notes to get a better idea of the case. That can be as useful as the form data, because although it's more work, it's a finer-toothed comb.
Some fully-vaccinated people with breakthrough infections do actually die of Covid of course. The vaccines vastly reduce your risk, but not to zero. A few people are still unlucky.
Big shoutout to President Biden but in particular to Senator Bernie Sanders who actually formed the blueprint for this massive infrastructure bill that has gone through the Senate. This is Bernie's own statement on it here:
I was not expecting to reschedule having my Covid vaccination. Both vaccination dates need to be booked at the same booking on the 0800 28 29 26. I want an 8 week gap. I was surprised to be told that the booking system could not give me a date 8 weeks from early September (date of the first jab) for the second jab. I will need to cancel the second date as only a month gap.
A second appointment is given but only a 4 week gap. If a 8 week gap is wanted then the second date will need to be cancelled as the booking system is only loaded until early October.
Sometimes there are a few weeks to wait for the first appointment. There was talk earlier in the week of having a 8 week gap.
Maybe try again today to get that eight-week-gap booking. The ground has shifted.
People who had already been fully vaccinated with doses less than six weeks apart were still protected from the virus, while those who have their second vaccination booked fewer than six weeks after their first could change their booking.
I rang at 8.30 am this morning to cancel for this Saturday.
I will go to the first jab and then rebook for the second one. I see a specialist mid September as I have mast cell and systemic scleroderma and want to make sure my system coped with the first jab. I have not been myself for a couple weeks.
I was already planning on a 12 week gap myself (having read some of the research on which the interdose interval increase is based). But still no bookings available for October. So I have just canceled my 3week repeat jab and put a reminder in late September to make the booking then. I guess I should change that reminder to earlier in the month now.
That said – if there is a community transmitted outbreak, I will likely be going for an early jab. Though (to grossly simplify), if the Pfizer is; 60% effective on first dose, up to 90% after 3weeks, or 95% after 3months; then it would make more sense for more people to have more first doses, than to topup the half vaccinated.
Still, the PITCH studies medical population may not be that generalizable to Aotearoa. And in others there may be confounding of interdose and postdose periods.
Somewhat stronger immune response with a longer gap, but if the delta variant enters NZ, you need to get your second jab then wait 2+ weeks for full immunity to develop…hopefully you get there before you encounter actual Covid!
A 3 week gap still gives a very good result, just not absolutely optimum.
The people who decided to co-opt the identical binary vocabulary used forever to refer to sex to also refer to "gender" created this problem, and they can solve it any time they like by coining new terms and pronouns for people who want to be referred to by gender not sex
The reasons why that might not work, as far as I can tell, are that some people want to smash the binary, others want sex to become a social construct alone, and some people have dysphoria and need their chosen gender ID to be affirmed by those around them all the time.
All of that should be debated in open society so that we get a say in what is a major and fundamental changing of English language usage. I’m not a fan of allowing people with mental health issues (dysphoria) to have such a degree of control as this without everyone getting time and space to think about what it means.
The smash the binary crowd need to front up and explain the value and let that be debated alongside those who believe the binary has some uses.
Did we get a chance to debate the change in language where; "literally", now literally means both; figuratively and literally (literal antonyms)? Inflammable and flammable being synonyms? Second person plural (/formal) used in place of second person singular (e.g. "You" in place of "Thou")?
English is a hodge-podge of different languages and times, and in any case is being replaced by American as the lingua franca (at least there's not still gendering of words to remember like the original French tongue). For example; "colour" gets red-marked by TS spell checker, while "color" is let through without question. Conveying meaning is more important than lexiconic accuracy, despite one's aesthetic preferences.
Anyway; there already are NB neo-pronouns that are very seldom used – because of the hassle in explaining them every time they are; except in rare trans-only gatherings where there might be a reasonable expectation of being understood. Mx in place of; Mr or Ms; Xe/ Xem/ Xyr in place of; They/ Them/ Their. Maybe that will change in the future, but it seems unlikely that spoken language (in a multitude of dialects) will take much notice of an academic debate about ideal pronoun usage in an ideal world. I do like; E/Em/ Eir, because that is close to what NZ people often sound like to my ear, when they are speaking naturally, though that isn't in common usage.
I sometimes change language in word processors, but most of the time I acknowledge that default English is US English, so I had better learn to use it that way. I wish I could remember how to use macrons for te Reo Maori though (on mobile now, so not even going to try!).
I have worked in environments where UK or US english spelling is a shared standard, so I sometimes have needed to recognise the differences.
The maori macrons I find a little funny at present, due to stuff self declaring they are historically racist, and now using macrons in their headline spelling without correcting the generated urls (e.g get it programmed to sub out the macron a for a regular a in the headlined link). Its just a but funny that they have said they really care but in practice they don't bother with following through.
We've all heard (at least in the NZ version of events) about how cows and farmers are to blame for climate change and that's simply not true. For oil and agricultural giants to shift blame onto (mostly) hard working farmers is scummy behaviour indeed. These same people have also shifted the onus onto you, the consumer, as if you recycling and eating tofu is going to cut it. Meanwhile they continue to drill, dig and gaslight our planet.
Don't get me wrong, every bit of pollution reduction helps at this stage of the game, we should all be decreasing our consumption. But agricultural giants are still destroying rainforest to bring you soy for your latte, while many local farmers have joined the fight against climate change and environmental degradation.
As a wiser person than me once said: It's not the cow, it's the how.
Ruminant animals are an integral part of Savannah, Grasslands, Plains and Prairie biomes. They naturally mob together to avoid predators and through this graze and trample down grasses and forbes in one area. Then, due to lack of feed, they move. This is nature, nature practising rotational grazing.
The cows/bison/wildebeest/add grazers and browsers here… pass and the plants and microbes get to work. The plant wants to rebuild and so it sends carbon in the form of simple sugars down to the root system where it is consumed by bacteria and fungi in exchange for other nutrients. The soil biota sequester large amounts of carbon (raising soil fertility in the form of humus and food web nutrient cycling) as the plant rebuilds above ground.
The litter left on the ground is food for insects and microbes. Grinders and shredders break it down as microbes and fungi colonise surfaces – this in turn attracts worms, some that work in the litter, some that drag organic matter down into the soil. The soil gets enriched and aerated.
Roots get deeper and deeper, biodiversity increases leading to better overall growth through shifting seasons. Ground cover increases leading to some protection from drought. Water infiltration increases leading to some protection from flood.
Another wise person said of all this: It is not man, but management.
The closer we get to understanding and imitating natural cycles the less work we need to do to get a product. As added bonuses we increase both fertility and resilience on our farms.
Trees are also an integral part of agro-eco systems, but that's another post.
While some of our farmers have chosen climate denial and blaming Labour for their difficulties, many others are leading the charge in creating eco-conscious systems that will help us not only survive, but thrive into the future.
If you're looking for targets to vent your spleen at, leave farmers alone unless they're dirty bastards like those running feedlots.
OK, but check my language please in case I've missed something a bit crude. I still tend to swear like a sailor where other words would suffice. Like the 2nd to last paragraph – if you could change bastards to practitioners…
Also, may as well use my name. I’m DB Brown. Pleased to meet ya.
Ruminant animals are an integral part of Savannah, Grasslands, Plains and Prairie biomes. They naturally mob together to avoid predators and through this graze and trample down grasses and forbes in one area. Then, due to lack of feed, they move. This is nature, nature practising rotational grazing.
The Coevolution of grasses and grazers led to cenzoic cooling.
Grasslands have long been considered products
of the coevolution of grasses and grazers (Koval-
evsky 1873). Few plants other than grasses can
withstand the high-crowned, enamel-edged teeth
and hard hooves of antelope and horses. Yet these
same animals are best suited to the abrasive gritty
opal phytoliths and dust of flat, open grasslands.
Grasses recover readily from fire and nurture large
herbivores such as elephants: both fire and ele-
phants promote grassland at the expense of wood-
land
Wondering how much of present day's associated livestock are ruminants.
Comparison of current global biomass with prehuman values (which are very difficult to estimate accurately) demonstrates the impact of humans on the biosphere. Human activity contributed to the Quaternary Megafauna Extinction between ≈50,000 and ≈3,000 y ago, which claimed around half of the large (>40 kg) land mammal species (30). The biomass of wild land mammals before this period of extinction was estimated by Barnosky (30) at ≈0.02 Gt C. The present-day biomass of wild land mammals is approximately sevenfold lower, at ≈0.003 Gt C (SI Appendix, Pre-human Biomass and Chordates and Table S11). Intense whaling and exploitation of other marine mammals have resulted in an approximately fivefold decrease in marine mammal global biomass [from ≈0.02 Gt C to ≈0.004 Gt C (31)]. While the total biomass of wild mammals (both marine and terrestrial) decreased by a factor of ≈6, the total mass of mammals increased approximately fourfold from ≈0.04 Gt C to ≈0.17 Gt C due to the vast increase of the biomass of humanity and its associated livestock. Human activity has also impacted global vertebrate stocks, with a decrease of ≈0.1 Gt C in total fish biomass, an amount similar to the remaining total biomass in fisheries and to the gain in the total mammalian biomass due to livestock husbandry (SI Appendix, Pre-human Biomass).
The impact of human civilization on global biomass has not been limited to mammals but has also profoundly reshaped the total quantity of carbon sequestered by plants. A worldwide census of the total number of trees (32), as well as a comparison of actual and potential plant biomass (17), has suggested that the total plant biomass (and, by proxy, the total biomass on Earth) has declined approximately twofold relative to its value before the start of human civilization. The total biomass of crops cultivated by humans is estimated at ≈10 Gt C, which accounts for only ≈2% of the extant total plant biomass (17).
Not sure exactly what's being asked. Could you rephrase the question?
Historically vast herds were part and parcel of grass dominated biomes – it would be interesting to know if the reduction in wild animals biomass is similar or dwarfed by the mass of todays domesticated animals. But we may underestimate historic populations significantly. I always take studies like this with a grain of salt (makes the meat tastier).
NZ had enormous numbers of seabirds redistributing oceanic nutrients onto land, enhancing terrestrial biomes which would have, in turn, enriched estuarine and wetland systems. Fish migration inland is also a considerable source of terrestrial inputs, and many New Zealand species are anadromous.
The paper Poisson dropped above suggests carbon from grassy biomes gets sequestered long-term via erosion depositing carbon rich soils in wetlands and estuarine systems. Wetland (and estuarine) restoration takes on new significance in this light: on top of nutrient cycling, habitat, biodiversity, productivity, aquifer replenishment, etc, we have long term carbon sequestration. One can't produce soil indefinitely, however, unless you have phenomenon like enormous numbers of birds redistributing nutrients – replenishing losses from weathering processes.
My masters study was of the evolution of large mammals. Suffice it to say numbers were advantageous to adaptive ability. But historic range sizes (proxy for population size) had been greatly reduced for hundreds of species in the study, as mans presence encroached.
It looks like we're both curious as to answering the same question regarding historic wild vs current domestic biomass. My old professor might know, I'll ask him.
I'll just add to my notes above re: redistribution of nutrients. Seaweed farming and usage on land might at least partially replace historic bird and fish numbers transferring sea nutrients to land.
Absolutely, BG. Intensity has been able to be increased via pouring on nitrates. But, with regulations in place/being put in place this practise should, at least theoretically, stop. Fonterra seems to be big on PR and rubbish on halting non-compliance. Perhaps some of our ire might be delivered to their doorstep.
When one decreases farm inputs (like nitrate), it may indeed decrease overall output. However, this also has decreased costs. Not just in reduced fertiliser bills, but also vets bills, better PR, better animal health… E.g. rye staggers (ergot) love high nitrates and overgrazing; while mixed pastures with legumes, timed grazing and leaving residue all factor in to decreasing staggers. When accounting for all factors, farmers may find they're better off in many ways, including what's left in the pocket.
While greatly simplified, a farm ecosystem is still an ecosystem, and will respond to eco-conscious management.
I don't listen to any radio, but feel free to share points you thought worth highlighting.
Health officials have quietly made changes to COVID-19 vaccine availability for port workers amid the Delta variant scare in Tauranga.
Until now, only workers interacting with ships and crew were entitled to a vaccine – just a fraction of the workforce at the ports.
Charles Finny, who is the independent chair of the Port Company CEO Group, says they've been trying to change the rules to allow all workers to get the jab.
"We've been arguing for that for months," he says.
But suddenly, amid the Tauranga COVID-19 scare, a change was made after port CEOs met with Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield on Tuesday.
"We were told yesterday and Dr Bloomfield agreed with us that that didn't make much sense," Finny says.
"There was definitely frustration and we're very pleased that we have got the rules changed."
The Government's messaging so far, even from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday, had been that vaccines were always available for port workers.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday it wasn’t possible to do it earlier due to vaccine supply issues.
just vaccinate all those that want it – and we currently have a million bookings so it is not as if people don't try to get it, and once everyone willing has had their jabs, complain about those that still don't come forward.
Oh, yes. Is that just a ban on me using that term, or an outright ban for everyone.
I must say either way it doesn't say much for your position on free speech.
I use it as an antidote to your prolific use of the equally racist hate term, "woke". Will you be banning that word also?
Do doubt y’all will be arguing about this in the back end. Have fun!
[we actually have better things to be doing, although notes do get made in the back end so we can track patterns of behaviour. I will note that your comments here are an intentional flaming of a TS Author, and that will get moderator attention too. I disagree with RL on a number of things, but you seem to think you can behave how you like and stir up shit at will, and that disrespects the work we all do.
I’m getting sick of people here who should know better and still can’t or won’t differentiate between arguing the politics vs having a go at individuals, and who just end up creating more work for authors and moderators and making the place harder to be in. Ball is in your court. – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Invoking the 'free speech' card will get you nowhere – you are perfectly free to express any opinion you like here and believe it or not I've defended your right to do so in the backend.
But as you well understand I will not defend the repeated use of terms that are clearly hate based and derogatory. That's entirely on you.
Woke is the term invented for the cult belief system you have embraced.
As with all ideologies it starts with good ideas – like the end of prejudice for example – and then overextends it into a totalitarian system of absolutes. And then creates categories to divide people against each other. More than anything else it plays out the Karpman Drama triangle that so often clutters up the threads here.
I've never bought into it and you'll just have to endure my derision.
Here's the difference: RL was a bit rude, briefly, in a comment that was addressing the political points. Yours had no political point, and was only a wind up. In the context of your pattern of behaviour, I'm looking at the disruption to the thread and the extra work created for mods.
Also, different rules here for Authors.
You've been here long enough to know both of those boundaries.
given your another person who likes to push the boundaries and garners more than their fair share of mod attention, perhaps you'd like to explain to me why it's so hard to understand where the boundaries are.
I mean, I can't tell if your comment is facetious or genuine, but I don't think what I said above is that hard to understand. Always happy to explain further if people don't get it.
To my taste, the border opening proposals are too loose too soon.
Allowing things like vaccinated travelers to come back and isolate at home before everyone that wants the vaccine has had it is too much risk of infecting some that want it but genuinely haven't had reasonable opportunity.
To my taste, it's also too much risk of creating a local outbreak that will require a level 3 or level 4 lockdown to contain. That's too much risk of seriously disrupting people's lives for too little reward in allowing just a privileged few some more privilege.
The ODT says Waipori fund is up $6 million this year, so if anyone is having trouble with electricity bills in Dunedin then that may be something worth accessing. I thought there was a 2 year stand-down, but apparently it is only a year (officially) – so I might be getting on with that next power bill myself. Problem is that you have to go down and deal with Christian social-services, who aren't always the most cooperative with non-Christians &/or gender diverse people.
The fund, after distributions, grew from $94 million to $100 million in the past year.
This fund helps to address fuel poverty in the city, providing much needed support for people and whānau struggling to pay their electric bills. Annually around 600 people / whānau are assisted. The fund is managed on the DCC's behalf by the Dunedin Budget Advisory Service, and administered by this service, along with Family Works – Presbyterian Support, Catholic Social Services, and the Salvation Army.
I have not dealt with the DBAS before (Community House 283-301 Moray Place – so on bushub corner?), but at least they seem nonreligious. The Catholics (and Anglican family support for different things) were pretty grudging in their aid last time I applied through them.
I have seen that Micky Savage has in the past commented on "leaked" UMR polls.
Does he have anything to say on this latest little snippet on the subject. Regarding the subject I have seen tweets that claim that UMR’s latest poll is supposed to have Labour at 38%, National at 31%, ACT 13% and the Greens at 8%. It sounds to be a quite likely result but I'm sure that Micky has sources much closer to the source of this than I do.
This would certainly be giving the backbenchers in Labour the shakes if they are allowed to see it.
Just in from my contact in the Prime Minister's office. Latest results of their UMR internal polling has Labour below 40s at 38%, National at 31%, Act at 13% Grn at 8% NZF at 4% Top at 3% MP at 2% NC at 1% pic.twitter.com/Fiw5vc5MG4
Mate, I'm not the one basing their optimism on reports from a guy whose claim to fame is turning magazines and books around so some low-waged person has to reorganise them later.
Firstly, no poll has had National on 30% since the election. The polls immediately before the election had nations at 31, but were off by 5% or so. Either way, the last few polls have had national stuck at sub-30 with little to no improvement.
Labour is indeed trending down, and 38% isn't completely out of the question. But again, the polls undercounted Labour by 5% just prior to the actual election result, so meh.
But what of their friends? The Greens are steady at 10%, usually a couple of percent either side. They polled at the lower end of that bound in 2020.
ACT are interesting, increasing support in the last few polls where national has remained steady. The supposed "leak" has no movement for them, while national increases: the opposite of the more recent observations.
Now, maybe nact is trailing labgrn by 2%. Weirder things have happened in NZ politics. But that would mean that "coltheman" is the one with the inside scoop on this, then the nats are less competent than that moron. Which puts their 31% down to luck rather than ability. Now, advancement by luck rather than merit is on brand for a corporate-capitalist shill like nact, but it's not sustainable in the long run.
Perhaps the nutjob Coltheman who used to go around turning over magazines with the face of Jacinda on is simply "leaking" numbers out of his arse, If you count him as a reliable source, more twit you.
These folks who make hate a full time job are everywhere. On the one hand they claim the Govt is useless because all their problems haven't been solved by whinging and attacking others. On the other they back parties who want to reduce government oversight – which would make it less than useless.
If that book-bturner has better contacts in the PM's office than all the parliamentary press corps and the opposition combined, no fucking way Judith has the nats up to 31%.
UMR does polling for private companies. They pay for the privilege of having their own polling tailored to their specific needs. Its not surprising therefore the results get leaked on a regular basis and there's no guarantee they are correct. There have been instances in the past when the leaks were wrong.
In the case of the philistine, Coltheman his words "my contact in the Prime Minister'sOffice" is a dead giveaway he's lying through his teeth. The PM’s Office is highly unlikely to be on UMR’s list of recipients.
You do know who he is, don’t you? A fragile man with a fragile ego (yeah, that’s a tautology) who loves to turn over magazines with Ardern’s face on the cover. Just the kind of guy who Alwyn would take seriously, of course.
If the shoe fits, Alwyn. Anyway, my comment was to Anne about Coltheman.
FYI, I don’t actually have a problem with that so-called ‘leaked poll’, as it is seems not too far off from some others. I do have a problem, however, with the imbecilic way it was shared: first by a fragile twat on Twitter and second by you here on TS. As such, there was no reason to answer any argument by a commenter because it was a series of dick moves that simply looked like trolling. Do you think we’re stupid here to play into your silly little games?
well if you read the right wing franchised rags around the country printing rubbish from the likes of Audrey Young and Richarfd preeble EVERY DAY then it is no wonder . some of the left wing theoreticians who inhabit this sphere should get down and dirty and start writing to their local dailies instead of trying to score points off each other here!
Talking of rubbish published in the Herald, here is something it has lifted today straight from the very right/business leaning Telegraph in the UK that supports the Boris stance of opening up the borders and almost no Covid restrictions in society regardless of the 30,000 cases of Covid a day the UK is currently experiencing.
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The takeaways from the just released data are:1. Any estimate of GDP is subject to error.2. The 0.2 percent decrease in the March 2022 quarter is not precise and will be revised, with the mild likelihood that it will eventually be higher.3. New Zealand has no ‘official' definition of a ...
Guided By The Stars? This gift of Matariki, then, what will be made of it? Can a people spiritually unconnected to anything other than their digital devices truly appreciate the relentless progress of gods and heroes across the heavens? The elders of Maoridom must wonder. Can Te Ao Māori be ...
The internet is a wonderful thing sometimes. Yesterday, I ran across an AI program that generates images via prompt: https://huggingface.co/spaces/dalle-mini/dalle-mini So I have been doing the logical thing with it. Getting it to generate Silmarillion characters in bizarre situations. Morgoth playing golf, and so forth. But one thing I ...
Stashing renewable energy Do a little internet sleuthing on renewable energy via your favorite search engine and you'll find some honest critique and much more dishonest misinformation (aka disinformation) to the effect that photovoltaic and wind generation are fickle energy supplies, over-abundant in some periods and absent in others. There's ...
The current New Zealand First Foundation trial in the High Court continues to show why reform is required when it comes to money in politics. The juicy details coming out each day show private wealth being funnelled into some peculiar schemes in an attempt to circumvent the Electoral Act. Yet ...
As in so many other areas of public policy, attitudes towards overseas investment in New Zealand – and anywhere, for that matter – boil down in the end to ideology. For proponents of the “free market”, there is really no issue. The market, in their view, must never be second-guessed; ...
Selwyn Manning and I discussed the upcoming NATO Leader’s summit (to which NZ Prime Minister Ardern is invited), the rival BRICS Leader’s summit and what they could mean for the Ruso-Ukrainian Wa and beyond. ...
New Zealand’s Most Profitable“Friend” Dangerous “Threat”: This country’s “Five Eyes” partners, heedless of the economic consequences for New Zealand, have cajoled and bullied its political class into becoming Sinophobes. They simply do not care that close to 40 percent of this country’s trade is with China. As far as Washington, London, ...
I have seen some natter around about how The Rings of Power represents the undue and unholy corporatisation of J.R.R. Tolkien. I won’t point out examples, but anyone who has seen YouTube commentary has a pretty good grasp of what I am talking about – the sentiment that ...
2017’s Queenmaker: Five years ago, Winston Peters’ choice ran counter to New Zealand’s informal, No. 8 wire, post-MMP constitution, which, up until 2017, had decreed that the party with the most votes got to supply the next prime minister. Had National not been in power for the previous 9 years, it ...
I've read some bad stuff about long covid recently, and Marc Daalder's recent Newsroom piece about what endemic covid means for Aotearoa got me wondering about whether the government was thinking about it. Mass-disability due to long covid has obvious implications for health and welfare spending, as well as for ...
Last year, a stranded kiwi criticised the MIQ system. Covid Minister Chris Hipkins responded by doxxing and defaming her. Now, he's been forced to apologise for that: Minister Chris Hipkins has admitted he released incorrect and personal information about journalist Charlotte Bellis, after she criticised the managed isolation system. ...
Gil-galad is an Elven Chad Gil-galad is an Elven Chad But Celebrimbor makes them mad Digesting leaks from Amazon Of Isildur and Pharazôn. The hair is short? The knives are keen. The beardless face of Dwarven Queen? With meteor and man-not-named The fandom temper is inflamed. Of Annatar ...
From the desk of Keir "Patriotic Duty" Starmer:“We have robust lines. We do not want to see these strikes to go ahead with the resulting disruption to the public. The government have failed to engage in any negotiations.“However, we also must show leadership and to that end, please be reminded ...
Has swapping Scott Morrison for Anthony Albanese made any discernible difference to Australia’s relations with the US, China, the Pacific and New Zealand ? Not so far. For example: Albanese has asked for more time to “consider” his response to New Zealand’s long running complaints about the so called “501” ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The Biden administration in April 2021 dramatically ratcheted up the country’s greenhouse gas emissions reductions pledge under the Paris target, also known as its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The Obama administration in 2014 had announced a commitment to cut U.S. emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels ...
Something I missed: the Central African Republic has abolished the death penalty: The National Assembly of the Central African Republic (CAR) passed a law abolishing the death penalty in the CAR on May 27, 2022. Once CAR President Touadéra promulgates the bill, the CAR will become the 24th abolitionist ...
Walking On Sunshine: National’s Sam Uffindell cantered home in the Tauranga By-Election, but the Outdoors & Freedom Party’s Sue Grey attracted an ominous level of support.THE RIGHT’S gadfly commentator, Matthew Hooton, summed up the Tauranga by-election in his usual pithy fashion. “Tonight’s result is poor for the National Party, catastrophic for ...
Te reo Māori is Dr. Anaha Hiini’s life purpose. Raised by his grandparents, Kepa and Maata Hiini, Anaha of Ngāti Tarāwhai, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue descent made a promise at the age of six to his late grandmother, Maata Hiini. “I’ve always had a passion for Māori culture. My first inspiration ...
Dr Carwyn Jones’ vision is to see Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the law given equal mana. Carwyn who holds a PhD in law and society and currently teaches Ahunga Tikanga (Māori Laws and Philosophy) at Te Wānanga o Raukawa after 15 years at Victoria University of Wellington has devoted ...
Jacinda Ardern’s decision to attend the upcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Spain – but to skip the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda – symbolises the changes she is making to New Zealand foreign policy. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) starts today in ...
The outlook does not look that promising. Forecasting an economy is a mug’s game. The database on which the forecasts are founded is incomplete, out-of-date, and subject to errors, some of which will be revised after the forecasts are published. (No wonder weather-forecasting is easier.) One often has to adopt ...
by Don Franks It seems that almost each day now another ram raid shatters someone’s shop front and loots the premises. Prestigious Queen street is not immune, while attacks on small dairies have long stopped being headline news. Those of us not directly affected are becoming numbed to this form ...
It’s hard to believe that when we created Sciblogs in 2009, the iPhone was only two years old, being a ‘Youtuber’ wasn’t really a thing and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok didn’t exist. But Science blogging was a big thing, particularly in the United States, where a number of scientists had ...
For 13 years, Sciblogs has been a staple in New Zealand’s science-writing landscape. Our bloggers have written about a vast variety of topics from climate change to covid, and from nanotechnology to household gadgets.But sadly, it’s time to close shop. Sciblogs will be shutting down on 30 June.When ...
Radical Options: By allocating the Broadcasting portfolio to the irrepressible, occasionally truculent, leader of Labour’s Māori caucus, Willie Jackson, the Prime Minister has, at the very least, confirmed that her appointment of Kiri Allan was no one-off. There are many words that could be used to describe Ardern’s placement of ...
A Delicate Juggler? The new Chief Censor, Ms Caroline Flora, owes New Zealand a comprehensive explanation of how she sees, and how she proposes to carry out, her role. Where, for example, is her duty to respect and protect the citizen’s right to freedom of expression positioned in relation to ...
Good grief. Has foreign policy commentary really devolved to the point where our diplomatic effort is being measured by how many overseas trips have been taken by our Foreign Minister? Weird, but apparently so. All this week, a series of media policy wonks have been invidiously comparing how many trips ...
Where we've been Time flies. This coming summer will mark 15 years of Skeptical Science focusing its effort on "traditional" climate science denial. Leaving aside frivolities, we've devoted most of our effort to combatting "serious" denial falling into a handful of broad categories of fairly crisp misconceptions: "radiative physics is wrong,""geophysics is ...
Mercenary army of bogus skeptics on parade Because they're both squarely centered in the Skeptical Science wheelhouse, this week we're highlighting two articles from our government and NGO section, where we collect high-quality articles not originating in academic research but featuring many of the important attributes of journal publications. Our mission ...
In the latest episode of AVFA Selwyn Manning and I discuss the evolution of Latin American politics and macroeconomic policy since the 1970s as well as US-Latin American relations during that time period. We use recent elections and the 2022 Summit of the Americas as anchor points. ...
The Scottish government has announced plans for another independence referendum: Nicola Sturgeon plans to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence in October next year if her government secures the legal approval to stage it. Angus Robertson, the Scottish government’s constitution secretary, said that provided ample time to pass ...
So far, the closer military relationship envisaged by Jacinda Ardern and Joseph Biden at their recent White House meeting has been analysed mainly in terms of what this means for our supposedly “independent” foreign policy. Not much attention has been paid to what having more interoperable defence forces might mean ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters For those puzzling over the various hurricane computer forecast models to figure out which one to believe, the best answer is: Don’t believe any of them. Put your trust in the National Hurricane Center, or NHC, forecast. Although an individual ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Scott Denning The excellent Julia Steinberger essay posted at this site in May provides a disturbing window into the psychology of teaching climate change to young people. It’s critically important to talk with youth about hard topics: love and sex, deadly contagion, school shootings, vicious ...
By Imogen Foote (Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington) A lack of consensus among international conservation regimes regarding albatross taxonomy makes management of these ocean roaming birds tricky. My PhD research aims to generate whole genome data for some of our most threatened albatrosses in a first attempt ...
Well, if that’s “minor” I’d be interested to see what a major reshuffle looks like.Jacinda Ardern has reminded New Zealand of the steel behind the spin in her cabinet refresh announced today. While the Prime Minister stressed that the changes were “triggered” by Kris Faafoi and Trevor Mallard and their ...
A company gives a large amount of money to a political party because they are concerned about law changes which might affect their business model. And lo and behold, the changes are dumped, and a special exemption written into the law to protect them. Its the sort of thing we ...
Active Shooters: With more than two dozen gang-related drive-by shootings dominating (entirely justifiably) the headlines of the past few weeks, there would be something amiss with our democracy if at least one major political party did not raise the issues of law and order in the most aggressive fashion. (Photo ...
Going Down? Governments also suffer in recessions and depressions – just like their citizens. Slowing economic activity means fewer companies making profits, fewer people in paid employment, fewer dollars being spent, and much less revenue being collected. With its own “income” shrinking, the instinct of most government’s is to sharply ...
In the 50 years since Norm Kirk first promised to take the bikes off the bikies, our politicians have tried again and again to win votes by promising to crack down on gangs. Canterbury University academic Jarrod Gilbert (an expert on New Zealand’s gang culture) recently gave chapter and verse ...
Misdirection: New Zealanders see burly gang members, decked out in their patches, sitting astride their deafening motorcycles, cruising six abreast down the motorway as frightened civilians scramble to get out of their way, and they think these guys are the problem. Fact is, these guys represent little more than the misdirection ...
Our Government is committed to making sure that our health system works for all New Zealanders, no matter who you are or where you live. Transformation of our health system will take time, and the step we’re taking today – establishing Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority – ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to announce its support urgently for a moratorium on deep sea mining under the high seas, after Pacific nations joined forces this week to demand change. ...
We’re committed to ensuring that there is every opportunity for women and girls to succeed in Aotearoa New Zealand, with fewer barriers. Since coming into Government, we’ve worked hard to support women and girls, by improving services like healthcare and tackling issues like the gender pay gap. Here are just ...
Political pressure from the Green Party has pushed the Government to supply free masks to kids and teachers in schools across Aotearoa New Zealand. ...
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and the European Greens have published a joint statement calling for the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement to support climate action, phase out fossil fuel subsidies, cut agriculture emissions, protect human rights, and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to guarantee that it will complete light rail and improve walking, cycling, and bus journeys across Wellington before digging new high-carbon tunnels. ...
The Green Party is urging Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker to commit to stronger ocean protection around Aotearoa and on the high seas while at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Portugal this week. ...
A strong Green voice in Parliament has helped reduce the influence large secret money will have in future elections and finally ensured overseas New Zealanders will retain the right to vote even while stranded by the Pandemic. But, the Government needs to go further to ensure our democracy works for ...
A new poll shows that the majority of people back the Greens’ call on the Government to overhaul the country’s criminally punitive, anti-evidence drug law. ...
The US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion is a reminder that we must take nothing for granted in Aotearoa, the Green Party says. “Aotearoa should be a place where everyone, no matter where they are from, or who they love, can choose what is right for their body and their ...
We’re proud to have delivered on our election commitment to establish a public holiday to celebrate Matariki. For the first time this year, New Zealanders will have the chance to enjoy a mid-winter holiday that is uniquely our own. ...
Proposed new legislation to reduce the risk that timber imported into Aotearoa New Zealand is sourced from illegal logging is a positive first step but it should go further, the Green Party says. ...
On World Refugee Day, the Green Party is calling on the new Minister for Immigration, Michael Wood to make up for the support that was not provided to people forced to leave their home countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
This week, we’ve marked a major milestone in our school upgrade programme. We've supported 4,500 projects across the country for schools to upgrade classrooms, sports facilities, playgrounds and more, so Kiwi kids have the best possible environments to learn in. ...
We’ve delivered on our election commitment to make Matariki a public holiday. For the first time this year, all New Zealanders will have the chance to enjoy a mid-winter holiday that is uniquely our own with family and friends. Try our quiz below, then challenge your whānau! To celebrate, we’ve ...
The Green Party says the removal of pre-departure testing for arrivals into New Zealand means the Government must step up domestic measures to protect communities most at risk. ...
The long overdue resumption of the Pacific Access Category and Samoan Quota must be followed by an overhaul of the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) scheme, says the Green Party. ...
Lessons must be learned from the Government's response to the Delta outbreak, which the Ministry of Health confirmed today left Māori, Pacific, and disabled communities at greater risk. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to withdraw the proposed Oranga Tamariki oversight legislation which strips away independence and fails to put children at the heart. ...
· New nationwide public health system · 20 district health boards disestablished and deficits wiped · 82,000 health employees directly employed by Health New Zealand · $24 billion health budget this year – up 43% since Labour took office in 2017 – in addition to separate funding for the new ...
Education Minister Chris Hipkins has announced appointments to the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Board of Trustees of Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Te Kura). “Robyn Baker ONZM has been appointed as the chair of the Teaching Council. She has considerable governance experience and is a ...
European Commission President von der Leyen and Prime Minister of New Zealand Ardern met in Brussels on 30 June 2022. The encounter provided an opportunity to reaffirm that the European Union and Aotearoa New Zealand are longstanding partners with shared democratic values and interests, aligned positions on key international and ...
Export revenue to the EU to grow by up to $1.8 billion annually on full implementation. Duty-free access on 97% of New Zealand’s current exports to the EU; with over 91% being removed the day the FTA comes into force. NZ exporters set to save approx. $110 million per annum ...
57,000 EVs and Hybrid registered in first year of clean car scheme, 56% increase on previous year EVs and Non Plug-in Hybrids made up 20% of new passenger car sales in March/April 2022 The Government’s Clean Car Discount Scheme has been a success, with more than 57,000 light-electric and ...
Police Minister Chris Hipkins congratulates the newest Police wing – wing 355 – which graduated today in Porirua. “These 70 new constables heading for the frontline bring the total number of new officers since Labour took office to 3,303 and is the latest mark of our commitment to the Police ...
Members with a range of governance, financial and technical skills have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Board as part of the shift to strengthen the Bank’s decision-making and accountability arrangements. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand Act 2021 comes into force on 1 July 2022, with the establishment of ...
New Zealand to remain at Orange as case numbers start to creep up 50 child-size masks made available to every year 4-7 student in New Zealand 20,000-30,000 masks provided a week to all other students and school staff Extra funding to schools and early childhood services to supports better ...
Aotearoa New Zealand will join Ukraine’s case against Russia at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which challenges Russia’s spurious attempt to justify its invasion under international law. Ukraine filed a case at the ICJ in February arguing Russia has falsely claimed genocide had occurred in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as ...
The Government has taken another step forward in its work to eliminate family violence and sexual violence with the announcement today of a new Tangata Whenua Ministerial Advisory Group. A team of 11 experts in whānau Māori wellbeing will provide the Government independent advice on shaping family violence and sexual ...
Te Mahere Whai Mahi Wāhine: Women’s Employment Action Plan was launched today by Minister for Women Jan Tinetti – with the goal of ensuring New Zealand is a great place for women to work. “This Government is committed to improving women’s working lives. The current reality is that women have ...
The food and fibre sector acknowledged its people and leadership at last night’s 2022 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards, a time to celebrate their passion towards supporting employees by putting their health, welfare and wellbeing first,” Acting Minister of Agriculture Meka Whairiti said. “Award winners were selected from an extraordinary ...
Kia ora koutou katoa. It is a rare thing to have New Zealand represented at a NATO Summit. While we have worked together in theatres such as Afghanistan, and have been partners for just on a decade, today represents an important moment for our Pacific nation. New Zealand is ...
Te Arataki mō te Hauora Ngākau mō ngā Mōrehu a Tū me ō rātou Whānau, The Veteran, Family and Whānau Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy Framework “We ask a lot of those who serve in the military – and we ask a lot of the families and whānau who support ...
Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs Aupito William Sio has been appointed by the United Nations and Commonwealth as Aotearoa New Zealand’s advocacy champion for Small Island States. “Aotearoa New Zealand as a Pacific country is particularly focused on the interests of Pacific Small Island Developing States in our region. “This is a ...
An estimated 100,000 low income households will be eligible for increased support to pay their council rates, with changes to the rates rebate scheme taking effect from 1 July. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced increases to both the maximum value of the rates rebate, and the income threshold ...
A long-standing physical activity programme that focuses on outcomes for Maori has been expanded to four new regions with Government investment almost doubled to increase its reach. He Oranga Poutama is managed by a combination of hapū, iwi, hauora and regional providers. An increase in funding from $1.8 million ...
The Government is progressing a preferred option for LGWM which will see Wellington’s transport links strengthened with light rail from Wellington Station to Island Bay, a new tunnel through Mt Victoria for public transport, and walking and cycling, and upgrades to improve traffic flow at the Basin Reserve. “Where previous ...
To Provost Muniz, to the Organisers at the Instituto de Empresa buenas tardes and as we would say in New Zealand, kia ora kotou katoa. To colleagues from the State Department, from Academia, and Civil Society Groups, to all our distinguished guests - kia ora tatou katoa. It’s a pleasure ...
On June 28, 2022, a meeting took place in Madrid between the President of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, and the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who was visiting Spain to participate in the Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as one ...
A six-fold increase in the Aotearoa New Zealand-Spain working holiday scheme gives a huge boost to the number of young people who can live and work in each other’s countries, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. Jacinda Ardern and Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón made the Working Holiday/Youth Mobility Scheme announcement ...
A significant barrier has been removed for people who want to stand in local government elections, with a change to the requirement to publish personal details in election advertising. The Associate Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty has taken the Local Electoral (Advertising) Amendment Bill through its final stages in Parliament ...
New financial conduct scheme will ensure customers are treated fairly Banks, insurers and non-bank deposit takers to be licensed by the FMA in relation to their general conduct Sales incentives based on volume or value targets like bonuses for selling a certain number of financial products banned The Government ...
Legislation that bans major supermarkets from blocking their competitors’ access to land to set up new stores paves the way for greater competition in the sector, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Dr David Clark said. The new law is the first in a suite of measures the Government is ...
The Government has announced an end to the requirement for border workers and corrections staff to be fully vaccinated. This will come into place from 2 July 2022. 100 per cent of corrections staff in prisons, and as of 23 June 2022 97 per cent of active border workers were ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has concluded a visit to Rwanda reaffirming Aotearoa New Zealand’s engagement in the Commonwealth and meeting with key counterparts. “I would like to thank President Kagame and the people of Rwanda for their manaakitanga and expert hosting of this important meeting,” Nanaia Mahuta said. “CHOGM ...
Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty officially launched the new Monitoring, Alerting and Reporting (MAR) Centre at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) today. The Government has stood up the centre in response to recommendations from the 2018 Ministerial Review following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and 2017 Port Hills fire, ...
Transport Minister Michael Wood has welcomed the announcement that a 110km/hr speed limit has been set for the SH1 Waikato Expressway, between Hampton Downs and Tamahere. “The Waikato Expressway is a key transport route for the Waikato region, connecting Auckland to the agricultural and business centres of the central North ...
Following feedback from the sector, Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti, today confirmed that new literacy and numeracy | te reo matatini me te pāngarau standards will be aligned with wider NCEA changes. “The education sector has asked for more time to put the literacy and numeracy | te reo ...
$4.5 million to provide Ukraine with additional non-lethal equipment and supplies such as medical kit for the Ukrainian Army Deployments extended for New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) intelligence, logistics and liaison officers in the UK, Germany, and Belgium Secondment of a senior New Zealand military officer to support International ...
Changes to electoral law announced by Justice Minister Kiri Allan today aim to support participation in parliamentary elections, and improve public trust and confidence in New Zealand’s electoral system. The changes are targeted at increasing transparency around political donations and loans and include requiring the disclosure of: donor identities for ...
The Labour government has announced a significant investment to prevent and minimise harm caused by gambling. “Gambling harm is a serious public health issue and can have a devastating effect on the wellbeing of individuals, whānau and communities. One in five New Zealanders will experience gambling harm in their lives, ...
The Government has widened access to free flu vaccines with an extra 800,000 New Zealanders eligible from this Friday, July 1 Children aged 3-12 years and people with serious mental health or addiction needs now eligible for free flu dose. From tomorrow (Tuesday), second COVID-19 booster available six months ...
The Government is investing to create new product categories and new international markets for our strong wool and is calling on Kiwi businesses and consumers to get behind the environmentally friendly fibre, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said today. Wool Impact is a collaboration between the Government and sheep sector partners ...
At today’s commemoration of the start of the Korean War, Veterans Minister Meka Whaitiri has paid tribute to the service and sacrifice of our New Zealand veterans, their families and both nations. “It’s an honour to be with our Korean War veterans at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park to commemorate ...
Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash and Associate Minister of Tourism Peeni Henare announced the sixth round of recipients of the Government’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund (TIF), which supports local government to address tourism infrastructure needs. This TIF round will invest $15 million into projects around the country. For the first time, ...
Matariki tohu mate, rātou ki a rātou Matariki tohu ora, tātou ki a tātou Tīhei Matariki Matariki – remembering those who have passed Matariki – celebrating the present and future Salutations to Matariki I want to begin by thanking everyone who is here today, and in particular the Matariki ...
Oho mai ana te motu i te rangi nei ki te hararei tūmatanui motuhake tuatahi o Aotearoa, Te Rā Aro ki a Matariki, me te hono atu a te Pirīmia a Jacinda Ardern ki ngā mahi whakanui a te motu i tētahi huihuinga mō te Hautapu i te ata nei. ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker will represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the second United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, which runs from 27 June to 1 July. The Conference will take stock of progress and aims to galvanise further action towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, to "conserve and sustainably use ...
The Government is boosting its partnership with New Zealand’s dairy sheep sector to help it lift its value and volume, and become an established primary industry, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced. “Globally, the premium alternative dairy category is growing by about 20 percent a year. With New Zealand food ...
The meat and dairy industries are very disappointed with the outcome of the free trade deal struck between New Zealand and the European Union saying it falls far below their expectations. ...
The Prime Minister will need to explain to farmers why there were not more gains in meat and dairy in the trade agreement with the EU, the opposition says. ...
In a dramatic shift at the United Nations oceans conference in Lisbon this week, a series of Pacific Governments have formed an alliance to oppose deep sea mining in international waters but Greenpeace says the continued silence from the New Zealand ...
New Zealanders are amongst the highest generators of plastic waste in the world and on top of this there is now concern about the level of microplastics in our water. As Plastic-free July gets underway, Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe ...
“When will governments and trade negotiators realise they have more credibility if they tell the truth about free trade agreements (FTA) like the new deal with the European Union (EU), instead of their fancifully positive spin?”, asks Jane Kelsey, ...
National child abuse advocacy group - Child Matters - says yesterday’s revelation that authorities were never alerted to the extent of Malachi Subecz’s horrific injuries is a stark reminder that government legislation must change – and now. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hugh White, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Testing Washington: Chinese President Xi Jinping. Li Gang/Xinhua via AP How can Australia navigate the tough and dangerous strategic environment in Asia today with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kaufman, Research Fellow, Vaccine Uptake Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Engin Akyurt/Unsplash The federal government has released a new A$11 million ad campaign urging Australians to “take on winter” by getting COVID boosters and influenza vaccines, as well as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Macintosh, Professor and Director of Research, ANU Law School, Australian National University Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen is today expected to announce a much anticipated review of Australia’s carbon credit scheme, known as the Emissions Reduction Fund. In March, we exposed ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Esmé Louise James, Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Melbourne Netflix After a month of waiting, the season finale of Stranger Things season 4 has almost arrived on Netflix. This season, along with the nightmarish arch-villain Vecna, we have been ...
More than 91 percent of tariffs will be removed the day the deal comes into effect, while the value of NZ exports to the EU are estimated to increase by $1.8b a year by 2035. ...
RNZ News New Zealand has designated US groups the Proud Boys and The Base as terrorist entities. Set down in the government’s official journal of record — the Gazette — last Monday, 20 June, it was published publicly a week later but with no wider dissemination. The move — authorised ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra David Pocock, the progressive independent who broke the Liberals’ stranglehold on one of the two ACT Senate seats, wouldn’t have expected to find himself allied with Pauline Hanson before even being sworn in. But, ...
Tabloid Jubi The Civil Organisations Solidarity for Papua Land has condemned Indonesia’s Papua expansion plan of forming three new provinces risks causing new social conflicts. And the group has urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to cancel the plan, according to a statement reports Jubi. The group — comprising the Papua ...
RNZ Pacific Palau, Fiji, and Samoa have announced their opposition to deep-sea mining, calling for a moratorium on the emerging industry amid growing fears it will destroy the seafloor and damage biodiversity. The alliance was announced just as a United Nations Oceans Conference began in Portugal this week. The moratorium ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just spoken to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone, expressing solidarity and support for his country. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dennis B Desmond, Lecturer, Cyberintelligence and Cybercrime Investigations, University of the Sunshine Coast Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA The art of concealing or misrepresenting one’s identity in the physical world has long been practised by spies engaged in espionage. In response, intelligence agencies ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Wes Mountain/The Conversation, CC BY-ND Homeowners will face mortgage rates near 5.5% in a little over a year, according to a survey of 22 leading Australian economists. The ...
Guest column by Nicholas Kerr Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s comments about the US Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion inadvertently help explain why the court was right to overturn Roe v. Wade and return the issue to the states. She noted that New Zealand ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mona Nikidehaghani, Lecturer in Accounting, University of Wollongong From Monday July 4 2022, Australian job seekers face a new social security system to police eligibility for support payments. It replaces the “Jobactive” system that required the “mutual obligation” of applying for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Gulliver, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland A man who drove through a climate protest blocking the Harbour Tunnel this week has copped a A$469 fine, while multiple members of the activist group were arrested. The protest was among a ...
“Less than a month ago Floyd Du Plessis, the President of the Corrections Association (CANZ), wrote a letter to the Chief Executive warning of more assaults against prison officers if things didn’t change,” says Darroch Ball Leader of Sensible Sentencing ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ritesh Chugh, Associate Professor – Information and Communications Technology, CQUniversity Australia Shutterstock While manufacturers have successfully increased the water-repelling nature of smartphones, they are still far from “waterproof”. A water-resistant product can usually resist water penetration to some extent, but ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suze Wilson, Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Massey University Phil Walter/Getty Images The US Supreme Court’s recent ruling to throw out Roe v Wade is an issue of relevance to political leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand. The decision was ...
New Zealand will present its legal view on Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations' international court, contesting the Kremlin's claim of genocide. ...
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People following vaccine trials and tracking, have there been studies on long covid in vaccinated people who had acute covid post-vax?
No published definative trials yet. Several started.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/will-people-who-get-covid-post-vaccination-have-long-term-symptoms_l_60afda9be4b0ead279660672
However promising indications so far. Including that vaccination may help with those who already have long covid.
Long Covid symptoms ease after vaccination, survey finds | Long Covid | The Guardian
Thanks KJT. So the gist is that the numbers of people getting covid post-vaccine are small at .01%, and they don't have much data on long covid post-vaccine yet.
hmm, 10% and 2% isn't insignificant. 'Unrelated to covid' is really unclear especially given the low numbers.
160 is a manageable number to assess individual causes of death with regards to whether covid played a part. Especially when the median age of death is 82.
I don't know what that means.
ok.
If there are 160,000 deaths, doing a study like this relies on administrative data. Many people won't have had coronial examinations, it'll basically be the death administrative data cross referenced with test result dataand maybe a cross reference with computerised hospital records. At best. The most timely data will be something like "died after a positive covid test, or with a postmortem positive covid test". Hence some denialists place weight on the term "died with covid" rather than "from covid", their theory being that I might be asymptomatic with covid and get hit by a bus, examiner draws blood and I "died with positive covid test". That doesn't explain why a hundred and sixty thousand people were suddenly hit by busses, but plague denialists don't have much to cling to.
But with 160 deaths, it's feasible for a small team doing the research to actually review each death and say "oh, that dude was hit by a bus, death not related to covid". Or confirm that the late-stage cancer was the reason the patient was admitted, and they were actually asymptomatic in hospital despite the positive test on admission and 'twas the cancer that got 'em.
to put it another way:
Each death would get a local area review (death cert, maybe hospital case review committee, maybe a referral to a coronial inquiry, that sort of thing) but they'd be putting in forms as well as detailed case notes, by and large. That form data gets coded into a system, and someone else looking for e.g. covid deaths might get 160k deaths with "covid" flagged in the contributing causes of death.
But with deaths measured in the dozens, a research committee with appropriate authority might be able to actually review the case notes to get a better idea of the case. That can be as useful as the form data, because although it's more work, it's a finer-toothed comb.
Some fully-vaccinated people with breakthrough infections do actually die of Covid of course. The vaccines vastly reduce your risk, but not to zero. A few people are still unlucky.
Fully-vaccinated people who die of Covid tend to be the most vulnerable (elderly, underlying conditions – e.g. Massachusetts coronavirus breakthrough deaths: 73% had underlying conditions, median age was 82.5 ) – and vaccines work less well in the very elderly due to reduced capacity to mount an immune response.
This was a useful insight:
“Someone aged 80 who is fully vaccinated essentially takes on the risk of an unvaccinated person of around 50 – much lower, but still not nothing, "
Big shoutout to President Biden but in particular to Senator Bernie Sanders who actually formed the blueprint for this massive infrastructure bill that has gone through the Senate. This is Bernie's own statement on it here:
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-senate-budget-chairman-sanders-and-majority-leader-schumer-introduce-historic-budget-resolution/
Of course the commentators can see shadows in why the group of 18 Republican Senators supported it:
https://www.salon.com/2021/08/11/the-ominous-reason-why-republican-opposition-to-bidens-infrastructure-spending-crumbled/
But the number of longstanding Democrat programmes that have been funded in this is pretty spectacular, for US politics.
I was not expecting to reschedule having my Covid vaccination. Both vaccination dates need to be booked at the same booking on the 0800 28 29 26. I want an 8 week gap. I was surprised to be told that the booking system could not give me a date 8 weeks from early September (date of the first jab) for the second jab. I will need to cancel the second date as only a month gap.
what happens if you can't make the second appointment?
I did not ask.
I could not use the second booked date for the first jab either with the initial booking.
I'm curious now how easy they make it to get the second jab if you have to cancel the appointment.
A second appointment is given but only a 4 week gap. If a 8 week gap is wanted then the second date will need to be cancelled as the booking system is only loaded until early October.
Sometimes there are a few weeks to wait for the first appointment. There was talk earlier in the week of having a 8 week gap.
Maybe try again today to get that eight-week-gap booking. The ground has shifted.
I booked online and had no problems with getting my first booking for 18th August and second booking 29th Septmeber for a six-week gap.
I rang at 8.30 am this morning to cancel for this Saturday.
I will go to the first jab and then rebook for the second one. I see a specialist mid September as I have mast cell and systemic scleroderma and want to make sure my system coped with the first jab. I have not been myself for a couple weeks.
I had my first jab yesterday then tried to change the date of my second jab (booked online at the same time as the first) but it was impossible.
So I booked a second jab (with a 10 week gap) and emailed them to cancel the other second jab.
I was already planning on a 12 week gap myself (having read some of the research on which the interdose interval increase is based). But still no bookings available for October. So I have just canceled my 3week repeat jab and put a reminder in late September to make the booking then. I guess I should change that reminder to earlier in the month now.
That said – if there is a community transmitted outbreak, I will likely be going for an early jab. Though (to grossly simplify), if the Pfizer is; 60% effective on first dose, up to 90% after 3weeks, or 95% after 3months; then it would make more sense for more people to have more first doses, than to topup the half vaccinated.
Still, the PITCH studies medical population may not be that generalizable to Aotearoa. And in others there may be confounding of interdose and postdose periods.
Mate just get your 2 how ever it works ,we going to be getting a 3rd jab I reckon and probably 1 every year after.
It is the anticipation, usually I do not give anything medical much thought.
Yes, it is a balance of risk.
Somewhat stronger immune response with a longer gap, but if the delta variant enters NZ, you need to get your second jab then wait 2+ weeks for full immunity to develop…hopefully you get there before you encounter actual Covid!
A 3 week gap still gives a very good result, just not absolutely optimum.
From twitter
Seems a useful solution all things considered.
The reasons why that might not work, as far as I can tell, are that some people want to smash the binary, others want sex to become a social construct alone, and some people have dysphoria and need their chosen gender ID to be affirmed by those around them all the time.
All of that should be debated in open society so that we get a say in what is a major and fundamental changing of English language usage. I’m not a fan of allowing people with mental health issues (dysphoria) to have such a degree of control as this without everyone getting time and space to think about what it means.
The smash the binary crowd need to front up and explain the value and let that be debated alongside those who believe the binary has some uses.
Did we get a chance to debate the change in language where; "literally", now literally means both; figuratively and literally (literal antonyms)? Inflammable and flammable being synonyms? Second person plural (/formal) used in place of second person singular (e.g. "You" in place of "Thou")?
English is a hodge-podge of different languages and times, and in any case is being replaced by American as the lingua franca (at least there's not still gendering of words to remember like the original French tongue). For example; "colour" gets red-marked by TS spell checker, while "color" is let through without question. Conveying meaning is more important than lexiconic accuracy, despite one's aesthetic preferences.
Anyway; there already are NB neo-pronouns that are very seldom used – because of the hassle in explaining them every time they are; except in rare trans-only gatherings where there might be a reasonable expectation of being understood. Mx in place of; Mr or Ms; Xe/ Xem/ Xyr in place of; They/ Them/ Their. Maybe that will change in the future, but it seems unlikely that spoken language (in a multitude of dialects) will take much notice of an academic debate about ideal pronoun usage in an ideal world. I do like; E/Em/ Eir, because that is close to what NZ people often sound like to my ear, when they are speaking naturally, though that isn't in common usage.
You can change the language setting to UK or NZ English when you tire of your spell checker.
I sometimes change language in word processors, but most of the time I acknowledge that default English is US English, so I had better learn to use it that way. I wish I could remember how to use macrons for te Reo Maori though (on mobile now, so not even going to try!).
I have worked in environments where UK or US english spelling is a shared standard, so I sometimes have needed to recognise the differences.
The maori macrons I find a little funny at present, due to stuff self declaring they are historically racist, and now using macrons in their headline spelling without correcting the generated urls (e.g get it programmed to sub out the macron a for a regular a in the headlined link). Its just a but funny that they have said they really care but in practice they don't bother with following through.
Down With Farmer Bashing Nonsense.
We've all heard (at least in the NZ version of events) about how cows and farmers are to blame for climate change and that's simply not true. For oil and agricultural giants to shift blame onto (mostly) hard working farmers is scummy behaviour indeed. These same people have also shifted the onus onto you, the consumer, as if you recycling and eating tofu is going to cut it. Meanwhile they continue to drill, dig and gaslight our planet.
Don't get me wrong, every bit of pollution reduction helps at this stage of the game, we should all be decreasing our consumption. But agricultural giants are still destroying rainforest to bring you soy for your latte, while many local farmers have joined the fight against climate change and environmental degradation.
As a wiser person than me once said: It's not the cow, it's the how.
Ruminant animals are an integral part of Savannah, Grasslands, Plains and Prairie biomes. They naturally mob together to avoid predators and through this graze and trample down grasses and forbes in one area. Then, due to lack of feed, they move. This is nature, nature practising rotational grazing.
The cows/bison/wildebeest/add grazers and browsers here… pass and the plants and microbes get to work. The plant wants to rebuild and so it sends carbon in the form of simple sugars down to the root system where it is consumed by bacteria and fungi in exchange for other nutrients. The soil biota sequester large amounts of carbon (raising soil fertility in the form of humus and food web nutrient cycling) as the plant rebuilds above ground.
The litter left on the ground is food for insects and microbes. Grinders and shredders break it down as microbes and fungi colonise surfaces – this in turn attracts worms, some that work in the litter, some that drag organic matter down into the soil. The soil gets enriched and aerated.
Roots get deeper and deeper, biodiversity increases leading to better overall growth through shifting seasons. Ground cover increases leading to some protection from drought. Water infiltration increases leading to some protection from flood.
Another wise person said of all this: It is not man, but management.
The closer we get to understanding and imitating natural cycles the less work we need to do to get a product. As added bonuses we increase both fertility and resilience on our farms.
Trees are also an integral part of agro-eco systems, but that's another post.
While some of our farmers have chosen climate denial and blaming Labour for their difficulties, many others are leading the charge in creating eco-conscious systems that will help us not only survive, but thrive into the future.
If you're looking for targets to vent your spleen at, leave farmers alone unless they're dirty bastards like those running feedlots.
It's not the cow, it's the how.
+1
spot on WtB. How would you feel about me putting that up as a Guest Post?
OK, but check my language please in case I've missed something a bit crude. I still tend to swear like a sailor where other words would suffice. Like the 2nd to last paragraph – if you could change bastards to practitioners…
Also, may as well use my name. I’m DB Brown. Pleased to meet ya.
haha, didn't even bat an eye lid at bastards, but can replace it 👍
Nice one, DB Brown, thanks.
will probably go up tomorrow.
Awesome. And I highly recommend the reading Poisson provided below, very enlightening.
Ruminant animals are an integral part of Savannah, Grasslands, Plains and Prairie biomes. They naturally mob together to avoid predators and through this graze and trample down grasses and forbes in one area. Then, due to lack of feed, they move. This is nature, nature practising rotational grazing.
https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/d/3735/files/2013/07/grasslandscooling-ni1ucb.pdf
Loving this paper. Big read, very interesting.
Wondering how much of present day's associated livestock are ruminants.
Comparison of current global biomass with prehuman values (which are very difficult to estimate accurately) demonstrates the impact of humans on the biosphere. Human activity contributed to the Quaternary Megafauna Extinction between ≈50,000 and ≈3,000 y ago, which claimed around half of the large (>40 kg) land mammal species (30). The biomass of wild land mammals before this period of extinction was estimated by Barnosky (30) at ≈0.02 Gt C. The present-day biomass of wild land mammals is approximately sevenfold lower, at ≈0.003 Gt C (SI Appendix, Pre-human Biomass and Chordates and Table S11). Intense whaling and exploitation of other marine mammals have resulted in an approximately fivefold decrease in marine mammal global biomass [from ≈0.02 Gt C to ≈0.004 Gt C (31)]. While the total biomass of wild mammals (both marine and terrestrial) decreased by a factor of ≈6, the total mass of mammals increased approximately fourfold from ≈0.04 Gt C to ≈0.17 Gt C due to the vast increase of the biomass of humanity and its associated livestock. Human activity has also impacted global vertebrate stocks, with a decrease of ≈0.1 Gt C in total fish biomass, an amount similar to the remaining total biomass in fisheries and to the gain in the total mammalian biomass due to livestock husbandry (SI Appendix, Pre-human Biomass).
The impact of human civilization on global biomass has not been limited to mammals but has also profoundly reshaped the total quantity of carbon sequestered by plants. A worldwide census of the total number of trees (32), as well as a comparison of actual and potential plant biomass (17), has suggested that the total plant biomass (and, by proxy, the total biomass on Earth) has declined approximately twofold relative to its value before the start of human civilization. The total biomass of crops cultivated by humans is estimated at ≈10 Gt C, which accounts for only ≈2% of the extant total plant biomass (17).
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/25/6506
Not sure exactly what's being asked. Could you rephrase the question?
Historically vast herds were part and parcel of grass dominated biomes – it would be interesting to know if the reduction in wild animals biomass is similar or dwarfed by the mass of todays domesticated animals. But we may underestimate historic populations significantly. I always take studies like this with a grain of salt (makes the meat tastier).
NZ had enormous numbers of seabirds redistributing oceanic nutrients onto land, enhancing terrestrial biomes which would have, in turn, enriched estuarine and wetland systems. Fish migration inland is also a considerable source of terrestrial inputs, and many New Zealand species are anadromous.
The paper Poisson dropped above suggests carbon from grassy biomes gets sequestered long-term via erosion depositing carbon rich soils in wetlands and estuarine systems. Wetland (and estuarine) restoration takes on new significance in this light: on top of nutrient cycling, habitat, biodiversity, productivity, aquifer replenishment, etc, we have long term carbon sequestration. One can't produce soil indefinitely, however, unless you have phenomenon like enormous numbers of birds redistributing nutrients – replenishing losses from weathering processes.
Sorry, poorly phrased.
Whether ruminants in the associated livestock bio mass would match or exceed the extinct, wild ruminant bio mass.
My masters study was of the evolution of large mammals. Suffice it to say numbers were advantageous to adaptive ability. But historic range sizes (proxy for population size) had been greatly reduced for hundreds of species in the study, as mans presence encroached.
It looks like we're both curious as to answering the same question regarding historic wild vs current domestic biomass. My old professor might know, I'll ask him.
I'll just add to my notes above re: redistribution of nutrients. Seaweed farming and usage on land might at least partially replace historic bird and fish numbers transferring sea nutrients to land.
It is the intensity of the farming that is the problem. Southland is not the Savannah or the Prairies.
David Parker was excellent on the farm pollution issue on Morning Report (RNZ) today.
Absolutely, BG. Intensity has been able to be increased via pouring on nitrates. But, with regulations in place/being put in place this practise should, at least theoretically, stop. Fonterra seems to be big on PR and rubbish on halting non-compliance. Perhaps some of our ire might be delivered to their doorstep.
When one decreases farm inputs (like nitrate), it may indeed decrease overall output. However, this also has decreased costs. Not just in reduced fertiliser bills, but also vets bills, better PR, better animal health… E.g. rye staggers (ergot) love high nitrates and overgrazing; while mixed pastures with legumes, timed grazing and leaving residue all factor in to decreasing staggers. When accounting for all factors, farmers may find they're better off in many ways, including what's left in the pocket.
While greatly simplified, a farm ecosystem is still an ecosystem, and will respond to eco-conscious management.
I don't listen to any radio, but feel free to share points you thought worth highlighting.
And maybe we can also stop blaming people for not getting a vaccine they actually can't get.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/08/coronavirus-health-officials-quietly-change-vaccine-availability-for-port-workers-following-tauranga-delta-scare.html
just vaccinate all those that want it – and we currently have a million bookings so it is not as if people don't try to get it, and once everyone willing has had their jabs, complain about those that still don't come forward.
Oh, yes. Is that just a ban on me using that term, or an outright ban for everyone.
I must say either way it doesn't say much for your position on free speech.
I use it as an antidote to your prolific use of the equally racist hate term, "woke". Will you be banning that word also?
Do doubt y’all will be arguing about this in the back end. Have fun!
[we actually have better things to be doing, although notes do get made in the back end so we can track patterns of behaviour. I will note that your comments here are an intentional flaming of a TS Author, and that will get moderator attention too. I disagree with RL on a number of things, but you seem to think you can behave how you like and stir up shit at will, and that disrespects the work we all do.
I’m getting sick of people here who should know better and still can’t or won’t differentiate between arguing the politics vs having a go at individuals, and who just end up creating more work for authors and moderators and making the place harder to be in. Ball is in your court. – weka]
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
Invoking the 'free speech' card will get you nowhere – you are perfectly free to express any opinion you like here and believe it or not I've defended your right to do so in the backend.
But as you well understand I will not defend the repeated use of terms that are clearly hate based and derogatory. That's entirely on you.
'Woke idiots mobbing' isn't at all derogatory!
Meh.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2020/jan/21/how-the-word-woke-was-weaponised-by-the-right
https://www.colorlines.com/articles/how-woke-became-slur
Please stop using "woke" as a pejorative.
Woke is the term invented for the cult belief system you have embraced.
As with all ideologies it starts with good ideas – like the end of prejudice for example – and then overextends it into a totalitarian system of absolutes. And then creates categories to divide people against each other. More than anything else it plays out the Karpman Drama triangle that so often clutters up the threads here.
I've never bought into it and you'll just have to endure my derision.
All good. Right-wing authoritarianism on display again. Do as I say, not as I do.
As it ever was. We are used to it.
[RL: Characterising moderation as ‘right wing authoritarianism’ will not work.]
mod note from me too.
https://thestandard.org.nz/we-are-stuck/#comment-1808387
Intentional flaming?
Just saying.
[2 week ban because I’m sick of explaining this shit and for derailing the post – weka]
Here's the difference: RL was a bit rude, briefly, in a comment that was addressing the political points. Yours had no political point, and was only a wind up. In the context of your pattern of behaviour, I'm looking at the disruption to the thread and the extra work created for mods.
Also, different rules here for Authors.
You've been here long enough to know both of those boundaries.
original thread for reference https://thestandard.org.nz/the-churchill-picture/#comment-1808341
Would responding to Redlogic using only phrases s/he him/herself has used, be acceptable, albeit 'a bit rude'?
In your case: No!
given your another person who likes to push the boundaries and garners more than their fair share of mod attention, perhaps you'd like to explain to me why it's so hard to understand where the boundaries are.
I mean, I can't tell if your comment is facetious or genuine, but I don't think what I said above is that hard to understand. Always happy to explain further if people don't get it.
awww, shit.
I look forward to your return, MB. Nice balance to … well, best to self-censor that one, in the current environment.
All he has to do is stop poking the mods (and RL). I don't think it's that hard.
And yes, it would be my preference that he changed his behaviour here so we get the best of his comments, rather than these tedious derails.
To my taste, the border opening proposals are too loose too soon.
Allowing things like vaccinated travelers to come back and isolate at home before everyone that wants the vaccine has had it is too much risk of infecting some that want it but genuinely haven't had reasonable opportunity.
To my taste, it's also too much risk of creating a local outbreak that will require a level 3 or level 4 lockdown to contain. That's too much risk of seriously disrupting people's lives for too little reward in allowing just a privileged few some more privilege.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300380835/covid-19-nz-resets-approach-with-faster-vaccine-rollout-border-reopening-trial-this-year
there's a post up now https://thestandard.org.nz/covid-19-and-the-risk-based-border-plan/
lol:
The ODT says Waipori fund is up $6 million this year, so if anyone is having trouble with electricity bills in Dunedin then that may be something worth accessing. I thought there was a 2 year stand-down, but apparently it is only a year (officially) – so I might be getting on with that next power bill myself. Problem is that you have to go down and deal with Christian social-services, who aren't always the most cooperative with non-Christians &/or gender diverse people.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/waipori-fund-grows-100-million
https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/funding-and-grants/electricity-fund/electricity-and-healthy-homes-grants
I have not dealt with the DBAS before (Community House 283-301 Moray Place – so on bushub corner?), but at least they seem nonreligious. The Catholics (and Anglican family support for different things) were pretty grudging in their aid last time I applied through them.
I have seen that Micky Savage has in the past commented on "leaked" UMR polls.
Does he have anything to say on this latest little snippet on the subject. Regarding the subject I have seen tweets that claim that UMR’s latest poll is supposed to have Labour at 38%, National at 31%, ACT 13% and the Greens at 8%. It sounds to be a quite likely result but I'm sure that Micky has sources much closer to the source of this than I do.
This would certainly be giving the backbenchers in Labour the shakes if they are allowed to see it.
Even if that poll is true it would still elect a Lab/Green/MP government with 63 seats.
but a trend is emerging that suggests that may not be the case in the future
If these trends continue, there's probably only another couple of terms left in the govt…
lol
you keep thinking that
Mate, I'm not the one basing their optimism on reports from a guy whose claim to fame is turning magazines and books around so some low-waged person has to reorganise them later.
labour had an absolute majority on election night, that was not very long ago. UMR is not the only poll showing the trend.
Let's look at that, shall we?
Firstly, no poll has had National on 30% since the election. The polls immediately before the election had nations at 31, but were off by 5% or so. Either way, the last few polls have had national stuck at sub-30 with little to no improvement.
Labour is indeed trending down, and 38% isn't completely out of the question. But again, the polls undercounted Labour by 5% just prior to the actual election result, so meh.
But what of their friends? The Greens are steady at 10%, usually a couple of percent either side. They polled at the lower end of that bound in 2020.
ACT are interesting, increasing support in the last few polls where national has remained steady. The supposed "leak" has no movement for them, while national increases: the opposite of the more recent observations.
Now, maybe nact is trailing labgrn by 2%. Weirder things have happened in NZ politics. But that would mean that "coltheman" is the one with the inside scoop on this, then the nats are less competent than that moron. Which puts their 31% down to luck rather than ability. Now, advancement by luck rather than merit is on brand for a corporate-capitalist shill like nact, but it's not sustainable in the long run.
Perhaps the nutjob Coltheman who used to go around turning over magazines with the face of Jacinda on is simply "leaking" numbers out of his arse, If you count him as a reliable source, more twit you.
These folks who make hate a full time job are everywhere. On the one hand they claim the Govt is useless because all their problems haven't been solved by whinging and attacking others. On the other they back parties who want to reduce government oversight – which would make it less than useless.
Not a mensa contender to be seen or heard.
Desperation…
lol
If that book-
bturner has better contacts in the PM's office than all the parliamentary press corps and the opposition combined, no fucking way Judith has the nats up to 31%.UMR does polling for private companies. They pay for the privilege of having their own polling tailored to their specific needs. Its not surprising therefore the results get leaked on a regular basis and there's no guarantee they are correct. There have been instances in the past when the leaks were wrong.
In the case of the philistine, Coltheman his words "my contact in the Prime Minister's Office" is a dead giveaway he's lying through his teeth. The PM’s Office is highly unlikely to be on UMR’s list of recipients.
You do know who he is, don’t you? A fragile man with a fragile ego (yeah, that’s a tautology) who loves to turn over magazines with Ardern’s face on the cover. Just the kind of guy who Alwyn would take seriously, of course.
Yes. RBO @ 11.2 reminded me. I don't know about the fragile bit, but an 'uncultured' man he certainly is.
Is that an example of not trying to answer the argument being made you simply insult the commenter?
If the shoe fits, Alwyn. Anyway, my comment was to Anne about Coltheman.
FYI, I don’t actually have a problem with that so-called ‘leaked poll’, as it is seems not too far off from some others. I do have a problem, however, with the imbecilic way it was shared: first by a fragile twat on Twitter and second by you here on TS. As such, there was no reason to answer any argument by a commenter because it was a series of dick moves that simply looked like trolling. Do you think we’re stupid here to play into your silly little games?
interesting
well if you read the right wing franchised rags around the country printing rubbish from the likes of Audrey Young and Richarfd preeble EVERY DAY then it is no wonder . some of the left wing theoreticians who inhabit this sphere should get down and dirty and start writing to their local dailies instead of trying to score points off each other here!
Talking of rubbish published in the Herald, here is something it has lifted today straight from the very right/business leaning Telegraph in the UK that supports the Boris stance of opening up the borders and almost no Covid restrictions in society regardless of the 30,000 cases of Covid a day the UK is currently experiencing.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/covid-19-coronavirus-delta-variant-has-wrecked-hopes-of-herd-immunity-scientists-warn/CELRWZHINDJGPTCU4ZX4YZ65SE/?fbclid=IwAR3toW2NKNA3yir_eHRA5MsiR5UUREVs4i2hNBgOzpZrU-uXlnFHE5HjLZ0