Andrea Vance speculates on the new left/right balance persisting until the election:
With ACT firmly married to National, and the Greens wed to Labour, NZ First and Te Pāti Māori are now in play. Both sit on two per cent in the poll… The poll indicates a sea change. And a rising tide of Māori voters could decide the future government.
A common thread in Peters most recent press releases is co-governance (the arrangement for negotiated decision-making between iwi and other Māori organisations and central government). He argues Labour has no mandate for the policies… Suspicion about a separatist government Māori agenda has been growing since the emergence of the He Puapua report, and galvanised by opposition to plans to overhaul how the country’s three waters services are managed.
Could Peters use this as leverage to perform another Houdini act? Given Labour's timidity in framing co-governance to the media & public, I suspect their answer would be yes. And I reckon they'd be right. Vance points out he just needs some such "wedge issue" and it is indeed a godalmighty wedge.
Expect Luxon's advisors to spot this. They'll be dead keen to stop Winston pulling 3% more out of the Nat support base, so we'll see Luxon adopting the Peters line.
However the crucial action will probably occur within the Maori vote. At 16% of the populace – say half that is voting age – yet the MP pulls only 2% currently. I'd therefore guess Labour's Maori cabal got 6% last election.
Where that 6% go will therefore decide the next election. Labour's timidity on co-governance is therefore the hinge. If they cave, and abandon support for the Maori cabal agenda, Willie & co will start to wonder if there's any point staying with Labour.
If their disgust with Labour pakeha betrayal got sufficiently strong, they'll look at jumping ship. To the MP probably – unless Winston is smart enough to have already sussed the scenario & shifted into behind the scenes negotiating. If they jump prior to the election, it's bye-bye Labour…
However, the MP vote (if it eventuates) is going to be almost entirely pulled from Labour (the GP don't poll significantly well in the Maori seats – and National has no numbers to lose, here).
That's numbers on paper – some of the Labour MPs have a very tight tribal lock on their seats – I wouldn't expect Mahuta or Tirikatene to be voted out – they're effectively endorsed by the iwi leadership.
There would have to be an enormous swing against Labour (something like the seabed and foreshore issue) for Labour to lose those 2 seats.
MP have made it fairly clear that they have nothing in common with National – so Labour is the only game in town for coalition.
In addition, if the MP start to poll around 5%+ – or start to look as though they'll pull in 5 or so seats from Labour, and it's looking like a Labour/Green/MP government – I'd expect to see some of the soft centrist Labour vote, start to shift to National – as they're spooked by what looks like a radical agenda.
They'd shift to a centrist party (which is what Winston portrayed NZ First as) – but they're unlikely to trust Winston again (though never, say never, with that wily fox) – and, without him, there is currently no centrist party. So, if they're spooked, it's National or nothing.
It looks to me that it is the pakeha population who feels hoodwinked and will vote accordingly. No one begrudges Maori their culture and status, but perusing an agenda no one has voted for via a back door and lying about it (yes lying) coupled with the not so flash stewardship of the economy will have consequences. The former also destroys any trust in the Maori Party if they show to be part of this tactical manoeuvre. I know these are strong words in a society that is more and more muzzled, but I pledge free speech. On the issue of inflation, which is the consequence of more than one event but created by external as well as internal factors, it will see the majority falling into income brackets that essentially set them back 10 years. This measured against pricing for food, fuel, electricity, rates, rents etc. will have a huge bearing on the next vote. When the PM sees this as a "plip" in the road to push the party agenda through, then the phrase "let them eat cake" is not far from the mind. Everybody living here has a right to be able to survive and thrive without losing their basic human rights because they disagree with the powers to be. Those tribal games, those divide and conquer games have to end. There is a need for a sound and measured approach, coherent solutions economically, environmentally and in societal context clearly spelled out and put on the table. Still waiting for a party to show its hand and a vision for all NZlanders without constantly going back to school yard bully behaviour.
If nothing changes, the young professionals will leave the country for greener pastures in great numbers. The writing is already on the wall.
''If nothing changes, the young professionals will leave the country for greener pastures in great numbers. The writing is already on the wall.''
Agree. That is a given. The numbers leaving may be the new 1pm news briefing once Covid numbers are no longer reported.
I recently stopped outside a closed cafe. The sign in the window said they may be able to reopen if the following positions are filled:
2) Chefs
2) Baristas
3) service staff.
Where have the previous employees gone? My guess is they are taking a paid break courtesy of the government before heading overseas. And if that's true, the situation with professionals must be worse given the big money on offer just across the ditch.
Look, employers can have whatever staff they want if they're prepared to do a bit of honest hard work.
They can't just expect opportunities to fall into their lap, they have to get out there and create them. Really sell themselves as an employer. Put themselves out there.
I wonder if they've tried networking functions? Word of mouth advertising can do wonders.
Maybe they could try finding savings elsewhere in their business, which they can then put towards really getting the staff they want?
If they put their head down and work hard and keep a good attitude, rewards will come.
Nobody want to hear it, but if they'd made better personal choices in the past, they wouldn't be in this position now. Rather than whinging or demanding that government fix their problem for them, how about some personal responsibility?
I was once on an interview panel 20 years ago, so I've done the hard yards, too. The problem with this generation of employers is that they just expect everything to be handed to them.
Blade – Yep, because it is a badge of honor to milk the system. How many times I have seen and experienced this is not even funny anymore. It really is difficult to be confronted with such attitude but this is true everywhere. A emigrant might go to a different country but their attitude travels with them.
However, at the same time there are many of the younger folks that feel shafted when they paid for their education and all the can land is a minimum pay job. There is a disconnect between the promise made to these graduates, i.e. if you get this degree or that, it is an opportunity and pays really well etc., vs what the market actually need and demands and will provide. So they are getting impatient and frustrated and look further afield for getting ahead. This is, and lets not forget this, a created instant gratification society. Be kind sometimes works, sometimes it will just create a bigger issue.
Nikolai Patrushev is currently the secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
Patrushev graduated from the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute with a diploma in engineering, a certification he shares with Russia’s current chiefs of the state security and intelligence services: Alexander Bortnikov, director of the FSB, and Sergey Naryshkin, director of the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service. Was it a great loss to Soviet engineering that they all became KGB officers? Their motivation is not difficult to explain — becoming a KGB officer was a ticket to a privileged lifestyle in the Soviet system.
Oleg Kalugin, a naturalized U.S. citizen and former KGB general-turned-critic, was once well acquainted with Patrushev. “I knew him really well for a long time. He was my assistant in Leningrad,” Kalugin said in a 2012 interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon. “He was different from other KGB officers in that he never blindly followed the orders of his superiors.” According to Kalugin, Patrushev approached his work with a kind of “humanitarian concern” for everybody involved. He was not a rigid enforcer of Communist rules.
In his memoir “Spymaster: My Thirty-Two Years in Intelligence and Espionage Against the West,” Kalugin included a story involving Patrushev. When one of the Communist Party bosses in Leningrad accused a certain individual of “anti-Soviet agitation” and demanded that the KGB put him under surveillance, Kalugin recounted how he advised Patrushev: “Why don’t you invite [this individual] to your office, talk to him, and point out his errors and inconsistencies? Tell him to be careful. That way we can close the case without an arrest.” Patrushev complied, unafraid of bending KGB standard operating procedures. Kalugin was pleased that his advice was followed and that the individual avoided potentially devastating consequences for speaking his mind.
That Patrushev was not a dogmatic Communist may come down to his strong religious beliefs. Much later, when he became the director of the FSB, he was instrumental in supporting the renovation and reconsecration of Sophia, the Wisdom of God Orthodox Church, which is next to the FSB Lubyanka headquarters. It is said that before embarking on special missions, many FSB officers would stop in this church to say their prayers. Patrushev also proudly supported the construction of the statue of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker near one of Russia’s northernmost border posts on the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arkhangelsk region.
The west has long used St. Nicholas the Santa, of course. But all we ever get from him is yet more capitalist crap. So here's an opportunity to use lateral thinking in the foreign policy of Aotearoa. We can advise the Russians that we'll do a switch to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker if they can provide a sufficiently impressive list of wonders that he worked.
The world needs wonderworkers (climate change etc) so we can alert the Russian regime to the potential for using their St Nick as an avatar for combining positive thinking with magic to shift mass consciousness. Since it seems obvious that they haven't spotted the potential for global influence already, I mean. They need our help.
Really! Can’t see it, same old same old one eyed drivel of little substance. No mention how the Ukraine situation could have been avoided had the deaf ears of the UN addressed the concerns voiced many times by Russia regarding NATO’s expansionism and the dire plight of the Donbas peoples being constantly bombarded by factions of the Ukrainian army since 2014 with huge civilian casualties. So the one eyed view of Mr Freedman counts for FA
You do know that this is not really set as context in the news media. This war uses phrases to manipulate on an emotional level and the rhetoric of the President of Ukraine has changed from "help us defend ourselves" to " Mr Zelensky said Western nations – and nearby Europe in particular – must go further and "act without delay"." Act in what way? All the sanctions are in place, Russia is cut off and Europe is to become the battle field for who exactly?
The whole of Europe has signed agreements after the WW2 that would prevent such scenario. If they would intervene in a military way, WW3 is on. Do people understand how dangerous the situation is?
It certainly would have been a proper 'war zone' if foolish Labour Ministers that didn't know the law had brought the Army in like they and many on the left were calling for.
A children's slide some new grass and two minor fires, compared to a legislated loss of liberty supposed to gain a civic trade that hasn't prevented 300,000+ current infections and 100+ deaths.
The Police Officer overstated the situation obviously but it was probably the most dramatic, confused and potentially violent situation they had ever encountered – they obviously didn't experience the 81 tour protests or the Queen Street riot (too young)
The Police Officer overstated the situation obviously
Erh, your hat isn't your keyboard, best not to talk through it unless you were there? That officer's description matched what I saw on the live streams only too starkly. We have no right to dismiss someone's direct experience if we haven't shared it or been through something similar.
Would you dream of saying Ukranian refugees are overstating their situation?
In the Ukraine it's a war zone – blown up hospitals, shelled apartment buildings, blown up bridges, dead bodies ,smoking ruined Tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles, murdered civilians and raped women that is a fucking war zone not that pissant riot in Wellington.
No I wouldn't say Ukrainian refugees are overstating their situation at all. They are in a war zone.
To inflate what happened in Wellington by claiming or supporting claims it was a war zone is pretty bloody obscene when we are seeing firsthand what a real war zone is.
I agree Matiri. When you compare his words to what we actually saw happening in real time, I don't think he overstated the case at all. It was an horrific scene and astonishing no-one was killed. I saw one cop with a shield being trampled underfoot by a bunch of thugs. I didn't think he was going to come out of it alive. Maybe he was the cop who wrote this story.
thousands dead in the Ukraine get a sense of proportion
Bricks are not artillery shells metal poles are not cruise missiles a piece of 2 by 4 is not an Infantry Fighting Vehicle to suggest that Wellington and the Ukraine are/were both war zones is damned offensive.
I never used the expression “war-zone” nor suggested any such comparison so why aim your brickbats at me. Its only you who is making the comparison about two totally different and unrelated events.
Agreed – I apologise I lost it a bit after JO's effort at 4.2.1 the linked article said the officer said it was a 'war zone' which I found enraging. I misdirected my ire to you and I am sorry for doing that.
ACT outflanks Labour on the left, advocating practical socialism:
Act leader David Seymour said they would fund this from Emissions Trading Scheme revenue. That is what companies pay in order to emit carbon into the atmosphere. Seymour said it is about $1 billion a year, and instead of going into what he calls the government's climate slush fund, it could be distributed to everyone.
"Act says, at a time like this, we should return carbon tax revenue to those struggling with high prices" Seymour said in a statement.
What a pity National didn't have the foresight to suggest this. Putting a policy like that in tandem with tax cuts would have been a big vote catcher in my opinion.
I doubt Labour would implement such a policy, given it targets everyone, even white folk finding it hard to keep the Audi running.
The Right is going to need something to counter the trinkets Robbo Hood will proffer to voters over the next two budgets. In fact, if Labours fortunes keep trending down, Robbo may become more important to Labour’s chances of survival than Jacinda.
It remains to be seen whether the PM rediscovers her mojo. Your prediction came true rather promptly, eh? I'd made similar prognostications in prior months so wasn't totally surprised.
Re Grant, expect a careful balancing act with the numbers matched with spending priorities I guess. A semblance of caring for the poor sufficient to fool enough voters, to mask the lack of substance thereof.
The main thing about the poll was floating voters underwhelmed by Labour's dropping of the ball. Labour are the kind of shallow thinkers who reckon pandemic fixation is a valid excuse for non-delivery. Too many opinion leaders in the community know better. Therefore the PM must get back into the saddle. The wrong conclusion to draw from the poll is floating voters rewarding National for performance. Ain't none of that happening.
Banal at the time. Will he ever live that down? However he's a thoughtful chappie & usually worth a read. I own several of his books & have even read them.
I'm impressed that he's with the ever-growing body of opinion that predicts Putin to become a loser. A cautionary note: nobody with a track record of military expertise seems to have entered the public arena with the same opinion yet.
When I was watching the first Gulf War on CNN (we had it piped into our monitors in the TVNZ newsroom despite it being unavailable here on broadcast tv) I always appreciated the expert opinions of the top military analysts they interviewed as operation Desert Storm proceeded. None of that happening now – dunno why.
That makes sense to me. Hope he is right with his prognostications.
No 7.
Putin will not survive the defeat of his army. He gets support because he is perceived to be a strongman; what does he have to offer once he demonstrates incompetence and is stripped of his coercive power?
As the writer points out later and I paraphrase: the days of the "strongman" leaders around the world will be numbered.
The middle of a war is probably not the best time to purge the upper ranks of your intelligence services. But hey, he's an ex KGB guy so I guess he knows a fair bit about purges..
A Russian spy chief and his deputy have been placed under house arrest by Vladmir Putin as the president blames his security services for the resistance met in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has been claimed.
According to a leading expert on the Russian security services, Sergey Beseda, head of the FSB’s foreign intelligence branch, was arrested along with his deputy, Anatoly Bolyukh.
Andrei Soldatov, who is co-founder and editor of Agentura- a watchdog of the Russian secret services’ activities – revealed that sources inside the FSB have confirmed the detention of both men.
The arrests were further corroborated by Vladimir Osechkin, an exiled Russian human rights activist who also added that the FSB officers had carried out searches at over 20 addresses in Moscow of colleagues suspected to be speaking with journalists.
"Since he became President, Putin has cast himself as the true defender of Christians throughout the world, the leader of the Third Rome. His relentless bombing of ISIS, for example, was cast as the defence of the historic homeland of Christianity. And he will typically use faith as a way to knock the West, like he did in this speech in 2013:
“We see many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilisation. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual. They are implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan.”
Putin regards his spiritual destiny as the rebuilding of Christendom, based in Moscow. "
Putin's perception that the west are "implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan" seems a tad extreme and would likely fail the test of evidence.
It would have been better for him to quote orthodox christian doctrine on these two points, eh? To prove there is a substantial difference, I mean.
Satan, also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood.
In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to Yahweh, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or "evil inclination." In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons.
Why did god allocate this entity a place of high status in his righteous scheme? You'd have to ask a theologian. Don't ask more than one, since none of them agree with each other on the fundamentals & you'll only get confused!
My guess is that god created this entity for his own purposes (which remain mysterious) but I have to admit I borrowed this rationale from some ancient theologian. Then you get this:
first appears in the Hebrew Bible as a heavenly prosecutor, subordinate to Yahweh (God), who prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court
So the baddie operated on god's behalf in administering divine justice. And his target was a nation of baddies (the jews). Confused yet?
So Putin's theological critique amounts to the west equating god with god's justice administrator. This is indeed a grievous error. I can see why it bothered him.
Just found this in a book of quotes. "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That keyis Russian national interest." From Winston Churchill, October 1939. Would seem to be relevant right now !
Well, if Putin fails and the longed for American dream of regime change occurs in Russia, I hope that it is the 2nd most popular party (by far) that gets the nod from the Russian voters, that party of course is the Communist Party. That regime change probably is not the one NATO or any of the western nations want though, lol and boohoo.
"Thinking about both sexes when designing research experiments will soon be the default for grant applications. And here’s how your research could benefit.
Women represent about 50.6% of the UK population and there are sex differences in the prevalence and severity of most diseases and conditions, as well as responses to drugs and therapies.
Therefore, there are many reasons why studying male and female animals is important in pre-clinical research.
Making both sexes the default
The Medical Research Council (MRC) will soon require that sex be considered as part of the experimental plans of grant applications that involve:
animals
human or animal-derived cells or tissues.
Both sexes should be used as a default unless a robust justification is given. MRC will fund these studies if they are robustly designed, regardless of any increase in costs.
To be clear, I refer here to ‘sex’ which is defined by a set of biological attributes, as opposed to gender, which is a societal construct. Animals do not have a gender.
Sex differences can impact metabolism of drugs and hormones, and non-specific effects of drugs and their side-effects. In addition, every cell has a sex and male and female cells have different characteristics and responses to experimental conditions."
Will be interesting to see if UKRI respond, and what the story is.
The puppet selected and installed by an occupying force isn't the mayor, he's a collaborator.
The Zaporozhye regional administration says a new mayor has been installed in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, which is under Russian military control, after the elected mayor was detained on Friday
Mayor Ivan Federov, who is an ethnic Russian, had encouraged recent demonstrations in Melitopol against Russia.
Disappearances are stock in trade for fascist regimes. So asking where the Mayor of Melitopol has been taken is no small question. If they can disappear a Mayor, they can do it to anyone. Protesters, political activists, journalists are all under threat of being disappeared.
Where is the Mayor of Melitopol being held?
Has he been allowed to use a phone?
What are the charges against him?
What has be been accused of?
Where's the evidence?
Is he alive?
Thousands protest in Melitopol after Russian forces reportedly abduct mayor with a hood over his head
…..Large crowds gathered in the southern port of Melitopol on Saturday to protest the alleged abduction of the city’s mayor, Ivan Fedorov, by Russian troops, an act that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “a crime against democracy.”
….Russia has accused Fedorov of “terrorist activities,” according to the Associated Press. The prosecutor’s office of the Luhansk People’s Republic, a Moscow-backed rebel region in eastern Ukraine, has claimed without presenting evidence that Fedorov was financing the nationalist militia Right Sector to “commit terrorist crimes against Donbas civilians.”
…..The mayor’s alleged abduction prompted roughly 2,000 people on Saturday to protest outside the city hall building occupied by Russian forces, Zelensky said. Bundled-up against the cold, protesters in Melitopol chanted for Fedorov’s release.
“Bring back the mayor! Bring back the mayor!” they chanted. “Freedom to the mayor! Freedom to the mayor!”
…..As residents took to the streets of Melitopol last weekend to wave the blue and gold colors of Ukraine, Fedorov encouraged the demonstrations, even amid the Russian occupation.
“Together we will overcome anything!” he wrote in a Facebook post that has since been made private.
….Even as Russian forces aimed to shut down Saturday’s protest, Zelensky reiterated to reporters that he was “grateful to every Melitopol resident for this resistance” by demonstrating in response to the alleged abduction of Fedorov. He also suggested to Putin that the war is unpopular among Russians.
“Do you hear it, Moscow?” he asked. “If 2,000 people are protesting against the occupation in Melitopol, how many people should be in Moscow against the war?”
Many commentators have compared this war to Germany's invasion of Poland. I compare it to the American invasion of Vietnam.
It can be argued that the war in Vietnam was won and lost in America.
The Vietnam war was notable as being the first ever televised war.
All the Vietnamese had to do was keep fighting. The longer the war went on the more the objections and protests in America grew.
In Ukraine's asymmetric war gainst Russia, Ukraine has advantages the Vietnamese didn't, they speak the same language, they are nearby not thousands of miles away. And last of all they have the internet, live streaming all the crimes of the aggressor nation.
Putin has tried to impose and electronic Iron Curtain to stop Russians seeing the live stream of Russian war crimes in the Ukraine The original Iron Curtain lasted 4 decades, the new electronic lasted four days before it was breached.
The longer the Ukraine resists the more the resistance to war will grow in Russia.
The end result is inevitable. A humiliating defeat for Russia.
One big difference between the Vietnam war and the Ukraine war. will be that when Russia is defeated by Ukraine, there will be Nuremberg style court hearings to of Russians identified as having committed war crimes. Including the disappearances and murder of civilian leaders political activists and journalists.
“The fact of the abduction of the Mayor of Melitopol, along with hundreds of other facts of war crimes by Russian occupiers on the Ukrainian soil, are being carefully documented by law enforcement agencies. The perpetrators of this and other crimes will be brought to the strictest responsibility,” the ministry said in a Facebook post.
Oliver Hartwich writes – New Zealanders recently learned about a new feature film. It will be about former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern – and taxpayers will subsidise it to the tune of NZ$800,000. Ardern had nothing personally to do with either the film or the subsidy. But her government’s ...
TL;DR: Here’s the top six news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above that was recorded yesterday afternoon above between and The Kākā’s climate correspondent : An independent review panel into the emergency response to Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawkes Bayconcluded “that ...
There are now only a few days left to give feedback on the Draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 (see our earlier post this week on GPS submission guides). As we’ve reported, the GPS is a disaster for Local Government, so we were particularly interested to hear ...
Willis has pledged to go ahead with the debt-funded tax cuts, despite growing opposition from her own supporters worried about appearing fiscally irresponsible. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for ...
Open access notables A survey of interventions to actively conserve the frozen North, van Wijngaarden et al., Climatic Change:The frozen elements of the high North are thawing as the region warms much faster than the global mean. The dangers of sea level rise due to melting glacier ice, increased ...
Bryce Edwards writes – New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure. The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On ...
In 2015, then-Prime Minister John Key announced plans for a huge ocean sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands, banning fishing and mining from 15% of Aotearoa's EEZ. It was bold, it was ambitious, and it suggested that National might actually care about the environment. Except they fucked it up: Key failed ...
1. Who has just been given the accolade New Zealander of the Year?a. The Kokakob. The Cook Strait Ferryc. Fair God. Dr Jim Salinger 2. Which of these is an affront to decent society?a. Dame Edna Everageb. Mrs Doubtfire c. Dr. Frank-N-Furterd. Brian 3. Who is Penny Simmonds?a. The aspiring actress in Big ...
New Zealand’s biggest-ever political donations scandal is finally at an end. But what is the conclusion? No one can really be sure.The Court of Appeal released its judgement on Tuesday about the Serious Fraud Office case against the NZ First Foundation. On the face of it, the court found ...
Buzz from the Beehive Waves of rain are set to lash much of the North Island during Easter Weekend as a low-pressure system forms east of New Zealand, according to a weather forecast published in the past day or so. Niwa was warning of a “moisture-laden” long weekend, with rain expected ...
Look around us…Nicola Willis’ promises of balancing the books, of cutting spending without reducing services, and of delivering game changing tax cuts are disappearing before her eyes.Everyday we see stories of violent crime ending in horrific injuries, or worse. The cost of living worsens, whereas the PM claimed renters would ...
TL;DR: My top six news of note on the morning of Thursday, March 28 include:The Government will have to borrow between $10 billion to $15 billion more than previously expected in order to make up for a slowing economy and to pay for $14.9 billion of tax cuts, according to ...
This story by Naveena Sadasivam and Kate Yoder was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. The long-awaited jobs board for the American Climate Corps, promised early in the Biden administration, will open next month, according to details shared exclusively ...
Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don’t think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of ...
Treasury’s first report on the economy since the change of government presents a damning indictment of Labour’s economic management. The problem for National is that it is so damning that logically, coupled with a rapidly slowing economy, Finance Minister Nicola Willis should respond to it by postponing or even cancelling ...
Budget tensions are becoming evident within the Coalition Government. Winston Peters made numerous political points in his speech to the NZF annual conference. But the attack on his own government’s fiscal policies raised issues of substance. ‘Today in the Sunday Star Times, journalist and former advisor to the Labour ...
Buzz from the Beehive The media – sure enough – have been binging on Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ release of the Budget Policy Statement and a statement headed Government announces Budget priorities This assures us – or rather, this parrots the Luxon team mantra – that the Budget “will deliver ...
The Ides of March brought me COVID followed by a bereavement. No wonder they tell you to be careful of them.I’m home now and have resumed the interrupted recuperation. Very much looking forward to getting back to regular things. Meanwhile, some thoughts…OneThis new Prime Minister guy just keeps getting more dire. ...
News that the Chinese ATP 40 cyber-hacking unit penetrated parliamentary internet networks in 2021 has renewed concerns about the PRC’s malign intentions in Aotearoa. But is the hack that significant given the length of time that has passed since its … Continue reading → ...
When Parliament passed the Intelligence and security Act in 2017, they assured us all that it was full of safeguards. Any intrusive surveillance of New Zealanders would be subject to a "triple lock", requiring the approval of the Minister and (supposedly independent) Commissioner of Intelligence Warrants, as well as post-facto ...
Eric Crampton writes – Richard Harman’s Politik newsletter provides a bit of the context that ought to have been showing up in other media reports on potential reductions in public service staffing. Media has been reporting on staffing cuts on the order of about 7%. Is that ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – It’s becoming increasingly apparent that many perceive free speech to have become the preserve of the politically right wing, the religiously conservative, the libertarian fringe, the anti-trans, the anti-Māori and…. well, just fill in with whatever groups or individuals you don’t like and don’t ...
Don Brash writes – As everybody who is not blind and deaf is aware, there is a huge political preoccupation with climate change at the moment, a widespread (though by no means unanimous) belief that global temperatures are rising mainly as a result of the greenhouse gases created ...
TL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy on Wednesday, March 27 include:Chris Bishop laid out his vision for filling Aotearoa-NZ’s $100 billion infrastructure deficit in a speech yesterday, emphasising user pays and private funding, but failed to say how to achieve bipartisanship on population, public borrowing and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Former Finance Minister Grant Robertson and former Prime Minister Chris Hipkins have been conveying how unhappy they are with the tax system. Last week in his valedictory speech, Robertson called for the introduction of a wealth or capital gains tax. And this week Hipkins ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive China has loomed large in Beehive considerations over the past 24 hours, largely because of that country’s mischief-making in the cyber espionage department. Two media statements emerged on that subject hard on the heels of the PM baulking at questions put to him on RNZ’s Morning ...
Chris Trotter writes – WHY IS THE NATIONAL PARTY doing so much for landlords, property developers, trucking, and construction companies, and so little for everybody who isn’t already pretty well-off? It’s as if protecting landlords’ investments and building apartments and roads now constitute the whole of National’s ...
Bryce Edwards writes – When she was campaigning to be Minister of Finance last year, Nicola Willis pledged that she would resign from the job if she failed to deliver tax cuts in her first Budget. Now, it’s that pledge, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ...
Robert MacCulloch writes – The Reserve Bank has doubled staff numbers in five years to 510, with personnel costs rising to $80 million in 2023 from $32 million in 2018 – up by a whopping 150%. I guess when you print $50 billion and flood markets with liquidity, ...
The furore. In case you didn’t notice there was a controversy in the weekend involving dolphins in a little town off the South Island. Don’t panic, they haven’t declared independence and resumed whaling, this was simply a sailing event.The problem began when racing was cancelled on the opening day of ...
For 20 years or more, the case for a meaningful capital tax gains has been mulled over and analysed to death, including by the tax working group chaired by Sir Michael Cullen. More than once, the International Monetary Fund has said a CGT would be a good idea for New ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read: The Public Health Communications Centre (PHCC) call for urgent preventive action and a risk assessment survey of long covid in this briefing noteLocal scoop: NZ road deaths surpass OECD rates, so why is the govt reversing safety plans? ...
This story was originally published by Grist and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. This story is part of a collaboration with Grist and WABE to demystify the Georgia Public Service Commission, the small but powerful state-elected board that makes critical decisions about everything from raising ...
This is a guest post from Robert McLachlan Global warming is accelerating; 2023 was off the charts. We need to stop burning fossil fuels. In New Zealand, transport accounts for half of all fossil fuels burnt. In the Emissions Reduction Plan, transport emissions fall 41% by 2035. As the ...
Labour productivity has been receding rapidly over the past two years, reversing a post-lockdown rise. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things to note in Aotearoa’s political economy as at 6:26am on Tuesday, March 26 include:Workers have been treading water in output per hour worked for 12 years, ...
TL;DR: The key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 2 include:Today, Parliament resumes sitting at 2pm for the second week of a two-week session. Officials for SIS and GCSB report their annual reviews in public to the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 5.10pm.Tomorrow, ...
Faced with a barrage of criticism over the promised tax cuts from usually supportive commentators, Finance Minister Nicola Willis yesterday reaffirmed her intention to include them in this year’s Budget. The Government is up against it over the cuts just about every way it turns. Commentators like Fran O’Sullivan, Matthew ...
Here’s my pick of today’s substack posts as of 6:26pm on Monday, March 25: writes via his substack that Market-rate housing will make your city cheaper writes via his substack about the problems talking to double-cab ute (truck) drivers about their vehicles. today about moments of radicalisation in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Just before Christmas, Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivered something that was pitched as a mini-budget and brayed about the decisive action being taken to repair the Government books and support income tax relief in Budget 2024. In a statement headed Fiscal repair job underway. she introduced ...
My sister Belinda asked Dad yesterday what one word would describe Mum best. He said: vivacious.If you only knew her from the photos on the slideshow we've made for today,you might wonder about that, because the camera tended to lie with Mum.If ever she saw a camera pointed at her, she ...
There are two major public consultations closing in the next week, Auckland Council’s Long Term Plan (LTP), and the draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Closing dates and times: LTP closes Thursday 28 February, at 11.59pm – a minute to midnight! GPS closes Tuesday 2 April, at 12pm noon – note that’s ...
From Kiwiblog’s David Farrar – Bryce Wilkinson writes: Senior Fellow Bryce Wilkinson’s analysis reveals that since March 2009, New Zealand has spent $158 billion more overseas than it has earned, but its NIIP has only fallen by $32 billion.Statistics New Zealand shows that receipts from overseas reinsurers have ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition? Brian Easton writes – The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could ...
Dear Nicola Willis,Right now you’ve probably got lots of competing demands coming at you. Ministers who’ve inherited quite a mess, or so you’ve told us, looking for money in the budget to improve things. I imagine that’s why they came to parliament - to make things better.You’ll have to make ...
The Local Government, Transport and Auckland Minister hasthreatened councils with intervention if they don’t merge water assets to take them off balance sheet, just as the now-repealed Three Waters plan directed. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: My six things of note this morning for Monday, March 25 include:Simeon ...
A listing of 36 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, March 17, 2024 thru Sat, March 23, 2024. Story of the week Thanks to John Mason having the stamina to sit down to watch "Climate - the Movie" ...
This morning the Q&A programme had Simeon Brown on to talk about National’s replacement for Three Waters. In case anyone’s forgotten the three are - drinking water, waste water, and sewerage. It’s quite important not to get them mixed up. In much the same way that you wouldn’t want to ...
Today’s newsletter comes with a mini-podcast conversation between me and my buddy Liv Tennet, talking about her time as a child actor in Lord of the Rings. It’s a conversation with a lot of giggles as she talks about falling off a horse, and becoming a meme. Read ...
The Desmog Climate Disinformation Database documents, "individuals and organisations that have helped to delay and distract the public and our elected leaders from taking needed action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and fight global warming." It's a who's who of the organised climate change denial movement, in other words. In ...
Bob Edlin writes – A High Court judge has decided miscreants who have mana – or who claim to have mana – should be treated differently from miscreants who have none. It’s a ruling that suggests indigenous law-breakers have a better chance of securing a discharge without conviction ...
Welcome to the first, and possibly last, edition of Brickbats, Bouquets and Bull’s Wool. In which I’ll take a look at the events of the last week or so, and rate them.In such ratings the numbers usually have more to do with the opinions of the reviewer, than the actual ...
Roger Partridge writes – My earlier column this month, New Zealand’s highest court could be facing a turning point, prompted a flood of feedback from business readers and lawyers alike. A common query was what Parliament can do to restrain an overreaching judiciary. This week I discuss two steps Parliament ...
TL;DR: In today’s ‘six-stack’ of substacks at 6.16pm on Friday, March 22: writes about New Zealand's Building Boom—And What the World Must Learn From It over at his substack. challenges the Auckland Council’s use of a 3.8 degrees of warming forecast to oppose a wave-park and data centre project ...
Is she hinting that the Coalition Government will have to back down on key promises it made in Opposition?The Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, is telling an evolving story about her fiscal challenges. In Opposition she was confident that she could deliver her promised income tax cuts. Appointed minister, she ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers of the Crown have drawn attention to one sector of the science sector which is unlikely to be subjected to heavy spending cuts, a state-funded broadcaster which is doing nicely, thank you, and a sporting event that had $5.4 million from the public purse puffed ...
Abbott’s Freestyle Libre sensors allow continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The sensor is applied to the back of the patient’s arm, with a thin filament under the skin measuring glucose levels constantly. But it costs around $100 per sensor and must be replaced once every 14 days. Photo by BSIP/Universal Images ...
The Inspector General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) recently released a report in which he exposes the existence of a foreign intelligence partner-controlled technological “capability” inside the headquarters of the GCSB, NZ’s 5 Eyes-affiliated signals intelligence collection and analysis agency. … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – Nearly three decades after the introduction of MMP and multiparty governments there should be a greater level of understanding about their finer points than often appears to be the case. The reaction to the despicable outburst from the Deputy Prime Minister at the weekend highlights ...
The sweet kisses from fruit of summerHave slowly been turning dullerYou say, "those times"And "remember the daysWhen we went outside and there still was the shade?"Taking no reason into play…Autumn. Clear, blue days shortening to longer nights, growing colder. Aotearoa.That’s us. The temperature dropping, the looming car crash - so ...
Bryce Edwards writes – “It is often said that behind every great man is a great woman”. This is the pitch by the National Party Botany electorate branch to attend their “Ladies Afternoon Tea with Amanda Luxon”. For $110 including GST, you can turn up on Saturday 20 April ...
David Farrar writes – The Electoral Commission has published the expense returns for political parties for the 2023 election. I’ve put them in a table with how many votes a party got so we can see the spend per vote. National only spent $3.34 for every vote they got, almost ...
Winston Peters’ headline-making actions over the past week may have been a show of political power intended to strengthen his hand in Budget negotiations. It was no accident that his State of the Nation speech was as it was. He made it as New Zealand First Leader, not as Deputy ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The five things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political economy that we wrote and spoke about via The Kākā and elsewhere for paying subscribers in the last week included:Former Labour Finance Minister Grant Robertson bowed out of politics this week, giving a series of exit ...
Graham Adams writes — If you love the law or sausages, as the saying goes, best not to look too closely at how they are made. And after watching the orgy of self-pity when Newshub’s closure was announced on February 28, television journalism should definitely be added to the list of those ...
Venerable New Zealand political commentator, Chris Trotter (https://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/), is a sad creature these days. Once one of the most reliable Leftist writers out there – Economic Left at that – Trotter seems to have absorbed the worldview of Auckland culture-war obsessives. It is not for me to categorise what he ...
The cruelty of short-term memory loss is that each time you ask where she is, you get the fresh shock and grief of the news. That was Dad's day yesterday.Comfortingly, it seems to be less so today. Last night he looked crumpled, today he seems more settled. There's a card ...
Photo by Alvan Nee on UnsplashIt’s that new day of the week (Thursday rather than Friday) when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news ...
The Coalition Government’s plan to ‘get Auckland moving’ is a cuts cover-up that will ultimately cost Aucklanders more to move around the city, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Slashing the Ministry of Pacific Peoples by 40% will have a devastating impact on pacific communities and further highlights how little this government cares about anything other than cutting taxes for the wealthiest few. ...
Labour has proposed an urgent inquiry to investigate the ever-increasing profits of supermarkets, aiming to lower costs for shoppers and food producers alike, says Labour Spokesperson for Commerce and Consumer Affairs Arena Williams and Primary Production Spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel. ...
With 14% of jobs on the line at the Ministry for Ethnic Communities, the responsible Minister Melissa Lee is failing to stand up for the very communities she’s meant to be representing. ...
COURT OF APPEAL: TRIFECTA OF VICTORY FOR NZ FIRST, TRIFECTA OF FAILURE FOR OPPONENTS For the third time since April 2020, New Zealand First has defeated the Serious Fraud Office and all those complicit in a malicious attack against a political party going about its lawful business in a lawful ...
The Green Party stands with people who live in public housing, people in dire housing need, experts and advocates in demanding better than the Government’s archaic approach to housing those who need our support the most. ...
New Zealand has recently lost the hosting rights of some major international sporting events including the America’s Cup, the Rugby Championship, Netball World Cup, and the Wellington Sevens. We are now at a huge risk of losing SailGP as well. And it won’t stop there. The recent issues with SailGP ...
A Member’s Bill drawn this week would modernise insurance law and make things fairer and more transparent for consumers, Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb said. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues has confirmed she was aware of funding issues in mid-December and did nothing to stop it. On 14 March, she signed off on changes that were announced and implemented on 18 March without any consultation with disability communities. ...
Green Party MP Julie Anne Genter says her members' bill is an opportunity for the coalition government to plug the gap in electric vehicle incentives. ...
The National Government continues to talk about irresponsible tax cuts that will only drive up inflation, despite the country entering a technical recession. ...
The Minister for Disability Issues must act urgently to reinstate flexibility around the funding for disability support and apologise to disabled carers. ...
This story has been initiated by a leftie shill reporter who proactively sought to call a member of a former band, which disbanded twelve years ago, give their biased appraisal of what was said in my speech, and concocted a ham-fisted attempt at a story that does nothing but show ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Many in the mainstream media have taken what was said in New Zealand First’s State of the Nation Speech in Palmerston North on Sunday and deliberately, deceitfully, and ignorantly misrepresented what I said and why I said it. The headlines and commentary on the news stated that I compared ‘co-governance ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
Good afternoon. Thank you for, in your very busy lives, turning up to this meeting today. On October 14th last year New Zealanders overwhelmingly voted for change. That is exactly what this new government is bringing. New Zealand First campaigned to ‘take back our country’ and stop the disastrous economic ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed the passing of legislation to move light electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the road user charges system from 1 April. “It was always intended that EVs and PHEVs would be exempt from road user charges until they reached two ...
New Zealand is strengthening its ability to combat illegal fishing outside its domestic waters and beef up regulation for its own commercial fishers in international waters through a Bill which had its first reading in Parliament today. The Fisheries (International Fishing and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2023 sets out stronger ...
Economists Carl Hansen and Professor Prasanna Gai have been appointed to the Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee, Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the independent decision-making body that sets the Official Cash Rate which determines interest rates. Carl Hansen, the executive director of Capital ...
Apartment owners and buyers will soon have greater protections as further changes to the law on unit titles come into effect, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act had already introduced some changes in December 2022 and May 2023, and ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Egypt and Europe from this weekend. “This travel will focus on a range of New Zealand’s traditional diplomatic and security partnerships while enabling broad engagement on the urgent situation in Gaza,” Mr Peters says. Mr Peters will attend the NATO Foreign ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown is encouraging all road users to stay safe, plan their journeys ahead of time, and be patient with other drivers while travelling around this Easter long weekend. “Road safety is a responsibility we all share, and with increased traffic on our roads expected this Easter we ...
About 1.4 million New Zealanders will receive cost of living relief through increased government assistance from April 1 909,000 pensioners get a boost to Superannuation, including 5000 veterans 371,000 working-age beneficiaries will get higher payments 45,000 students will see an increase in their allowance Over a quarter of New Zealanders ...
Ensuring social housing is being provided to those with the greatest needs is front of mind as the Government restarts social housing tenancy reviews, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. “Our relentless focus on building a strong economy is to ensure we can deliver better public services such as social ...
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary will not go ahead, with Cabinet deciding to stop work on the proposed reserve and remove the Bill that would have established it from Parliament’s order paper. “The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary Bill would have created a 620,000 sq km economic no-go zone,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister ...
Dam safety regulations are being amended so that smaller dams won’t be subject to excessive compliance costs, Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on reducing costs and removing unnecessary red tape so we can get the economy back on track. “Dam safety regulations ...
The coalition Government is expanding the medium-scale adverse event classification to parts of the North Island as dry weather conditions persist, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced today. “I have made the decision to expand the medium-scale adverse event classification already in place for parts of the South Island to also cover the ...
The passing of legislation giving effect to coalition Government tax commitments has been welcomed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis. “The Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill will help place New Zealand on a more secure economic footing, improve outcomes for New Zealanders, and make our tax system ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins and Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds today announced plans to transform our science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will advise the Government on how these sectors can play a greater ...
The Budget will deliver urgently-needed tax relief to hard-working New Zealanders while putting the government’s finances back on a sustainable track, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The Finance Minister made the comments at the release of the Budget Policy Statement setting out the Government’s Budget objectives. “The coalition Government intends ...
The coalition Government will look at options to address a zoning issue that limits how much financial support Queenstown residents can get for accommodation. Cabinet has agreed on a response to the Petitions Committee, which had recommended the geographic information MSD uses to determine how much accommodation supplement can be ...
Cabinet has agreed to a short extension to the final reporting timeframe for the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care from 28 March 2024 to 26 June 2024, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says. “The Royal Commission wrote to me on 16 February 2024, requesting that I consider an ...
The coalition Government is delivering an $18 million boost to New Zealanders needing to travel for specialist health treatment, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says. “These changes are long overdue – the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme saw its last increase to mileage and accommodation rates way back in 2009. ...
The Government is recognising the innovative and rising talent in New Zealand’s growing space sector, with the Prime Minister and Space Minister Judith Collins announcing the new Prime Minister’s Prizes for Space today. “New Zealand has a growing reputation as a high-value partner for space missions and research. I am ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity, attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese Government, targeting democratic institutions in both New ...
Independent Reviewers appointed for School Property Inquiry Education Minister Erica Stanford today announced the appointment of three independent reviewers to lead the Ministerial Inquiry into the Ministry of Education’s School Property Function. The Inquiry will be led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully. “There is a clear need ...
State Highway 1 across the Brynderwyns will be open for Easter weekend, with work currently underway to ensure the resilience of this critical route being paused for Easter Weekend to allow holiday makers to travel north, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Today I visited the Brynderwyn Hills construction site, where ...
Introduction Good morning to you all, and thanks for having me bright and early today. I am absolutely delighted to be the Minister for Infrastructure alongside the Minister of Housing and Resource Management Reform. I know the Prime Minister sees the three roles as closely connected and he wants me ...
New Zealand stands with the United Kingdom in its condemnation of People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-backed malicious cyber activity impacting its Electoral Commission and targeting Members of the UK Parliament. “The use of cyber-enabled espionage operations to interfere with democratic institutions and processes anywhere is unacceptable,” Minister Responsible for ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins today announced New Zealand will provide logistics support for the upcoming Solomon Islands election. “We’re sending a team of New Zealand Defence Force personnel and two NH90 helicopters to provide logistics support for the election on 17 April, at the request ...
The European Union Free Trade Agreement Legislation Amendment Bill received Royal Assent today, completing the process for New Zealand’s ratification of its free trade agreement with the European Union. “I am pleased to announce that today, in a small ceremony at the Beehive, New Zealand notified the European Union ...
Public consultation on the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into COVID-19 Lessons has concluded, Internal Affairs Minister Hon Brooke van Velden says. “I have been advised that there were over 11,000 submissions made through the Royal Commission’s online consultation portal.” Expanding the scope of the Royal Commission of ...
Hardworking families are set to benefit from a new credit to help them meet their early childcare education (ECE) costs, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. From 1 July, parents and caregivers of young children will be supported to manage the rising cost of living with a partial reimbursement of their ...
A specialised Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) tasked with preparing and publishing independent non-binding advice on the design of a "green" (sustainable finance) taxonomy rulebook is being established, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “Comprising experts and market participants, the ITAG's primary goal is to deliver comprehensive recommendations to the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins has thanked the Chief of Army, Major General John Boswell, DSD, for his service as he leaves the Army after 40 years. “I would like to thank Major General Boswell for his contribution to the Army and the wider New Zealand Defence Force, undertaking many different ...
25 March 2024 Minister to meet Australian counterparts and Manufacturing Industry Leaders Small Business, Manufacturing, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly will travel to Australia for a series of bi-lateral meetings and manufacturing visits. During the visit, Minister Bayly will meet with his Australian counterparts, Senator Tim Ayres, Ed ...
Government commits almost $3 million for period products in schools The Coalition Government has committed $2.9 million to ensure intermediate and secondary schools continue providing period products to those who need them, Minister of Education Erica Stanford announced today. “This is an issue of dignity and ensuring young women don’t ...
Good morning, it’s great to be here. First, I would like to acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of Building Surveyors and thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to use this opportunity to outline the Government’s ambitious plan and what we hope to ...
Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti has announced the Government’s commitment to the Auckland Secondary Schools Māori and Pacific Islands Cultural Festival, more commonly known as Polyfest. “The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is a longtime supporter of Polyfest and, as it celebrates 49 years in 2024, I’m proud to ...
Before moving onto the substance of today’s address, I want to recognise the very significant and ongoing contribution the Breast Cancer Foundation makes to support the lives of New Zealand women and their families living with breast cancer. I very much enjoy working with you. I also want to recognise ...
New Zealand has notched up a first with the launch of University of Canterbury research to the International Space Station, Science, Innovation and Technology and Space Minister Judith Collins says. The hardware, developed by Dr Sarah Kessans, is designed to operate autonomously in orbit, allowing scientists on Earth to study ...
Introduction Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today and I’m sorry I can’t be there in person. Yesterday I started in Wellington for Breakfast TV, spoke to a property conference in Auckland, and finished the day speaking to local government in Christchurch, so it would have been ...
The Coalition Government is contributing more than $1 million to support the establishment of an emergency multi-agency coordination centre in Northland. Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell announced the contribution today during a visit of the Whangārei site where the facility will be constructed. “Northland has faced a number ...
New Zealanders have enjoyed a broader range of voices telling the story of Aotearoa thanks to the creation of Whakaata Māori 20 years ago, says Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka. The minister spoke at a celebration marking the national indigenous media organisation’s 20th anniversary at their studio in Auckland on ...
Commercial catch limits for some fisheries have been increased following a review showing stocks are healthy and abundant, Ocean and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The changes, along with some other catch limit changes and management settings, begin coming into effect from 1 April 2024. "Regular biannual reviews of fish ...
Opposition MPs and unions are criticising a proposal by New Zealand’s Ministry of Pacific Peoples to cut staff by 40 percent. The country’s largest trade union — The Public Service Association — says the ministry has informed staff that it is looking to shed 63 of 156 positions. Opposition MPs ...
A poem by Poetry Aotearoa Yearbook 2024 featured poet Carin Smeaton. Daughtr of the 90s when she gets promoted to usherette a baby blu eel carries her all the way up to mothership she’s hovering high she lets the underaged in to see keanu reeves she lets the only lonely ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Keith Rankin, trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand. My earlier article – Can ‘Good’ be the Greater Evil? – looked at the issue of how wars should end, and how Good versus Evil ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 AMMA by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press, $38)A stunning debut novel reviewed by Brannavan ...
From Steve Martin to Ricky Stanicky, a pick’n’mix of things worth watching and listening to this long weekend. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. If you’re at a loss for something to occupy yourself with this Easter, don’t panic: The Spinoff’s got ...
Jesus had dinner with his 12 disciples right before he died. Noted historian Madeleine Chapman finds out who really deserved to be there.First published in 2018 but let’s be honest, the subject is timeless. As you sit on your couch this Easter Sunday, eating a chocolate egg you know ...
The newly-promoted Northern League club is on a mission to return to the National League for the first time in two decades. Plenty about domestic football in New Zealand has changed in that time – but the sense that this amateur competition is not an entirely level playing field remains. ...
Auckland Council has put a deadline on new weather-impacted property owners applying for categorisation as government funding looks set to run out. Councillors have voted to support a deadline of September 30 for property owners who haven’t accessed support to come forward and engage with the council’s recovery office. It ...
NONFICTION 1 BBQ Economics by Liam Dann (Penguin Random House, $40) “It’s official,” wrote Dann nine days ago in the Herald, where he works as business editor at large, “we’re in recession.” Yeah, great. He delivered the bad stats: “GDP fell 0.1 percent in the December 2023 quarter, compared with ...
Comment: Every year on February 2, a dozen men in tuxedos and top hats approach the burrow of a groundhog in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania and entice the beaver-like rodent to emerge and predict the weather. If the groundhog, named Punxsutawney Phil, sees its own shadow when it is summoned, legend ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 29 March appeared first on Newsroom. ...
By Anneke Smith, RNZ News political reporter A petition urging the New Zealand government to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people has been tabled in the House. More than 200 people gathered on Parliament’s forecourt today and they were met by MPs from Labour, the Greens and Te ...
Pacific Media Watch The Paris-based global media freedom watchdog RSF (Reporters Without Borders) has appealed for information about the “disappearance” of Palestinian journalist Bayan Abusultan. She was reportedly last seen on March 19 among people “sequestered” in this week’s raid and siege of Al Shifa hospital by Israeli troops in ...
EDITORIAL:The Jakarta Post It happens again and again; indigenous Papuans fall victim to Indonesian soldiers. This time, we have photographic evidence for the brutality, with videos on social media showing a Papuan man being tortured by a group of plainclothes men alleged to be the Indonesian Military (TNI) members. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn J. Whitaker, Director of the Wesley Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy & Associate Professor, New Testament, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity A strange and eclectic range of activities takes place across these few weeks of the year. Some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University It’s Easter weekend, which means many of us will be kicking back with the greatest hits on repeat. But whether you’re a boomer, or an ‘80s or ’90s kid, you might be ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Acting Public Prosecutor has filed an appeal against the sentences of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama and suspended police chief Sitiveni Qiliho in their corruption case. Bainimarama was granted an absolute discharge for attempting to pervert the course of justice while Qiliho received a conditional discharge with ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Arosha Weerakoon, Senior Lecturer and General Dentist, School of Dentistry, The University of Queensland Casezy idea/Shutterstock How does toothpaste work? What did people use before toothpaste was invented? – Amelia, age 7, Meanjin (Brisbane) Thanks for your ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brett Hallam, Associate professor, UNSW Sydney IM Imagery/Shutterstock Solar SunShot is well named. The Australian government announced today it would plough A$1 billion into bringing back solar manufacturing to Australia, boosting energy security, swapping coal and gas jobs for those ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Dix, Research Fellow in Nutrition & Dietetics, The University of Queensland Easter is the time for chocolate. The shops are full of fantastically packaged and shiny chocolates in all shapes and sizes, making trips to the supermarket with children more challenging ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Felton, Adjunct Senior Researcher, University of South Australia Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians won’t sacrifice – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely remained stable, even as financial pressures have ...
Mining company Trans-Tasman Resources has unexpectedly withdrawn its application for a consent to suck the valuable metals vanadium and titanium from the Taranaki seafloor, as it apparently wagers on the Government’s new fast-track process. It had spent two-and-a-half days putting its case to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making committee, at ...
Contrary to the Associate Minister of Education’s claims, analysis of Healthy School Lunches Programme - Ka Ora, Ka Ako assessments has revealed it provides excellent value for the taxpayer dollar, as a groundswell of public opposition to Government ...
Greenpeace says wannabe Taranaki seabed miner Trans-Tasman Resources is likely banking on Christopher Luxon’s fast-track process to side-step proper scrutiny of its Taranaki seabed mining proposal by bailing out of the Environmental Protection Agency hearing ...
Kiwis Against Seabed mining today slammed Australian owned would-be seabed miner Trans Tasman Resources (TTR) for abandoning its application to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to mine the seabed of the South Taranaki Bight. The company ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Attwell, Associate Professor, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia Ground Picture/Shutterstock Months after COVID vaccines were introduced in 2021, governments and private organisations mandated them for various groups. Health and aged care workers were among the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, CEO and Founder of Diraq, UNSW Sydney Diraq For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A national Essential poll, conducted March 20–24 from a sample of 1,150, gave the Coalition a 50–44 lead including undecided, a reversal ...
The Taxpayers’ Union has today made a formal request under the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information () for information held about how New Zealand Members of Parliament are spending taxpayer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Nelson, Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne A Byzantine depiction of the Eucharist in Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv.Jacek555/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA A nasty quarrel arose in the 11th century over what kind of bread should be used in holy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Hesp, Professor, Flinders University Patrick Hesp In some parts of Australia, coastal dunes are retreating from the ocean at an alarming rate, as waves carve up the beach and wind blows the sand inland. But coastal communities are largely ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luke Heemsbergen, Senior Lecturer, Digital, Political, Media, Deakin University With an impressive 60% of the US smartphone market, Apple is undeniably big, but not a clear monopoly. Yet, years of innovation by Apple have effectively given the company its own exclusive ...
Whether you’re facing layoffs or are just an emotional junior staffer, it’s always a good idea to scout out a good crying place before you need it. It’s an incredibly hard time for Wellington. Across the city, thousands of public servants are hearing tough news about redundancies and layoffs. Government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Miller-Jones, Professor, Curtin University Nuclear explosions on a neutron star feed its jets. Danielle Futselaar and Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam, CC BY-SA How fast can a neutron star drive powerful jets into space? The answer, it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Daryl Adair, Associate Professor of Sport Management, University of Technology Sydney Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie accused the AFL of conducting “off the books” illicit drug testing to identify players using substances of abuse, then inappropriately withdrawing them from matches ...
The Government’s announcement that it will scrap plans for a vast marine sanctuary around the Kermadec Islands is ‘shameful’ and will make it impossible for Aotearoa New Zealand to meet its international commitments, says the World Wide Fund for Nature ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Shutterstock The federal government has bowed to pressure from the car industry, announcing it will relax proposed emissions rules for utes and vans and delay enforcement of the new standards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Suzanne Rutland, Professor Emerita, University of Sydney In his latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain, Jonathan Ray focuses on the tumult of the 14th century in Spain – a time of the plague, civil strife and war between the two largest ...
While creating a slate of world-class shows, Whakaata Māori also developed a generation of world-class creatives. Television is an odd word. It mixes the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, and its most literal meaning is “far-off sight”. In the contemporary and living language of te reo Māori, “whakaata” as a ...
Yesterday the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza. This significant step and the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza prompted an urgent debate in the New Zealand Parliament. Leader ...
The Government’s decision to reduce access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) not only threatens the lives of children with type 1 diabetes and increases the potential for ‘Dead in Bed’ syndrome, but also threatens the health of their parents an ...
Apples are available year-round, but the wide variety on offer involves intensive scientific research – and large-scale commercialisation. What’s beautiful, red, sweet and crunchy? Tony Martin’s favourite kind of apple: Sassy. The CEO of apple and pear breeding organisation Prevar, Martin’s fondness for Sassy represents professional success as well as ...
Family violence specialist service Shine is calling on employers to stop asking for proof of domestic violence in order for employees to access domestic violence leave. The call comes five years after the introduction of the Domestic Violence ...
The Deputy Chairperson of the Finance and Expenditure Committee is calling for public submissions on the Budget Policy Statement 2024. The Budget Policy Statement 2024 (BPS) sets out the Government's priorities for the 2024 Budget. It explains the approach ...
Brutal government spending cuts that will see the size of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples slashed by 40% will hit Pasifika communities hard, the PSA says. The Ministry has told staff that it is seeking voluntary redundancies, and to redeploy and reassign ...
I live with five people I mostly love, but our different ideas about generosity are starting to really irk me.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,This is a bit of a random one but here goes. I’m 22 and work an OK job (OK meaning I get paid ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria Nicholas, Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education, Deakin University Earlier this month, the New South Wales government announced it would roll out programs for gifted students in every public school in the state. This comes amid concerns gifted school ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Rudge, Law lecturer, University of Sydney Massachusetts General Hospital In a world first, we heard last week that US surgeons had transplanted a kidney from a gene-edited pig into a living human. News reports said the procedure was a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tombs, Howard Paterson Chair of Theology and Public Issues, University of Otago The 5th-century Maskell panel showing Jesus in a loincloth.British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA When Jesus is shown on the cross, he is almost always depicted wearing a loincloth around ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Panizza Allmark, Professor Visual & Cultural Studies, Edith Cowan University Shutterstock When you think about a red object, you might picture a red carpet, or the massive ruby in the Queen’s crown. Indeed, Western monarchies and marketing from brands such ...
COMMENTARY:Jewish Voice for Peace The UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday — and for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians, the United States abstained rather than vetoing it. Security Council resolutions are legally binding, ...
Asia Pacific Report A New Zealand investigative journalist and author says the US spy system hosted by the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) appears to be a controversial intelligence system used in global capture-kill operations. Writing a commentary for RNZ News today, Nicky Hager, author of Secret Power, a 1996 ...
While Nicola Willis wouldn’t give any details on its size, she said a package of tax cuts is definitely still coming in this year’s budget, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the investigation into the Department of Internal Affairs after it was revealed that the Department’s Chief Executive personally reached out to expedite a DJs passport application. Taxpayers’ Union Campaigns ...
Finance minister Nicola Willis delivers her first budget statement, and unwittingly helps Joel MacManus save his relationship. Nicola Willis strode into the Beehive Theatrette. Around me, on the green foldout seats, were the country’s top business and political journalists. They were all here to see her announce the Budget Policy ...
Twenty years ago today, Māori Television launched after much controversy. Jamie Tahana looks back on its survival and impact across two decades. Chad Chambers stepped onto the stage, the brim of his cap casting a shadow across his face. His smile beamed as bright as his white freezing works gumboots, ...
The unidentified foreign intelligence operation discussed in a scathing report by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) last week appears to be a controversial United States intelligence system. The IGIS report said the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) decision to host a foreign system from 2012-2020 was “improper” ...
Andrea Vance speculates on the new left/right balance persisting until the election:
Could Peters use this as leverage to perform another Houdini act? Given Labour's timidity in framing co-governance to the media & public, I suspect their answer would be yes. And I reckon they'd be right. Vance points out he just needs some such "wedge issue" and it is indeed a godalmighty wedge.
Expect Luxon's advisors to spot this. They'll be dead keen to stop Winston pulling 3% more out of the Nat support base, so we'll see Luxon adopting the Peters line.
However the crucial action will probably occur within the Maori vote. At 16% of the populace – say half that is voting age – yet the MP pulls only 2% currently. I'd therefore guess Labour's Maori cabal got 6% last election.
Where that 6% go will therefore decide the next election. Labour's timidity on co-governance is therefore the hinge. If they cave, and abandon support for the Maori cabal agenda, Willie & co will start to wonder if there's any point staying with Labour.
If their disgust with Labour pakeha betrayal got sufficiently strong, they'll look at jumping ship. To the MP probably – unless Winston is smart enough to have already sussed the scenario & shifted into behind the scenes negotiating. If they jump prior to the election, it's bye-bye Labour…
If Andrea Vance thinks there's the slightest chance that Maori Labour would go near NZ First she's either being ingenuous or not very smart
I cannot see NZ First returning to parliament. I can see the Maori Party gaining more MPs.
Inflation and the cost of housing is going to be hardest on those with the lowest incomes. Long wait times for medical services will also sway voters.
Strategic voting will probably determine who the next government is.
However, the MP vote (if it eventuates) is going to be almost entirely pulled from Labour (the GP don't poll significantly well in the Maori seats – and National has no numbers to lose, here).
That's numbers on paper – some of the Labour MPs have a very tight tribal lock on their seats – I wouldn't expect Mahuta or Tirikatene to be voted out – they're effectively endorsed by the iwi leadership.
There would have to be an enormous swing against Labour (something like the seabed and foreshore issue) for Labour to lose those 2 seats.
MP have made it fairly clear that they have nothing in common with National – so Labour is the only game in town for coalition.
In addition, if the MP start to poll around 5%+ – or start to look as though they'll pull in 5 or so seats from Labour, and it's looking like a Labour/Green/MP government – I'd expect to see some of the soft centrist Labour vote, start to shift to National – as they're spooked by what looks like a radical agenda.
They'd shift to a centrist party (which is what Winston portrayed NZ First as) – but they're unlikely to trust Winston again (though never, say never, with that wily fox) – and, without him, there is currently no centrist party. So, if they're spooked, it's National or nothing.
It looks to me that it is the pakeha population who feels hoodwinked and will vote accordingly. No one begrudges Maori their culture and status, but perusing an agenda no one has voted for via a back door and lying about it (yes lying) coupled with the not so flash stewardship of the economy will have consequences. The former also destroys any trust in the Maori Party if they show to be part of this tactical manoeuvre. I know these are strong words in a society that is more and more muzzled, but I pledge free speech. On the issue of inflation, which is the consequence of more than one event but created by external as well as internal factors, it will see the majority falling into income brackets that essentially set them back 10 years. This measured against pricing for food, fuel, electricity, rates, rents etc. will have a huge bearing on the next vote. When the PM sees this as a "plip" in the road to push the party agenda through, then the phrase "let them eat cake" is not far from the mind. Everybody living here has a right to be able to survive and thrive without losing their basic human rights because they disagree with the powers to be. Those tribal games, those divide and conquer games have to end. There is a need for a sound and measured approach, coherent solutions economically, environmentally and in societal context clearly spelled out and put on the table. Still waiting for a party to show its hand and a vision for all NZlanders without constantly going back to school yard bully behaviour.
If nothing changes, the young professionals will leave the country for greener pastures in great numbers. The writing is already on the wall.
''If nothing changes, the young professionals will leave the country for greener pastures in great numbers. The writing is already on the wall.''
Agree. That is a given. The numbers leaving may be the new 1pm news briefing once Covid numbers are no longer reported.
I recently stopped outside a closed cafe. The sign in the window said they may be able to reopen if the following positions are filled:
2) Chefs
2) Baristas
3) service staff.
Where have the previous employees gone? My guess is they are taking a paid break courtesy of the government before heading overseas. And if that's true, the situation with professionals must be worse given the big money on offer just across the ditch.
Look, employers can have whatever staff they want if they're prepared to do a bit of honest hard work.
They can't just expect opportunities to fall into their lap, they have to get out there and create them. Really sell themselves as an employer. Put themselves out there.
I wonder if they've tried networking functions? Word of mouth advertising can do wonders.
Maybe they could try finding savings elsewhere in their business, which they can then put towards really getting the staff they want?
If they put their head down and work hard and keep a good attitude, rewards will come.
Nobody want to hear it, but if they'd made better personal choices in the past, they wouldn't be in this position now. Rather than whinging or demanding that government fix their problem for them, how about some personal responsibility?
I was once on an interview panel 20 years ago, so I've done the hard yards, too. The problem with this generation of employers is that they just expect everything to be handed to them.
Blade – Yep, because it is a badge of honor to milk the system. How many times I have seen and experienced this is not even funny anymore. It really is difficult to be confronted with such attitude but this is true everywhere. A emigrant might go to a different country but their attitude travels with them.
However, at the same time there are many of the younger folks that feel shafted when they paid for their education and all the can land is a minimum pay job. There is a disconnect between the promise made to these graduates, i.e. if you get this degree or that, it is an opportunity and pays really well etc., vs what the market actually need and demands and will provide. So they are getting impatient and frustrated and look further afield for getting ahead. This is, and lets not forget this, a created instant gratification society. Be kind sometimes works, sometimes it will just create a bigger issue.
Has some other party proposed a co-governance model?
Here's a revealing profile of Putin's #2: https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-second-most-powerful-man-in-russia/
Nikolai Patrushev is currently the secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
The west has long used St. Nicholas the Santa, of course. But all we ever get from him is yet more capitalist crap. So here's an opportunity to use lateral thinking in the foreign policy of Aotearoa. We can advise the Russians that we'll do a switch to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker if they can provide a sufficiently impressive list of wonders that he worked.
The world needs wonderworkers (climate change etc) so we can alert the Russian regime to the potential for using their St Nick as an avatar for combining positive thinking with magic to shift mass consciousness. Since it seems obvious that they haven't spotted the potential for global influence already, I mean. They need our help.
This guy is definitely worth reading regarding the war in Ukraine.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Freedman
https://samf.substack.com/p/giving-peace-a-chance?s=r
https://samf.substack.com/p/space-and-time?s=r
Really! Can’t see it, same old same old one eyed drivel of little substance. No mention how the Ukraine situation could have been avoided had the deaf ears of the UN addressed the concerns voiced many times by Russia regarding NATO’s expansionism and the dire plight of the Donbas peoples being constantly bombarded by factions of the Ukrainian army since 2014 with huge civilian casualties. So the one eyed view of Mr Freedman counts for FA
Someone’s drunk Putin’s kool aid!
Such an infantile comment and attitude.. Only like one flavour of propaganda 'kool aid' do you, Stephen D?
Actually, I don’t believe everything I read, no matter who or what the source. When possible, triangulate.
Well, you don't extend that consideration to BydOnz, do you? Even though he condemns one-eyed drivel…
I know right?
The UN could have stopped
Intifada, Venezuela, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Ukraine and uranium, Yemen and covidium
Russia and Somalia, Taiwan and diptheria
Climate change and Syria, Israel and malaria
Poverty and selfishness, oil and gas and nastiness
Those things the UN smooths with honey
With unlimited power and money
Great list Ad. Seems there is an interconnecting thread.
You do know that this is not really set as context in the news media. This war uses phrases to manipulate on an emotional level and the rhetoric of the President of Ukraine has changed from "help us defend ourselves" to " Mr Zelensky said Western nations – and nearby Europe in particular – must go further and "act without delay"." Act in what way? All the sanctions are in place, Russia is cut off and Europe is to become the battle field for who exactly?
The whole of Europe has signed agreements after the WW2 that would prevent such scenario. If they would intervene in a military way, WW3 is on. Do people understand how dangerous the situation is?
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/28/europe/ukraine-russia-zelensky-biden-intl/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60527346
A cop's eye view on what it was like in the midst of the final day of that protest:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-wellington-protest-frontline-police-officer-says-it-was-a-war-zone/7HAS7DRUGJYGEMXCRAH6BCMYNE/
It certainly would have been a proper 'war zone' if foolish Labour Ministers that didn't know the law had brought the Army in like they and many on the left were calling for.
A children's slide some new grass and two minor fires, compared to a legislated loss of liberty supposed to gain a civic trade that hasn't prevented 300,000+ current infections and 100+ deaths.
A fair democratic price paid so far.
look around the world and hazard a guess at the deaths the govt response has prevented.
It seems that where public health is at stake, the perfect is the enemy of the rational as well as the good.
The Police Officer overstated the situation obviously but it was probably the most dramatic, confused and potentially violent situation they had ever encountered – they obviously didn't experience the 81 tour protests or the Queen Street riot (too young)
The Police Officer overstated the situation obviously
Erh, your hat isn't your keyboard, best not to talk through it unless you were there? That officer's description matched what I saw on the live streams only too starkly. We have no right to dismiss someone's direct experience if we haven't shared it or been through something similar.
Would you dream of saying Ukranian refugees are overstating their situation?
"War Zone" in Wellington lol
In the Ukraine it's a war zone – blown up hospitals, shelled apartment buildings, blown up bridges, dead bodies ,smoking ruined Tanks and Infantry Fighting Vehicles, murdered civilians and raped women that is a fucking war zone not that pissant riot in Wellington.
No I wouldn't say Ukrainian refugees are overstating their situation at all. They are in a war zone.
To inflate what happened in Wellington by claiming or supporting claims it was a war zone is pretty bloody obscene when we are seeing firsthand what a real war zone is.
Yup, overstated.
//
https://twitter.com/AnnekeJSmith/status/1498952993236226048
https://twitter.com/AnnekeJSmith/status/1498955156947628032
A detective used to working on murder cases would know murderous intent if he saw it!! A sobering read.
I agree Matiri. When you compare his words to what we actually saw happening in real time, I don't think he overstated the case at all. It was an horrific scene and astonishing no-one was killed. I saw one cop with a shield being trampled underfoot by a bunch of thugs. I didn't think he was going to come out of it alive. Maybe he was the cop who wrote this story.
Hmm a war zone in Wellington and no one died –
thousands dead in the Ukraine get a sense of proportion
Bricks are not artillery shells metal poles are not cruise missiles a piece of 2 by 4 is not an Infantry Fighting Vehicle to suggest that Wellington and the Ukraine are/were both war zones is damned offensive.
I never used the expression “war-zone” nor suggested any such comparison so why aim your brickbats at me. Its only you who is making the comparison about two totally different and unrelated events.
Agreed – I apologise I lost it a bit after JO's effort at 4.2.1 the linked article said the officer said it was a 'war zone' which I found enraging. I misdirected my ire to you and I am sorry for doing that.
Sorted. No probs.
ACT outflanks Labour on the left, advocating practical socialism:
ACT outflanks Labour on populism and propaganda. What’s new?
What a pity National didn't have the foresight to suggest this. Putting a policy like that in tandem with tax cuts would have been a big vote catcher in my opinion.
I doubt Labour would implement such a policy, given it targets everyone, even white folk finding it hard to keep the Audi running.
The Right is going to need something to counter the trinkets Robbo Hood will proffer to voters over the next two budgets. In fact, if Labours fortunes keep trending down, Robbo may become more important to Labour’s chances of survival than Jacinda.
It remains to be seen whether the PM rediscovers her mojo. Your prediction came true rather promptly, eh? I'd made similar prognostications in prior months so wasn't totally surprised.
Re Grant, expect a careful balancing act with the numbers matched with spending priorities I guess. A semblance of caring for the poor sufficient to fool enough voters, to mask the lack of substance thereof.
The main thing about the poll was floating voters underwhelmed by Labour's dropping of the ball. Labour are the kind of shallow thinkers who reckon pandemic fixation is a valid excuse for non-delivery. Too many opinion leaders in the community know better. Therefore the PM must get back into the saddle. The wrong conclusion to draw from the poll is floating voters rewarding National for performance. Ain't none of that happening.
We’re waiting for the end of history, Francis.
/
https://www.americanpurpose.com/articles/preparing-for-defeat/
the end of history
Banal at the time. Will he ever live that down? However he's a thoughtful chappie & usually worth a read. I own several of his books & have even read them.
I'm impressed that he's with the ever-growing body of opinion that predicts Putin to become a loser. A cautionary note: nobody with a track record of military expertise seems to have entered the public arena with the same opinion yet.
When I was watching the first Gulf War on CNN (we had it piped into our monitors in the TVNZ newsroom despite it being unavailable here on broadcast tv) I always appreciated the expert opinions of the top military analysts they interviewed as operation Desert Storm proceeded. None of that happening now – dunno why.
That makes sense to me. Hope he is right with his prognostications.
No 7.
As the writer points out later and I paraphrase: the days of the "strongman" leaders around the world will be numbered.
The middle of a war is probably not the best time to purge the upper ranks of your intelligence services. But hey, he's an ex KGB guy so I guess he knows a fair bit about purges..
A Russian spy chief and his deputy have been placed under house arrest by Vladmir Putin as the president blames his security services for the resistance met in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has been claimed.
According to a leading expert on the Russian security services, Sergey Beseda, head of the FSB’s foreign intelligence branch, was arrested along with his deputy, Anatoly Bolyukh.
Andrei Soldatov, who is co-founder and editor of Agentura- a watchdog of the Russian secret services’ activities – revealed that sources inside the FSB have confirmed the detention of both men.
The arrests were further corroborated by Vladimir Osechkin, an exiled Russian human rights activist who also added that the FSB officers had carried out searches at over 20 addresses in Moscow of colleagues suspected to be speaking with journalists.
https://archive.ph/UOueg
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-spy-chiefs-putin-security-b2034350.html
No mention of Putin's religious mission.
"Since he became President, Putin has cast himself as the true defender of Christians throughout the world, the leader of the Third Rome. His relentless bombing of ISIS, for example, was cast as the defence of the historic homeland of Christianity. And he will typically use faith as a way to knock the West, like he did in this speech in 2013:
“We see many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilisation. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual. They are implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan.”
Putin regards his spiritual destiny as the rebuilding of Christendom, based in Moscow. "
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/02/putins-spiritual-destiny/
Putin's perception that the west are "implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan" seems a tad extreme and would likely fail the test of evidence.
It would have been better for him to quote orthodox christian doctrine on these two points, eh? To prove there is a substantial difference, I mean.
Why did god allocate this entity a place of high status in his righteous scheme? You'd have to ask a theologian. Don't ask more than one, since none of them agree with each other on the fundamentals & you'll only get confused!
My guess is that god created this entity for his own purposes (which remain mysterious) but I have to admit I borrowed this rationale from some ancient theologian. Then you get this:
So the baddie operated on god's behalf in administering divine justice. And his target was a nation of baddies (the jews). Confused yet?
So Putin's theological critique amounts to the west equating god with god's justice administrator. This is indeed a grievous error. I can see why it bothered him.
Just found this in a book of quotes. "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That keyis Russian national interest." From Winston Churchill, October 1939. Would seem to be relevant right now !
Well, if Putin fails and the longed for American dream of regime change occurs in Russia, I hope that it is the 2nd most popular party (by far) that gets the nod from the Russian voters, that party of course is the Communist Party. That regime change probably is not the one NATO or any of the western nations want though, lol and boohoo.
Join them Comrade.
You got nothin' to lose but your dreams.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published an article on March 9th 2022, titled:
Consider both sexes in experimental design – by Mandy MacLean MBE, FRSE, FMedSci, FBPhS, Professor of Pulmonary Pharmacology.
https://www.ukri.org/blog/consider-both-sexes-in-experimental-design/
Don't bother clicking. It's already down, and UKRI have been asked why.
For the intellectually curious, a copy was archived on the web archive site:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220309195220/https://www.ukri.org/blog/consider-both-sexes-in-experimental-design/
Will be interesting to see if UKRI respond, and what the story is.
The puppet selected and installed by an occupying force isn't the mayor, he's a collaborator.
The Zaporozhye regional administration says a new mayor has been installed in the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, which is under Russian military control, after the elected mayor was detained on Friday
https://edition.cnn.com/webview/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-12-22/h_d7ddf51a92bd3d4c8e15397ac8b1dfe8
Free the Mayor
Where is the Mayor of Melitopol?
Mayor Ivan Federov, who is an ethnic Russian, had encouraged recent demonstrations in Melitopol against Russia.
Disappearances are stock in trade for fascist regimes. So asking where the Mayor of Melitopol has been taken is no small question. If they can disappear a Mayor, they can do it to anyone. Protesters, political activists, journalists are all under threat of being disappeared.
Where is the Mayor of Melitopol being held?
Has he been allowed to use a phone?
What are the charges against him?
What has be been accused of?
Where's the evidence?
Is he alive?
Zelenksy is on the right track. The War in Ukraine will be won/lost in Russia.
We can help. The Russian legation in Wellington need to have their diplomatic immunity revoked until the Mayor of Melitopol is released.
And next the Ewoks join the fight.
Won or lost? Bold call!
There is a precedent.
Many commentators have compared this war to Germany's invasion of Poland. I compare it to the American invasion of Vietnam.
It can be argued that the war in Vietnam was won and lost in America.
The Vietnam war was notable as being the first ever televised war.
All the Vietnamese had to do was keep fighting. The longer the war went on the more the objections and protests in America grew.
In Ukraine's asymmetric war gainst Russia, Ukraine has advantages the Vietnamese didn't, they speak the same language, they are nearby not thousands of miles away. And last of all they have the internet, live streaming all the crimes of the aggressor nation.
Putin has tried to impose and electronic Iron Curtain to stop Russians seeing the live stream of Russian war crimes in the Ukraine The original Iron Curtain lasted 4 decades, the new electronic lasted four days before it was breached.
The longer the Ukraine resists the more the resistance to war will grow in Russia.
The end result is inevitable. A humiliating defeat for Russia.
One big difference between the Vietnam war and the Ukraine war. will be that when Russia is defeated by Ukraine, there will be Nuremberg style court hearings to of Russians identified as having committed war crimes. Including the disappearances and murder of civilian leaders political activists and journalists.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/13/world/europe/brent-renaud-irpin.html
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/new-mayor-installed-in-ukraine-s-melitopol-after-elected-mayor-s-abduction-101647129356871.html
“The fact of the abduction of the Mayor of Melitopol, along with hundreds of other facts of war crimes by Russian occupiers on the Ukrainian soil, are being carefully documented by law enforcement agencies. The perpetrators of this and other crimes will be brought to the strictest responsibility,” the ministry said in a Facebook post.
What's your Ukraine donation group of choice, people?
Odds on for dairy solids per kilo at NZ$11.
Less milk, Ukraine conflict driving dairy prices up (ruralnewsgroup.co.nz)
A perverse boom, but a boom nonetheless.
We as a country will need high returns for our commodities to pay for imported commodities.
Tracey Martin told One News that she has a $100 bet going with Ron Mark that NZF will not make it back into parliament at the next election. 🤑