Todd Muller on Morning Report just now, trying to stick it to the government for not revealing the location of the quarantine facilities for the 501s. Hopeless hardly seems adequate to describe how useless this man is. In the end I gave up and wandered off to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
I had the misfortune to sit through what passes for a current affairs show last night.
Sunday had a segment on Auckland's water woes. It was nothing more than a pressure piece for 'Give us more water from the Waikato'.
Not a mention of the, wait for it, 50 million litres a day leaking from Watercare's infrastructure, nobody suggested future-proofing with water storage built into all new dwellings and buildings, water conservation, re-using grey water…
Part of the problem, in our 'market-driven' world, is the $2,100 a day paid to the CEO of Watercare. This culture of entitlement trickles down through the organisation.
Auckland takes 1% of the flow of the Waikato, which is the only big water source in the region. It is the only logical source, irrespective of whether the CEO was paid $1 or $1 million.
I am sure some of the leakages could be fixed, but some leakage is inherent in any water reticulation system.
The government has clearly recognised the seriousness of the situation by calling in the consent process.
If Auckland has serious water rationing problems for several years, because of a refusal to use Waikato water, there would a serious political backlash against whoever is in power both in local and central government.
I am sure some of the leakages could be fixed, but some leakage is inherent in any water reticulation system.
True, but from a PR PoV it’s a bad look when the leakages equal 25% of the average total daily water consumption across Auckland. In addition, burst water pipes spout up all the time and people washing their precious pricey car with a bucket of water may be fined. The least the CEO could do is manage an effective PR campaign. From my perspective, he’s been sitting on his hands.
There are international benchmarks for acceptable levels of waste in urban water systems. Where are the journalists asking how Watercare stacks up on those?
Ok, so there's a bit over half a million houses in Auckland. For the sake of putting together a hand-wavy argument, lets say the number of commercial and industrial water connections makes up for the number of multiple dwellings fed from one connection, so Watercare has half a million connections.
That would mean Watercare is responsible for half a million connection, so they are losing 100 litres per day per connection. Their minimum pressure standard from memory is 2.9 bar (29m of head) at the connection, but most are well above that. The international benchmark at 5 bar (50m head) of pressure is less than 125 litres per day leakage per connection is considered excellent with no action required.
I also vaguely recall reading somewhere that Watercare's leakage proportion was very low compared to other cities in New Zealand. Having trouble finding it, tho.
A quick search showed up very interesting documents in relation to Watercare. I don’t have the time to dig into it though. From what I gleaned, Watercare doesn’t meet three of its SOI measures and leakage is one of these.
So.. because there is still 99% of the Waikato left to 'take' there is no issues around the lack of imagination shown by the PTB?
Bill McKay on RNZ this morning talked about solving water issues, in particular Auckland.
This last century thinking; pay someone more than $ 3/4 M to tell folk to conserve water and stop a handful of house cleaners, meanwhile letting the infrastructure dilapidate, has to stop.
Wayne is way overstating the proportion of the Waikato's flow taken. At the moment, Watercare can take about 125 million litres per day at Tuakau, which works out to 1.4 cubic metres per second. The average flow at Tuakau is 340 cu metres/ second, and the minimum is governed by a minimum of 80 cu m/s discharged at Karapiro plus what flows in between Karapiro and Tuakau for a likely minimum around 120 cu m/ sec. So Watercare currently takes less than 0.5% of the average flow, and just over 1% of the minimum flow.
It's also worth noting that the Tongariro Power Scheme in the 80's increased the Waikato's flow by an average of 29 cu m/sec year-round from diverting the headquarters of streams and rivers that used to flow into the Rangitikei, Whangaehu and Whanganui rivers.
Watercare's maximum desired take of 350 million litres/day works out to 4.05 cu m/sec, just over 1% of the Waikato's average flow and about 15% of the diverted flow that was robbed from those other rivers. Note that Watercare's proposal is to only take their maximum allowable at times of higher flow and they propose to reduce their take when Waikato river levels are low. So their proposed take really is of less than minor impact on the river.
I am opposed to all the ideas about roof water and grey water. Go down that path and water borne diseases will increase. Children playing in water, drinking it, etc. Way too big a risk.
Having said that, in an old established suburb, I do have a 15,000 litre tank collecting rain water for garden use, and grew up on a farm with roof rainwater.
Nevertheless, I do think a huge amount of care is necessary around potable water. The public health issues are way too important.
Especially when Watercare can readily process Waikato water to potable water quality.
'Moreover', while I use my 15,000 litre tank to water the lillies, I wouldn't be at all comfortable with the average Joe doing the same sort of thing. OR indeed having the nouse to distinguish the potable from the piss.
No, no, Mrs Wayne and I were thinking about it just this past-noon as she was running up my latest leisure suit on the Singer. FAR too risky she said! Wayne! – we really do need to educate these people! Do you think we could start a charity? I know Father – do you think Michelle might help?
Do you want Wayne to stop posting here? I don't. Somebody with a contrary view to yours is not your enemy, they are a reason to engage. But you're not, you're just doing an average job of slagging the guy.
Thanks for being here Wayne, I like to put what you have to say into my blender.
I've been putting what Wayne says into my blender for years. Not just on TS, but during his time in Parliament and subsequent media gigs.
And no, I love reading Wayne's comments. They're often valuable historical gems and a way of understanding how the hell we all got here.
It'd be nice if he had a word with the current crop of dirty politicians (which he is not). I'm pretty bloody sure that anything I say is not going to prevent Wayne, or any other politician (even some from the new batshit crazy political fundy parties) from expressing themselves.
Peace, love and goodwill to all mankind. And to the Goose and the Gander and all God's creatures.
It is not just about Wayne commenting here. It’s not even about ex-politicians commenting here. The vitriol here is so toxic at times that I cannot bear to breathe.
I understand Cogs and agree. Fully maate, fully. I'm tired of it all really especially as life is running out and expiration nears – which is why I'm more inclined to push back. It's probably better I resume my former perversion which is to just watch and wonder, rather than have to watch whether or not I've put something in the David Mac blender, or on the Geoarge Foreman grill.
I was an ultrasensitive child, so it was obviously necessary for my dad to thrash that out of me. To him. 🙃
Consequently I grew a tough skin around my ego. But it didn't cancel the inner child. Just gave me more of a range of emotional responses to injustice. But I didn't start expressing my feelings in written words until middle age.
What I notice more nowadays is the emotional content of blog commentary, and how few participants seem to be able to sense that accurately. I think the medium is the message here: it emasculates communication. Talking has a body-language component that goes missing here. Eyes are particularly relevant senders of signals! Facial expressions. Gestures.
Could be some of us have a natural tendency to subjectify written opinions too, so as to cause us inappropriate emotional reactions. Inasmuch as the writer had no intent to trigger such. What can we do about it? Nothing much. Just try to consider any knee-jerk reaction & ascertain if it really is appropriate to the cause.
Biological signalling is a large part of herding, eh? Social media wildfires are the consequence…
I had just returned from an overnight stay in Auckland and while there had debated with family members their idea that Aucklanders should be allowed to dip into the great Waikato river . I pointed out that there was no water tank catching their rainwater – water to use for cleaning cars , watering gardens , filling the swimming pool and spa and showering. All sections large enough to have a small garden should have a water tank storing the water off their roofs. Catching this water will also prevent another problem now prevalent in places like Switzerland. So much of the land is now covered in hard surfaces that every thing rapidly flash floods after heavy rainfall. Every Aucklander must start thinking about what they can do towards a more sustainable Auckland.
Rain water tanks in Auckland required a consent fee and or building consent till June this year. The resource consent fee, that ranges from $600 to $5000 depending on complexity has been waived – but the consent is still required.
"Residents interested in installing a tank will still need to comply with resource, building and health and safety codes, and use licensed installation professionals where required."
Is it any wonder that very few tanks have been installed?
While I was reading your comment I was considering how feasible it'd be to tank my roof.
I'm in an apartment block that has 3 levels each of 20 one bedroom apartments on strata titles. Just thinking about the legal complexities is sufficient to realise that it is probably impossible.
There would have to be a hell of a water tank somewhere in the two parking levels, a large set of pumps and a lot of power to pump it up back up about 20 metres vertically to the top level toilets and showers.
And this is one of the medium apartment blocks in the densest population areas in Auckland – the central suburbs. But you find these kinds of apartment blocks all over Auckland these days. Sure some older suburbs could put in a lot of roof catchment grey water. But it'd probably largely be a waste of effort.
Most of the new housing is quite high density and doesn't really have the ground area to put in tanks.
For the more regular house, there are narrow rectangular rain tanks which don't have much of a footprint and can be fitted adjacent to a building but I'm not sure I've ever seen them in NZ.
The biggest hurdle will be the dangers of cross-connection to the mains water supply (bringing the risk of backflow, etc. and the contamination of the public water supply) – which is why, of course, they would need a consent and to be installed by a licensed plumber.
The opposition is clearly clutching at any straw now ; expect more as the weeks progress. Should we be amazed that the combined talents of Janet Wilson and Mathew Hooten have produced such a fiasco ? One Sunday paper article had Muller stating "in my perspective" 5 times ; then Nikky Kaye used the same words on a Jack Tame interview yesterday.
They're still getting it easy from their media mates IMO. Rimmer contradicted himself on taxes and was not put to the sword on that huge gaff by Jack Tame yesterday.
Muller's being allowed to spin with Kaye/Adams doubling down. A half decent media would eviserate them every time they fronted as the BS is palpable and everyone knows it.
If you seek a path away from DP why hire the hoots man Toddy ? Their course appears set now, wonder how many swing voters tag along.
I've been watching carefully for credible stories of people getting COVID twice. Here's the second one I've come across.
This one scares me more because the patient apparently suffered much worse the second time around than the first – a feature shared with a few other nasties like dengue. It also may have implications for vaccine development and administration. Nobody wants a repeat of one of the very few recent examples of a vaccine screw-up* like Dengvaxia in the Philippines.
Not to mention this also points to the possibility this disease will become something we will have to learn how to live with and manage rather than something we may be able to eliminate worldwide.
*Dengue is often much worse the second time than the first. Dengvaxia appeared to be very successful in preventing a second infection among those that had already had it once – but when administered to someone that hadn't already had one bout of dengue it appeared to make it more likely they would suffer really badly if they went on to actually get dengue. The mistake made was to administer the vaccine to everyone without checking to see if they had already had dengue or not.
*Dengue is often much worse the second time than the first. Dengvaxia appeared to be very successful in preventing a second infection among those that had already had it once – but when administered to someone that hadn't already had one bout of dengue it appeared to make it more likely they would suffer really badly if they went on to actually get dengue. The mistake made was to administer the vaccine to everyone without checking to see if they had already had dengue or not.
But, but, Andre…surely all vaccines brought to market 'safe and effective'???
Be careful mate…merely bringing this example of the surprising number of vaccine whoopsie incidents to the fore will earn you an anti-vaxxer/pro- plague label.
Rosemary, some of the reasons you come across as an anti-vaxxer include the way you consistently misrepresent situations by grossly inflating any negative aspect and remove the remainder of the big picture, present off-the-cuff anecdotes and feels and reckons from distressed individuals as established medical fact (when they really are the opposite of established fact), don't acknowledge when off-the-cuff reckons are disproven by careful study of large datasets, make gross misrepresentations of positions taken by other people and organisations etc etc.
(BTW, nobody with any credibility claims all vaccines are absolutely 100% safe and 100% effective from the moment they are launched – it is well acknowledged that effectivity is less than 100%, sometimes a lot less for vaccines that are nonetheless still worthwhile, and that there are people for whom specific vaccines may be contraindicated)
Rosemary, some of the reasons you come across as an anti-vaxxer include the way you consistently misrepresent situations by grossly inflating any negative aspect and remove the remainder of the big picture, present off-the-cuff anecdotes and feels and reckons from distressed individuals as established medical fact (when they really are the opposite of established fact), don't acknowledge when off-the-cuff reckons are disproven by careful study of large datasets, make gross misrepresentations of positions taken by other people and organisations etc etc.
You need to link to where I have committed all of these crimes.
I always provide links to research or media articles. The fact that they are not from sources you reckon are credible (like, I assume, the BMJ? https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-06-2020/#comment-1719452) is immaterial. You might want to consider widening your reading horizon?
And just because you have failed to engage with anyone in this community on any meaningful level, you have no right whatsoever to dismiss the accounts I have (with some trepidation) shared here of families of significantly neurologically impaired children who have very good reason to believe a reaction to a routine vaccine caused this damage.
There are precious few mainstream outlets for these 'feels and reckons' because of folks like yourself…blind adherents at the Altar of the Omnipotent Pharma.
And not a single hint of any shred of grief from you for the children dead due to the dodgy Dengue vaccine.
Next time you're swimming around in the 'large datasets' Andre, confident they more accurately represent the safety and efficacy of vaccines, you might want to pause for a nanosecond or two and consider that the number consist of individual cases. These individuals are fellow human beings. With feelings. And opinions.
Andre Your use of the term anti-vaxxer illuminates you as a person who would rather win by bullying. It does not say anything at all about the person attempting dialogue with you
Carers dismayed by new disability funders is a title on RNZ news an hour ago.
You might be interested.
I am having to calm down about how ACC do not follow a review decision and think that they can use a branch medical advisor, so useless and 2 months wasted on more mismanagement.
Carers dismayed by new disability funders is a title on RNZ news an hour ago.
Thanks Treetop. Heard that this morning and am a tad confused. Not a very good piece of reporting at all. The 'reforms' actually went ahead in April….and I am pleased to say that in our case the 'transition' was almost seamless. Bureaucratic and clumsy, largely because of Lockdown, but prompt. Some of the ease for us is probably due to the fact that we were transitioning from nothing in the way of funded suport to something. The people on Natrad this morning were already being paid but under the iniquitous and hideous Funded Family Care…which discriminated against carers like myself.
Pleased to hear that this is progress for your situation. I can see some debate occurring for a lot of families who already have enough on their plate.
Story seems clear enough that its angle is driven by people with impaired thinking being required to take on the responsibilities of employers – one of the problems many families complained about with FFC. That whole part of the Ministry seems to need flushing.
Sacha, IF has been used to fund supports for people with impaired thinking for yonks now. Often a parent acts as an agent and manages the funding on behalf of their impaired child. Only difference is that now the IF can be used to pay a family carer. Tbh, I have often struggled to grasp the issue some of these parents have with their children being their employer. In most cases these individuals are perfectly capable of making the choice of having that particular person provide their funded supports and the hands on administrative stuff is handled by the Host agency. This is how IF works, and how payng family carers through a contraced provider works. Safeguards are (theoretically) in place.
The problem is the actual original Funded Family Care (a curse on it and it's midwives at the Misery)…I understand some folk were desperate enough to sign up to it (an lets be honest here…barely 1/4 of the potential 1600 actually hopped on board) but it was obvious it was designed to create exactly that level of conflict and tension. It is a shit of a scheme devised by malevolent arseholes.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — To slow the spread of the coronavirus, governments issued lockdowns to keep people at home. They curtailed activities that affected services like trash collection. They tried to shield hospitals from a surge of patients.
But the cascading effects of these restrictions also are hampering efforts to cope with seasonal outbreaks of dengue, an incurable, mosquito-borne disease that is also known as “breakbone fever" for its severely painful symptoms.
Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Indonesia have dealt with concurrent outbreaks of dengue and coronavirus this year. In Brazil, where there are over 1.6 million COVID-19 infections, at least 1.1 million cases of dengue have been reported, with nearly 400 deaths, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
Dengue cases are likely to rise soon with the start of seasonal rains in Latin American countries like Cuba, Chile and Costa Rica, as well as the South Asian countries of India and Pakistan.
For a place that's feasible to operate as a closed environment, like New Zealand, yes it's true that elimination is possible as long as people are not infectious after recovery.
But for the world as a whole eradication simply isn't feasible if people can be re-infected. Hell, we haven't yet eradicated measles or polio, even though both those diseases have cheap, high effectiveness vaccines, re-infection doesn't occur, and neither have the sneaky habit of asymptomatic/presymptomatic infectiousness. Because breakouts happen so easily and quickly from any small pockets of disease.
But a vaccine isn't the only option. Antiviral medications for treatment and/or prophylaxis are also possibilities that are being extensively worked on.
We should probably also consider getting used to the idea that maybe the best we'll do is something that reduces the impact of COVID down to say a nasty flu – something we routinely accept. It seems every ten or fifteen years I get laid up for a couple weeks or so with a flu, despite getting vaccinated. If a vaccine or reasonably priced medication were developed that reduced the impact of COVID down to a similar level, then I'd be of the view that that is good enough to open back up.
saw an American Dr say about 30-50% of those that get better after being in hospital with the covid suffer neurological damage, breathing issues, memory loss etc, and these are just issues they know about in the last few months. She also said the 30-50% could be on the low side. She had to say again, "this is not a hoax".
For sure there's a lot of widespread long-term damage. From the stuff I'm seeing in the science sites I follow and from rellies that got it and are involved in treating patients, I'm kinda coming to the impression that SARS-CoV-2's favourite target is blood vessels. Which is why it can have such widespread effects.
If that's what is actually happening, then it shows up first in the respiratory system because that's how it transmits and it's where the virus first touches down. The lucky ones are those whose immune systems are able to stop it there before it goes further and gets to its preferred tissues in the body.
Over the past few days, an excellent article has been bubbling away below the surface on the Standard and other left leaning websites in the country. Glen Johnson, a New Zealander ‘who has worked as a foreign correspondent in the MENA region for more than a decade’, penned this opinion piece on Al Jazeera.
His observations on the behaviour of the National Party has been gone over before. In this analysis, I want to look at an aspect of his article that may have been missed. Under the section ‘Omission and the economy’, Glen Johnson makes the following important observation on two key omissions in our corporate media’s coverage of the story:
“The opposition, business elements and an instinctively conformist media moved quickly to set the agenda, artificially narrowing the parameters of public discourse.
There were, for example, no deep-dive stories into the state of the health system, eviscerated by aggressive neo-liberalism since the late 1980s, yielding the country acutely vulnerable to COVID-19.
Little was said about our hyper-globalised societies' increasingly fraught relationship with nature, of which COVID-19 is a symptom.”
The Standard needs to shine a light on a different narrative to the one we are given by the mainstream press. We should be focusing on the 2 stories Glen Johnson mentions.
1. The state of New Zealand’s health system. This excellent report by Branko Marcetic describes how The Key government ‘slashed health funding’.
2. “Our hyper-globalised societies' increasingly fraught relationship with nature”.
George Monbiot wrote an article in the Guardian in March headed 'Covid-19 is nature's wake-up call to complacent civilisation.' To summarise, his conclusion is that ‘we begin to see ourselves, once more, as governed by biology and physics, and dependent on a habitable planet.’ George is not alone; UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is an ‘unprecedented wake-up call’ for all inhabitants of Mother Earth. Jonathan Safran Foer have explained why 'factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics.'
Caitlin Johnston is an excellent independent journalist who writes prolifically on a variety of issues. A key focus of her writing is that we are drip fed a daily narrative to shape our thinking. Most recently she has written a fine passage entitled ‘As Long As Mass Media Propaganda Exists, Democracy Is A Sham.'
The recent collusion between the New Zealand media and the Dirty Politics brigade of the National Party shows how our own democracy is under threat as well.
I am for a Covid-19 minister who has the right clinical background to make sure there is a ready health system and to remind the population that history does repeat regardless of what is known scientifically in the present.
Looks like 8 billion on the planet is not sustainable.
Campbell interviews Nicky Hager this morning. Interesting context put forward re Dirty Tricks.
"What was actually going on was that they were looking for political ammunition. The reason why they wanted people's personal Covid patient information is because maybe there were more of those women driving down the island, maybe there was more stuff like that. and that had been the one thing that had dented the Labour Party's polls, their unbeatable polls."
Hager also suggested National members would still be doing it if it wasn't for Ms Boag sending the information to Mr Walker who "did something very unexpected" in sending it to media.
And Josie Pagani later on Breakfast, what's with her "Not Dirty Politics" and "Labour does it too" rhetoric. She's been in the anti-Labour pro National Camp for ages now and should be marketed accordingly.
Josie Pagani was dumped by the Labour Party because of her constant attacks back in the DP days. She also had an unhealthy association with the DP operators at the time including Cameron Slater.
And Nicky Kaye fronts up on Q&A, but not Muller!! Was she credible? Not really (am I biased?) and Jack was quite excited by what he called the "hypocrisy" of Woodward.
Didnt watch much of it, but seeing kaye whine "that's not fair jack " was priceless . I've waited years for the nat scum to get caught red handed and am loving every second .
Kaye on and Muller hiding because he's a poor liar. I don't think telling straight porkies on camera is in his DNA, although he's ok with the general half-truths and selective quoting required in day-to-day wool pulling.
I hate to give the bastards any advice but Munters Slack-Jawed-Yokel impressions anytime he is asked a question on TV only tends to heighten the feeling that his thinking is at best slow or at the very least a few synapses short of a circuit.
Cleetus he may be, but it's more likely the same thing that afflicted the woeful David Shearer, in that he has to think of what to say before answering so it won't drop him in it further down the track.
Woodward = one of the key celebrity-endorsers of the British Labour Party at the 1970 General Election … he was so popular from Callan that they actually built some of their campaign material directly around him … though by the early 80s his sympathies had moved on to the SDP-Liberal Alliance.
Usually hard to tell who's pulling the strings, eh? Like how Mossad jumps onto an Arab conspiracy & drives it onto a trajectory that is in Israel's national interests. The important thing is to fuel the thing, get the conspirators high on their own collective sense of destiny & machismo, then play them to win the meta-game while they believe they are winning their own game.
Since the average intelligence of Nat MPs is always low (similar to Labour) anyone who's a cut above learns to herd them. Then it's just a question of competing with the other sheep-dogs to get the sheep through the right gate…
Dennis, is the average intelligence of National and Labour party MPs "always low"?
Maybe I’ve misunderstood, but if that's what you’re claiming, then roughly how low do you reckon? "Low" implies 'below average' to me, but maybe you’re indulging in provocative hyperbole – you know, the sort of thing Nat MPs were indulging in with their Covid-baiting, before they came a cropper.
For a chap of at least average intelligence, you don't half write some nonsense, IMHO.
No problem whatsoever to plead guilty to that! Well, usually, but on this occasion it was an oblique reference to how representative democracy works when driven by identity politics: MPs get voted in when sufficient voters identify with them. So the systems selects average intelligence outputs.
That said, I take the point that perception prevails over reality most of the time nowadays, so the performance of parliamentarians typically produces a widely-held view that MPs are thicker than most folks. So anyone who comments on politics and the nonsense it produces will inevitably write nonsense if they try to be accurate in their descriptions. We could call it the Frank/Kram paradox…
In a representative democracy, should the average intelligence of parliamentarians reflect society's average? Maybe Ardern and Bridges/Muller cancel each other out.
I've been wondering this too. Not so much about Collins but what the long term strategy is. If MH is as smart as he appears to be, I doubt he is trying to win this year's election. They will be looking at the longer term plan to rebuild National and how to regain power.
Maybe Hooton has fucked up here, but I think it's really unwise for the left to assume he is stupid or not good at what he does.
The Media Watch RNZ thing was good, Brent Edwards giving the media a bit of a warning, to not let National use them for politicking, RNZ dispute this, but good on them for allowing the other point of view. They really should ask their sources, where they got their source. If a polly offers them confidential information, maybe try and find out where it came from, or be journalistic and find a source to back up the evidence. It just seems to me they took Walker at his word, and his word alone "this wasn't password protected and was available to anyone", which was quite simply, a lie, which they reported.
Clark takes his kids to the beach, days and days of screaming headlines, Nats & acolyte (s) potentially break laws, dodgy creepy ethics, and nothing, even though some journalists are writing very good, factual pieces, it seems it's the editors letting the Nats off.
In absence of a link, you can mention the source and point people in the right direction but I think it is highly unusual to have no link at all.
An error in a link can be picked up and corrected by another commenter and/or a Moderator.
It comes down to showing consideration for other readers here and some commitment towards sharing your source so that they can check it out for themselves and possibly do further reading if they wish.
Hi Sacha, Not sure Rocket Surgery is a thing, but for some of us copying and pasting clips might as well be Rocket Science. There don't appear to be clips of the Breakfast show interview with Josie Pagani that I mentioned earlier (without going to Facebook, no thank you). I tried copying and pasting, unsuccessfully, the whole show (Pagani is 1:15:00 in) but couldn't do it, so my apologies if I am one of the people who have ground your gears this morning.
New CBS News/YouGov polls show President Donald Trump is in trouble in three states he won in 2016. He's tied with former Vice President Joe Biden in Arizona (46% to 46%), a state he won by four points in 2016. Trump's down 48% to 42% in Florida, a state he took by a point in 2016.
But it's the third state, Texas, where the eye popping result comes from. It's Trump 46% to Biden's 45%, a result well within any margin of error. It's pretty clear looking at the data that Texas is a swing state in the 2020 election. The 2020 campaign could be the first time Democrats captured the Lone Star State in a presidential election since 1976.
The CBS News/YouGov poll is not an outlier over the last month. There have been eight polls released publicly since the beginning of June. The result is that Biden and Trump are basically tied, with Biden up by a mere 0.3 points in Texas.
Four years ago, Hillary Clinton lost Texas by nine points. She was the first Democratic presidential candidate to lose the state by only single digits since the 1990s. If you look nationally, you see Biden is up about 10 points compared to Clinton's two point popular vote win.
The government's chosen not to disclose the location of the hotel used for the deportees coming from Aus. Concerned about privacy, vigilantes, fearmongers.
Fine in theory. But in practice … it will leak sooner or later. Hard to keep that quiet.
Will backfire if Minister or even PM is asked "can you confirm …?" by a reporter who knows the answer already.
There is a really obvious reason to keep the location secret, so no it will not be a problem for govt representatives sticking to that line with media. Unlike weaselling from Nats trying to keep their stories straight.
At Dr Ashley Bloomfield's 1pm media stand-up today, he was asked why the Helicopter Trust would receive Covid-19 patient details.
Bloomfield said that all emergency helicopter services have received Covid patient information from day one of the outbreak. He said it is a well established process to protect emergency services staff. He also said patient details are confidential and are sent to secure email addresses by the Ministry. He wouldn't answer any further questions due to the inquiry.
In 2010 the Law Commission’s Issues Paper Alcohol in Our Lives found that harmful drinking had become a source of serious social problems in New Zealand.
The Issues Paper described the range of problems associated with harmful alcohol consumption in New Zealand and set out some of the measures that should have been used to help curb those problems and concludes with some preliminary ideas on law reform. There were 5 key recommendations:
1. raise alcohol prices.
2. raise the purchase age.
3. reduce alcohol accessibility.
4. reduce alcohol advertising and sponsorship.
5. increase drink-driving countermeasures.
Governments since have ignored the recommendations. New Zealand’s governments are beholden to the liquor industry.
Doug Sellman, Jennie Connor, Geoff Robinson, Sam McBride and Tony Farrell wrote this report describing the failure of the 2008 to 2017 government.
Clearly the South African government is not beholden to the liquor industry.
Ramaphosa re-imposed a night-time curfew and also a ban on alcohol sales barely six weeks after buying booze had become legal again.
“As we head towards the peak of infections, it is vital that we do not burden our clinics and hospitals with alcohol-related injuries,” Ramaphosa said.
Each passing day in the last two months vindicates more strongly the health advice given to our government, the actions taken, the quality of leadership (excepting National) and the community response from our people. Those noisey few who constantly took cheapshots are getting pretty quiet now as it becomes obvious how tricky it is to balance health and economy. New South Wales has a big fight now to avoid joining Victoria in a return to strong restrictions. I wish them the best and want to give a shout out to everyone working hard for us at our borders.
On World rising virus infections it occurred to me that the USA has high numbers and yet it is in high summer. Didn't they forecast that the winter would be worse? Hell!
wowser Seymour and the ACT wowser party wants to stop you enjoying a beer or a glass of wine. Beneficiaries are going to get a payment card under their policy released today. So the wowsers plan to create an extra layer of bureaucracy and dump the costs on to the hard working NZ taxpayer. No doubt Wowsermour will be looking to contract out the administration of the scheme to the private sector where some company can clip the ticket and take some more money out of tax payers pockets. Simon BridgesTodd MullersChris Luxon Todd Mullers 'Bonfire on Bureaucracy' can start with this costly bureaucratic wowserism.
Timing? Very strange, since the investigation into the National Funding was announced nearly a year ago but excluded the Party and named JamieLee and the donors instead. (That started today.)
This investigation gives no clue of the cause and times it just before an Election.
Will Julie outline just what the issue is? And this one's process will not be getting under way until after the Election.
South Florida going crazy ape balls, numbers through the roof, hospitals full, and that's not even accounting the lag, spike in infection, then week or 2 later hospital.
She beggars belief. Either completely intellectually absent from her ARHT role, or completely intellectually absent in her macchiavellian plans to frame the government for "leaks".
What an absolute fucking tool.
"The team had explicitly sought from all the organisations who were receiving that information for a very particular purpose in a well established process…what the appropriate email address was to send the information to," Bloomfield said.
RNZ has been told the email address Boag had provided officials was the email address linked to her PR and political consultancy company, Boag Allan SvG.
So she regards her company address as her personal email address? FFS.
edit: oh:
The process to notify emergency services where the country’s Covid-19 cases were located – with the aim of safeguarding emergency workers – had been established months ago, Dr Bloomfield said.
“In case they had to visit a premise where there might be someone who had infection and they could protect their staff and take appropriate measures,” he said.
Nice to know my speculation wasn’t completely off-base 🙂
That always gets my goat – to call probabilistic linkage "Chinese sounding names" is a gross mischaracterisation. It's actually how the government currently links individuals' information between departments.
Turning data into information is a dark art. The Alchemists have tried and failed and became modern day scientists. Data, facts, and information are not for the fainthearted. For us mere mortals all that matters is perception, eh?
It's not all that dark, until you get into finance – they like to keep that as dark as possible so the regulators aren't entirely sure what anyone's up to.
As long as the assumptions (and therefore sources of error) are open, and probability is not mistaken for certainty.
Labour's most risky assumption was actually that their leaked data source was representative of the entire Auckland market. Barely got mentioned, because the opponents' objectives were to misrepresent the work, not embark on a good faith exploration of the problem.
Conversely, the IDI isn't so bad for sociological research (and might identify some intersectional items of interest, particularly across generations), but apparently one department was initially fixin' to confuse correlation with causation and start targeting algorythm-"identified" kids as "at risk". Fucking nightmare scenario: "computer says your child needs to go into care".
That stuff had to be stamped on hard, and I suspect it helped justify such stringent controls.
The new Victoria University Vice-Chancellor decided to have a forum at the university about free speech and academic freedom as it is obviously a topical issue, and the Government is looking at legislating some carrots or sticks for universities to uphold their obligations under the Education and Training Act. They ...
Do you remember when Melania Trump got caught out using a speech that sounded awfully like one Michelle Obama had given? Uncannily so.Well it turns out that Abraham Lincoln is to Winston Peters as Michelle was to Melania. With the ANZAC speech Uncle Winston gave at Gallipoli having much in ...
She was born 25 years ago today in North Shore hospital. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her mouth was silently moving. The whole theatre was all quiet intensity as they marked her a 2 on the APGAR test. A one-minute eternity later, she was an 8. The universe was ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park in collaboration with members from our Skeptical Science team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Is Antarctica gaining land ice? ...
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Dear Paul As the new Minister of Media and Communications, you will be inundated with heaps of free advice and special pleading, all in the national interest of course. For what it’s worth here is my assessment: Traditional broadcasting free to air content through ...
Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government is trying to achieve and its arguments for such a bold reform. ...
Peter Dunne writes – The great nineteenth British Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once observed that “the first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.” When a later British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, sacked a third of his Cabinet in July 1962, in what became ...
Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Simon Clark. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). This year you will be lied to! Simon Clark helps prebunk some misleading statements you'll hear about climate. The video includes ...
It is all very well cutting the backrooms of public agencies but it may compromise the frontlines. One of the frustrations of the Productivity Commission’s 2017 review of universities is that while it observed that their non-academic staff were increasing faster than their academic staff, it did not bother to ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two speeches delivered by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Anzac Day ceremonies in Turkey are the only new posts on the government’s official website since the PM announced his Cabinet shake-up. In one of the speeches, Peters stated the obvious: we live in a troubled ...
1. Which of these would you not expect to read in The Waikato Invader?a. Luxon is here to do business, don’t you worry about thatb. Mr KPI expects results, and you better believe itc. This decisive man of action is getting me all hot and excitedd. Melissa Lee is how ...
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisitionNOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamariki’s statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. “There are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to “save” the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Government’s official website – arrived in Point of Order’s email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive Melissa Lee – as may be discerned from the screenshot above – has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Government’s focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu – often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
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 ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the government’s readiness to make urgent changes to “the resource management system” through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes don’t go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a “media summit” to discuss “the state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalism”. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
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Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
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Todd Muller on Morning Report just now, trying to stick it to the government for not revealing the location of the quarantine facilities for the 501s. Hopeless hardly seems adequate to describe how useless this man is. In the end I gave up and wandered off to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
They'll be fine they're coming from Australia. That wasn't on the Walker Queenstown list so send them there.
Perfect 🙂
You mean it hasn't been leaked to him yet?
I had the misfortune to sit through what passes for a current affairs show last night.
Sunday had a segment on Auckland's water woes. It was nothing more than a pressure piece for 'Give us more water from the Waikato'.
Not a mention of the, wait for it, 50 million litres a day leaking from Watercare's infrastructure, nobody suggested future-proofing with water storage built into all new dwellings and buildings, water conservation, re-using grey water…
Part of the problem, in our 'market-driven' world, is the $2,100 a day paid to the CEO of Watercare. This culture of entitlement trickles down through the organisation.
Linkies: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/420455/auckland-s-leaky-pipes-lose-more-water-than-the-city-saves
https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/121216639/cashstrapped-lobbyists-spend-12000-publishing-council-rich-list
Auckland takes 1% of the flow of the Waikato, which is the only big water source in the region. It is the only logical source, irrespective of whether the CEO was paid $1 or $1 million.
I am sure some of the leakages could be fixed, but some leakage is inherent in any water reticulation system.
The government has clearly recognised the seriousness of the situation by calling in the consent process.
If Auckland has serious water rationing problems for several years, because of a refusal to use Waikato water, there would a serious political backlash against whoever is in power both in local and central government.
True, but from a PR PoV it’s a bad look when the leakages equal 25% of the average total daily water consumption across Auckland. In addition, burst water pipes spout up all the time and people washing their precious pricey car with a bucket of water may be fined. The least the CEO could do is manage an effective PR campaign. From my perspective, he’s been sitting on his hands.
There are international benchmarks for acceptable levels of waste in urban water systems. Where are the journalists asking how Watercare stacks up on those?
Ta. Didn’t know that. I’d make for a lousy journalist 🙁
Hi Incognito
Webpage as below, table 2 is the one I think that has the interesting data.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242515900_International_Benchmarking_of_Leakage_from_Water_Reticulation_Systems
Ok, so there's a bit over half a million houses in Auckland. For the sake of putting together a hand-wavy argument, lets say the number of commercial and industrial water connections makes up for the number of multiple dwellings fed from one connection, so Watercare has half a million connections.
That would mean Watercare is responsible for half a million connection, so they are losing 100 litres per day per connection. Their minimum pressure standard from memory is 2.9 bar (29m of head) at the connection, but most are well above that. The international benchmark at 5 bar (50m head) of pressure is less than 125 litres per day leakage per connection is considered excellent with no action required.
I also vaguely recall reading somewhere that Watercare's leakage proportion was very low compared to other cities in New Zealand. Having trouble finding it, tho.
Ta
A quick search showed up very interesting documents in relation to Watercare. I don’t have the time to dig into it though. From what I gleaned, Watercare doesn’t meet three of its SOI measures and leakage is one of these.
So.. because there is still 99% of the Waikato left to 'take' there is no issues around the lack of imagination shown by the PTB?
Bill McKay on RNZ this morning talked about solving water issues, in particular Auckland.
This last century thinking; pay someone more than $ 3/4 M to tell folk to conserve water and stop a handful of house cleaners, meanwhile letting the infrastructure dilapidate, has to stop.
Wayne is way overstating the proportion of the Waikato's flow taken. At the moment, Watercare can take about 125 million litres per day at Tuakau, which works out to 1.4 cubic metres per second. The average flow at Tuakau is 340 cu metres/ second, and the minimum is governed by a minimum of 80 cu m/s discharged at Karapiro plus what flows in between Karapiro and Tuakau for a likely minimum around 120 cu m/ sec. So Watercare currently takes less than 0.5% of the average flow, and just over 1% of the minimum flow.
It's also worth noting that the Tongariro Power Scheme in the 80's increased the Waikato's flow by an average of 29 cu m/sec year-round from diverting the headquarters of streams and rivers that used to flow into the Rangitikei, Whangaehu and Whanganui rivers.
Watercare's maximum desired take of 350 million litres/day works out to 4.05 cu m/sec, just over 1% of the Waikato's average flow and about 15% of the diverted flow that was robbed from those other rivers. Note that Watercare's proposal is to only take their maximum allowable at times of higher flow and they propose to reduce their take when Waikato river levels are low. So their proposed take really is of less than minor impact on the river.
I am opposed to all the ideas about roof water and grey water. Go down that path and water borne diseases will increase. Children playing in water, drinking it, etc. Way too big a risk.
Having said that, in an old established suburb, I do have a 15,000 litre tank collecting rain water for garden use, and grew up on a farm with roof rainwater.
Nevertheless, I do think a huge amount of care is necessary around potable water. The public health issues are way too important.
Especially when Watercare can readily process Waikato water to potable water quality.
'Moreover', while I use my 15,000 litre tank to water the lillies, I wouldn't be at all comfortable with the average Joe doing the same sort of thing. OR indeed having the nouse to distinguish the potable from the piss.
No, no, Mrs Wayne and I were thinking about it just this past-noon as she was running up my latest leisure suit on the Singer. FAR too risky she said! Wayne! – we really do need to educate these people! Do you think we could start a charity? I know Father – do you think Michelle might help?
Do you want Wayne to stop posting here? I don't. Somebody with a contrary view to yours is not your enemy, they are a reason to engage. But you're not, you're just doing an average job of slagging the guy.
Thanks for being here Wayne, I like to put what you have to say into my blender.
I've been putting what Wayne says into my blender for years. Not just on TS, but during his time in Parliament and subsequent media gigs.
And no, I love reading Wayne's comments. They're often valuable historical gems and a way of understanding how the hell we all got here.
It'd be nice if he had a word with the current crop of dirty politicians (which he is not). I'm pretty bloody sure that anything I say is not going to prevent Wayne, or any other politician (even some from the new batshit crazy political fundy parties) from expressing themselves.
Peace, love and goodwill to all mankind. And to the Goose and the Gander and all God's creatures.
Amen
It is not just about Wayne commenting here. It’s not even about ex-politicians commenting here. The vitriol here is so toxic at times that I cannot bear to breathe.
I understand Cogs and agree. Fully maate, fully. I'm tired of it all really especially as life is running out and expiration nears – which is why I'm more inclined to push back. It's probably better I resume my former perversion which is to just watch and wonder, rather than have to watch whether or not I've put something in the David Mac blender, or on the Geoarge Foreman grill.
vitriol here is so toxic at times
I was an ultrasensitive child, so it was obviously necessary for my dad to thrash that out of me. To him. 🙃
Consequently I grew a tough skin around my ego. But it didn't cancel the inner child. Just gave me more of a range of emotional responses to injustice. But I didn't start expressing my feelings in written words until middle age.
What I notice more nowadays is the emotional content of blog commentary, and how few participants seem to be able to sense that accurately. I think the medium is the message here: it emasculates communication. Talking has a body-language component that goes missing here. Eyes are particularly relevant senders of signals! Facial expressions. Gestures.
Could be some of us have a natural tendency to subjectify written opinions too, so as to cause us inappropriate emotional reactions. Inasmuch as the writer had no intent to trigger such. What can we do about it? Nothing much. Just try to consider any knee-jerk reaction & ascertain if it really is appropriate to the cause.
Biological signalling is a large part of herding, eh? Social media wildfires are the consequence…
I had just returned from an overnight stay in Auckland and while there had debated with family members their idea that Aucklanders should be allowed to dip into the great Waikato river . I pointed out that there was no water tank catching their rainwater – water to use for cleaning cars , watering gardens , filling the swimming pool and spa and showering. All sections large enough to have a small garden should have a water tank storing the water off their roofs. Catching this water will also prevent another problem now prevalent in places like Switzerland. So much of the land is now covered in hard surfaces that every thing rapidly flash floods after heavy rainfall. Every Aucklander must start thinking about what they can do towards a more sustainable Auckland.
Rain water tanks in Auckland required a consent fee and or building consent till June this year. The resource consent fee, that ranges from $600 to $5000 depending on complexity has been waived – but the consent is still required.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300041582/auckland-drought-rainwater-tank-fee-slashed-to-encourage-water-collection
"Residents interested in installing a tank will still need to comply with resource, building and health and safety codes, and use licensed installation professionals where required."
Is it any wonder that very few tanks have been installed?
While I was reading your comment I was considering how feasible it'd be to tank my roof.
I'm in an apartment block that has 3 levels each of 20 one bedroom apartments on strata titles. Just thinking about the legal complexities is sufficient to realise that it is probably impossible.
There would have to be a hell of a water tank somewhere in the two parking levels, a large set of pumps and a lot of power to pump it up back up about 20 metres vertically to the top level toilets and showers.
And this is one of the medium apartment blocks in the densest population areas in Auckland – the central suburbs. But you find these kinds of apartment blocks all over Auckland these days. Sure some older suburbs could put in a lot of roof catchment grey water. But it'd probably largely be a waste of effort.
Most of the new housing is quite high density and doesn't really have the ground area to put in tanks.
For the more regular house, there are narrow rectangular rain tanks which don't have much of a footprint and can be fitted adjacent to a building but I'm not sure I've ever seen them in NZ.
The biggest hurdle will be the dangers of cross-connection to the mains water supply (bringing the risk of backflow, etc. and the contamination of the public water supply) – which is why, of course, they would need a consent and to be installed by a licensed plumber.
My brother installed two 5000L bladders under his house. Somehow, he neglected to tell anyone.
I agree, plenty of imagination and creativity needed. Not renowned in these $ 3/4 M men.
The opposition is clearly clutching at any straw now ; expect more as the weeks progress. Should we be amazed that the combined talents of Janet Wilson and Mathew Hooten have produced such a fiasco ? One Sunday paper article had Muller stating "in my perspective" 5 times ; then Nikky Kaye used the same words on a Jack Tame interview yesterday.
They're still getting it easy from their media mates IMO. Rimmer contradicted himself on taxes and was not put to the sword on that huge gaff by Jack Tame yesterday.
Muller's being allowed to spin with Kaye/Adams doubling down. A half decent media would eviserate them every time they fronted as the BS is palpable and everyone knows it.
If you seek a path away from DP why hire the hoots man Toddy ? Their course appears set now, wonder how many swing voters tag along.
“Muller’s being allowed to spin”
Evidence to the contrary is all over the media. Here is a verbatim transcript: a TVNZ reporter does his job, and the Herald prints it.
One Sunday paper article had Muller stating "in my perspective" 5 times…
It's worse than that. Muller actually says "Look, from my perspective…"
The poor bloke is channeling the Dipton Double Dipper.
Michael Woodhouse nowhere to be seen…….
Is he in isolation?
Nope, just having a lie down and a cuppa, which is standard for Nat MPs under pressure. John Key euphemistically called it planking.
I've been watching carefully for credible stories of people getting COVID twice. Here's the second one I've come across.
This one scares me more because the patient apparently suffered much worse the second time around than the first – a feature shared with a few other nasties like dengue. It also may have implications for vaccine development and administration. Nobody wants a repeat of one of the very few recent examples of a vaccine screw-up* like Dengvaxia in the Philippines.
Not to mention this also points to the possibility this disease will become something we will have to learn how to live with and manage rather than something we may be able to eliminate worldwide.
https://www.vox.com/2020/7/12/21321653/getting-covid-19-twice-reinfection-antibody-herd-immunity
*Dengue is often much worse the second time than the first. Dengvaxia appeared to be very successful in preventing a second infection among those that had already had it once – but when administered to someone that hadn't already had one bout of dengue it appeared to make it more likely they would suffer really badly if they went on to actually get dengue. The mistake made was to administer the vaccine to everyone without checking to see if they had already had dengue or not.
*Dengue is often much worse the second time than the first. Dengvaxia appeared to be very successful in preventing a second infection among those that had already had it once – but when administered to someone that hadn't already had one bout of dengue it appeared to make it more likely they would suffer really badly if they went on to actually get dengue. The mistake made was to administer the vaccine to everyone without checking to see if they had already had dengue or not.
(And such a shame that it was mostly children who died…https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3006712/philippines-suspicion-dengue-vaccine-linked)
But, but, Andre…surely all vaccines brought to market 'safe and effective'???
Be careful mate…merely bringing this example of the surprising number of vaccine whoopsie incidents to the fore will earn you an anti-vaxxer/pro- plague label.
Rosemary, some of the reasons you come across as an anti-vaxxer include the way you consistently misrepresent situations by grossly inflating any negative aspect and remove the remainder of the big picture, present off-the-cuff anecdotes and feels and reckons from distressed individuals as established medical fact (when they really are the opposite of established fact), don't acknowledge when off-the-cuff reckons are disproven by careful study of large datasets, make gross misrepresentations of positions taken by other people and organisations etc etc.
(BTW, nobody with any credibility claims all vaccines are absolutely 100% safe and 100% effective from the moment they are launched – it is well acknowledged that effectivity is less than 100%, sometimes a lot less for vaccines that are nonetheless still worthwhile, and that there are people for whom specific vaccines may be contraindicated)
Rosemary, some of the reasons you come across as an anti-vaxxer include the way you consistently misrepresent situations by grossly inflating any negative aspect and remove the remainder of the big picture, present off-the-cuff anecdotes and feels and reckons from distressed individuals as established medical fact (when they really are the opposite of established fact), don't acknowledge when off-the-cuff reckons are disproven by careful study of large datasets, make gross misrepresentations of positions taken by other people and organisations etc etc.
You need to link to where I have committed all of these crimes.
I always provide links to research or media articles. The fact that they are not from sources you reckon are credible (like, I assume, the BMJ? https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-11-06-2020/#comment-1719452) is immaterial. You might want to consider widening your reading horizon?
And just because you have failed to engage with anyone in this community on any meaningful level, you have no right whatsoever to dismiss the accounts I have (with some trepidation) shared here of families of significantly neurologically impaired children who have very good reason to believe a reaction to a routine vaccine caused this damage.
There are precious few mainstream outlets for these 'feels and reckons' because of folks like yourself…blind adherents at the Altar of the Omnipotent Pharma.
And not a single hint of any shred of grief from you for the children dead due to the dodgy Dengue vaccine.
Next time you're swimming around in the 'large datasets' Andre, confident they more accurately represent the safety and efficacy of vaccines, you might want to pause for a nanosecond or two and consider that the number consist of individual cases. These individuals are fellow human beings. With feelings. And opinions.
Andre Your use of the term anti-vaxxer illuminates you as a person who would rather win by bullying. It does not say anything at all about the person attempting dialogue with you
Bumping into the same issue with Andre because I commended Pilger's film about China.
The emotive language employed so far includes :
'truly loathsome totalitarian dictator thugs'
'blinded by their hatred'
'peculiar echo-chamber'.
Evidence to support the vitriol used.
None.
Xan….you will see Rosemary used the term anti-vaxxer first…Andre was just replying to it.
I see no problem at all using this description….the (usually nutters) who oppose vaccination have done countless harm.
Carers dismayed by new disability funders is a title on RNZ news an hour ago.
You might be interested.
I am having to calm down about how ACC do not follow a review decision and think that they can use a branch medical advisor, so useless and 2 months wasted on more mismanagement.
Carers dismayed by new disability funders is a title on RNZ news an hour ago.
Thanks Treetop. Heard that this morning and am a tad confused. Not a very good piece of reporting at all. The 'reforms' actually went ahead in April….and I am pleased to say that in our case the 'transition' was almost seamless. Bureaucratic and clumsy, largely because of Lockdown, but prompt. Some of the ease for us is probably due to the fact that we were transitioning from nothing in the way of funded suport to something. The people on Natrad this morning were already being paid but under the iniquitous and hideous Funded Family Care…which discriminated against carers like myself.
Natrad should have done better.
Correction with the title I used.
Carers dismayed by new disability funding model.
Pleased to hear that this is progress for your situation. I can see some debate occurring for a lot of families who already have enough on their plate.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/421077/carers-dismayed-by-new-disability-funding-model
Story seems clear enough that its angle is driven by people with impaired thinking being required to take on the responsibilities of employers – one of the problems many families complained about with FFC. That whole part of the Ministry seems to need flushing.
Sacha, IF has been used to fund supports for people with impaired thinking for yonks now. Often a parent acts as an agent and manages the funding on behalf of their impaired child. Only difference is that now the IF can be used to pay a family carer. Tbh, I have often struggled to grasp the issue some of these parents have with their children being their employer. In most cases these individuals are perfectly capable of making the choice of having that particular person provide their funded supports and the hands on administrative stuff is handled by the Host agency. This is how IF works, and how payng family carers through a contraced provider works. Safeguards are (theoretically) in place.
The problem is the actual original Funded Family Care (a curse on it and it's midwives at the Misery)…I understand some folk were desperate enough to sign up to it (an lets be honest here…barely 1/4 of the potential 1600 actually hopped on board) but it was obvious it was designed to create exactly that level of conflict and tension. It is a shit of a scheme devised by malevolent arseholes.
Not only an issue with children being an employer, children need to have a guardian/agent and intellectually disabled as well.
Not sure if MSD is still the Guardian when children are removed.
Thank you for your comment to Sacha, you know the issue well.
That's a grim read, thanks Rosemary.
Corporate greed, dodgy politicians, 'creative' data and all those deaths.
I got dengue in Cambodia a couple of years ago. Fortunately I was back home before it came on.
A horrible time and it seems to have taken a bit of capacity, in terms of energy.
When it rains, it pours.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — To slow the spread of the coronavirus, governments issued lockdowns to keep people at home. They curtailed activities that affected services like trash collection. They tried to shield hospitals from a surge of patients.
But the cascading effects of these restrictions also are hampering efforts to cope with seasonal outbreaks of dengue, an incurable, mosquito-borne disease that is also known as “breakbone fever" for its severely painful symptoms.
Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Indonesia have dealt with concurrent outbreaks of dengue and coronavirus this year. In Brazil, where there are over 1.6 million COVID-19 infections, at least 1.1 million cases of dengue have been reported, with nearly 400 deaths, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
Dengue cases are likely to rise soon with the start of seasonal rains in Latin American countries like Cuba, Chile and Costa Rica, as well as the South Asian countries of India and Pakistan.
http://archive.li/yRrLR (nyt)
From an elimination pov, isn't the crucial thing whether people stay infectious after recovery? If not, isolation will still eliminate it.
For a place that's feasible to operate as a closed environment, like New Zealand, yes it's true that elimination is possible as long as people are not infectious after recovery.
But for the world as a whole eradication simply isn't feasible if people can be re-infected. Hell, we haven't yet eradicated measles or polio, even though both those diseases have cheap, high effectiveness vaccines, re-infection doesn't occur, and neither have the sneaky habit of asymptomatic/presymptomatic infectiousness. Because breakouts happen so easily and quickly from any small pockets of disease.
also animal reservoirs can be an issue for many diseases, e.g. Tb or ebola in many wild mammals. That also limits the possibilities for eradication.
So we'd have to maintain a selective travel policy, border checks and isolation.
That's the worst case, yes.
But a vaccine isn't the only option. Antiviral medications for treatment and/or prophylaxis are also possibilities that are being extensively worked on.
We should probably also consider getting used to the idea that maybe the best we'll do is something that reduces the impact of COVID down to say a nasty flu – something we routinely accept. It seems every ten or fifteen years I get laid up for a couple weeks or so with a flu, despite getting vaccinated. If a vaccine or reasonably priced medication were developed that reduced the impact of COVID down to a similar level, then I'd be of the view that that is good enough to open back up.
saw an American Dr say about 30-50% of those that get better after being in hospital with the covid suffer neurological damage, breathing issues, memory loss etc, and these are just issues they know about in the last few months. She also said the 30-50% could be on the low side. She had to say again, "this is not a hoax".
For sure there's a lot of widespread long-term damage. From the stuff I'm seeing in the science sites I follow and from rellies that got it and are involved in treating patients, I'm kinda coming to the impression that SARS-CoV-2's favourite target is blood vessels. Which is why it can have such widespread effects.
If that's what is actually happening, then it shows up first in the respiratory system because that's how it transmits and it's where the virus first touches down. The lucky ones are those whose immune systems are able to stop it there before it goes further and gets to its preferred tissues in the body.
So the worst case might be the best we can do.
A different narrative for COVID 19 in Aotearoa
Over the past few days, an excellent article has been bubbling away below the surface on the Standard and other left leaning websites in the country. Glen Johnson, a New Zealander ‘who has worked as a foreign correspondent in the MENA region for more than a decade’, penned this opinion piece on Al Jazeera.
His observations on the behaviour of the National Party has been gone over before. In this analysis, I want to look at an aspect of his article that may have been missed. Under the section ‘Omission and the economy’, Glen Johnson makes the following important observation on two key omissions in our corporate media’s coverage of the story:
“The opposition, business elements and an instinctively conformist media moved quickly to set the agenda, artificially narrowing the parameters of public discourse.
There were, for example, no deep-dive stories into the state of the health system, eviscerated by aggressive neo-liberalism since the late 1980s, yielding the country acutely vulnerable to COVID-19.
Little was said about our hyper-globalised societies' increasingly fraught relationship with nature, of which COVID-19 is a symptom.”
The Standard needs to shine a light on a different narrative to the one we are given by the mainstream press. We should be focusing on the 2 stories Glen Johnson mentions.
1. The state of New Zealand’s health system. This excellent report by Branko Marcetic describes how The Key government ‘slashed health funding’.
2. “Our hyper-globalised societies' increasingly fraught relationship with nature”.
George Monbiot wrote an article in the Guardian in March headed 'Covid-19 is nature's wake-up call to complacent civilisation.' To summarise, his conclusion is that ‘we begin to see ourselves, once more, as governed by biology and physics, and dependent on a habitable planet.’ George is not alone; UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stated that the COVID-19 pandemic is an ‘unprecedented wake-up call’ for all inhabitants of Mother Earth. Jonathan Safran Foer have explained why 'factory farms are breeding grounds for pandemics.'
Caitlin Johnston is an excellent independent journalist who writes prolifically on a variety of issues. A key focus of her writing is that we are drip fed a daily narrative to shape our thinking. Most recently she has written a fine passage entitled ‘As Long As Mass Media Propaganda Exists, Democracy Is A Sham.'
The recent collusion between the New Zealand media and the Dirty Politics brigade of the National Party shows how our own democracy is under threat as well.
We need to change the conversation.
I am for a Covid-19 minister who has the right clinical background to make sure there is a ready health system and to remind the population that history does repeat regardless of what is known scientifically in the present.
Looks like 8 billion on the planet is not sustainable.
1. Adopting a socialist policy towards health would solve the problem.
2. Several things are unsustainable.
a. Capitalism.
b. Consumerism.
c. Animal Agriculture
Campbell interviews Nicky Hager this morning. Interesting context put forward re Dirty Tricks.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/covid-patient-info-scandal-reeks-organised-campaign-national-author-nicky-hager-argues?auto=6171093733001
I hope the media do not let Woodhouse off the hook.
And Josie Pagani later on Breakfast, what's with her "Not Dirty Politics" and "Labour does it too" rhetoric. She's been in the anti-Labour pro National Camp for ages now and should be marketed accordingly.
Josie Pagani – Hard core Blairite, and just like the UK only wanted her team to win if it's the 'right' team
Josie Pagani's husband is John Pagani.
John Pagani is New Zealand Oil and Gas's corporate services general manager.
I am predicting she did not make that Declaration of interest on Breakfast.
Josie Pagani was dumped by the Labour Party because of her constant attacks back in the DP days. She also had an unhealthy association with the DP operators at the time including Cameron Slater.
She's acting out of revenge.
Maybe she's lining up to take over where the Boagy woman left off.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a/episodes/s2020-e21
And Nicky Kaye fronts up on Q&A, but not Muller!! Was she credible? Not really (am I biased?) and Jack was quite excited by what he called the "hypocrisy" of Woodward.
And the Panel on Q&A interesting as well.
Didnt watch much of it, but seeing kaye whine "that's not fair jack " was priceless . I've waited years for the nat scum to get caught red handed and am loving every second .
Kaye on and Muller hiding because he's a poor liar. I don't think telling straight porkies on camera is in his DNA, although he's ok with the general half-truths and selective quoting required in day-to-day wool pulling.
I hate to give the bastards any advice but Munters Slack-Jawed-Yokel impressions anytime he is asked a question on TV only tends to heighten the feeling that his thinking is at best slow or at the very least a few synapses short of a circuit.
Cleetus he may be, but it's more likely the same thing that afflicted the woeful David Shearer, in that he has to think of what to say before answering so it won't drop him in it further down the track.
It looks awful and fools no one in TV land.
Woodhouse. Woodward was the good guy . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR6hyQBYaWY
Ahhh, Callan … Classic Series.
Underappreciated today.
Woodward = one of the key celebrity-endorsers of the British Labour Party at the 1970 General Election … he was so popular from Callan that they actually built some of their campaign material directly around him … though by the early 80s his sympathies had moved on to the SDP-Liberal Alliance.
The creepiest guy in that show was the "doctor" – so wonderfully grey.
And Antony Valentine was the best villain ever.
OOps. Sorry Michael Woodhouse.
https://twitter.com/Dean_Nimbly/status/1282457457457954817
Usually hard to tell who's pulling the strings, eh? Like how Mossad jumps onto an Arab conspiracy & drives it onto a trajectory that is in Israel's national interests. The important thing is to fuel the thing, get the conspirators high on their own collective sense of destiny & machismo, then play them to win the meta-game while they believe they are winning their own game.
Since the average intelligence of Nat MPs is always low (similar to Labour) anyone who's a cut above learns to herd them. Then it's just a question of competing with the other sheep-dogs to get the sheep through the right gate…
Dennis, is the average intelligence of National and Labour party MPs "always low"?
Maybe I’ve misunderstood, but if that's what you’re claiming, then roughly how low do you reckon? "Low" implies 'below average' to me, but maybe you’re indulging in provocative hyperbole – you know, the sort of thing Nat MPs were indulging in with their Covid-baiting, before they came a cropper.
For a chap of at least average intelligence, you don't half write some nonsense, IMHO.
provocative hyperbole
No problem whatsoever to plead guilty to that! Well, usually, but on this occasion it was an oblique reference to how representative democracy works when driven by identity politics: MPs get voted in when sufficient voters identify with them. So the systems selects average intelligence outputs.
That said, I take the point that perception prevails over reality most of the time nowadays, so the performance of parliamentarians typically produces a widely-held view that MPs are thicker than most folks. So anyone who comments on politics and the nonsense it produces will inevitably write nonsense if they try to be accurate in their descriptions. We could call it the Frank/Kram paradox…
In a representative democracy, should the average intelligence of parliamentarians reflect society's average? Maybe Ardern and Bridges/Muller cancel each other out.
I've been wondering this too. Not so much about Collins but what the long term strategy is. If MH is as smart as he appears to be, I doubt he is trying to win this year's election. They will be looking at the longer term plan to rebuild National and how to regain power.
Maybe Hooton has fucked up here, but I think it's really unwise for the left to assume he is stupid or not good at what he does.
Must be some big tussles going on behind the scenes. Hoots is just the hired help in that context. But hired by whom is a great question.
The Media Watch RNZ thing was good, Brent Edwards giving the media a bit of a warning, to not let National use them for politicking, RNZ dispute this, but good on them for allowing the other point of view. They really should ask their sources, where they got their source. If a polly offers them confidential information, maybe try and find out where it came from, or be journalistic and find a source to back up the evidence. It just seems to me they took Walker at his word, and his word alone "this wasn't password protected and was available to anyone", which was quite simply, a lie, which they reported.
Clark takes his kids to the beach, days and days of screaming headlines, Nats & acolyte (s) potentially break laws, dodgy creepy ethics, and nothing, even though some journalists are writing very good, factual pieces, it seems it's the editors letting the Nats off.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018754242/walkergate-revives-dirty-politics-vibes
Thank you.
If there is no link posted is there an alternative?
If there is an error in the link it is as bad as there being no link.
In absence of a link, you can mention the source and point people in the right direction but I think it is highly unusual to have no link at all.
An error in a link can be picked up and corrected by another commenter and/or a Moderator.
It comes down to showing consideration for other readers here and some commitment towards sharing your source so that they can check it out for themselves and possibly do further reading if they wish.
FFS, can people please add a link when you are discussing or quoting from a media story. Not rocket surgery.
Indeed, particularly odious. I believe there was a discussion about this kind of behaviour on RNZ National over the weekend…
Hi Sacha, Not sure Rocket Surgery is a thing, but for some of us copying and pasting clips might as well be Rocket Science. There don't appear to be clips of the Breakfast show interview with Josie Pagani that I mentioned earlier (without going to Facebook, no thank you). I tried copying and pasting, unsuccessfully, the whole show (Pagani is 1:15:00 in) but couldn't do it, so my apologies if I am one of the people who have ground your gears this morning.
Not at all. #11 did it after a rash of them lately.
Still looking good for Biden: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/12/politics/texas-swing-state-2020-election-polls/index.html
The government's chosen not to disclose the location of the hotel used for the deportees coming from Aus. Concerned about privacy, vigilantes, fearmongers.
Fine in theory. But in practice … it will leak sooner or later. Hard to keep that quiet.
Will backfire if Minister or even PM is asked "can you confirm …?" by a reporter who knows the answer already.
There is a really obvious reason to keep the location secret, so no it will not be a problem for govt representatives sticking to that line with media. Unlike weaselling from Nats trying to keep their stories straight.
Should be down Queenstown way I reckon. Very welcoming folk down there.
At Dr Ashley Bloomfield's 1pm media stand-up today, he was asked why the Helicopter Trust would receive Covid-19 patient details.
Bloomfield said that all emergency helicopter services have received Covid patient information from day one of the outbreak. He said it is a well established process to protect emergency services staff. He also said patient details are confidential and are sent to secure email addresses by the Ministry. He wouldn't answer any further questions due to the inquiry.
Michelle Boag provided private email to receive patients' details – Bloomfield.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/michelle-boag-provided-private-email-receive-patients-details-bloomfield
Steve Braunias on the feelings in West Auckland.
Apprehensive seems to sum it up.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12346626
No I shan't subscribe, but thanks for asking.
In 2010 the Law Commission’s Issues Paper Alcohol in Our Lives found that harmful drinking had become a source of serious social problems in New Zealand.
The Issues Paper described the range of problems associated with harmful alcohol consumption in New Zealand and set out some of the measures that should have been used to help curb those problems and concludes with some preliminary ideas on law reform. There were 5 key recommendations:
1. raise alcohol prices.
2. raise the purchase age.
3. reduce alcohol accessibility.
4. reduce alcohol advertising and sponsorship.
5. increase drink-driving countermeasures.
Governments since have ignored the recommendations. New Zealand’s governments are beholden to the liquor industry.
Doug Sellman, Jennie Connor, Geoff Robinson, Sam McBride and Tony Farrell wrote this report describing the failure of the 2008 to 2017 government.
Clearly the South African government is not beholden to the liquor industry.
Ramaphosa re-imposed a night-time curfew and also a ban on alcohol sales barely six weeks after buying booze had become legal again.
“As we head towards the peak of infections, it is vital that we do not burden our clinics and hospitals with alcohol-related injuries,” Ramaphosa said.
Each passing day in the last two months vindicates more strongly the health advice given to our government, the actions taken, the quality of leadership (excepting National) and the community response from our people. Those noisey few who constantly took cheapshots are getting pretty quiet now as it becomes obvious how tricky it is to balance health and economy. New South Wales has a big fight now to avoid joining Victoria in a return to strong restrictions. I wish them the best and want to give a shout out to everyone working hard for us at our borders.
On World rising virus infections it occurred to me that the USA has high numbers and yet it is in high summer. Didn't they forecast that the winter would be worse? Hell!
Ben Thomas, right wing spin doctor and friend of Hooton on the Panel.
Bet you Wallace Chapman does nothing to challenge his spin.
Which is Wallace Chapman shilling for the ACT Party?
Susan St.John destroys the ACT Party's economic policies.
Wallace sounds like a card carrying member of the party and a close mate of Seymour's.
wowser Seymour and the ACT wowser party wants to stop you enjoying a beer or a glass of wine. Beneficiaries are going to get a payment card under their policy released today. So the wowsers plan to create an extra layer of bureaucracy and dump the costs on to the hard working NZ taxpayer. No doubt Wowsermour will be looking to contract out the administration of the scheme to the private sector where some company can clip the ticket and take some more money out of tax payers pockets.
Simon BridgesTodd MullersChris LuxonTodd Mullers 'Bonfire on Bureaucracy' can start with this costly bureaucratic wowserism.[Fixed the same error in user name]
Fixed the same error in user name.
Wallace just said on the Panel that the SFO is opening an investigation into the Labour Party funding. Bluddy hell!
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/421114/serious-fraud-office-to-investigate-2017-labour-party-donations
Stunningly helpful timing.
Timing? Very strange, since the investigation into the National Funding was announced nearly a year ago but excluded the Party and named JamieLee and the donors instead. (That started today.)
This investigation gives no clue of the cause and times it just before an Election.
Will Julie outline just what the issue is? And this one's process will not be getting under way until after the Election.
Who is in charge of the SFO?
Julie Reid.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11123047
What interesting timing………….
On the Herald now
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12347726
and Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122119207/serious-fraud-office-investigation-into-donations-made-to-labour-party-in-2017
and Radio New Zealand
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/421114/serious-fraud-office-to-investigate-2017-labour-party-donations
These folk have a 59% chance of someone in their group being infected with Covid19.
https://twitter.com/charlesjaco1/status/1282407667525464070
https://twitter.com/AnthonyMKreis/status/1282433905010913280
Wasn't the Queenstown cluster just before the lockdown a cattle industry conference? Sheesh.
South Florida going crazy ape balls, numbers through the roof, hospitals full, and that's not even accounting the lag, spike in infection, then week or 2 later hospital.
Excuse my cynicism but can’t help but wonder if this isn’t to do with national
I agree.
RNZ reporting that Boag supplied her private email address when explicitly asked where MoH should send the patient details.
"Unsolicited". Lol.
She beggars belief. Either completely intellectually absent from her ARHT role, or completely intellectually absent in her macchiavellian plans to frame the government for "leaks".
What an absolute fucking tool.
So she regards her company address as her personal email address? FFS.
edit: oh:
Nice to know my speculation wasn’t completely off-base 🙂
The stupid never ends.
Can the nat caucus stop announcing each others' ethnicities without checking with them first?
This can't be blamed on Muller or Boag – the nats are overdosing on incompetence. Have they been huffing leaded petrol for old-times' sake?
It sounded pretty Chinese and close enough though. That’s the problem with those surnames, as we all know.
That always gets my goat – to call probabilistic linkage "Chinese sounding names" is a gross mischaracterisation. It's actually how the government currently links individuals' information between departments.
Speaking of which, your name does have a slightly suspicious ring to it…
Ah, but how many "McFlock"s are there in NZ from which to make the inference? 🙂
Sheer laziness.
If that's all the data manages, that's all the data manages. No amount of work will create data out of thin air.
Turning data into information is a dark art. The Alchemists have tried and failed and became modern day scientists. Data, facts, and information are not for the fainthearted. For us mere mortals all that matters is perception, eh?
It's not all that dark, until you get into finance – they like to keep that as dark as possible so the regulators aren't entirely sure what anyone's up to.
As long as the assumptions (and therefore sources of error) are open, and probability is not mistaken for certainty.
Labour's most risky assumption was actually that their leaked data source was representative of the entire Auckland market. Barely got mentioned, because the opponents' objectives were to misrepresent the work, not embark on a good faith exploration of the problem.
Conversely, the IDI isn't so bad for sociological research (and might identify some intersectional items of interest, particularly across generations), but apparently one department was initially fixin' to confuse correlation with causation and start targeting algorythm-"identified" kids as "at risk". Fucking nightmare scenario: "computer says your child needs to go into care".
That stuff had to be stamped on hard, and I suspect it helped justify such stringent controls.
This left/right thing. It's time we started utilising the energy it creates in our favour.
We need to find a new reason to dislike 50% of the population. Lets do it with surnames A=M versus N-Z. (see what I did there…already a bias!)
A-N versus O-Z…oh not bloody Oz. Ok, we're going to form sides via our letterboxes. Odds vs Evens.
If the left right thing is put to bed and harmony sought everyone can win.
The right can build streets of family homes and cash in.
Families in motels can decide on a floor plan that suits.
We found billions to confront covid, what's holding us back from getting things really sorted?
fear of the unknown?
Kia Ora
The Am Show.
That would be good a travel bubble with Rarotonga.
The Internet is a great way to promote musical Stars
Yes we do need to protect the Earth biodiversity at the moment many creatures are going extinct.
Ka kite Ano
are we all ready for Lockdown, part 2?
Kia Ora
Newshub.
No comment
Its great to see Kiwis enjoying winter sports.
Cool that wealth people are advocateing for a higher rate of taxes for wealthiest.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
Te Ao Maori Marama.
Te muller fuller
It would be good to see More Maori hired in government mahi.
It is good to see people helping Wahine keep their tamariki in their mothers care.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
The Am Show.
Find the positive in most situations.
I figured that out.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
Newshub
Its good to see people being held accountable for slandering Maori.
That's great increaseing dump fees to make people recycle more rubbish.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
Te Ao Maori News.
Ka pai I would like a lawyer like yours.
To much rain in Rotorua the septic system cannothhandle it they should have had plans for that so they don't have to spill crap in the lake.
Ka kite Ano.
Kia Ora
The Am Show.
Formula E racing is the way of the future.
The Salvation Army new comunity housing is great they are a awesome charity.
Ka kite Ano