Not quite sure what you’re trying to say in reference to this article, but I have a lot of sympathy with James Morris’s comments. We won’t get the best people going into teaching until we stop treating them like rubbish
There’s a probable fallacy there. The best people go for the best money. Teachers aren’t paid the best money. Therefore current teachers aren’t the best…….. pfffft! Teachers teach for other reasons than cash alone.
I still remember my 1970 TTC tutor saying, as did one of the Greek philosophers, “”What? Teach and get paid, too?”
There is a bottom line though. I haven’t taught at school for seven years now but in my time conditions and stupid make-work bureaucracy along with troubled students were more damaging to retention than salary alone.
He seems to be criticising his own staff, among others, JanM. It could just be my reading of it but I gained the assumption he was saying we need better teachers than the ones we’ve got.
I’d very surprised if anyone went into teaching with anything but good intentions. That some (many) appear not be living up to their potential is surely grounds to examine why rather than leap to judgement all the time.
I was teaching full time in the 80s when part of the neoliberal transition was to change people’s attitudes to teachers from one of respected professionals to virtually the servants of parents, beholden and answerable to them, and the gradual takeover in many cases of school trustees in the Tomorrows Schools model served to hasten that attitude. That has gradually eaten away at the pride of teachers in their profession, and an unwillingness of many to enter it at all. Lower income compared to other professional bodies has only been a part of it.
Jan M you are so right. I was teaching through that time too, and an experience I had when Tomorrow’s Schools came in was the most traumatic of my career. As Principal of a small school in the Waikato, the School Committee became the Board of Trustees. They were anything but ‘trustees’. They did not learn, despite many episodes of training, that they were governors and not managers. They saw themselves with power and control, and as a consequence I suffered under their version of the truth. As teachers we have been sidelined, underpaid and denigrated for too long. I am still teaching, but only a day or two a week in a semi retired way.
It isn’t too much to say that we are the future of our country. We are the ones who will nurture the leaders and followers of the future. Admittedly we only have them for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, but at primary school level at least, they look to us to guide their thinking, to inform their need for information and to give them a sense of culture and identity. This requires skill and understanding, among other things. In Norway teachers are highly trained and highly skilled. They, in turn, are highly respected and are left to do their best because the state and the people trust them to do the job they are tasked with. They are consequently well paid for their expertise.
Until that happens in NZ we are screwed. And I don’t think Hipkins is skilled enough to guide us through to that conclusion.
My observations while Teaching were; Teachers that didn’t try to be good Teachers were rare.
The ones that were not making the grade, were generally burnt out from stress caused by unrealistic expectations from above.
I’ve long though that sabbaticals, to refocus and reflect, and something similar to the police PERF scheme, for those who have had enough, should be available for Teachers.
I found the worst part was all the kids falling behind, and desperately needing help,that you hadn’t the time for, and couldn’t get any help for.
I’m not sure what your point is with the “good tradesman” analogy. If there isn’t enough money to attract and retain good teachers, there’s not a lot that a “good tradesman” is going to be able to do. Are education leaders just meant to magic up some teachers?
Stopping the ridiculing of teachers by the right-wing politicians of all parties that we’ve had for the last 30+ years will probably help get good teachers back.
The judgement in America on Monsanto’s Roundup should make all councils and schools cease its use immediately.
And supermarkets and garden stores should stop selling it today.
Let’s apply some pressure for them to put people before profits.
RNZ 10 March 2016 “Contractors told to wear masks when spraying.”. Sorry, on my phone so can’t provide link.
This tells of a minor shitstorm in the Garden City when it transpired that contractors spraying Roundup were told NOT to wear safety gear so as not to alarm the locals.
If memory serves, the Mayor was singularly unimpressed.
Meriel Watts has an international reputation for her work trying to raise awareness of the hazards of the ubiquitous herbicide….I’ll hazard few here have heard of her.
The agrochemical industry rules..take them on at your peril.
The best we can hope for is to demand that those responsible for enforcement of rules and regulations around spraying actually do their job.
Hah! In the case of the Waikato Regional Council…dream on.
And for anyone interested, RNZ News has an impressive archive of articles going back years on glyphosate and its history, concerns etc. This includes many other similar local NZ articles relating to the use of Round Up and similar here in NZ.
Yep shade works with most weeds if you can completely cover them with weed mat etc but that brings with it its own set of problems .What would be great would be a covering which would completely biodegrade in say three years …not sure its been invented yet though !!
Weston; plants that shade other plants were invented yonks ago 🙂
I’ve used wild chervil to completely shade out couch. Native trees shade out gorse and broom, given time. Shade. It’s a thing!
The great left-winger and egotist (they go together) William Cobbett (the real founder of Hansard’s in the UK’s 40 years dictatorship that followed the French Revolution) maintained you could dig out couch-grass . He put a team of men to dig up 7 acres. Next year, just as bad.
I use glyphosate all the time and would be reluctant to give it up. Always known the danger to smaller animals so I take seriously the WHO’s report. But, yet…
yep hard to take an effective weapon out of ones arsenal i agree sumsuch and unfortunate having to contribute to the coffers of giant corporations also especially corporations that are known to be the most evil on the planet !!I could cope with the weeds ok in my immediate environment but its weeds like the really horrible Climbing Asparagus that to my mind justify using poisons like glyphosate .Not to do so spells disaster for many areas of bush and coastal lands alike .Alas its already too late in my view .
Forest & Bird’s report ‘Cleaning Up: Fixing Compliance, Monitoring & Enforcement in the dairy sector’ audited all of the country’s effluent compliance monitoring performances for the 2016-17 year.
It found that councils across the country were inconsistent in how they monitored farms and were not fulfilling basic requirements, such as identifying all dairy farms within their region.
“In Forest & Bird’s view, these poorly performing councils do not take their dairy sector compliance, monitoring and enforcement obligations seriously, and will need some encouragement to improve their performance,” it said.
It found that three-quarters of New Zealand’s dairy farms were in eight regions that did not monitor 100 per cent of their farms. Last year, around 5000 farms were not monitored for dairy effluent compliance.
“This almost certainly means that many instances of serious non-compliance are likely to have gone undetected,” the report said.
yes and as for Waikato Regional Council – what a useless bunch – they gave wrong OIA info and then moan about how hard it is.
It found there were at least nine Waikato farms found to be seriously non-compliant in 2016-17 which had not been monitored for 10 years or more…
… However, Waikato Regional Council farming services manager Nicole Botherway said inspecting every Waikato dairy farm was not practical.
“It’s unrealistic to burden our ratepayers with the massive four-fold expense of extra staff and resources just because they live in a region with the most dairy farms in the country.”
Taranaki councils charge $300 to the farm owner for inspection, and then Fonterra charge another $300 per farm on what is essentially the same inspection.
So a double inspection too keep everyone happy.
Yes Fonterra inspect Dairy Sheds (Buliding standard, environmental and dairy hygiene).
They also inspect dairy farm records (supplemental feeds, nitrogen use, antibiotic and drug use, stock recording methods etc).
If you only knew. Fonterra have probably got the most robust inspection and compliance regime in the country. They stopped collecting milk on 70+ farms last year because the farmers hadn’t met their effluent and waterway fencing rules.
Fonterra make the councils and MPI look like amateurs.
“Fonterra make the councils and MPI look like amateurs.”
And of course MPI were totally on top of mycoplasma bovis – not. They are amateurs. Doesn’t make Fonterra infallible though – only takes one slip in a processing chain and there’s hell to pay.
No good reason why they should be stressed if they are compliant. That’s like turning off the burglar alarms in case the burglar gets distressed by them!
It was the noise of the helicopters that was causing stress… in both man and beast.
Being buzzed by a helicopter is no fun at all…even less fun when the helicopter is flying very low alongside and over a residential property spraying a hazardous substance.
In our case, the Waikato Regional Council refused to investigate or enforce the Standard. At the same time our home and property was being harassed and contaminated by a spraying helicopter…the WRC was using helicopters to conduct a pantomime monitoring of dairy effluent management.
We tried to find out if our rates were being used to pay for this monitoring to the same helicopter company that chemically trespassed our property. No go, as this was ‘commercially sensitive’ information.
“Corruption” is a word not lightly used….but it may be appropriate here.
“Even less fun when the helicopter is flying very low alongside and over a residential property spraying a hazardous substance”.
Off the topic a bit, don’t you think?
Illegal dairy effluent disposal and illegal use of agrichemicals. Both are the responsibility of the Regional Councils to monitor and enforce. In both areas of responsibility the WRC has a dismal record. It just so happens that the issue our family had with the aerial application of agrichemicals was very probably made worse by the WRC being compromised by contracting the same helicopter companies to do the effluent monitoring that they were legally obligated to ensre were applying agrichemicals in the required manner.
As other commenters have noted, Regional Councils are heavily populated by farming folk who seem obligated to protect their own.
It just so happens that the issue our family had with the aerial application of agrichemicals was very probably made worse by the WRC being compromised by contracting the same helicopter companies to do the effluent monitoring that they were legally obligated to ensre were applying agrichemicals in the required manner.
Which is why councils should do this stuff themselves rather than get private contractors.
And haul the national party into the dock to answer their charges of ‘turning a blind eye for the nine years allowing dirty dairying’ as they ficticiously made us into “A rockstar economy”
I read an interesting coment on fish games blind eye turning to the thousands and thousands of plastic shotgun waddings that must be shot into nz s water ways the other day .
Yeh who is with out sin and all that shit .
Not sure where your comment is sourced from, but here’s an actual news article from today citing an upcoming court case, ind in particular Fish and Game using drones to show evidence of consent breaches – using drones.
As i said just a comment i read online . But it would be fact if,your ever in a f and g meeting ask them what they are doing about the huge amount of plastic shotgun shooting would put into the environment.
If they clean up the worst farming practises I’m all for it but don’t think for one minute it is coming from anything more than self interest with fish and game .
These people release trout into rivers .trout decimate native species. (That bits just to illustrate that they are not eco warriors)
However, Waikato Regional Council farming services manager Nicole Botherway said inspecting every Waikato dairy farm was not practical.
Of course it’s practical – hire more people and get them well trained in the job.
Of course, that will tend to reduce unemployment and we may see wages rising which will inevitably have the capitalists that don’t like paying wages whinging as well as the farmers whinging from being found to have broken the law.
+100 yes compliance seems to be looking the other way a lot lately.
WDC also seem oblivious to what drainage plans are for by letting people do as they please. Then there’s the waterways issues all of their own making like effluent in whaingaroa harbour.
“The New Zealand Nursing Organisation (NZNO) have lodged a Kaupapa Inquiry Claim into pay disparity of Māori nurses which will be heard by the Waitangi Tribunal in October.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerry Nuku says the crown has breached its obligations to Māori in the health system under the Treaty of Waitangi.”
It was probably just as well this meeting wasn’t one for the Councillors to say their piece- just listen- with the strength of feeling in the room last night I don’t think Chris Laidlaw would’ve stood a chance, but at least he had the guts to show and I really hope he was squirming. I personally love the idea of going on a fare strike.
I think it came across very clearly that their was accessibility issues for a large number of people. I think the main problem was that it was hard to get across the scale of the problem – it came across as individuals having problems unique to themselves but it really is on a much bigger scale than that.
Buses are not just overcrowded but people are packed in really tightly, sardine tightly, and the drivers are in a tough position – overload the buses (which they seriously are) or leave people at stops when they have already been waiting 30, 40 or 50 minutes. And the people who check the buses for safety are nowhere to be seen even though there are continuous complaints about safety and overloading.
My driver on Friday looked absolutely shattered as we had a full bus for about 2/3 of the route – and that was before peak time. Driving with a full bus, a long way, (e.g. people have to exit the back door to let other people off and then get back on again because there was no other way to make room) requires a really high level of vigilance over a long period of time – and that level of vigilance takes a toll day-in/day-out over a long working day. The bus driver was doing clumsy things that were starting to get a bit risky and it’s not too hard to see that low risk things turning to high risk things as the drivers get worn down even more.
Thanks for this information. As mentioned in my reply to Kay at 5.1.2.1 below, I would really appreciate any info you recall on what was said if anything at the meeting re the 29 services to/from island Bay via Owhiro Bay/Brooklyn and via Southgate/Newtown. TIA.
I don’t remember any one particularly mentioning that route but there was a sticker wall where people could put up specific complaints. There were going to be collated and given to the WRC but they might be available to everyone.
Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it. I got the impression the meeting probably focused more on the eastern suburbs issues – eg having to change buses to get to the hospital etc, late/no show buses etc.
Each area seems to have their own specific problems, so we are putting together a collation of issues in our area and will be getting this to Metlink, Paul Eagle, WRC and WCC in the very near future. It may be that we should set up a local meeting to discuss our local issues. We are already in contact with Metlink in a co-operative, non-aggressive manner and so far, we seem to be making some headway/on the same wavelength with them at least on some issues, but time will tell.
I was there for most of it Rosemary. As a result of a discussion with a woman there about the decimation of buses at that hour back to my suburb I was offered a lift home so couldn’t turn down the offer! So I missed the latter bit with the bus driver and fare strike proposal but caught up with them on Morning Report.
Interesting to observe that every time a driver got up to speak they were loudly applauded. One noticeable thing throughout this farce is with very few exceptions, no one is blaming the drivers.
I’m looking forward to the meeting on the 23rd and hearing the GWRC spin on this. And audience reaction!
Thanks for that Kay. I was not able to get there yesterday as I found out about the meeting too late.
I would be really interested in any points raised at the meeting about the Island Bay services, primarily the No 29 services (via Owhiro Bay and Brooklyn OTOH and via Southgate and Newtown on the other hand), as I and others are very affected by the changes to these and we are in contact with Metlink etc on these issues.
@ VV Oops apologies, it’s Sunday the 26th. St Pats College, but I’ve seen both 2 and 3pm mentioned so got to confirm that.
During the open mike part certain bus routes were mentioned, being a Newtown meeting the majority of the comments seemed to refer to the Southern suburb routes. A fair bit got said about Houghton Bay, tbh the 29 probably was but I wasn’t concentrating that much, they’re not routes I ever use so it didn’t really register. My takeaway from it was a public expression of all the angry emails, phone calls, official complaints and posts/blogs/tweets that have been flying around for the past few weeks.
I’ve been out this avo so missed the interview- thanks for the link, will listen shortly 🙂
how do @veuto.
Route 29 is a shocker (From what I hear, alongside 23). My daughters friend now has 3 buses (i.e. 2 exchanges) to get where she wants to go whereas the old Houghton Bay served many people well.
By the way….I did reply to you the other day (I think re Ponter) OM 10th or 11th.
Once again, probably the best thing for GWRC to do would be to revert ot old route system, but that would be an admission of complete failure.
I tried to find out whether the Tramways Union, or ‘old hand’ drivers were consulted before, and while this new system was being designed – but to no avail.
The more I hear about this farce, the more I despair. And frankly the more surprised I am at Ponter. (Laidlaw you could make allowances for). It’s almost like a case study on how politicians and administration lose touch with reality.
Routes 29 and 23 are a total fuckup, route 18 is a complete fuckup, and route 20 ……..
Thanks OWT – and my apologies for not replying to your earlier reply to me re Daran Ponter. Things are a bit messy at the moment – I am sure that you know that ‘feast or fame’ situation where you have too much or too little on your plate and never a nice balance! C’est la vie.
Re reverting to the old system, I doubt that is possible due to legalities however.
It has actually crossed my mind as to whether Tranzit will last the distance financially. They must have spent a fortune on the new buses etc but I have heard on the grapevine that the costs associated with bringing in drivers from outside Wellington and covering their accommodation costs etc have been astronomical and unplanned …
My/our focus is on the other side of the South Coast to Houghton Bay – ie SW Island Bay, Owhiro Bay, Frobisher St area, Happy Valley. Our problems are slightly different to Houghton Bay etc so there could be some merit to keeping them separate – and as I said, Metlink has been quite cooperative to date particularly as one of the problems is something they want themselves so we are onside on that issue.
This is what you get when you start demanding people get censored. It’s always the left who have the most to fear from censorship because power is usually held in the hands of the monied powerful and they will always protect their own interests first
“From Alex Jones to alleged Russian trolls, major internet companies are increasingly policing content on their platforms. Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone Project says the partnership between Facebook and the Atlantic Council highlights “the merger of the national security state and Silicon Valley.”
Tinder to get temporary accommodation because they have no other options. Reports also suggest this practice isn’t limited to women.
Due to the hidden nature and often ill-defined boundaries of survival sex, it is difficult to regulate and therefore almost impossible to offer protection for women. This places them in highly precarious situations. Until the structural issues in our housing market are addressed, this is unlikely to change.
TOP is still alive.
From Gareth:
“…I’m pleased to say that discussions re the future of TOP are progressing well. As part of the groundwork for TOP to continue the Board has amended the party rules in order to better position the Party in its preparation for the 2020 election….”
Interesting appointment indeed. I just hope Lisa learns to ‘keep it zipped sweetie’ at times and lets her interviewees have a fair say. Must admit I was impressed by Simon Shepherd’s interview with Grant Robertson on The Nation this last weekend.
National Government while in power were most of the time wanting to sell NZ to the lowest bidder without a care.
Labour is right by encouraging NZ made industries to come back again.
We need for example to begin producing wolllen carpets again as we lost ournmillls to China and India during the gosmans own liberalist Ntional government selloff.
Woolen carpets do not cause global pollution as the plastic carpets we only make here now so when we throw the plastic carpets away guess where they go and how long it takes to break those plastic carpets down again?
250 years at least we are told it takes to break down the ‘nylon’ carpets and no-one has even considered this as the new threat to our environment, as all plastic and nylon must be stopped now before we are all screwed. Just look at what is inside plastic carpets that you all buy now because you dont have any large NZ carpet manufacturers now.
The Toxic Dangers of Carpeting:Are the Carpets in Your Home or Office a Health Hazard?
by SixWise.com
Walking across your soft, wall-to-wall carpet with bare feet may seem pleasant enough, and we won’t deny that it does feel cozy, but there are some unpleasant and downright dangerous things about carpeting that deserve attention.
In America, we love wall-to-wall carpeting–in fact, according to the Carpet and Rug Institute more than two-thirds of American floors have them–despite the fact that they contain toxic byproducts that are released into our homes and even inhaled and absorbed into our bodies.
Carpet Samples
It looks innocent enough, but carpets are made from synthetic fibers that have been treated with toxic chemicals that outgas into your home.
Carpets Emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Your Home
Almost all carpet is made from synthetic fibers and those fibers have been treated with synthetic chemicals that “outgas” into your home. Here’s a list of some carpet “ingredients”:
Petroleum byproducts and synthetics (polypropylene, nylon, acrylic)
Soil and stain repellents
Vinyl or latex
PVC
Urethane
Antistatic sprays
Artificial dyes
Antimicrobial treatments
After being exposed to these chemicals and breathing them in or absorbing them through the skin, some people may feel symptoms such as headache, dizziness or nausea right away.
But often times, no symptoms are felt. In the long-term, however, no one knows for certain what the effects of these chemicals may be. The EPA has said that no cause-and-effect relationship between carpet emissions and health problems has been proven. However, says Mark Gold from Holistic Healing, “Please pay attention to this warning: Sucking down toxic chemicals may seem okay now, but you may pay a very heavy price in the future.”
For instance, carpets may contain:
Known carcinogens such as p-Dichlorobenzene. These chemicals may also cause hallucinations, nerve damage and respiratory illness in humans.
4-PC, the chemical that gives carpets their distinctive “new carpet smell” and is associated with eye, nose and upper respiratory problems.
Mothproofing chemicals, which contain naphthalene.
Fire retardants with PBDEs, which may cause damage to thyroid, immune system and brain development functions in humans.
Good morning The AM Show even if 5% of people brought elictric car’s that’s thousand of cars on the road our oil
Import bill will come down. Last year the number was 2% reliability is not a problem if you buy new the battery.s last at least 8 years so no problem there sell it and buy a new one that’s what people do If they can afford it
The left leaning tangata want Aotearoa to be the best place on Papatuanukue to raise all Mokopunas not matter whom they are we are all humans.
Veronica The Celine Dion show starting
singer is a very good singer Amanda I think you will go to the concert Ka pai
Ka kite ano. P.S I’m chasing our Mokopunas around at the minute
The Free Speech distraction is not really a big issues people are just using the topic to distract us from The real issues and that is privacy rights if big brother can snop into everyone electronica data that gives. To much power to the 00.1%,to do nasty things to the common tangata. And from what I see it’s not like we can trust the 00.1% to do the correct things with that power.
One just has to look at how some multi national companies lie there, – – – – off to protect the profits over humanity health the link is Below Ka kite ano
Google records your location even when you tell it not to p.S most people have the Internet to voice there opinions and if you get ignored well your views on reality don’t fit with the tangata of 2018
Here we go when service are included in the exporters importers market data the USA has a surplus with the Papatuanukue of 1.4 trillion so what are some of these services mone exchange face book Google so us see the USA is the wealthiest country on Papatuanukue they have not got there from losing in world trade its convenient to leave service data out of the stats link below Ka kite ano https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/13/is-free-trade-always-the-answer
Ana to kai
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Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters, PhD The 2020 global wildfire season brought extreme fire activity to the western U.S., Australia, the Arctic, and Brazil, making it the fifth most expensive year for wildfire losses on record. The year began with an unprecedented fire event ...
NOTE: This is an excerpt from a digital story – read the full story here.Tess TuxfordKo te Kauri Ko Au, Ko te Au ko Kauri I am the kauri, the kauri is me Te Roroa proverb In Waipoua Forest, at the top of the North Island, New ...
Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Coming attraction: IPCC's upcoming major climate assessmentLook for more emphasis on 'solutions,' efforts by cities, climate equity ... and outlook for emissions cuts in ...
Ringing A Clear Historical Bell: The extraordinary images captured in and around the US Capitol Building on 6 January 2021 mirror some of the worst images of America's past.THERE IS A SCENE in the 1982 movie Missing which has remained with me for nearly 40 years. Directed by the Greek-French ...
To impact or not to impeach? I understand why some of those who are justifiably aghast at Trump’s behaviour over recent days might still counsel against impeaching him for a second time. To impeach him, they argue, would run the risk of making him a martyr in the eyes of ...
The Capitol Building, Washington DC, Wednesday, 6 January 2021. Oh come, my little one, come.The day is almost done.Be at my side, behold the sightOf evening on the land.The life, my love, is hardAnd heavy is my heart.How should I live if you should leaveAnd we should be apart?Come, let me ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Jan 3, 2021 through Sat, Jan 9, 2021Editor's ChoiceAfter the Insurrection: Accountability, Reform, and the Science of Democracy The poisonous lies and enablers of sedition--including Senator Hawley, pictured ...
This article, guest authored by Prof. Angela Gallego-Sala & Dr. Julie Loisel, was originally published on the Carbon Brief website on Dec 21, 2020. It is reposted below in its entirety. Click here to access the original article and comments. Peatlands Peatlands are ecosystems unlike any other. Perpetually saturated, their ...
The assault on the US Capitol and constitutional crisis that it has caused was telegraphed, predictable and yet unexpected and confusing. There are several subplots involved: whether the occupation of the Michigan State House in May was a trial run for the attacks on Congress; whether people involved in the ...
On Christmas Eve, child number 1 spotted a crack in a window. It’s a double-glazed window, and inspection showed that the small, horizontal crack was in the outermost pane. It was perpendicular to the frame, about three-quarters of the way up one side. The origins are a mystery. It MIGHT ...
Anne-Marie Broudehoux, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Will the COVID-19 pandemic prompt a shift to healthier cities that focus on wellness rather than functional and economic concerns? This is a hypothesis that seems to be supported by several researchers around the world. In many ways, containment and physical distancing ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
[Opening comments, welcome and thank you to Auckland University etc] It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This is a moment many feared would never come, but ...
The Government is providing $3 million in one-off seed funding to help disabled people around New Zealand stay connected and access support in their communities, Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni announced today. The funding will allow disability service providers to develop digital and community-based solutions over the next two ...
Border workers in quarantine facilities will be offered voluntary daily COVID-19 saliva tests in addition to their regular weekly testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. This additional option will be rolled out at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland starting on Monday 25 January, and then to ...
The next steps in the Government’s ambitious firearms reform programme to include a three-month buy-back have been announced by Police Minister Poto Williams today. “The last buy-back and amnesty was unprecedented for New Zealand and was successful in collecting 60,297 firearms, modifying a further 5,630 firearms, and collecting 299,837 prohibited ...
The Government has released its Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 which outlines the intention of where 8,000 additional public and transitional housing places announced in Budget 2020, will go. “The Government is committed to continuing its public house build programme at pace and scale. The extra 8,000 homes – 6000 public ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States of America. “I look forward to building a close relationship with President Biden and working with him on issues that matter to both our countries,” Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Babies born with tongue-tie will be assessed and treated consistently under new guidelines released by the Ministry of Health, Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. Around 5% to 10% of babies are born with a tongue-tie, or ankyloglossia, in New Zealand each year. At least half can ...
Under a thick layer of concrete at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramentin Christchurch is a metal box likely containing hundreds of holy relics – a historical treasure trove set to be uncovered after 50 years of near total obscurity.As the earth shook and buildings crumbled, a statue of ...
Bananas are unequivocally the best fruit in the world, and there’s nothing you can say to change my mind, writes Alice Webb-Liddall.I was about 15 when I realised that halftime banana cake wasn’t a tradition outside of my family. On the day of an All Blacks game a banana cake ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden as On the Rag looks at how the world around us has been built by men, for men. First published December 7, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members ...
At an antagonistic hearing yesterday, the internet giant laid out the ‘worst case scenario’. And Facebook is also considering an ‘amputation’. Hal Crawford was watching.Google is poised to hit self-destruct in Australia according to a fractious Senate hearing into an unprecedented law that will force digital giants to pay money ...
It’s great to hear Phil Twyford celebrating a success. Not a personal ministerial success, it’s fair to say, but a success nevertheless related to arms control. The arms on which Twyford is focused, it should be noted, will make quite a mess if they are triggered. They tend to be ...
Duncan Greive and Leonie Hayden were young hip hop heads and music journalists during the era captured in a new documentary about the rise and fall of South Auckland hip hop label Dawn Raid. Here they discuss the film and their memories (what’s left of them) of that time. Warning: contains ...
Houses might be the most popular and inflated purchases in New Zealand, but there are plenty of other products that are seeing soaring demand and prices over the past few months. Here’s a list of what New Zealanders are spending their money on with international travel out of the picture.Used ...
"The young boy leaps, the muscles in his thighs tensing and twisting as he lifts from the handrail": the noble art of bombing, by Pātea writer Airana Ngarewa A beautifully muscled boy is posted on the side of a pool, his feet fixed to the top of a pair of ...
How Waiwera Hot Pools went from New Zealand’s most visited water park to dereliction and decay. Many who grew up in Auckland likely have fond memories of Waiwera Hot Pools. Like me, they remember summer days spent racing down the slides and playing in the naturally hot pools. But how did ...
A government contract for a P rehab programme was canned after half a million dollars of taxpayer money was given out. Aaron Smale investigates. The Ministry of Health spent over half a million dollars on a P Rehab contract before pulling the pin because there were no results or progress reports. ...
Kia Koropp and her husband John Daubeny have been cruising the Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean over the past decade with their two children onboard their 50ft yacht, Atea. Starting in 2011 from Auckland, New Zealand, they have sailed more than 64,000 kilometres and just completed their longest ...
We are drowning out the natural world with synthetic sounds, and it’s getting worse, writes Michelle Langstone.It used to be quiet once. Remember that? Remember the hush that settled over the cities like the silence that comes down in a snowstorm? It’s less than a year since Aotearoa first locked ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden in the latest episode of On the Rag as they examine the topic of boobs from every possible angle. First published November 16, 2020.Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its ...
Seventy-five years after the US detonated the first nuclear tests in the Pacific, New Zealand pledges its support to Joe Biden's first tentative step towards disarmament. Today, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons comes into effect, making it illegal for New Zealand and the 50 other ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Terry, Professor of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland The challenge of bringing the world’s best tennis players and support staff, about 1,200 people in all, from COVID-ravaged parts of the world to our almost pandemic-free shores was always going to be ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoffrey Browne, Research Fellow in International Urban Development, University of Melbourne The Victorian government has committed to removing 75 road/rail level crossings across Melbourne by 2025. That’s the fastest rate of removal in the city’s history. The scale of the investment — ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it is also Biden’s economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Stevens, Lecturer in History, University of Waikato In a year of surprises, one of the more pleasant was the recent runaway viral popularity of 19th century sea shanties on TikTok. A collaborative global response to pandemic isolation, it saw singers and ...
The sudden departure of Graine Moss from her Chief Executive role at Oranga Tamariki is a vital first step in a sequence of changes that must take place at the Ministry according to a group of wahine Māori leaders. Dame Naida Glavish, Dame Tariana Turia, ...
A new poem from Dunedin poet Jenny Powell.Her uncle’s eyeShe introduced us to her uncle’s eye floating in a jar.Lost in an accident, he hadn’t wanted to lose it again. He left it to her in his will.We must have looked shocked. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I turn him to ...
The chief executive of Oranga Tamariki is quitting, leaving behind an agency she’s admitted suffers from structural racism. Justin Giovannetti looks at the future of Oranga Tamariki.Grainne Moss’s tenure as head of Oranga Tamariki has been untenable since November when the government’s senior Māori minister wouldn’t express any confidence in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Sainsbury, Senior Lecturer Composition, Australian National University Despite having different cultural backgrounds and experiences — Indigenous composers with an Indigenous mentor, and a pianist descended from Anglo-colonial history — it is nevertheless possible to create a project that can serve as ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Plank, Professor in Applied Mathematics, University of Canterbury With new, more infectious variants of COVID-19 detected around the world, and at New Zealand’s border, the risk of further level 3 or 4 lockdowns is increased if those viruses get into the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hogg, Lecturer in Psychology, Charles Sturt University Horse racing is an ethical hotbed in Australia. The Melbourne Cup alone has seen seven horses die after racing since 2013, and animal cruelty protesters have become a common feature at carnivals. The latest ...
Right now, our most fiery national debate is over whether New Zealanders were nice to the singer Amanda Palmer in a café. Desperate to restore peace in our nation, Hayden Donnell went in search of the truth.Joe Biden had barely finished calling for unity when Amanda Palmer posted a tweet ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut (Pushkin Press, $37)Maths, cyanide, suicide, gardening; ye ...
Wellington artist Estère isn’t just breaking boundaries, she’s dissecting them. Maddi Rowe spoke to her about her new album, Archetypes.“That’s the story of pelicans, they’ll stab themselves in the heart to feed their young.”Despite the somewhat dark subject matter, Estère Dalton’s eyes sparkle with fascination. We’ve met to discuss Archetypes, ...
Cycling advocates are welcoming new advice from the Transport Agency on safe cycling. "Cyclists hate it when drivers pass too close. That's scary and dangerous," said Patrick Morgan from Cycling Action Network. "So it's encouraging to see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tilman Ruff, Honorary Principal Fellow, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne Today, many around the world will celebrate the first multilateral nuclear disarmament treaty to enter into force in 50 years. The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear ...
The Public Service Association welcomes the creation of a Chief Executive role to lead the public service’s pay equity work, and the appointment of Grainne Moss to this position. "Unions and public service employers are currently working ...
The Council of Trade Unions is warning that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures out today illustrate that the cost of living is increasing disproportionately for those on lower incomes; resulting in the poor getting poorer. CTU Economist Craig ...
Why are there so many offensive comments on the New Zealand Police Facebook page and are they breaking the law? Janaye Henry investigates. New Zealand Police Facebook pages – there are a number of them, for different regional police districts around the country – are an interesting place to spend ...
Our guide to stopping procrastinating and actually (finally) getting on top of investing. Because there’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you don’t know a single thing about it.In part one, we covered some of the basic things you need to know about investing – why do it? ...
Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft acknowledges the huge effort and commitment of departing Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive Grainne Moss and says her decision to resign today was principled. “The issues facing Oranga Tamariki are beyond individual ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Two Large Waves versus One Tsunami. Chart by Keith Rankin. Two Large Waves versus One Tsunami. Chart by Keith Rankin. With Covid19, Italy shows the classic European pattern, with its early outbreak, substantial recovery thanks to lockdowns and other public health measures, and resurgence thanks to complacency ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gabrielle Appleby, Professor, UNSW Law School, UNSW This year has already seen significant progress in the government’s commitment to establish a body – a “Voice” – that would allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a say when the government ...
Northland farmer Derek Robinson was sentenced earlier today by the District Court in Whangarei for two offences of ill-treating animals at rodeo events. Mr Robinson was found guilty in November last year, following a defended hearing. The charges ...
Under fire Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss has announced she will resign, effective February 28, Marc Daalder reports After four and a half years at the helm of child protection agency Oranga Tamariki, chief executive Grainne Moss has announced she will be leaving the position at the end of ...
The Department of Internal Affairs and New Zealand Police acknowledge the sentencing of 36-year-old Aaron Joseph Hutton on charges relating to the possession of child sexual exploitation material, and entering into a dealing involving the sexual exploitation ...
Ngā Tāngata Microfinance (NTM) is calling for tougher penalties for those caught promoting pyramid schemes. Such business models are illegal under the Fair Trading Act 1986. This call comes after the Commerce Commission issued a ‘stop now’ notice ...
British High Commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke is calling on young women aged 17 to 25 to apply for the annual ‘Be British High Commissioner for the Day’ competition. The winner will have the opportunity to become an ‘honorary High Commissioner’, ...
The Māori Party is welcoming the resignation of Oranga Tamariki chief executive Grainne Moss after sustained pressure from leading figures within the Māori Party. This resignation is the result of the continued strong pressure of the Māori Party ...
In a historic corner of Dunedin, startup culture is thriving. Catherine McGregor visited the city’s Warehouse Precinct to meet the people driving the movement. When Jason and Kate Lindsey bought the four storey building now known as Petridish, it was an absolute wreck. Once home to a thriving hat and textiles ...
Summer reissue: The Fold’s very first guest is back to tell Duncan Greive how she pulled off the media deal of the year.The chaotic couple of weeks which finally saw the end of the Stuff-NZME saga were riveting and strange, replete with stock exchange announcements, legal challenges and finally the ...
Chris Liddell has dropped his candidacy to become director-general of the Paris-based OECD. Without support from the Ardern government and vilified in the media as somehow being involved in the encouragement by Donald Trump of the Washington riots, he plainly saw he had little chance of crowning his stellar career ...
Tara Ward hands out her first impression roses as she dives deep into the sea of single men vying to win The Bachelorette NZ’s heart. While the world burns in a searing fireball of unpredictability, we can take comfort in the fact that some things never change. The heart still yearns, ...
People from all around New Zealand will be converging on the super-secret Waihopai satellite interception spybase, in Marlborough, on Saturday January 30th. ...
In its Thursday editorial the NZ Herald speaks an important truth: “Investment important to stay on track”. This won’t have startled its more literate readers but in its text it notes the strong result in the latest Global Dairy Trade auction, which prompted Westpac to raise its forecast for dairy ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Mark, Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women’s University With the spread of COVID-19 steadily worsening in Japan since the onset of winter — daily records for infections and deaths continue to be broken — the fate of the Tokyo Summer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adam Taylor, Early Career Research Leader, Emerging Viruses, Inflammation and Therapeutics Group, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University All eyes are on COVID-19 vaccines, with Australia’s first expected to be approved for use shortly. But their development in record time, without compromising ...
Yesterday’s government announcement on new state housing is a pathetic response to the biggest housing crisis in New Zealand since the 1940s. At a time when the country needs an industrial-scale state house building programme, the government ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Obadiah Mulder, PhD Candidate in Computational Biology, University of Southern California Australia is in the midst of tropical cyclone season. As we write, a cyclone is forming off Western Australia’s Pilbara coast, and earlier in the week Queenslanders were bracing for a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynette Vernon, School of Education – VC Research Fellow, Edith Cowan University When the holidays end, barring a fresh outbreak of COVID-19, teenagers across Australia will head back to school. Some will bounce out of bed well before the alarm goes off, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW In an age of hyperpartisan politics, the Biden presidency offers a welcome centrism that might help bridge the divides. But it is also Biden’s economic centrism that offers a chance to cut through what has become ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, Queensland University of Technology Twenty years ago, on January 25 2001, a virtually unknown German supermarket chain quietly opened its first stores in Australia. The two stores – one in Sydney’s inner-west suburb of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney Bluey is easily the most successful Australian television show of the last decade. A record-breaking success for its local broadcaster the ABC, as well as production partners BBC Studios and Screen Australia, ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permissionIt will take $3 million to clean up 1 million litres of abandoned toxic waste from a property in Ruakaka - three times more than the last big chemical clean-up undertaken by government agencies A two-year mission to clean up 1 million ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. The action Biden took on just his first afternoon in office demonstrates a radical shift in priority for the US when it comes to its efforts to combat the climate crisis. It could put more pressure on New Zealand to step up. ...
Ban Bomb Day event at the New Brighton Pier, 9am, on January 22nd, 2021 January 22nd, 2021, marks the first day the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Enters into Force and becomes international law. Aotearoa NZ is one of the ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve BrauniasFICTION 1 Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare (Hachette, $29.99) Every January, there's a new best-selling crime thriller by the New Zealand-born author who lives in Melbourne. Pomare is ...
Our approach so far in trying to end what Dr Collin Tukuitonga describes as a 'racist' disease - rheumatic fever - has not worked. It's time we try something new, he writes. Acute rheumatic fever and the rheumatic heart disease it causes, long-known as a disease of poverty, is a blight on ...
New Zealand triple-code star, Anna Harrison, can't stop returning to the courts - whether it's netball or beach volleyball. She tells Ashley Stanley what keeps drawing her back. The day before Anna Harrison leaps back into netball, she will have one more hit-out at another of her favourite old sports ...
The lights are burning into the night at the New York Yacht Club's America's Cup base as they race to fix their damaged boat. And Suzanne McFadden discovers something surprising may emerge. Out of American Magic’s calamity may come opportunity - for even more speed. While the lights burn bright ...
New to sailing? With the Prada Cup resuming this weekend, here’s how to bluff your way into sounding like a pro. When I was 10, my mum made my brother and I join the local sailing club. It was a favourite pastime of families in Kerikeri, and my brother was actually ...
A formal complaint to the UN, signed by a NZ Muslim group, says France’s Islamophobic laws and policies are entrenching discrimination and breaching human rights laws. The Khadija Leadership Network has joined a global coalition of Muslim organisations to formally complain about the French government’s systemic entrenchment of Islamophobia and discrimination against ...
Summer reissue: Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey, Leonie Hayden and a lineup of incredibly successful New Zealand women as they confront their imposter syndrome once and for all. First published 20 October, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members ...
[lprent: Removed at commenter request. ]
Not quite sure what you’re trying to say in reference to this article, but I have a lot of sympathy with James Morris’s comments. We won’t get the best people going into teaching until we stop treating them like rubbish
How do you know that the best people aren’t going into teaching?
There’s a probable fallacy there. The best people go for the best money. Teachers aren’t paid the best money. Therefore current teachers aren’t the best…….. pfffft! Teachers teach for other reasons than cash alone.
I still remember my 1970 TTC tutor saying, as did one of the Greek philosophers, “”What? Teach and get paid, too?”
There is a bottom line though. I haven’t taught at school for seven years now but in my time conditions and stupid make-work bureaucracy along with troubled students were more damaging to retention than salary alone.
He seems to be criticising his own staff, among others, JanM. It could just be my reading of it but I gained the assumption he was saying we need better teachers than the ones we’ve got.
I’d very surprised if anyone went into teaching with anything but good intentions. That some (many) appear not be living up to their potential is surely grounds to examine why rather than leap to judgement all the time.
I was teaching full time in the 80s when part of the neoliberal transition was to change people’s attitudes to teachers from one of respected professionals to virtually the servants of parents, beholden and answerable to them, and the gradual takeover in many cases of school trustees in the Tomorrows Schools model served to hasten that attitude. That has gradually eaten away at the pride of teachers in their profession, and an unwillingness of many to enter it at all. Lower income compared to other professional bodies has only been a part of it.
Jan M you are so right. I was teaching through that time too, and an experience I had when Tomorrow’s Schools came in was the most traumatic of my career. As Principal of a small school in the Waikato, the School Committee became the Board of Trustees. They were anything but ‘trustees’. They did not learn, despite many episodes of training, that they were governors and not managers. They saw themselves with power and control, and as a consequence I suffered under their version of the truth. As teachers we have been sidelined, underpaid and denigrated for too long. I am still teaching, but only a day or two a week in a semi retired way.
It isn’t too much to say that we are the future of our country. We are the ones who will nurture the leaders and followers of the future. Admittedly we only have them for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, but at primary school level at least, they look to us to guide their thinking, to inform their need for information and to give them a sense of culture and identity. This requires skill and understanding, among other things. In Norway teachers are highly trained and highly skilled. They, in turn, are highly respected and are left to do their best because the state and the people trust them to do the job they are tasked with. They are consequently well paid for their expertise.
Until that happens in NZ we are screwed. And I don’t think Hipkins is skilled enough to guide us through to that conclusion.
My observations while Teaching were; Teachers that didn’t try to be good Teachers were rare.
The ones that were not making the grade, were generally burnt out from stress caused by unrealistic expectations from above.
I’ve long though that sabbaticals, to refocus and reflect, and something similar to the police PERF scheme, for those who have had enough, should be available for Teachers.
I found the worst part was all the kids falling behind, and desperately needing help,that you hadn’t the time for, and couldn’t get any help for.
I’m not sure what your point is with the “good tradesman” analogy. If there isn’t enough money to attract and retain good teachers, there’s not a lot that a “good tradesman” is going to be able to do. Are education leaders just meant to magic up some teachers?
Having good teachers certainly helps.
Eradicating poverty will help more.
Stopping the ridiculing of teachers by the right-wing politicians of all parties that we’ve had for the last 30+ years will probably help get good teachers back.
The judgement in America on Monsanto’s Roundup should make all councils and schools cease its use immediately.
And supermarkets and garden stores should stop selling it today.
Let’s apply some pressure for them to put people before profits.
https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/11/one-mans-suffering-exposed-monsantos-secrets-to-the-world
RNZ 10 March 2016 “Contractors told to wear masks when spraying.”. Sorry, on my phone so can’t provide link.
This tells of a minor shitstorm in the Garden City when it transpired that contractors spraying Roundup were told NOT to wear safety gear so as not to alarm the locals.
If memory serves, the Mayor was singularly unimpressed.
Meriel Watts has an international reputation for her work trying to raise awareness of the hazards of the ubiquitous herbicide….I’ll hazard few here have heard of her.
The agrochemical industry rules..take them on at your peril.
The best we can hope for is to demand that those responsible for enforcement of rules and regulations around spraying actually do their job.
Hah! In the case of the Waikato Regional Council…dream on.
https://amp.rnz.co.nz/article/243ae6e8-0324-4a81-834c-6cd341dc85d9
Belated thanks for providing the link Pingau. Temporarily able to use a laptop, hence can check “reply”.
It would be really handy to learn how to’link’ from my phone..I can send links via email… but not to here.
Thanks again.
Here you are Rosemary
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/298594/contractors-told-to-wear-masks-when-spraying
And for anyone interested, RNZ News has an impressive archive of articles going back years on glyphosate and its history, concerns etc. This includes many other similar local NZ articles relating to the use of Round Up and similar here in NZ.
Here is a link to their archive on this subject:
https://www.radionz.co.nz/search/results?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=glyphosate&commit=Search
Oops, I now realise the link that Pingau put up also covers the 10 March 2016 article. But the archive link is well worth looking at.
Come on Ed How the hell are we gonna control weeds like kikuyu an twitch to name a couple without roundup ??Im half serious
Steam!
Shade!
Yep shade works with most weeds if you can completely cover them with weed mat etc but that brings with it its own set of problems .What would be great would be a covering which would completely biodegrade in say three years …not sure its been invented yet though !!
Weston; plants that shade other plants were invented yonks ago 🙂
I’ve used wild chervil to completely shade out couch. Native trees shade out gorse and broom, given time. Shade. It’s a thing!
Newly emergent soft weeds i reckon would be gd to attack with steam kjt but wouldnt do much to the weeds i mentioned
The great left-winger and egotist (they go together) William Cobbett (the real founder of Hansard’s in the UK’s 40 years dictatorship that followed the French Revolution) maintained you could dig out couch-grass . He put a team of men to dig up 7 acres. Next year, just as bad.
I use glyphosate all the time and would be reluctant to give it up. Always known the danger to smaller animals so I take seriously the WHO’s report. But, yet…
yep hard to take an effective weapon out of ones arsenal i agree sumsuch and unfortunate having to contribute to the coffers of giant corporations also especially corporations that are known to be the most evil on the planet !!I could cope with the weeds ok in my immediate environment but its weeds like the really horrible Climbing Asparagus that to my mind justify using poisons like glyphosate .Not to do so spells disaster for many areas of bush and coastal lands alike .Alas its already too late in my view .
not good enough
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/106175169/waikato-council-slams-forest–bird-over-effluent-report–but-admits-it-made-the-error
yes and as for Waikato Regional Council – what a useless bunch – they gave wrong OIA info and then moan about how hard it is.
re cost of testing the farms for compliance.
I have some sympathy for the general rate payer,
So why don’t the councils charge a fee for the test.
Taranaki councils charge $300 to the farm owner for inspection, and then Fonterra charge another $300 per farm on what is essentially the same inspection.
So a double inspection too keep everyone happy.
Thankx Jimmy
Do Fonterra inspect and charge in other areas too?
Yes Fonterra inspect Dairy Sheds (Buliding standard, environmental and dairy hygiene).
They also inspect dairy farm records (supplemental feeds, nitrogen use, antibiotic and drug use, stock recording methods etc).
One does wonder just how accurate those records are.
If you only knew. Fonterra have probably got the most robust inspection and compliance regime in the country. They stopped collecting milk on 70+ farms last year because the farmers hadn’t met their effluent and waterway fencing rules.
Fonterra make the councils and MPI look like amateurs.
“Fonterra make the councils and MPI look like amateurs.”
And of course MPI were totally on top of mycoplasma bovis – not. They are amateurs. Doesn’t make Fonterra infallible though – only takes one slip in a processing chain and there’s hell to pay.
So they should; it’s their business!
Seems reasonable – user pays and all that.
Can’t argue with any of that.
However, Waikato Regional Council farming services manager Nicole Botherway said inspecting every Waikato dairy farm was not practical.
That’s hardly surprising as they stopped monitoring with helicopters.
Apparently, it was stressing out farmers.
https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/community/whats-happening/news/media-releases-archived/helicopters-grounded-for-now-but-monitoring-to-continue/
Good news though, the council has just voted to reintroduce aerial monitoring.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/105057893/Waikato-Regional-Council-vote-to-return-to-aerial-monitoring-of-dairy-farms
No good reason why they should be stressed if they are compliant. That’s like turning off the burglar alarms in case the burglar gets distressed by them!
It was the noise of the helicopters that was causing stress… in both man and beast.
Being buzzed by a helicopter is no fun at all…even less fun when the helicopter is flying very low alongside and over a residential property spraying a hazardous substance.
In our case, the Waikato Regional Council refused to investigate or enforce the Standard. At the same time our home and property was being harassed and contaminated by a spraying helicopter…the WRC was using helicopters to conduct a pantomime monitoring of dairy effluent management.
We tried to find out if our rates were being used to pay for this monitoring to the same helicopter company that chemically trespassed our property. No go, as this was ‘commercially sensitive’ information.
“Corruption” is a word not lightly used….but it may be appropriate here.
“Even less fun when the helicopter is flying very low alongside and over a residential property spraying a hazardous substance”.
Off the topic a bit, don’t you think?
You think?
Illegal dairy effluent disposal and illegal use of agrichemicals. Both are the responsibility of the Regional Councils to monitor and enforce. In both areas of responsibility the WRC has a dismal record. It just so happens that the issue our family had with the aerial application of agrichemicals was very probably made worse by the WRC being compromised by contracting the same helicopter companies to do the effluent monitoring that they were legally obligated to ensre were applying agrichemicals in the required manner.
As other commenters have noted, Regional Councils are heavily populated by farming folk who seem obligated to protect their own.
Which is why councils should do this stuff themselves rather than get private contractors.
I know, it was complete bollocks.
But when you’ve got a council stacked with farmers, they’re going to vote for their best interests.
This is where the government has to set policy and regulation.
And bring in decent jail terms for corruption.
There will be plenty of farmers in their 60’s who they will turn a blind eye on, to let them retire in peace over the next few years, takes time.
In other words they are letting their mates off the hook at high cost to the rest of us – no surprises there!
+111
They can retire in peace after they’ve done their jail term and had everything taken from them under the Proceeds of crime act.
Lefties calling for a big brother approach. !!!!
Mmmm – remember that next time you need a polceman!
Nope.
Just recognising that we need regulations and that those regulations need to be enforced.
bwaghorne;
And haul the national party into the dock to answer their charges of ‘turning a blind eye for the nine years allowing dirty dairying’ as they ficticiously made us into “A rockstar economy”
+100
Fish and Game used drones in the Hawkes Bay, with the footage used to useful effect. Well time regional councils did the same as a matter of course.
I read an interesting coment on fish games blind eye turning to the thousands and thousands of plastic shotgun waddings that must be shot into nz s water ways the other day .
Yeh who is with out sin and all that shit .
Not sure where your comment is sourced from, but here’s an actual news article from today citing an upcoming court case, ind in particular Fish and Game using drones to show evidence of consent breaches – using drones.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/363942/businessman-challenges-hawke-s-bay-council-on-damaging-feedlots
As i said just a comment i read online . But it would be fact if,your ever in a f and g meeting ask them what they are doing about the huge amount of plastic shotgun shooting would put into the environment.
If they clean up the worst farming practises I’m all for it but don’t think for one minute it is coming from anything more than self interest with fish and game .
These people release trout into rivers .trout decimate native species. (That bits just to illustrate that they are not eco warriors)
Of course it’s practical – hire more people and get them well trained in the job.
Of course, that will tend to reduce unemployment and we may see wages rising which will inevitably have the capitalists that don’t like paying wages whinging as well as the farmers whinging from being found to have broken the law.
+100 yes compliance seems to be looking the other way a lot lately.
WDC also seem oblivious to what drainage plans are for by letting people do as they please. Then there’s the waterways issues all of their own making like effluent in whaingaroa harbour.
” hire more people” – Thus increasing the rates… just saying’…
conundrum Robert?
At every turn, Pat. There are though, ways; South Port etc: invest wisely to lighten ratepayer’s (of which I am one) load 🙂
a thankless task
Well, we pat each other on the back…Pat.
sometimes twice
Someone’s gotta do it!
Life isn’t free despite what the RWNJs like to tell everybody.
Waikato Regional Council need to get out of the Office and sort out this problem, prosecute if necessary ?
Good news
“The New Zealand Nursing Organisation (NZNO) have lodged a Kaupapa Inquiry Claim into pay disparity of Māori nurses which will be heard by the Waitangi Tribunal in October.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerry Nuku says the crown has breached its obligations to Māori in the health system under the Treaty of Waitangi.”
http://www.maoritelevision.com/news/regional/maori-nurses-claim-on-pay-disparity-gets-tribunal-hearing
Isn’t this a factor of more Maori being involved in community nursing rather than the DHB’s?
Good news, marty. Hope they are successful.
For once, politicians have managed to unite a community.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/363927/wellington-bus-passengers-may-refuse-to-pay-fares-in-protest-at-new-service
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/106209854/standing-room-only-at-fiery-meeting-as-wellingtonians-speak-out-on-capitals-buses
It was probably just as well this meeting wasn’t one for the Councillors to say their piece- just listen- with the strength of feeling in the room last night I don’t think Chris Laidlaw would’ve stood a chance, but at least he had the guts to show and I really hope he was squirming. I personally love the idea of going on a fare strike.
Was thinking of you Kay while listening to that on Natraf this morning… were you at the meeting?
I think the heroine of the night was the bus driver who spoke up and apologized.
I think it came across very clearly that their was accessibility issues for a large number of people. I think the main problem was that it was hard to get across the scale of the problem – it came across as individuals having problems unique to themselves but it really is on a much bigger scale than that.
Buses are not just overcrowded but people are packed in really tightly, sardine tightly, and the drivers are in a tough position – overload the buses (which they seriously are) or leave people at stops when they have already been waiting 30, 40 or 50 minutes. And the people who check the buses for safety are nowhere to be seen even though there are continuous complaints about safety and overloading.
My driver on Friday looked absolutely shattered as we had a full bus for about 2/3 of the route – and that was before peak time. Driving with a full bus, a long way, (e.g. people have to exit the back door to let other people off and then get back on again because there was no other way to make room) requires a really high level of vigilance over a long period of time – and that level of vigilance takes a toll day-in/day-out over a long working day. The bus driver was doing clumsy things that were starting to get a bit risky and it’s not too hard to see that low risk things turning to high risk things as the drivers get worn down even more.
Hi mpledger.
Thanks for this information. As mentioned in my reply to Kay at 5.1.2.1 below, I would really appreciate any info you recall on what was said if anything at the meeting re the 29 services to/from island Bay via Owhiro Bay/Brooklyn and via Southgate/Newtown. TIA.
I don’t remember any one particularly mentioning that route but there was a sticker wall where people could put up specific complaints. There were going to be collated and given to the WRC but they might be available to everyone.
Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate it. I got the impression the meeting probably focused more on the eastern suburbs issues – eg having to change buses to get to the hospital etc, late/no show buses etc.
Each area seems to have their own specific problems, so we are putting together a collation of issues in our area and will be getting this to Metlink, Paul Eagle, WRC and WCC in the very near future. It may be that we should set up a local meeting to discuss our local issues. We are already in contact with Metlink in a co-operative, non-aggressive manner and so far, we seem to be making some headway/on the same wavelength with them at least on some issues, but time will tell.
I was there for most of it Rosemary. As a result of a discussion with a woman there about the decimation of buses at that hour back to my suburb I was offered a lift home so couldn’t turn down the offer! So I missed the latter bit with the bus driver and fare strike proposal but caught up with them on Morning Report.
Interesting to observe that every time a driver got up to speak they were loudly applauded. One noticeable thing throughout this farce is with very few exceptions, no one is blaming the drivers.
I’m looking forward to the meeting on the 23rd and hearing the GWRC spin on this. And audience reaction!
Thanks for that Kay. I was not able to get there yesterday as I found out about the meeting too late.
I would be really interested in any points raised at the meeting about the Island Bay services, primarily the No 29 services (via Owhiro Bay and Brooklyn OTOH and via Southgate and Newtown on the other hand), as I and others are very affected by the changes to these and we are in contact with Metlink etc on these issues.
Kara Lipski was also interviewed by Jesse Mulligan this afternoon and mentioned Island Bay but in passing only. A good interview. If you missed it, here is the link – https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018657859/wellington-bus-passengers-revolt
If you – or mpledger – can help by letting me know anything you heard that would be really helpful.
PS – Is the next meeting on Aug 23 or 26?
@ VV Oops apologies, it’s Sunday the 26th. St Pats College, but I’ve seen both 2 and 3pm mentioned so got to confirm that.
During the open mike part certain bus routes were mentioned, being a Newtown meeting the majority of the comments seemed to refer to the Southern suburb routes. A fair bit got said about Houghton Bay, tbh the 29 probably was but I wasn’t concentrating that much, they’re not routes I ever use so it didn’t really register. My takeaway from it was a public expression of all the angry emails, phone calls, official complaints and posts/blogs/tweets that have been flying around for the past few weeks.
I’ve been out this avo so missed the interview- thanks for the link, will listen shortly 🙂
Cheers Kay. I appreciate that info.
how do @veuto.
Route 29 is a shocker (From what I hear, alongside 23). My daughters friend now has 3 buses (i.e. 2 exchanges) to get where she wants to go whereas the old Houghton Bay served many people well.
By the way….I did reply to you the other day (I think re Ponter) OM 10th or 11th.
Once again, probably the best thing for GWRC to do would be to revert ot old route system, but that would be an admission of complete failure.
I tried to find out whether the Tramways Union, or ‘old hand’ drivers were consulted before, and while this new system was being designed – but to no avail.
The more I hear about this farce, the more I despair. And frankly the more surprised I am at Ponter. (Laidlaw you could make allowances for). It’s almost like a case study on how politicians and administration lose touch with reality.
Routes 29 and 23 are a total fuckup, route 18 is a complete fuckup, and route 20 ……..
I think some OIAs are in order too
Thanks OWT – and my apologies for not replying to your earlier reply to me re Daran Ponter. Things are a bit messy at the moment – I am sure that you know that ‘feast or fame’ situation where you have too much or too little on your plate and never a nice balance! C’est la vie.
I actually heard Ponter on Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan on RNZ about 16/17 July and thought he sounded reasonably sensible and clued up –
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/361929/wellington-bus-network-changes-cause-lengthy-delays-for-some
Link to the actual recording of the interview is at the bottom of the article.
In hindsight I think he was absolutely right when he was reported the next day as saying that a further six months’ was needed to get things sorted before the changes were implemented.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/362028/regional-council-says-revised-capital-bus-service-will-improve
Re reverting to the old system, I doubt that is possible due to legalities however.
It has actually crossed my mind as to whether Tranzit will last the distance financially. They must have spent a fortune on the new buses etc but I have heard on the grapevine that the costs associated with bringing in drivers from outside Wellington and covering their accommodation costs etc have been astronomical and unplanned …
My/our focus is on the other side of the South Coast to Houghton Bay – ie SW Island Bay, Owhiro Bay, Frobisher St area, Happy Valley. Our problems are slightly different to Houghton Bay etc so there could be some merit to keeping them separate – and as I said, Metlink has been quite cooperative to date particularly as one of the problems is something they want themselves so we are onside on that issue.
“the best people” seem to be awfully fond of their recording devices. Cohen. Omarosa. How many more of them are still doing it?
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/12/politics/omarosa-manigault-newman-john-kelly/index.html
Question for the day: if they really are out to get you, is it still paranoia?
About that white supremacist rally on their orange idol’s lawn …
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/protesters-outnumber-nazis-unite-the-right-ii-washington-dc_us_5b7042efe4b0bdd0620a179a
Maybe they’re starting to get a glimmering of what a bunch of pathetic losers they are.
8lol loving it
Pretty heartening to see the US white nationalists significantly outnumbered by the counterprotesters.
So far all peaceful.
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/12/us/unite-the-right-charlottesville-anniversary/index.html
Might be staying peaceful coz it looks like there’s around 10 cops for every one of the precious white snowflakes.
This is what you get when you start demanding people get censored. It’s always the left who have the most to fear from censorship because power is usually held in the hands of the monied powerful and they will always protect their own interests first
“From Alex Jones to alleged Russian trolls, major internet companies are increasingly policing content on their platforms. Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone Project says the partnership between Facebook and the Atlantic Council highlights “the merger of the national security state and Silicon Valley.”
Homeless women just a piece of meat
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12105982
Tinder to get temporary accommodation because they have no other options. Reports also suggest this practice isn’t limited to women.
Due to the hidden nature and often ill-defined boundaries of survival sex, it is difficult to regulate and therefore almost impossible to offer protection for women. This places them in highly precarious situations. Until the structural issues in our housing market are addressed, this is unlikely to change.
TOP is still alive.
From Gareth:
“…I’m pleased to say that discussions re the future of TOP are progressing well. As part of the groundwork for TOP to continue the Board has amended the party rules in order to better position the Party in its preparation for the 2020 election….”
lol
does that mean the party funder has greater say over policy and strategy, or less?
Potential coalition partner for National and they have already done the groundwork at the last Election ?
Yemen
Still
Getting
Bombed
too soon?
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/saudi-bus-bombing-marks-a-new-low-in-yemen-20180810-p4zwsm.html
Lisa Owen to replace John Campbell on Checkpoint
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/363990/lisa-owen-to-replace-john-campbell-on-checkpoint
Interesting appointment indeed. I just hope Lisa learns to ‘keep it zipped sweetie’ at times and lets her interviewees have a fair say. Must admit I was impressed by Simon Shepherd’s interview with Grant Robertson on The Nation this last weekend.
National Government while in power were most of the time wanting to sell NZ to the lowest bidder without a care.
Labour is right by encouraging NZ made industries to come back again.
We need for example to begin producing wolllen carpets again as we lost ournmillls to China and India during the gosmans own liberalist Ntional government selloff.
Woolen carpets do not cause global pollution as the plastic carpets we only make here now so when we throw the plastic carpets away guess where they go and how long it takes to break those plastic carpets down again?
250 years at least we are told it takes to break down the ‘nylon’ carpets and no-one has even considered this as the new threat to our environment, as all plastic and nylon must be stopped now before we are all screwed. Just look at what is inside plastic carpets that you all buy now because you dont have any large NZ carpet manufacturers now.
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/03/22/the-toxic-dangers-of-carpetingare-the-carpets-in-your-home-or-office-a-health-hazard.htm
The Toxic Dangers of Carpeting:Are the Carpets in Your Home or Office a Health Hazard?
by SixWise.com
Walking across your soft, wall-to-wall carpet with bare feet may seem pleasant enough, and we won’t deny that it does feel cozy, but there are some unpleasant and downright dangerous things about carpeting that deserve attention.
In America, we love wall-to-wall carpeting–in fact, according to the Carpet and Rug Institute more than two-thirds of American floors have them–despite the fact that they contain toxic byproducts that are released into our homes and even inhaled and absorbed into our bodies.
Carpet Samples
It looks innocent enough, but carpets are made from synthetic fibers that have been treated with toxic chemicals that outgas into your home.
Carpets Emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Your Home
Almost all carpet is made from synthetic fibers and those fibers have been treated with synthetic chemicals that “outgas” into your home. Here’s a list of some carpet “ingredients”:
Petroleum byproducts and synthetics (polypropylene, nylon, acrylic)
Soil and stain repellents
Vinyl or latex
PVC
Urethane
Antistatic sprays
Artificial dyes
Antimicrobial treatments
After being exposed to these chemicals and breathing them in or absorbing them through the skin, some people may feel symptoms such as headache, dizziness or nausea right away.
But often times, no symptoms are felt. In the long-term, however, no one knows for certain what the effects of these chemicals may be. The EPA has said that no cause-and-effect relationship between carpet emissions and health problems has been proven. However, says Mark Gold from Holistic Healing, “Please pay attention to this warning: Sucking down toxic chemicals may seem okay now, but you may pay a very heavy price in the future.”
For instance, carpets may contain:
Known carcinogens such as p-Dichlorobenzene. These chemicals may also cause hallucinations, nerve damage and respiratory illness in humans.
4-PC, the chemical that gives carpets their distinctive “new carpet smell” and is associated with eye, nose and upper respiratory problems.
Mothproofing chemicals, which contain naphthalene.
Fire retardants with PBDEs, which may cause damage to thyroid, immune system and brain development functions in humans.
Good morning The AM Show even if 5% of people brought elictric car’s that’s thousand of cars on the road our oil
Import bill will come down. Last year the number was 2% reliability is not a problem if you buy new the battery.s last at least 8 years so no problem there sell it and buy a new one that’s what people do If they can afford it
The left leaning tangata want Aotearoa to be the best place on Papatuanukue to raise all Mokopunas not matter whom they are we are all humans.
Veronica The Celine Dion show starting
singer is a very good singer Amanda I think you will go to the concert Ka pai
Ka kite ano. P.S I’m chasing our Mokopunas around at the minute
The Free Speech distraction is not really a big issues people are just using the topic to distract us from The real issues and that is privacy rights if big brother can snop into everyone electronica data that gives. To much power to the 00.1%,to do nasty things to the common tangata. And from what I see it’s not like we can trust the 00.1% to do the correct things with that power.
One just has to look at how some multi national companies lie there, – – – – off to protect the profits over humanity health the link is Below Ka kite ano
Google records your location even when you tell it not to p.S most people have the Internet to voice there opinions and if you get ignored well your views on reality don’t fit with the tangata of 2018
Google records your location even when you tell it not to this is the link to the post above Ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/13/google-location-tracking-android-iphone-mobile
Here we go when service are included in the exporters importers market data the USA has a surplus with the Papatuanukue of 1.4 trillion so what are some of these services mone exchange face book Google so us see the USA is the wealthiest country on Papatuanukue they have not got there from losing in world trade its convenient to leave service data out of the stats link below Ka kite ano
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/13/is-free-trade-always-the-answer
Ana to kai
Good evening Newshub beeb busy with my favourite charity some music link is Below