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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A guest repost by Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) staff attorney Augusta Wilson. Fundraising is not the objective of this article but readers may wish to know that CSLDF is currently conducting a summer fundraiser to support defense of research scientists and research integrity from anti-science interference by politicians and industrial interests. The COVID-19 pandemic ...
Helloy… My name is Todd Muller and I am the leader of the National Party of New Zealand. Many people come up to me on the street and ask me who I am. I’m often walking through Tauranga, or in a mall in suburban Auckland, or maybe even a farmers’ ...
The US state of Mississippi has finally voted to remove the Confederate emblem from its state flag. Good. Its appalling that it was put there in the first place, but even more appalling that it took so long to remove it. Its basicly as if a German Länder still had ...
No one could have predicted when David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill was passed by Parliament last November that the referendum required to bring the legislation into force would be held against the backdrop of a deadly global pandemic. Since then, the mounting tally of casualties around the world ...
Paul GoldsmithYou can often tell just how effective a progressive policy proposal will be by how much the right wing criticise it. The more socially beneficial, the more vitriolic and unhinged they seem to become.That was the case when the Green Party announced their Poverty Action Plan yesterday. The response ...
Back at the beginning of April, when we had much else on our minds, I wrote this post urging some caution in interpreting the results of the latest Horizon poll, conducted in February, on voting intentions in this year's cannabis referendum, which was paid for by Helius Therapeutics.I wrote that ...
Over the weekend the Greens made their first election policy announcement, and promised transformational change: a more progressive tax system, with new rates applying to incomes of $100,000 and $150,000; a new wealth tax on net wealth over $1 million; and a guaranteed minimum income to eliminate poverty. Its bold, ...
Story of the Week... El Niño/La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Global Warming Is Melting Our Sense of Time Satellite image of smoke from active fires burning near the ...
. . Plague town? There are two things right now in Aotearoa New Zealand that are guaranteed to piss people off. Firstly, it’s National playing silly-bugger politics with the covid-19 pandemic. This cost Simon Bridges his job as National’s Leader. Lately, Michael Woodhouse has been playing fast and loose with ...
Tertiary fees in New Zealand versus Australia: Fees Are Important, but not as Important as Financing In Australia, the Education Minister Dan Tehan has proposed an overhaul of the existing higher education funding system to offer 39,000 additional study places by 2023 and 100,000 by 2030. The proposal has been ...
The latest opinion poll forecasts a landslide win by Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Party, but when taken alongside other polling, it illustrates New Zealand politics remains volatile and the contest is still very open. According to the Colmar Brunton poll published by TVNZ last night, Labour would easily romp back ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, June 21 through Sat, June 27, 2020Editor's ChoiceFacebook creates fact-checking exemption for climate deniers Facebook is "aiding and abetting the spread of climate misinformation,” said Robert Brulle, an ...
The images and reports delivered to us by the world’s media leave us in no doubt that the rest of the world is still in the grip of a coronavirus pandemic that shows no signs of slackening, but is actually uncontrolled and picking up pace in many countries; and even ...
Minister of Health - David ClarkIf you follow politics at all in New Zealand, David Clark is likely a name you’re a bit familiar with. The current Minister of Health is perhaps the most disliked Member of Parliament at the moment, which amongst very stiff competition is really saying something. ...
SATURDAY JUNE 27Banksy and the Rise of Outlaw Art (Sky Arts, Sky 017, 8.00pm). There was graffiti before Banksy, but perhaps his pungent political messages hit home a bit harder. Anyways, a doco about his influence on street art featuring a bunch of cool people.SUNDAY JUNE 28Beat the Chasers (TVNZ 1, ...
SUNDAY JUNE 28Beat the Chasers (TVNZ 1, 8.30pm). Judging by the tweets, which is probably a bad idea, over lockdown, all of New Zealand found itself in front of The Chase every night at 5pm. It is a brilliant fomat: hardly anyone wins any money ...
We have been assailed by Fox News-style headlines, lurid stories of “a breach!”. An almost nuclear level disaster on the horizon scream, “Fiasco!” here, “Hero to Zero!” there… Oh quick, panic everyone!This has fueled an unbelievably stupid environment of panic among some, and spurred useless, counterproductive political ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters A massive dust storm formed over the Sahara Desert last week and invaded the Caribbean over the June 20-21 weekend, bringing dangerous levels of air pollution and low visibility to the islands. The dust is accompanied by a large amount ...
Will the Covid Crisis lead to a dramatic redirection for New Zealand and the World? A hinge in history occurs where the past and present are connected but they point in different directions. Big hinges are rare but crucial in the development of humankind. Not in Narrow Seas identifies six. ...
RNZ reports that Refining NZ is considering shutting down Marsden Point and effectively turning itself into a fuel distribution service. The problem they're immediately trying to address is that running a refinery is expensive, and it is cheaper just to import processed fuel. But there's a longer-term problem too: climate ...
We all know that the COVID-19 virus is a terrible infectious disease that has already caused untold misery and numerous deaths around the world. Nearly half a million people have already died, and those are just the cases we know about.But how bad could things actually get exactly?Today, the NZ ...
This essay by Alex Hochuli examines the global phenomena of BLM protests . He is a freelance writer and research consultant based in São Paulo, Brazil. He is the co-host of the global politics podcast, Aufhebunga Bunga, and co-author of the forthcoming Politics at the End of the End of History (Zero ...
Are You Still Here? Just like his colleague, Phil Twyford – of KiwiBuild fame – David Clark juts out his chin and shamelessly apportions blame to everybody but himself. Even worse, he has turned viciously on Ashley Bloomfield, the nearest approximation to a competent, decent, humble and accountable public servant ...
. . 20 June The bad news: Aotearoa New Zealand has two new cases of covid-19. The good news: the two cases were picked up at an Auckland quarantine facility. The terrifying news: had the story of the two women leaving quarantine without testing not broken four days ...
Willing Victims: What would all those Americans in MAGA hats be left with if they abandoned Trump? Just the sick feeling of having been cheated. Just the knowledge that the man in the White House is nothing more than a shape-shifting New York grifter; and that they have always been ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Like an earthquake rumbling down the San Andreas Fault, Jeff Gibbs’ and Michael Moore’s controversial film “Planet of the Humans” tore a rift through the environmental movement, a rift its leaders would not yearn for in an election year. After activists have spent ...
There have been a number of articles written about the voting in the final statges of the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill, during which National MPs voted alongside the Green Party to force a change that would prevent the removal of sentenced prisoners from the Electoral Roll. You can ...
Last night should have been a cause for muted celebration in Parliament. The Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Bill’s final passage through the House partially erases a stain on New Zealand’s democratic system. It’s a drum I’ve been beatingfor thepast decade, but denying all sentenced prisoners the right to vote is a ...
Jordan WilliamsIt’s pretty obvious to all and sundry that the Taxpayers Union, run by Jordan Williams, isn’t really a union at all. Instead it’s a small lobby group for privileged white folk, namely the old fools behind the scenes of the corrupt and largely defunct Act Party.With an incorrectly attributed ...
Last year, I highlighted a secrecy problem with the government's Infrastructure Funding and Financing Bill. The Bill would establish a new class of public entity, "special purpose vehicles", to hide debt from local government balance sheets fund infrastructure such as roads and sewers in "high-growth" councils. The SPVs would collect ...
Both the leader of the opposition Todd Muller and University of Auckland Professor Des Gorman have gone on the record as saying they suspect Covid-19 is spreading in the community in New Zealand once again. Let me explain why I don’t agree with them. As best I can tell there ...
By Geoffrey Miller A former MP and Associate Minister of Defence says that New Zealand’s Covid-19 border and quarantine issues illustrate why a new dedicated national security agency is needed. Heather Roy, a former deputy leader of the Act Party who held the associate defence portfolio from 2008-10, told the ...
Annual fishing report It's been about a year since we swapped out the Research News deckhand. It seems longer— particularly the past 4 months— and not because of this particular work. Over the course of the year somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,500 articles have been caught in our net, ...
This article on Feminist Current by Meghan Murphy looks at the Karen/Becky meme and argues it has officially gone too far The male centered progressive left has successfully made woman-hating trendy. Today, yet another “Karen” video went viral online. This time, it seems a woman flipped off a male driver, ...
Over the past few weeks, there's been a lot of attention on the question of why American police are so violent, and so often murder people. There are a pile of reasons for this, including the racist roots of their entire policing system, but part of the answer seems to ...
Last year, the government promised that it would strengthen whistleblower protections. Today, they finally released the bill. There's one major change: "[a] discloser is entitled to protection for a protected disclosure made to an appropriate authority at any time" - an "appropriate authority" being public sector heads, officers of Parliament, ...
Andrew Lorrey, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research; Ben Noll, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, and Lauren Vargo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Brewster Glacier in New Zealand’s Southern Alps lost 13 million cubic metres of ice between March 2016 and March 2019 – ...
This week we moved into the second half of 2020 - and our Government delivered another week of big changes and major progress for New Zealanders. Read below for a wrap of the key things moments from the week - from extending paid parental leave, to making major investments in ...
The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development A regional freight hub for the lower North Island will be built just northeast of Palmerston North, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Government is investing $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to designate and buy land and design ...
Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson is calling for the introduction of a Guaranteed Minimum Income to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty and prevent more families entering into further debt with the Ministry of Social Development. ...
There has been renewed focus on New Zealand First acting as a handbrake on the Government after our decision to not support Auckland light rail. We are a handbrake for bad ideas, that istrue, but our track record since 2017 has seen New Zealand First constructively also serve as an ...
Mark Patterson MP, New Zealand First List MP New Zealand First’s Fair Residency for Superannuation Bill passed its First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill makes a significant change to NZ Super by raising the minimum residency requirement from 10 to 20 years, after age 20. “Currently, a migrant of ...
Darroch Ball MP, Spokesperson for Law and Order A New Zealand First member’s bill in the name of Darroch Ball introducing a six-month minimum prison sentence for assaults on first responders has passed its second reading in Parliament. The new offence of "injuring a first responder or corrections officer with ...
Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand First welcomes the launch of the new Criminal Cases Review Commission, gifted with the name from Waikato-Tainui - Te Kāhui Tātari Ture, announced in Hamilton today by Justice Minister Andrew Little. “New Zealand First has long believed in and ...
The Green Party is celebrating over $800m in new funding for green projects, which will get people into jobs while solving New Zealand’s long-term challenges. ...
Mark Patterson MP, Spokesperson for Primary Industries New Zealand First is appalled that Meridian seems to have been unnecessarily spilling water from its dams to drive up its profits."While New Zealanders have been coming together in some of our darkest hours, we don’t expect power gentailers to waste water and ...
We wrapped up the first half of 2020 with a busy month, taking additional steps to support New Zealanders as we continue with our economic recovery. We rolled out targeted packages to support key industries like tourism and construction, helped create jobs in the environmental and agriculture sectors, and set ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Infrastructure Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has welcomed the appointment of Maurice Davis and his deep infrastructure and construction experience to the board of the Infrastructure Commission. Mr Davis (Ngāti Maniapoto), is the seventh and final appointment to the board led by former Reserve Bank Governor ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First New Zealand’s click bait journalism is taking a turn for the worse, with yet another example of sensationalist, wilful-misrepresentation of the facts. “New Zealand First has worked constructively with its Coalition partner on hundreds of pieces of legislation and policy, and ...
The Green Party is today unveiling its Poverty Action Plan, which includes a Guaranteed Minimum Income to ensure people have enough to live with dignity. ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Rotorua Museum redevelopment and Whakarewarewa and Tokorangi Forest projects will be accelerated thanks to a $2.09 million Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) boost, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher ...
This week, we rolled out the next steps of our recovery plan, with new infrastructure investment, extra support for tourism operators, and a new programme to get Kiwis into agriculture careers. The global economic consequences of COVID-19 will continue to be a challenge, but we have a detailed plan to ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its final reading in Parliament today fulfilling a coalition agreement commitment. “This is an important step in saving the lives of New Zealanders and delivers a key coalition commitment ...
Whakatāne has been given a $2.5 million boost to speed up previously funded projects and create more than 450 jobs in the next decade. Of those, the equivalent of 160 full-time jobs could be delivered in the next six weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is in town to make ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister Fletcher Tabuteau MP, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is investing $2.5 million to accelerate three infrastructure projects in Whakatāne, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. “This package is about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones is throwing his weight behind a bid by the Auckland Council to fast-track the more than doubling of the city's water allowance from the Waikato River. And he's coming out strongly against anyone who plans on getting in the way of this campaign. "It is my ...
The Green Party is thrilled to see changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that mean consents for large projects can be declined if they will have significant climate change implications that are inconsistent with the Zero Carbon Act and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Paris Agreement obligations. ...
Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence The Royal New Zealand Navy’s new ship, Aotearoa, set sail for New Zealand on 10 June from the Republic of Korea, and is due to arrive in Auckland tomorrow, announced Minister of Defence Ron Mark. “Aotearoa is the Royal New Zealand Navy’s new fleet ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Racing Racing Minister Winston Peters has today welcomed the Racing Industry Bill passing its third reading, creating the legislative framework for revitalising the racing industry while limiting the need for future government intervention. “For too long our domestic racing industry has ...
The Green Party has today put forward an amendment to the Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Bill to ensure all people in prisons can vote in general elections. ...
The Green Party welcomes the decision to not proceed with Public Public Investment (PPI) delivery of Auckland’s light rail project and to instead run the process through the public service. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First List MP Hon Ron Mark welcomes the announcement of Provincial Growth Funding investment of $1.4 million to help secure the Wairarapa’s water supply. The funding boost will allow the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), and ...
New Zealand First list MP Mark Patterson has been selected to represent the party in the newly formed Taieri electorate at the upcoming election. Mr Patterson, his wife Jude and two daughters farm sheep and beef at Lawrence and Waitahuna. He previously stood in the Clutha-Southland electorate however boundary changes ...
Hon Shane Jones, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises A new ‘super depot’ to be built for NZ Post in Wellington will create around 350 jobs during construction, Associate Minister for State Owned Enterprises Shane Jones says. Shane Jones today attended a ground-breaking and blessing ceremony for the parcel-processing depot ...
Our strong economic management prior to COVID-19 - with surpluses, low debt and near-record-low unemployment - put us in a good position to weather the impact of the virus and start to rebuild our economy much earlier than many other countries.Now we're putting our plan to recover and rebuild ...
Darroch Ball MP, New Zealand First Spokesperson for Law and Order Recently released Police fleeing driver statistics have shown yet another increase in incidents with another record-high in the latest quarter. “This new quarterly record-high is the latest in a string of record-high numbers since 2014. The data shows incidents ...
New Zealand First MP Fletcher Tabuteau is pleased to be confirmed today as the party’s candidate for the Rotorua electorate. Speaking at the Rotorua AGM for New Zealand First, Mr Tabuteau said this is an election that is incredibly important for the people of Rotorua. “The founding principles of New ...
The Human Rights Commission’s PRISM report on the issues impacting people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) provides an excellent programme of work for future governments to follow, say the Greens. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the trans-Tasman bubble had not been jeopardised after aborder botch-upresulted in New Zealand having two active cases of COVID-19. On Friday, Mr Peters told RNZ's Morning Report he had heard from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison that borders for trans-Tasman travel would open by ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said today he was pleased the army was now running the quarantine and isolation process - up until now it has been the Ministry of Health. Peters told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that the army knew how to introduce and follow protocols and instil discipline. ...
Hon Ron Mark, New Zealand First List MP based in the Wairarapa New Zealand First MP and Minister for Defence and Veteran’s Affairs Ron Mark has confirmed his bid for the Wairarapa seat.“The Coalition Government has done a lot of good work throughout the Wairarapa, but many constituents have told ...
New Zealand First is pleased to release the names of its next tranche of candidates for the 2020 election. We’re proud to announce these hardworking New Zealanders that have put their hand up to fight for a commonsense and resilient future.Jamie Arbuckle – Kaikoura Mark Arneil – Christchurch Central Jackie ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Ron Mark, Minister of Defence A massive joint effort between New Zealand Government agencies, employers, and the Vanuatu Government is underway to repatriate over 1000 Vanuatu nationals stranded in New Zealand, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron ...
Hon Shane Jones, Minister of Regional Economic Development Reprioritised funding of $40 million from the Provincial Growth Fund will support up to 1000 regional apprenticeships, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said today. The Regional Apprenticeship Initiative is part of the wider Apprenticeship Boost announced by Education Minister Chris Hipkins ...
The Green Party welcomes the ACC’s announcement to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 but emphasises the need to go further, and faster to truly meet the climate change challenge. ...
Farmers are rejoicing after Labour agreed to an amendment pushed by New Zealand First in the firearms bill that will allow the use of restricted guns for pest control. Concessions on gun control mean farmers will be able to apply for a licence to use restricted firearms for pest control. ...
A new programme, which sets a firm course for the Building and Construction sector to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been announced by the Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. “A significant amount of New Zealand’s carbon emissions come from the building and construction sector. If we’re serious ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing more than $7.5 million in Northland ventures to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment is going to the Northern Adventure Experience and ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced significant funding for Auckland’s Northcote College as part of the first wave of a new nationwide school redevelopment programme to upgrade schools over the next 10 years. The $48.5 million project brings the total investment in Northcote College to ...
The Government has opened an urgent response fund to support schools and early learning services to get children and young people back on track after the Covid-19 lockdown. “While we are seeing improvements in attendance under Alert Level 1 Ministry of Education data shows that attendance rates in our schools ...
The law to boost the economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19 by speeding up resource consenting on selected projects has passed its second and third readings in the House today. “Accelerating nationwide projects and activities by government, iwi and the private sector will help deliver faster economic recovery and ...
Five port-related projects in Whanganui will receive a $26.75 million Provincial Growth Fund investment to support local economic recovery and create new opportunities for growth, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This is a significant investment that will support the redevelopment of the Whanganui Port, a project governed ...
Whanganui’s Sarjeant Gallery will receive an investment of up to $12 million administered by the Provincial Growth Fund to support its redevelopment, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The project is included in a $3 billion infrastructure pipeline announced by Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Shane Jones yesterday. ...
The Provincial Growth Fund is investing nearly $2.5 million into three Te Ara Mahi programmes to support Manawatū-Whanganui jobseekers and employees to quickly train and upskill, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “Up to 154 local people will be supported into employment within the first year by these ...
This morning I have formally tendered my resignation as Minister of Health, which was accepted by the Prime Minister. Serving as Minister of Health has been an absolute privilege – particularly through these extraordinary last few months. It’s no secret that Health is a challenging portfolio. I have given ...
Scholarships for 57 early-career agricultural emissions scientists from 20 developing countries is another example of New Zealand’s international leadership in primary sector sustainability, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Mr O’Connor, announcing the scholarships today, says hundreds of applications were received for this fourth round of the CLIFF-GRADS programme (Climate, Food ...
A project to help rejuvenate the Horowhenua town of Foxton will receive a Provincial Growth Fund investment of $3.86 million, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This funding for the Foxton Regeneration project will be used to make the well-known holiday town even more attractive for visitors and ...
Moa bones and other sub-fossil remains of extinct species are set to have improved protection with proposals to prevent the trade in extinct species announced the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today. “We have lost too many of our native species, but these lost species, such as moa, remain an ...
The Government’s free and healthy school lunches programme moves south for the first time creating jobs for around 30 people in Otago and Southland. “Eighteen schools with 3000 students are joining the programme – 11 have already begun serving lunches, and seven are preparing to start during Term 3. This is ...
Thousands of Kiwi jobs and investment in New Zealand productions will be protected through a screen sector support package announced today by Associate Minister for Arts Culture and Heritage Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford and Minister for Broadcasting Kris Faafoi. The package also includes investment in broadcasting ...
The Government has established a new $10 million fund for the domestic events sector to help save jobs and protect incomes as it recovers from the impacts of COVID-19, Minister of Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. This funding from Budget 2020 follows talks with the event sector designed to ...
The Government has taken another step in its commitment to making sure New Zealanders get a fairer deal at the petrol pump with the introduction of legislation to improve competition in the retail fuel market, says Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods. “The fuel market study that this Government ordered ...
New Zealand has joined a global initiative that aims to enable all countries to access a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced today. The COVAX Facility was recently launched by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Alliance includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank ...
From today new legislation takes effect to both restore the right to legal representation at the start of a Care of Children (CoCA) dispute in the Family Court, and allow parties to those proceedings to access legal aid where eligible. During a visit to the Family Court in Auckland today, ...
Home-based early childhood education (ECE) subsidised by the government will transition to a fully qualified workforce by 2025 to ensure better and more consistent quality, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. “Quality early learning helps provide children with a strong foundation for their future,” Chris Hipkins said. From 1 January ...
The new Criminal Cases Review Commission | Te Kāhui Tātari Ture (CCRC) has started work and can now independently investigate claimed miscarriages of justice. “Even though we have appeal rights and safeguards against unsafe convictions, from time to time our justice system does get things wrong. The design of the ...
E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha, tēnā koutou Ki a koutou Te Āti Awa, Taranaki Whānui, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, ngā mana whenua o te rohe nei, tēnā koutou Ko Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa ki ngā take o te Ao (NZIIA), Ko te Rōpū Tohu Tono ...
The Government’s increase to paid parental leave kicks in today with another 4 weeks taking New Zealand up to a full 6 months (26 weeks, up from 22 weeks) leave for new parents, and the maximum weekly payment will increase by $20pw, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says. ...
A new package of infrastructure investments will help kick-start the post-COVID rebuild by creating more than 20,000 jobs and unlocking more than $5 billion of projects up and down New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones today outlined how the $3 billion infrastructure fund in the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters today expressed the New Zealand Government’s deep disappointment at the passage by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee of a national security law for Hong Kong. “New Zealand has consistently emphasised its serious concern about the imposition of this legislation on Hong Kong without inclusive ...
More jobs and more family time with newborns are the centrepiece of a suite of Government initiatives coming into effect today. July 1 is a milestone day for the Government as a host of key policies take effect, demonstrating the critical areas where progress has been made. “The Coalition Government ...
Environment Minister David Parker has today “called in” Auckland’s application to the Waikato Regional Council to take an extra 200 million litres of water a day from the lower reaches of the Waikato River for Auckland drinking water and other municipal uses. The call-in means the application has been referred ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker announced today that New Zealand’s hosting of APEC in 2021 will go ahead using virtual digital platforms. Mr Peters said the global disruption caused by COVID-19, including resultant border restrictions, had been the major factor in the ...
The start of construction on a new link road between Matakana Road and State Highway 1 will create jobs and support the significant population growth expected in the Warkworth area, Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff announced today. Transport Minister Phil Twyford said construction of the Matakana Link ...
The Government is prioritising its latest investment in PPE for frontline health workers, including staff at managed isolation and quarantine facilities, Health Minister David Clark says. “With no community transmission of COVID-19 our response now has a firm focus on keeping our border safe and secure. “We must ensure that ...
The Parihaka Papakāinga Trust in Taranaki will receive up to $14 million for a new visitor centre and other improvements at the historic settlement that will boost the local economy and provide much-needed jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little have ...
Protections for workers who are employees of one employer but working under the direction of another business or organisation have come into force, closing a gap in legislation that made the personal grievance process inaccessible for some workers, says Workplace Relations Minister Iain Lees-Galloway. “This Government is working hard to ...
A range of improvements are already underway to address issues identified in the rapid review of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine system released today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. The review was commissioned just over a week ago to identify and understand current and emerging risks to ensure the end-to-end ...
The important brown kiwi habitat around Whakatāne will receive added protection through an Iwi-led predator free project announced by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Under Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau. “The Government is investing nearly $5 million into Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa’s environmental projects with $2.5 ...
An extra 4,000 tonnes of offcuts and scraps of untreated wood per year will soon be able to be recycled into useful products such as horticultural and garden mulch, playground safety surfacing and animal bedding as a result of a $660,000 investment from the Waste Minimisation Fund, Associate Environment Minister ...
The Governor-General has referred Scott Watson’s convictions for murder back to the Court of Appeal, Justice Minister Andrew Little announced today. Mr Watson was convicted in 1999 of the murders of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope. His appeal to the Court of Appeal in 2000 was unsuccessful, as was his ...
A new five-year funding agreement for the Reserve Bank will mean it can boost its work to protect New Zealanders’ finances, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “New Zealand has a strong and stable financial system. Financial stability is an area that we are not prepared to cut corners for, particularly ...
A law change has been introduced to make it easier for forgotten funds in institutional accounts to be returned more easily to their rightful owners. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash has introduced an amendment to the Unclaimed Money Act 1971. It will update the rules controlling forgotten sums of money held ...
The Government is delivering on election commitments and a key recommendation of He Ara Oranga: Report of the Government Inquiry into Mental Health and Addiction with the establishment of a permanent independent Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, Health Minister Dr David Clark says. Legislation enabling the establishment of the fully ...
A Bill to replace New Zealand’s Privacy Act passed its third reading in Parliament today, Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced. “The protections in the Privacy Bill are vitally important. The key purpose of the reforms is to promote and protect people’s privacy and give them confidence that their personal ...
Extra support is being provided to tourism businesses operating on public conservation land announced Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today. The Government is providing $25m worth of support to tourism operators impacted by COVID-19, with a decision to waive most Department of Conservation tourism related concession ...
Khruangbin have established their live reputation with spacious instrumentals, but the band’s third album, Mordechai, features prominent vocals and disco-funk jams. Andrew Drever interviews the Texas-based trio upon its release.While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage in the US, the situation has actually been a blessing in disguise for Khruangbin ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
With the collapse of Bauer NZ resulting in Australian magazines flooding our shelves, Wendyl Nissen looks back at her battle to get homegrown content given the star billing it deserved.Thanks to some hard-fought battles 30 years ago, New Zealand women have been enjoying their own version of Woman’s Day and ...
Extending the franchise to prisoners is the latest in a series of contentious electoral reforms enacted by this government, but history suggests the ‘convention’ for consensual election reform is more imagined than real.The Electoral (Registration of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act, passed last week and corrected this week, extends the franchise ...
Since publication of Newsroom’s extensive investigation into serious issues at Oranga Tamariki, our inbox has been flooded with stories from more current and former employees. In less than 48 hours after Newsroom’s in-depth inquiry into the children's ministry was published we received a high volume of correspondence from current and former ...
“She’d come into town on the bus. The photographer, so her mother had told her, was famous”: a short story by Wellington writer Elspeth Sandys. It was to be a present for her father who was dying. A photograph of her in her first ball gown. When she reached for ...
Those who can’t afford to travel will “attend” the terror sentencing via video link, the Immigration Minister says. David Williams reports The Immigration Minister is demanding officials give urgent help to overseas victims of the Christchurch terror attack and their families. Yesterday, High Court Justice Cameron Mander announced the terrorist, ...
Controversy over Wellington's Shelly Bay has ensnared iwi, the council and politicians for years. Investigative journalist Nicky Hager uses official documents to lay out the roles of money, power and wheels-within-wheels on this most contentious of developments. Any time I am asked whether we have corruption in New Zealand, I ...
Is the answer to saving New Zealand's professional sports teams creating super-franchises? The Extra Time podcast asks sports leaders. Professional sport is slowly emerging from the grip of the pandemic but its financial future is far from certain. Covid-19 highlighted a weakness in the structure of professional sport in New ...
Before Covid-19, it’d take a long flight and half a grand to see Hamilton in the flesh. Now, the biggest musical of the past two decades is available to watch on Disney+. Sam Brooks takes stock of this extraordinary move. Right now, Broadway is a sleeping dragon. New York theatres ...
Sacked cabinet minister Clare Curran speaks for the first time about the brutal end to her political career – and what she calls the toxicity and bullying that marked her years in parliament. By Donna Chisholm.Of all the humiliations – often self-inflicted – that Clare Curran endured during her 12-year ...
On 03 July Children’s Commissioner was given additional responsibility by the Minister of Justice which extended its role as the independent monitor of the conditions and treatment of children and young people in secure detention centres. The Children’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, ARC Future Fellow, UNSW The term “heatwave” is no stranger to Australians. Defined as when conditions are excessively hot for at least three days in a row, these extreme temperature events have always punctuated our climate. With many of us ...
Pacific Media Watch A senior Indonesian government official and a New Zealand journalism professor have clashed over differing perspectives on access for journalists and media to the West Papua region. Speaking on a webinar organised by the Jubi newspaper in Jayapura, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ director of the European affairs ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Barbara Mintzes, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney To beat the coronavirus pandemic, countries need to collaborate. We need the best possible science to develop vaccines and drugs, and to test, track and contain the virus. If we’ve learned anything ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Russell Dean Christopher Bicknell, Post-doctoral researcher in Palaeobiology , University of New England Let’s turn back the hands of time. Before extinction knocked dinosaurs off their pillar, before the “Great Dying” extinction wiped out 95% of all organisms – we had the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Williams, Researcher at the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine (VELiM), University of Sydney Last week, outgoing chief medical officer Brendan Murphy announced all returned travellers would be tested for COVID-19 before and after quarantine. Some were surprised ...
A new package to help foreign nationals stuck in New Zealand due to Covid-19 is inadequate and needs to be supplemented with the emergency benefit, say Community Law Centres O Aotearoa (CLCA) and the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The assistance ...
With Shortland Street’s 7,000th episode screening tonight, Tara Ward salutes the soap for keeping calm and carrying on through level three lockdown. It’s been one heck of a week on Shortland Street. Leanne lost her winning $8 million Lotto ticket, Louis slipped over in a pile of vomit, and Desi tried ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Clift, Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate, University of Melbourne In recent days, the prime ministers of the UK and Australia each declared they are working toward providing safe haven visas for Hong Kong residents. In the US, lawmakers passed a bill ...
How two multi-millionaires, two pandemic futurists, Air NZ’s former boss, a dairy executive on a break, a retired anaesthetist (and a few others) nearly saved NZ. ...
A commitment from Labour to protect productive farmland from blanket afforestation if re-elected is a step in the right direction, Federated Farmers Meat & Wool Chairperson William Beetham says. "We’re really pleased there is now ...
Tomorrow, 4 July, will see protests in at least nine centres around New Zealand against Israeli plans to steal more Palestinian land (Details are at the end of this media release) “Virtually the entire international community is standing together ...
Pacific Media Watch Australia’s ABC has revealed the Australian Federal Police (AFP) recommendation regarding the Afghan Files investigative journalism report is for the Commonwealth DPP to consider charging journalist Dan Oakes for his role in the leak. The revelation has prompted a renewed call by the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom ...
While we’re growing in confidence that we are in the enviable position of basically eliminating Covid-19, our trading nation at the bottom of the world is also in the unenviable position of locking off our economy to the world. “No is not an answer ...
Netflix’s new adaptations of The Baby-Sitters Club makes long-time fan Tara Ward fall in love with the series all over again. When I was 12 years old, my class had to write a letter to a famous person. Some of my classmates wrote to an All Black, Tom Cruise or ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is questioning the scale and value of the Government’s $230m screen industry recovery package. Union spokesperson Jordan Williams says: “The official justification for this ‘recovery package’ is the impact of COVID-19 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Former Ambassador and Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland Chinese activity in Papua New Guinea was not the only factor behind Australia’s Pacific “Step-Up”. As a former high commissioner to PNG, I know it ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk A Papuan church leader and advocate for social justice has penned an open letter to the Indonesian government calling for justice and an end to racism to enable a genuine self-determination process for the Melanesian region. “The problem of Papua has become increasingly complex and severe ...
Latest from the Beehive – Nine press releases (when we checked this morning) had flowed from the Beehive since we last reported. Eight of them brayed about the money Ministers have been spending and (as they prefer to put it) investing. The sole exception came from Environment Minister David ...
CEAC pre-election review of National Party ‘climate change policy’, is lacking in substance without any clear policy, that will leave voters with no idea of what National Party plans for saving our climate, and glancing at their ‘Transport plans’, ...
Film crews can get exemptions to enter New Zealand, so why not the families and supporters of terror victims, David Williams asks. OPINION: If the public needs a sign last year’s terrorist attack has slipped off the Government’s radar, this is it. A sentencing date has been set for the ...
A new poem by Michaela Keeble.Only the ocean only the oceanturns me overlike this only the oceanturns meon like this only the oceangives warning: what will changeand when so it doesn’t comeacrosslike violence white capsdrift inon the rising tide i feel likeopening my legs i don’t wantto do anything elsetoday i don’t wantto goto work i want to lie downwith ...
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages round the world, New Zealanders are re-discovering food production is the fundamental engine of the economy. And farming is not a sunset industry. Instead of being rubbished by lobby groups for so-called “dirty dairying”, the country’s core export industry has the chance to transform itself ...
The world-famous 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 Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman (Bloomsbury, $34)This is the one that kicks off with the essay about the Tongan ...
The New Zealand Down syndrome community is urging the Government to ignore the recommendations in the recent Health and Disability Sector Review. “New Zealand has made terrific progress to enhance the quality of life for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities ...
The Covid Plan B group says New Zealand can minimise the economic consequences of Covid-19 if it opens its borders following the rest of the world. The group, which has critiqued the Government's lockdown response since March, has today added its ...
Auckland will soon be receiving an additional 75 million litres of water per day from the Waikato River as an interim measure to help ease the worst water shortage in 25 years. A Ngāti Whātua historian says this sharing of resources between Tāmaki Makaurau and Waikato goes back a very ...
Athletes from the Papua New Guinea’s national team joined the peaceful “cry for justice” march in the nation’s capital of Port Moresby. Video: EMTV NewsBy EMTV News Many wore black yesterday in rallies against gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea in a day chosen to remember the young mother ...
The government will remain "cautious" when it comes to the border as despite calls for a pragmatic strategy for reopening, new Health Minister Chris Hipkins says. ...
A new report measuring New Zealanders’ financial wellbeing highlights how key sectors of our population are feeling stressed over money, and how Covid-19 has made that worse.Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can help. After all, it’s what puts food on the table, a roof over our heads, and ...
The Tahr Foundation is asking the Conservation Authority to represent all New Zealanders and their recreational pursuits in National Parks, including the tens of thousands of hunters who flock to them every year. The Foundation’s plea is in response to ...
Councils can now borrow money equivalent to 300% of annual revenue, and the Public Service Association says this will allow them to maintain operational expenditure, invest in important community services and proceed with long-overdue infrastructure ...
Dunedin's mayor says conversations about managed isolation and quarantine can be held in a mature fashion without "getting into an unhelpful conversation about where our citizens might be returning from". ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, PhD candidate in Astrophysics, Swinburne University of Technology What does the Sun’s core look like? Sophie, aged 8, Perth What does the Sun’s core look like? This is a fantastic question Sophie, and one we will need ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Spencer Zifcak, Allan Myers Chair of Law/Professor of Law, Australian Catholic University After a lengthy delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the legal case that constitutes the most significant threat to freedom of expression in this country will soon play out in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Williamson, Professor of Microbiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity A cornerstone of containing the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread testing to identify cases and prevent new outbreaks emerging. This strategy is known as “test, trace and isolate”. The standard ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Jones, Research Fellow (Food Policy and Law), George Institute for Global Health As you read this, health officials are busy finalising the government’s review of the health star rating system on packaged foods. One of the issues the review is looking ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chris Briggs, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney As the global renewables transition accelerates, the future for coal regions has become a big worry. This raises an important question: can renewables create the right jobs in the right ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Barnes, Research Associate, Australian Centre for Public History, University of Technology Sydney The government’s recently proposed restructure of university fees would see students pay 113% more for many humanities subjects. The package is not a case of “humanities vs STEM (science, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ross Guest, Professor of Economics and National Senior Teaching Fellow, Griffith University The Australian government is planning to spend A$190 billion to support the economy in response to COVID-19, according to the latest Parliamentary Budget Office estimate. The total impact of COVID-19 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Holden, Professor of Economics, UNSW For all the things we don’t know about COVID-19 one thing is certain: our economic recovery will depend on boosting productivity. Everyone from the Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe to Prime Minister Scott Morrison ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosslyn Almond, Literature Lecturer, Australian Catholic University The Baby-Sitters Club, the popular series by Ann M. Martin, defined my childhood. I collected the books until I was 11. I played it in the school yard (I was Dawn because I had long ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Pickles, Professor of History at the University of Canterbury, University of Canterbury The family of pioneering New Zealand suffragist Kate Sheppard kept an important secret – one that possibly explains a lot about her life, her beliefs and her motivation. The ...
For all The Spinoff’s latest coverage of Covid-19 see here. Read Siouxsie Wiles’s work here. New Zealand is currently in alert level one – read about what that means here. For official government advice, see here.The Spinoff’s coverage of the Covid-19 outbreak is made possible thanks to donations from Spinoff Members. To support this ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. Clark out and Bridges back in, Chinese embassy warns NZ politicians to not speak out on Hong Kong, and terrible new revelations about Oranga Tamariki culture.It has been a day of reshuffling at parliament, with both major parties making significant moves. We’ll start with ...
InterCity is the first company to get government money to help land and maritime transport firms hit by the drop in tourist numbers due to Covid-19. ...
The country’s second-largest early learning business has backed down on an illegal staff contract following a public backlash, Laura Walters reports Evolve Education has decided to do away with a proposed contract that would have cut its teachers’ hours in half. Evolve Education, a publicly listed company which owns 128 ...
The Greens’ tax and welfare package released last weekend is a bold statement designed more to keep the Greens’ party vote above 5 percent, than to ever be implemented. But will it backfire on them? asks Peter Dunne. Without the luxury or likelihood of an electorate seat the Greens ...
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias.NON-FICTION 1 Vegful by Nadia Lim (Nude Food, $55) Gutsful. 2 The Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith (Allen & Unwin, $24.99) 3 Know Your Place by Golriz Ghahraman ...
The fine art of teaching a rare bird to fish. An extraordinary story of how an abandoned fairy tern chick, RY-BM, was saved from death and taught to fend for himself. It all started on January 10 at the mouth of Te Arai stream. A closely-watched fairy tern nest was ...
David Clark's decision to fall on his sword will rid Jacinda Ardern and Labour of one obvious weakness as the election campaign draws ever closer, Sam Sachdeva writes When it comes to election campaigns, Australian political strategist and boogeyman of the left Lynton Crosby is said to talk about “scraping ...
While lockdown was difficult for everyone, it highlighted how much we rely on schools and early childhood education to enable work in the paid economy How did New Zealand families fare during lockdown, and what can we learn from the experience? A national survey conducted by researchers from Te Herenga Waka ...
Rendering people over 70 as either passive or wilfully irresponsible is unhelpful and ill-considered. University of Auckland researchers discuss a better approach. When the New Zealand Government began to take steps to reduce the impact of Covid-19, people aged 70 and over were singled out as the group most vulnerable. ...
We should be unanimously outraged that in seven short years the number of Māori women on remand has doubled, in part thanks to a pernicious reform. What will you do about it, asks Awatea Mita.In December this year, it will be six years since I was released from prison. Since gaining ...
Open Mike 13/08/2018 
Dave Heatley Zero community transmission. Just a handful of active cases, all in quarantine. New Zealand is in an attractive situation, at least compared to much of the world. The situation could be robust and enduring – or it might be fragile, just one border incursion away from a “second ...2 hours ago
Is the consequence of the Simpson Report proposals for restructuring the health system poorer accountability to people? When in doubt, centralise‘ has been a persistent theme in New Zealand public policy throughout our history. The current government is no exception. Here are some examples. - The regional polytechs have been ...16 hours ago
I wrote earlier in the week about the Scientology front organisations Drug Free World and Drug Free Ambassadors and their quite prominent role in anti-cannabis reform "coalition" assembled by Family First and a newloca branch of the American prohibitionist organisation SAM.It turns out Family First aren't the only ones helping ...21 hours ago
Three years ago the ABC used leaked information to expose war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan. Since then the chief of Australia's special forces has admitted that his troops committed war crimes. But guess who the Australian government is prosecuting? Police have referred allegations against an ABC journalist relating ...23 hours ago
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When the Christchurch murderer pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder and a number of other violent assault charges a few months ago, he effectively closed the door on what the public will know about the lead up to and commission of the event. His plea means that no evidence ...4 days ago
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There really is not much about Paula Bennett concerning her career trajectory, the policies she promoted, and most importantly, the socio-economic effect this had upon New Zealand (and particularly the most vulnerable in this, our oft-cited “egalitarian” society of this country) that can be said now that hasn’t already been ...5 days ago
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The Green Party has opposed the COVID-19 Recovery Fast-track Consenting Bill which shortcuts normal consenting processes under the Resource Management Act (RMA), reduces public participation and narrows environmental considerations. ...2 days ago
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Controversy over Wellington's Shelly Bay has ensnared iwi, the council and politicians for years. Investigative journalist Nicky Hager uses official documents to lay out the roles of money, power and wheels-within-wheels on this most contentious of developments. Any time I am asked whether we have corruption in New Zealand, I ...5 hours ago
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Film crews can get exemptions to enter New Zealand, so why not the families and supporters of terror victims, David Williams asks. OPINION: If the public needs a sign last year’s terrorist attack has slipped off the Government’s radar, this is it. A sentencing date has been set for the ...23 hours ago
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages round the world, New Zealanders are re-discovering food production is the fundamental engine of the economy. And farming is not a sunset industry. Instead of being rubbished by lobby groups for so-called “dirty dairying”, the country’s core export industry has the chance to transform itself ...24 hours ago
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The Greens’ tax and welfare package released last weekend is a bold statement designed more to keep the Greens’ party vote above 5 percent, than to ever be implemented. But will it backfire on them? asks Peter Dunne. Without the luxury or likelihood of an electorate seat the Greens ...1 day ago
This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias. NON-FICTION 1 Vegful by Nadia Lim (Nude Food, $55) Gutsful. 2 The Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith (Allen & Unwin, $24.99) 3 Know Your Place by Golriz Ghahraman ...1 day ago
The fine art of teaching a rare bird to fish. An extraordinary story of how an abandoned fairy tern chick, RY-BM, was saved from death and taught to fend for himself. It all started on January 10 at the mouth of Te Arai stream. A closely-watched fairy tern nest was ...1 day ago
David Clark's decision to fall on his sword will rid Jacinda Ardern and Labour of one obvious weakness as the election campaign draws ever closer, Sam Sachdeva writes When it comes to election campaigns, Australian political strategist and boogeyman of the left Lynton Crosby is said to talk about “scraping ...1 day ago
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Rendering people over 70 as either passive or wilfully irresponsible is unhelpful and ill-considered. University of Auckland researchers discuss a better approach. When the New Zealand Government began to take steps to reduce the impact of Covid-19, people aged 70 and over were singled out as the group most vulnerable. ...1 day ago
[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