The Taliban have announced that women in Afghanistan will be allowed to study at university.
Speaking at a press conference, higher education minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said women would be allowed to continue their university education, but it would be compulsory to wear a hijab. It was unclear if this meant a headscarf or that women’s faces would have to be covered completely.
… men and women would have to be taught in separate classrooms. “We will not allow boys and girls to study together,” said Haqqani. “We will not allow co-education.”
Female students will also only be allowed to be taught by women. Haqqani also said the subjects being taught at universities would be reviewed.
…
In a recent interview on the TV channel Tolo News, Taliban spokesman Sayed Zekrullah Hashimi said the role of women was to give birth and raise children, adding that it was “not necessary that women be in the cabinet”.
…
Before the fall of Kabul…universities across Afghanistan had been co-educational and women did not have to conform to any dress code. The number of female students in further education had reached record highs, and institutions such as Herat University and Ghalib University in Kabul had boasted more female students than male.
…
Heather Barr, co-director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch said the approach of the Taliban was one “where women are, in theory, allowed to continue some of their day-to-day functions, but only under constraints that essentially make them operate in a world that’s almost entirely separate from boys and men”.
She said: “For many universities, and for many women and girls, it’s not going to be feasible, on a financial level and logistical level, to put these things in place. So the consequence will not be just gender segregation, it will be the exclusion of women and girls. Unfortunately I think that’s probably fine with the Taliban.”
Doesn't sound promising. Either the Taliban leadership are not co-ordinating thinking with each other, or they are connivingly talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time. Most likely the latter.
Yes. I was thinking of phone in if she didn't have internet, but it's just occurred to me there may be an issue paying at the door if it's supposed to be a socially distant, contactless delivery. Possibly not an issue though if she has gloves and/or hand-sanitises before paying.
Whatever, either way they should have displayed a little humanity and figured out a solution for a long term, aged customer.
Some elderly folk want to go to the supermarket. For many it might be the only time they get to have a legitimate outing during a lock-down. I have joked that my trips to the local sm are the highlight of my week – a demonstration how grim it is under a lengthy lockdown 4.
My current gripe is how many people are ignoring the distancing rules inside the supermarket. The main culprits are entitled late 20s to early 40s Mums (got a lot of them in my neck of the woods) who think everybody should get out of their way.
I have a cure for that. Position yourself in front of them if you can and pretend to be concentrating on the shelf merchandise – or the waist height fridges – then move backwards straight into their overloaded trolleys. With a bit of luck some of their produce will fall out onto the floor. They soon get out of your way albeit with sullen looks n'all.
Best to ensure you are well padded around the rear so as not to injure yourself in the process.
Its in no way the same, but I was once followed around a supermarket by security on account of bringing reuseable bags and placing items in them. I made a point of taking them to the checkout and getting the clerk to see the empty bags while repacking (asking because the security supposedly thought I would shop lift).
Unsurprisingly it never happened again, though I shopped at the same store with the same guard working.
Interestingly, whenever I read or hear of poor treatment of customers concerning covid behaviour it is always Countdown. Do you think it could have anything to do with it being an Australian company and therefore not quite on board with the way we do it here?
I/m in Tawa, North Welly. I mainly shop at the local New World because it's closest and I find the staff & supervisors generally more chatty & friendly. I get on well with one of the owners, used to phone her to hold made up deli meals for me.
It's smaller than Countdown, so has a bit more of a village store feel to it. Only downside is they're not always cheaper, and they soon dispense with stock items that don't sell quickly in volume.
Countdown operation's much larger, so I'll go there for those items. I find it a bit more impersonal & the staff not quite so friendly, but their regulars may have a different take on that.
“Each Thursday for the last two decades she has caught a bus to shop at Countdown in central Dunedin.”
…
I took it that dv was mainly concerned she may not have a car, & possibly has no one to shop for her.
We get it all the time from outfits like the Taxpayers' Union about the PM employing a thousand communications staff. They're needed – to attend to the mindless stuff like the Slater request.
They were on a bicycle ride. You are allowed to go on bicycle rides up to a 5 km radius from your home. That is exactly what Wiles did. It has been demonstrated by Ashley Bloomfield and others that she broke no rules.
Its my view the PM's office should refuse to supply the information on the grounds of it being prejudicial to national security. Now that would up the stakes enormously and we could enjoy the spectacle of a monumental Slater meltdown from our Lockdown 4 sofas – popcorn optional.
"Its my view the PM's office should refuse to supply the information on the grounds of it being prejudicial to national security".
What would you suggest when an appeal is made to the Ombudsman who then ruled, as he probably would, that there was no matter of National Security involved and ordered that the information should be released?
That would simply leave the PM up for claims of a cover- up. What on earth is the gain in that? Why make a big story out of nothing?
You could probably try that Robert, but I'm not sure if it is a valid reason for a refusal to release the material.
You will probably get a rap over the knuckles by the Ombudsman though and that is something politicians never win.. It is rather like getting an adverse opinion from the Auditor-General. You may think you are in the right, as Helen Clark apparently did with the pledge card, but the public always sides with the Ombudsman or the AG and believes that there was something dreadfully smelly being done by the pollie.
Withholding info in this case would only seem to be possible under 9 (2) (f) or (g), and that isn't your ground for doing so.
Meh – OIA requests were taking up to a year under Key, and coming out heavily redacted at that. Those manicured knuckles never got many of their richly deserved smacks.
The information may be fully released, but it needn't be on Whaleoil's dirt unit's timetable.
Perhaps you are right. You might think I am being too fastidious but I have never found anything humorous at all in the idea that our Government should even consider breaking the law. I consider it to be completely unforgiveable and find people remarking on it being acceptable, even if they claim that they are joking quite appalling.
To each her own I suppose. If you make it into a position of such power I hope you will change your mind though.
I think you are being simplistic by thinking of "the government" as a single united entity. its not, and never will be. go and watch the brilliant film"brazil". a single dead fly leads to total anarchy and chaos.
On my daily walk up Mt Eden this morning I was somewhat surprised to see unmasked workman cutting the grass.
We're in level 4 I just dont see how this can be considered an essential service. The grass isnt overly long its not a fire risk and if its ok does that mean the local mowing contractor can work under level 4?
That is true, but businesses and/or management have had a year and a half to work out protocols and manning under different levels. If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.
The virus doesn't stop transmission just because the worker prefers to work unmasked for comfort. Either accept reduced productivity or increase manning.
I dont get why grass cutting is even considered essential under level 4. Makes a mockery of the 'essential' bit especially when say a butcher cant open contractors cant mow grass on private property etc its the lack of consistancy that gets me.
" If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.". Suppose we simply drop the word "working" from this sentence. It really makes no difference to the logic of your complaint and simply leaves you describing Siouxsie Wiles. A beach is a public place after all.
Now, are you joining the people who are complaining that Dr Wiles should have been taking her own advice and been wearing a mask at the beach?
If you see some difference between the situations perhaps you can tell me what is is. It certainly won't be a matter of proximity. People who do lawn mowing for a living are extremely careful about keeping very well clear of onlookers.
Yes, but all I am asking is what is the difference between that and someone mowing lawns? Treat them both equally, since their situation is equal.
If you think that Siouxsie was behaving acceptably then you should feel the same way about the person doing the mowing. If you regard the mowing gentleman as being at fault you should say the Dr Wiles was as well.
I am asking Molly whether she is being consistent in her views.
As you know, I was talking about the responsibility of businesses and employers to ensure their staff, and those they interact with are kept safe, when they are permitted to operate within levels.
You have instead gone off again on your voyeuristic obsession with two women meeting on a beach within bubble rules.
Deliberately off topic, and somewhat stalkerish. Unfortunately, I don't think that observation will stop you doing it again. Don't worry, you are still rising to meet my low expectation of your replies.
heavy physical work makes it difficult to wear a mask.
Dunno about this. I'm sure I've seen workers on building sites in North Welly wearing masks.
And before Covid hit us I sometimes wore a surgical mask when we had Welly's infernal northerlies blowing pollen off the hills into my face when I was out mowing the lawns with my trusty push-mower for exercise.
Masks are actually pretty common in a range of trades, for dust especially, handling potting mix is another often very physical work invloved breaking or cutting concrete… no excuse really
Well, how many people want to be within a few metres of someone cutting grass? Largely a solitary activity, in my experience.
So the mask issue isn't really a go-er. Sure, if you're walking down the street, or might be loitering within a few metres in a park or at the beach, but if you're the only ones in the area masking isn't an issue.
Going to the depot, loggin in/out, getting equipment – that's where the procedures for contactless transactions and masking needs to be practised.
As for the cutting itself – yeah, there's probably a fair bit of "essential? really?" in that. But then, if one waits until it actually is a fire hazard, one can't necessarily mow everywhere at once. So keeping all of it trimmed regularly could stop any of the backlog after lockdown becoming a hazard.
I didn't even think of the chimnny effect when looking at the top of it – was more thinking that a decent flush would act like a piston, especially for the flats below.
The other thng that came to mind was that some places have phased out s-bend traps and gone with p-traps. A bit of information that came about when dealing with a particularly obstreperous sink blockage .
lol apparently onenews had some yank on doing the usual chicken little line: NZ's covid policy is unsustainable, yadda yadda, we're not vaxxing quickly enough.
Actual interview sounds fairly pointless, but a twitter response had a nice chart for all the local doomsayers. "If these trends continue", lol
Do you have any good reason to explain why you think New Zealand will have a vaccination rate that will continue to accelerate after passing 50% when every other country apparently slows down? Why are we so distinctive, in your opinion.
Note I say "every other country" without having really checked all of them. Perhaps Luxembourg is different.
Well, uk/usa seemed to have a slowdown at 45%, and we pretty much skipped that.
But more to the point, my comment was about how doom and gloom merchants at the start of the pandemic were like "ohmagerd we're all screwed", but with other trends they, like you, are more cautious about extrapolating optimism therefrom.
But hey, I guess we'll see. I do find the relative differences in curves quite interesting, when NZ is measured against the two apparently main countries of origin of tweets concerned about NZ's freedoms, economy, "natural immunity", and other such bullshit.
Possibly our vaccination rate has not slowed down because of the higher levels of trust and confidence shown in our government's handling of this pandemic.
The August 2021 Guardian article cited above canvasses this issue in some detail.
This level of trust has increased whereas countries with lower levels of trust in their government have seen those levels fall further, presumably along with their government's standards of good stewardship and resultant poorer outcomes.
I suspect what McFlock mentions above as the gloom and doom merchants have a large measure of their disgruntlement as a result of seeing a small, socially cohesive society well governed by an empathetic and left wing government which pays due attention to scientific advice from a credible civil service and trusted public health system.
I have been in the last decade well served by this health service with several serious issues. I have trust and confidence.
So does my age cohort as I have been involved with a telephone campaign contacting seniors during lockdown and the responses showed high levels of satisfaction with current practice.
A confidence rating reaching at its peak in excess of 80% as the Guardian article cites is exceptional globally.
Cultural factors may help us be a relatively high performer – though this is a guess obviously. Things like:
The level of shared commitment to elimination in 2020 was unusual. Although "team of 5 million" is a bit cringeworthy, if there wasn't an element of truth to it the phrase wouldn't exist. We also saw that politicians who misread that mood and wanted to elevate some undefined and suspiciously self-interested notion of "the economy" above public health, got badly punished
The desire to punch above our weight. Yeah another cliche – but we are tiny and mostly ignored and the desire to be the best at something/anything is strong
Some faded remnant of our egalitarian past in which everyone mattered. In real material terms this egalitarianism was trashed from the 1980's. But there are behavioural aspects that I feel linger in the way that people at different levels of the economic and employment hierarchy interact personally.
Willingness to listen to and engage with the organisations that represent the interests of the most marginalised – essentially Pacific and Maori people. These are also the people most likely to not get vaccinated for various reasons.
Lack of a virulent far-right. We have a very strong (for want of a better phrase) "establishment right" who are determined not to let any socialist principles in the front door. But they are not conspiracist nutters – and in fact they actually want everyone vaccinated so the normal processes of capital accumulation for their benefit can continue undisturbed.
In regards to the team of 5 million, I thought it was mildly derivative of the 'stadium of 5 (4?) million' that was used here in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
I'd add to that the oral tradition of Maori who well remember their losses from the Spanish influenza epidemic and both the sheer volume of people (60% in some hapu) that were lost – plus all the handed down unwritten knowledge that went with them. Their fast, quick, collective and empathic response this time around laid part of the bed rock for New Zealand's response.
This was much more a lived response and a collective interest one. Sure their are shades of similar experience in many of our European communities as well – miners, unionism, etc but you can't beat the personal.
Maori ways of thinking are embedded in our culture – often without us realising it. As Lorde noted with her latest release in Te Reo.
"Lorde acknowledged in a statement that while she is not Māori, one of her main realizations while making the album is that much of her value system around "caring for and listening to the natural world" comes from traditional Māori principles."
Our history of high uptakes of vaccines and the fact we have kept Covid out longer than most countries people know that to have those freedoms we need high rates of vaccination and we are seeing people aren't afraid of vaccines in this country.
Auckland is doing it tough at the moment with the low rate of testing the govt should hand out food vouchers and food parcels when they roll up to be tested and vaccinated.
Grant Robertson get the cheque book out. Also Auckland should be given a $ billion for council and another top up for businesses as well as those who have lost their jobs.
Hope for National – instead of trying to make a new leader out of the odd assemblage of troughers and sow's ears the party has left, they can have a new, smart, attractive leader, and they won't even have to pay her.
Aspects of her remind me of Data, of Star Trek Next Generation.
Actually, aspects of Mark Zuckerberg do the same.
Dunno where AI learning evolution is going to eventually take us, but one hopes intelligent robots never get to a point where we rely on them to protect our environment & they figure out that at our worst we can be like a plague. 😮
A good read. Welly gets a mention or two. Wellington's got excellent commuter rail services from outer suburbs to the CBD (I took the train to & from work for about 30 years).
Don't know if the inner-suburban bus services are all that crash-hot these days. They were frequent & reliable when I first moved to Te Whanganui-a-Tara from Taranaki in 1974 & flatted initially in Mt Victoria & then Brooklyn, before moving to the Northern Suburbs (Tawa).
A couple of decades back there were quite a lot of conversions of vacant office blocks into private apartments in places like The Terrace. I expect there are new apartment blocks still going up in the city & the views from most will be good.
Only problem at the moment is there are a few places I wouldn't even go in daylight in the City Centre because of well-reported issues with abuse of the public & general public misbehaviour of some of the residents recently given inner city emergency housing in the city.
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For forty years, Robert Muldoon has been a dirty word in our politics. His style of government was so repulsive and authoritarian that the backlash to it helped set and entrench our constitutional norms. His pig-headedness over forcing through Think Big eventually gave us the RMA, with its participation and ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Is the new government reducing tax on rental properties to benefit landlords or to cut the cost of rents? That’s the big question this week, after Associate Finance Minister David Seymour announced on Sunday that the Government would be reversing the Labour Government’s removal ...
Saudi Arabia is rarely far from the international spotlight. The war in Gaza has brought new scrutiny to Saudi plans to normalise relations with Israel, while the fifth anniversary of the controversial killing of Jamal Khashoggi was marked shortly before the war began on October 7. And as the home ...
Questions need to be asked on both sides of the worldPeter Williams writes – The NRL Judiciary hands down an eight week suspension to Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu , an Auckland-born Samoan, after he calls Ezra Mam, Sydney-orn but of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...
Ele Ludemann writes – Contrary to what many headlines and news stories are saying, residential landlords are not getting a tax break. The government is simply restoring to them the tax deductibility of interest they had until the previous government removed it. There is no logical reason ...
I can't remember when it was goodMoments of happiness in bloomMaybe I just misunderstoodAll of the love we left behindWatching our flashbacks intertwineMemories I will never findIn spite of whatever you becomeForget that reckless thing turned onI think our lives have just begunI think our lives have just begunDoes anyone ...
Michael Bassett writes – At first reading, a front-page story in the New Zealand Herald on 13 March was bizarre. A group of severely intellectually limited teenagers, with little understanding of the law, have been pleading to the Justice Select Committee not to pass a bill dealing with ram ...
How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is: (a) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was ...
TL;DR: My top 10 news and analysis links this morning include:Today’s must-read:Jonathon Porritt calling bullshit in his own blog post on mainstream climate science as ‘The New Denialism’.Local scoop:The Wellington City Council’s list of proposed changes to the IHP recommendations to be debated later today was leaked this ...
TL;DR:Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said yesterday tenants should be grateful for the reinstatement of interest deductibility because landlords would pass on their lower tax costs in the form of lower rents. That would be true if landlords were regulated monopolies such as Transpower or Auckland Airport1, but they’re not, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Tom Toro Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author. He has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons appear in Playboy, the Paris Review, the New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. Related: What 10 EV lovers ...
The business section of the NZ Herald is full of opinion. Among the more opinionated of all is the ex-Minister of Transport, ex-Minister of Railways, ex MP for Auckland Central (1975-93, Labour), Wellington Central (1996-99, ACT, then list-2005), ex-leader of the ACT Party, uncle to actor Antonia, the veritable granddaddy ...
Hi,Just quickly — I’m blown away by the stories you’ve shared with me over the last week since I put out the ‘Gary’ podcast, where I told you about the time my friend’s flatmate killed the neighbour.And you keep telling me stories — in the comments section, and in my ...
The first season of Rings of Power was not awful. It was thoroughly underwhelming, yes, and left a lingering sense of disappointment, but it was more expensive mediocrity than catastrophe. I wrote at length about the series as it came out (see the Review section of the blog, and go ...
Buzz from the Beehive Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden told Auckland Business Chamber members they were the first audience to hear her priorities as a minister in a government committed to cutting red tape and regulations. She brandished her liberalising credentials, saying Flexible labour markets are the ...
Chris Trotter writes – TO UNDERSTAND WHY NEWSHUB FAILED, it is necessary to understand how TVNZ changed. Up until 1989, the state broadcaster had been funded by a broadcasting licence fee, collected from every citizen in possession of a television set, supplemented by a relatively modest (compared ...
Bob Edlin writes – The Māori Party has been busy issuing a mix of warnings and threats as its expresses its opposition to interest deductibility for landlords and the plans of seabed miners. It remains to be seen whether they follow the example of indigenous litigants in Australia, ...
Every year, in the Budget, Parliament forks out money to government agencies to do certain things. And every year, as part of the annual review cycle, those agencies are meant to report on whether they have done the things Parliament gave them that money for. Agencies which consistently fail to ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – Recent events in American universities point to an underlying crisis of coherent thinking, an issue that increasingly affects the progressive left across the Western world. This of course is nothing new as anyone who can either remember or has read of the late ...
The Government has accepted Labour’s change to the Road User Charge (RUC) discount for hybrid vehicles, meaning there will still be some incentive for people to buy greener vehicles. ...
Kicking the most vulnerable people out of state housing and pushing them towards homelessness will result in a proliferation of poverty and trauma across our most vulnerable communities. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Waiariki, Rawiri Waititi has penned a letter asking MPs to support his members bill to remove GST from all food. The bill is expected to go through its first reading in parliament this Wednesday. “I’m calling on all political parties to support my ...
This year is about getting real with Kiwis and discussing the tough issues, as the National Government exacerbates inequality and divides New Zealand, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said ...
The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife that makes Aotearoa unique. ...
After 12 years of fighting to protect our moana we are finding ourselves back at square one and back at court. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is sitting in Hawera to reconsider an application from Trans-Tasman Resources to dig up 50 million tonnes of the seabed in South Taranaki. This ...
Minister Shane Jones’ decision to step away from a seabed mining project is evidence of the murky waters surrounding the Government’s fast-track legislation. ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The growth of Treaty of Waitangi clauses in legislation caused so much worry that a special oversight group was set up by the last government in a bid to get greater coherence in the publicservice on Treaty matters. When ministers first considered the need for tighter oversight in 2021, there ...
The Coalition Government’s miscalculation saga continues as it has forgotten an eyewatering $90 million gap in its interest deductibility cost figures, say Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds and Revenue Spokesperson Deborah Russell. ...
He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission has today released advice that says if the Government doesn’t act now New Zealand is at risk of not meeting its climate goals. ...
The Coalition Government has today confirmed it is abandoning first home buyers who are struggling to get ahead, says Labour Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds. ...
The New Zealand public voted for a change in direction at the 2023 general election and that is exactly what this coalition government has been delivering in its first 100 days. There was an immediate focus on the economy, easing the cost of living, cracking down on law and order ...
The Government has left the health system as an afterthought, announcing half-baked targets at the last minute of their 100-day plan, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
Kiwis are still waiting for their promised cost of living support after 100 days of a National Government that is taking us backwards, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
100 days of National taking NZ backwardsThe National Government has spent its first 100 days stopping, cutting and reversing. They have scrapped stuff for stuff for the sake of it, without putting up any solutions of their own – and it’s hardworking New Zealanders who will pay for it. ...
The Government must commit to funding free and healthy school lunches, as thousands of people sign the petition to keep them, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti says. ...
If the Government was serious about moving families into public housing, they would build more houses so there is actually somewhere for people to go. ...
The free and healthy school lunches programme feeds our kids, helps them to learn, and saves families money – but it is at risk under this Government, education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
The Government’s proposed changes to Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO) add almost nothing new and are merely an attempt to distract from its plans to loosen gun laws, police spokesperson Ginny Andersen and justice spokesperson Dr Duncan Webb said. ...
The great Victorian era English politician Lord Macauley stood in the British House of Parliament and said, "The gallery in which the reporters sit has become a fourth estate of the realm".He understood and outlined even way back then, the significant role and influence media have in a democracy. ...
The government’s attack on Māori health this week is committing tangata-whenua to a premature death, says Te Pāti Māori. “The government have begun their onslaught on Māori health with the abolishment of the Māori Health Authority and smokefree laws in the same day” said health spokesperson and co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. ...
New Zealand’s social workers are qualified, experienced, and more representative of the communities they serve, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “I want to acknowledge and applaud New Zealand’s social workers for the hard work they do, providing invaluable support for our most vulnerable. “To coincide with World ...
Cabinet has agreed to a reduced road user charge (RUC) rate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. Owners of PHEVs will be eligible for a reduced rate of $38 per 1,000km once all light electric vehicles (EVs) move into the RUC system from 1 April. ...
Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Todd McClay, says that today’s opening of Riverland Foods manufacturing plant in Christchurch is a great example of how trade access to overseas markets creates jobs in New Zealand. Speaking at the official opening of this state-of-the-art pet food factory the Minister noted that exports ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Wellington today. “It was a pleasure to host Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his first official visit to New Zealand since 2017. Our discussions were wide-ranging and enabled engagement on many facets of New Zealand’s relationship with China, including trade, ...
Kāinga Ora – Homes & Communities has been instructed to end the Sustaining Tenancies Framework and take stronger measures against persistent antisocial behaviour by tenants, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Earlier today Finance Minister Nicola Willis and I sent an interim Letter of Expectations to the Board of Kāinga Ora. ...
Tēna koutou katoa. Greetings everyone. Thank you to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Honourable Simon Bridges for hosting this address today. I acknowledge the business leaders in this room, the leaders and governors, the employers, the entrepreneurs, the investors, and the wealth creators. The coalition Government shares your ...
Minister Winston Peters completed the final leg of his visit to South and South East Asia in Singapore today, where he focused on enhancing one of New Zealand’s indispensable strategic partnerships. “Singapore is our most important defence partner in South East Asia, our fourth-largest trading partner and a ...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Workplace Relations and Safety, Hon. Brooke van Velden, will travel to the Republic of Korea to represent New Zealand at the Third Summit for Democracy on 18 March. The summit, hosted by the Republic of Korea, was first convened by the United States in 2021, ...
ICNZ Speech 7 March 2024, Auckland Acknowledgements and opening Mōrena, ngā mihi nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Good morning, it’s a privilege to be here to open the ICNZ annual conference, thank you to Mark for the Mihi Whakatau My thanks to Tim Grafton for inviting me ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Lead Coordination Minister Judith Collins have expressed their deepest sympathy on the five-year anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. “March 15, 2019, was a day when families, communities and the country came together both in sorrow and solidarity,” Mr Luxon says. “Today we pay our respects to the 51 shuhada ...
Speech for Financial Advice NZ Conference 5 March 2024 Acknowledgements and opening Morena, Nga Mihi Nui. Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Nor Whanganui aho. Thanks Nate for your Mihi Whakatau Good morning. It’s a pleasure to formally open your conference this morning. What a lovely day in Wellington, What a great ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters held discussions in Jakarta today about the future of relations between New Zealand and South East Asia’s most populous country. “We are in Jakarta so early in our new government’s term to reflect the huge importance we place on our relationship with Indonesia and South ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters has announced that the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, will visit New Zealand next week. “We look forward to re-engaging with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and discussing the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, which is one of New Zealand’s ...
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has today opened the new Auckland Rail Operations Centre, which will bring together KiwiRail, Auckland Transport, and Auckland One Rail to improve service reliability for Aucklanders. “The recent train disruptions in Auckland have highlighted how important it is KiwiRail and Auckland’s rail agencies work together to ...
The Government is proud to support the 10th edition of Crankworx Rotorua as the Crankworx World Tour returns to Rotorua from 16-24 March 2024, says Minister for Economic Development Melissa Lee. “Over the past 10 years as Crankworx Rotorua has grown, so too have the economic and social benefits that ...
Legislation implementing coalition Government tax commitments and addressing long-standing tax anomalies will be progressed in Parliament next week, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The legislation is contained in an Amendment Paper to the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill issued today. “The Amendment Paper represents ...
Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard has today announced that the Government has agreed to suspend the requirement for councils to comply with the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) provisions of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for three years, while it replaces the Resource Management Act (RMA).“As it stands, SNAs ...
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay has classified the drought conditions in the Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts as a medium-scale adverse event, acknowledging the challenging conditions facing farmers and growers in the district. “Parts of Marlborough, Tasman, and Nelson districts are in the grip of an intense dry spell. I know ...
The Government is helping farmers eradicate the significant impact of facial eczema (FE) in pastoral animals, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “A $20 million partnership jointly funded by Beef + Lamb NZ, the Government, and the primary sector will save farmers an estimated NZD$332 million per year, and aims to ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has completed a successful visit to India, saying it was an important step in taking the relationship between the two countries to the next level. “We have laid a strong foundation for the Coalition Government’s priority of enhancing New Zealand-India relations to generate significant future benefit for both countries,” says Mr Peters, ...
Cabinet has agreed to provide $7 million to ensure the 2024 ski season can go ahead on the Whakapapa ski field in the central North Island but has told the operator Ruapehu Alpine Lifts it is the last financial support it will receive from taxpayers. Cabinet also agreed to provide ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says the launch of a new mobile breast screening unit in Counties Manukau reinforces the coalition Government’s commitment to drive better cancer services for all New Zealanders. Speaking at the launch of the new mobile clinic, Dr Reti says it’s a great example of taking ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Unlocking economic growth and land for housing are critical elements of the Government’s plan for our transport network, and planned upgrades to State Highway 29 (SH29) near Tauriko will deliver strongly on those priorities, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “The SH29 upgrades near Tauriko will improve safety at the intersections ...
Lower fruit and vegetable prices are welcome news for New Zealanders who have been doing it tough at the supermarket, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. Stats NZ reported today the price of fruit and vegetables has dropped 9.3 percent in the 12 months to February 2024. “Lower fruit and vege ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
Tēnā koutou katoa and greetings to you all. Chair, I am honoured to address the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I acknowledge the many crises impacting the rights of women and girls. Heightened global tensions, war, climate related and humanitarian disasters, and price inflation all ...
The coalition Government is supporting farmers to enhance land management practices by investing $3.3 million in locally led catchment groups, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced. “Farmers and growers deliver significant prosperity for New Zealand and it’s vital their ongoing efforts to improve land management practices and water quality are supported,” ...
Good evening everyone and thank you for that lovely introduction. Thank you also to the Honourable Simon Bridges for the invitation to address your members. Since being sworn in, this coalition Government has hit the ground running with our 100-day plan, delivering the changes that New Zealanders expect of us. ...
Recommendations from the Climate Change Commission for New Zealand on the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction and unit limit settings for the next five years have been tabled in Parliament, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. “The Commission provides advice on the ETS annually. This is the third time the ...
The coalition Government is beginning its fight to lower building costs and reduce red tape by exempting minor building work from paying the building levy, says Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk. “Currently, any building project worth $20,444 including GST or more is subject to the building levy which is ...
Proposed changes to tax legislation to prevent the over-taxation of low-earning trusts are welcome, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The changes have been recommended by Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee following consideration of submissions on the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023–24, Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill. “One of the ...
Assalaamu alaikum. السَّلَام عليكم In light of the holy month of Ramadan, I want to extend my warmest wishes to our Muslim community in New Zealand. Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, renewed devotion, perseverance, generosity, and forgiveness. It’s a time to strengthen our bonds and appreciate the diversity ...
Former Transport Minister and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber Hon Simon Bridges has been appointed as the new Board Chair of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for a three-year term, Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced today. “Simon brings extensive experience and knowledge in transport policy and governance to the role. He will ...
Good morning all, it is a pleasure to be here as Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology. It is fantastic to see how connected and collaborative the life science and biotechnology industry is here in New Zealand. I would like to thank BioTechNZ and NZTech for the invitation to address ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says he is looking forward to the day when three key water projects in Northland are up and running, unlocking the full potential of land in the region. Mr Jones attended a community event at the site of the Otawere reservoir near Kerikeri on Friday. ...
Associate Finance Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government has agreed to restore deductibility for mortgage interest on residential investment properties. “Help is on the way for landlords and renters alike. The Government’s restoration of interest deductibility will ease pressure on rents and simplify the tax code,” says ...
Sport and Recreation Minister Chris Bishop will travel to Switzerland today to attend an Executive Committee meeting and Symposium of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mr Bishop will then travel on to London where he will attend a series of meetings in his capacity as Infrastructure Minister. “New Zealanders believe ...
This year’s Pacific Language Weeks celebrate regional unity and the contribution of Pacific communities to New Zealand culture, says Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti. Dr Reti announced dates for the 2024 Pacific Language Weeks during a visit to the Pasifika festival in Auckland today and says there’s so ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Curran, Associate Professor of Ecology, Lincoln University, New Zealand Getty Images/Gerald Corsi In the latest move to reform environmental laws in New Zealand, the coalition government has introduced a bill to fast-track consenting processes for projects deemed to ...
Uber has argued it does not have as much control over drivers as the unions suggest, and wants a judgment ruling that drivers are employees and not contractors set aside and sent back to the Employment Court. The 2022 ruling followed a three-week hearing in which four drivers sought to ...
What can and can’t be purchased by disabled people or their carers has been slashed in an effort by the Ministry of Disabled People Whaikaha to save money. The purchasing guidelines, a set of rules that sets out what can be purchased using the various streams of Government disability funding, ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Tod Wright and Hien Nguyen, Fiscal incidence in New Zealand: The effects of taxes and benefits on household incomes in tax year 2018/19 . Analyses of the distributional impact of taxation and government ...
The Treasury has published today a new Analytical Note by Cory Davis, Boston Hart and Benjamin Stubbing, Household cost-of-living impacts from the Emissions Trading Scheme and using transfers to mitigate regressive outcomes . This Analytical Note ...
A coalition of public transport and climate organisations, united as ‘Transport for All’, is actively opposing the government’s transport proposals. The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) includes plans for higher fares for public transport, ...
Greater Wellington is inviting feedback on proposed changes to its Revenue and Financing Policy. The Revenue and Financing Policy covers the Council’s various sources of funding, and how the cost of services is shared across the region. This includes ...
Labour has conceded it could have done more to deal with disruptive state housing tenants while in government but says the current coalition is going too far. ...
The band has asked their record label to issue a cease and desist to stop the NZ First leader using their 1997 hit to support his ‘misguided political views’. “I get knocked down, but I get up again,” blared through the speakers on Sunday as Winston Peters took the stage ...
By Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific journalist Food rationing is underway in remote areas in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands following torrential rain and flash flooding. More than 20 people have been reported dead in Chimbu Province. In nearby Enga Province, the centre of last month’s massacre, a 15-year-old boy has been ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hughes, Lecturer, Research School of Management, Australian National University After months of debate and intrigue, the AFL’s 19th and newest team, the Tasmania Devils, finally launched its jumper, logo and colours in Devonport this week. The Devils will wear green, ...
Brannavan Gnanalingam reviews the debut novel by Saraid de Silva.One of the most baffling things for children who move to a new country is what their parents’ (or grandparents’) lives were like prior to moving – for kids in particular, they’re too busy trying to fit in in their ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gaunson, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, RMIT University Narelle Portanier/Binge “If you don’t know who your mob are, you don’t know who you are,” Detective Andrea “Andie” Whitford (played by Leah Purcell) is told early into the new crime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elise Klein, Associate professor, Australian National University It’s commonly accepted that women do the vast majority of caregiving in Australian society. But less appreciated is that Indigenous women do larger amounts of unpaid care than any other group. Working with the Aboriginal ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne Joe Biden and Donald Trump have both secured their parties’ nominations for the November 5 United States general election by winning a ...
Comment: There has been a striking contrast in trans-Tasman interest about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Zealand and Australia. While the Australian press has been full of articles about the visit – including his curious decision to meet with former prime minister and China booster Paul Keating ...
After years of pressuring banks and other institutions to stop investing in fossil fuels, climate campaigners are making some progress. So how does divestment work?For years, climate activists have been pushing banks and other big institutions to divest from fossil fuels. New research from climate advocacy group 350 Aotearoa ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. The three young Polynesians are part of a K-pop fan community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s one of many that have sprung up worldwide as K-pop has gone ...
For Boba, Ethan and Ashley, K-pop is a place to belong, a way to express themselves, and a bridge to connect with others. This one-off documentary presents three intimate portraits of young Polynesians who are pulled into a Korean cultural phenomenon. K-POLYS is directed by Litia Tuiburelevu, Produced by Hex ...
There’s ample evidence demonstrating free school lunch programmes provide wide benefits across schools, households and communities according to public health researchers. ACT Minister David Seymour wants to reduce the spending on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ...
By Wata Shaw in Suva Fiji is facing an exodus of Fijians as many are leaving for overseas seeking employment and education and others are migrating, says Opposition MP Viliame Naupoto. Speaking in Parliament, he said: “His Excellency’s speech (Ratu Wiliame Katonivere) comes after a little over one year of ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming comments from Christopher Luxon this morning recommitting to ‘no new taxes’ as part of Budget 2024. “Mr Luxon’s refusal at the Post-Cabinet press conference yesterday to repeat the ‘no new taxes’ promise ...
SAFE is urgently calling on the Environment Committee to reject the Government’s Fast-Track Approvals Bill, and is urging New Zealanders to rally behind the call. The proposed Bill, currently under consideration with the Environment select committee, ...
Teammates who spend all their time picking fights with spectators are only helpful for the other team, writes Madeleine Chapman. Anyone who has ever played a team sport competitively, particularly as a child and particularly, for some reason, basketball, will know that there’s a lot of politics involved. While there ...
The long-running Wellington music festival is too focused on the Jim Beam-ness and not enough on the Homegrown-ness.There is something about Homegrown that’s difficult to place. A barely perceptible-ness. Like feeling a ghost is watching you from the corner of the room but when you look, there’s nothing there. ...
The latest Ipsos New Zealand Issues Monitor reveals that fewer New Zealanders believe crime / law and order is one of the top issues facing our country. In 2018, Ipsos New Zealand started tracking the key issues facing New Zealand. In this wave ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Deputy Program Director, Budgets and Government, Grattan Institute Australia’s political donations rules are woefully inadequate, but donations reform is finally on the agenda. The federal government has signalled its interest in reform and will soon begin briefing MPs on its ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Naiyana Somchitkaeo/Shutterstock A recent study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has linked microplastics with risk to human health. The study ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Albert Van Dijk, Professor, Water and Landscape Dynamics, Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University Global climate records were shattered in 2023, from air and sea temperatures to sea-level rise and sea-ice extent. Scores of countries recorded their hottest year ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a teacher explains why he and his partner are in frugal mode – and how they’re making it work. Gender: Male Age: 35Ethnicity: Pākehā Role: I am an intermediate school teacher and my partner is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bendall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University Binge Mary & George, the new British television drama series, depicts the real-life story of Mary Villiers and her son George, and their social climbing at the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jason Nassios, Associate Professor, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University This article is part of The Conversation’s series examining the housing crisis. Read the other articles in the series here. Australian state and federal governments spend money in many ways to ...
The finance minister is denying that there’s a $5.6b shortfall in paying for the government’s campaign promises, including tax cuts. At his post-cabinet press conference yesterday, the PM refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the cuts, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s ...
Kāinga Ora tenants abused by their neighbours are doubting the government's crackdown on disruptive tenants will make a difference on their behaviour. ...
Kāinga Ora is New Zealand’s biggest residential landlord, housing more than 180,000 vulnerable people in more than 67,000 properties. Yesterday the government announced a crackdown on its tenants who fall behind on rent. One longtime Kāinga Ora tenant shares her experience.For 18 years I lived in a 1960s standalone ...
Why does this myth persist, and what’s the real reason our skin is suffering?It’s one of the biggest international grievances New Zealanders hold, up there with the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior and 1981’s underarm incident. We’re quick to tell international travellers that the world’s pollution led to the ...
When the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act was introduced in 2009 it was firmly targeted at gangs and drugs. The legislation means police no longer need a conviction to seize assets that criminals can’t prove were paid for legitimately, as long as their alleged offences are punishable by more than a ...
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Bob’s relationship with certain members of Lincoln’s academic staff continued to deteriorate in the 1990s. Others supported him publicly, though articles such as Roland Clark’s 1993 piece in Growing Today cannot have pleased the university management. Clark wrote that Bob was selling onions from the Biological Husbandry Unit to a ...
SailGP’s races feature in-your-face action, with agile, hydro-foiling catamarans tacking and jibing for the title over several days. However, public comments ahead of the global series’ return to New Zealand have left this past year’s controversy in the shadows, as a key appointment attracts criticism from dolphin advocates. A year ...
Opinion: We are fast approaching a fundamental change in prisons. As the number of people on custodial remand looks set to overtake the number of sentenced prisoners, the main function of prisons in New Zealand may become incarcerating un-sentenced people who may not be guilty of offending. We have already ...
A huge seven months lies in store for the White Ferns, beginning this week with the visit of England and culminating with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September and October. Starting on Tuesday in Dunedin, the world ranked No. 2 visitors will play five T20s and three ODIs, ...
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The Taliban have announced that women in Afghanistan will be allowed to study at university.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/12/afghan-women-university-female-only-classrooms-taliban-say
Doesn't sound promising. Either the Taliban leadership are not co-ordinating thinking with each other, or they are connivingly talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time. Most likely the latter.
lol I see Cathy Odgers blog has been taken down; can we assume she has gone to join Jordon, Ani and Cameron in LOTO's office?
She's even worse than Judith. A total psychopath. Judith at least has the odd moment of empathy for others – albeit very selective.
Ah, "Leader Of The Opposition", aka "Lord Of The Oafs" 🙂
There was a piece in stuff abt 70 woman who had a medical mask exemption. Cant find the link now)
She was denied access to Countdown.
What struck me was the lack of help/solutions for her to get her food.
No one suggested shopping on line and getting food delivered (15$, which is probably bus fare as she travelled on a bus to the store)
(Yea i know 70, no internet/cards etc)
This it?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300404515/shocked-and-suffocated–woman-who-cannot-wear-a-mask-told-she-was-not-welcome-at-dunedin-supermarket
Thanks Gezza.
(Hang my head in shame for an hr)
For heaven's sake. Why? Happens to me sometimes. No harm done.
Point is, you spotted it & you cared. If I see something similar happen I might step in with your suggestion. 👍🏼
And the other thing they could have considered is perhaps invite her to phone her orders in in future. Cash or Eftpos on delivery.
We need to look after our kaumatua better than this !
There are also local groups who shop for people – all it takes sometimes is connecting them up.
Yes. I was thinking of phone in if she didn't have internet, but it's just occurred to me there may be an issue paying at the door if it's supposed to be a socially distant, contactless delivery. Possibly not an issue though if she has gloves and/or hand-sanitises before paying.
Whatever, either way they should have displayed a little humanity and figured out a solution for a long term, aged customer.
Some elderly folk want to go to the supermarket. For many it might be the only time they get to have a legitimate outing during a lock-down. I have joked that my trips to the local sm are the highlight of my week – a demonstration how grim it is under a lengthy lockdown 4.
My current gripe is how many people are ignoring the distancing rules inside the supermarket. The main culprits are entitled late 20s to early 40s Mums (got a lot of them in my neck of the woods) who think everybody should get out of their way.
I have a cure for that. Position yourself in front of them if you can and pretend to be concentrating on the shelf merchandise – or the waist height fridges – then move backwards straight into their overloaded trolleys. With a bit of luck some of their produce will fall out onto the floor. They soon get out of your way albeit with sullen looks n'all.
Best to ensure you are well padded around the rear so as not to injure yourself in the process.
Looks like a poor decision by the manager.
Its in no way the same, but I was once followed around a supermarket by security on account of bringing reuseable bags and placing items in them. I made a point of taking them to the checkout and getting the clerk to see the empty bags while repacking (asking because the security supposedly thought I would shop lift).
Unsurprisingly it never happened again, though I shopped at the same store with the same guard working.
Interestingly, whenever I read or hear of poor treatment of customers concerning covid behaviour it is always Countdown. Do you think it could have anything to do with it being an Australian company and therefore not quite on board with the way we do it here?
I/m in Tawa, North Welly. I mainly shop at the local New World because it's closest and I find the staff & supervisors generally more chatty & friendly. I get on well with one of the owners, used to phone her to hold made up deli meals for me.
It's smaller than Countdown, so has a bit more of a village store feel to it. Only downside is they're not always cheaper, and they soon dispense with stock items that don't sell quickly in volume.
Countdown operation's much larger, so I'll go there for those items. I find it a bit more impersonal & the staff not quite so friendly, but their regulars may have a different take on that.
Mine was not in a NZ supermarket, and I would hardly expect to see it here.
Just highlighting sometimes another way of dealing with dumb rules is to make it absolutely clear your following them.
Hang on dv. There's plenty of us over 70 who are internet savvy, have cars and cards etc.
Yea I know, but just trying head off some idiot agent commenters
“Each Thursday for the last two decades she has caught a bus to shop at Countdown in central Dunedin.”
…
I took it that dv was mainly concerned she may not have a car, & possibly has no one to shop for her.
Yes that is a good deduction.
Does this read like a guy impaired after a major stroke?
https://twitter.com/coughlthom/status/1437151588313755653
Yours faithfully
Yea right
And how many hours will be needed for such and essential task in the midst of a crisis.
We get it all the time from outfits like the Taxpayers' Union about the PM employing a thousand communications staff. They're needed – to attend to the mindless stuff like the Slater request.
Probably no time as there maybe no communication other than health related.
Slater is trying to make himself look like a political mover and shaker again.
This steaming pile, assembled in grotesque mockery of the human form, Mr Slater, is back again–seriously?
No. It looks like a guy temporarily impaired for a probably very short time after a minor stroke from which he has now recovered completely.
This is sick and ridiculous. Seems no matter how low & despicable he gets, there's always scope for deterioration.
Going by his previous behavior it wont suprise me if his spy has footage of them leaving Judges bay via car.
He's sitting on it for now hoping to catch the govt out most damage possible…
They were on a bicycle ride. You are allowed to go on bicycle rides up to a 5 km radius from your home. That is exactly what Wiles did. It has been demonstrated by Ashley Bloomfield and others that she broke no rules.
Its my view the PM's office should refuse to supply the information on the grounds of it being prejudicial to national security. Now that would up the stakes enormously and we could enjoy the spectacle of a monumental Slater meltdown from our Lockdown 4 sofas – popcorn optional.
National security Yep that's a good idea.
"Its my view the PM's office should refuse to supply the information on the grounds of it being prejudicial to national security".
What would you suggest when an appeal is made to the Ombudsman who then ruled, as he probably would, that there was no matter of National Security involved and ordered that the information should be released?
That would simply leave the PM up for claims of a cover- up. What on earth is the gain in that? Why make a big story out of nothing?
Better grounds is vexacious nonsense during a significant national emergency. Transcripts supplied some weeks after lockdown ends.
Yes.
You could probably try that Robert, but I'm not sure if it is a valid reason for a refusal to release the material.
You will probably get a rap over the knuckles by the Ombudsman though and that is something politicians never win.. It is rather like getting an adverse opinion from the Auditor-General. You may think you are in the right, as Helen Clark apparently did with the pledge card, but the public always sides with the Ombudsman or the AG and believes that there was something dreadfully smelly being done by the pollie.
Withholding info in this case would only seem to be possible under 9 (2) (f) or (g), and that isn't your ground for doing so.
https://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/policy_and_legislation/Prison-Operations-Manual/Public-RL/C.05.Res.01-Grounds-for-refusing-external-parties-request-for-information
Meh – OIA requests were taking up to a year under Key, and coming out heavily redacted at that. Those manicured knuckles never got many of their richly deserved smacks.
The information may be fully released, but it needn't be on Whaleoil's dirt unit's timetable.
Yes, the godkey was often in no rush to respond to OIAs, and according to Nicky Hager’s “Dirty Politics” sometimes Mr Slater got an early peek via Key’s Office…
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/257009/pm-admits-govt-uses-delaying-tactics
alwyn, your SoH needs a clean and polish.
Perhaps you are right. You might think I am being too fastidious but I have never found anything humorous at all in the idea that our Government should even consider breaking the law. I consider it to be completely unforgiveable and find people remarking on it being acceptable, even if they claim that they are joking quite appalling.
To each her own I suppose. If you make it into a position of such power I hope you will change your mind though.
I think you are being simplistic by thinking of "the government" as a single united entity. its not, and never will be. go and watch the brilliant film"brazil". a single dead fly leads to total anarchy and chaos.
Why make a big story out of nothing? Don't know the answer to that. I'll have to ask Cameron and Judith.
He's heading towards a cliff, just like last time, the same cliff Judith Collins is hell-bent on throwing herself over.
Hope the assignee is heading for his assets..
On my daily walk up Mt Eden this morning I was somewhat surprised to see unmasked workman cutting the grass.
We're in level 4 I just dont see how this can be considered an essential service. The grass isnt overly long its not a fire risk and if its ok does that mean the local mowing contractor can work under level 4?
I think you will find that heavy physical work makes it difficult to wear a mask.
Sure, but we're in level 4 in Auckland right?
So long as they are a safe distance thats not going to pose a risk.keeping grass short stops vermin.
It does. But if people loading trucks, trains and ships can wear them………
That is true, but businesses and/or management have had a year and a half to work out protocols and manning under different levels. If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.
The virus doesn't stop transmission just because the worker prefers to work unmasked for comfort. Either accept reduced productivity or increase manning.
I dont get why grass cutting is even considered essential under level 4. Makes a mockery of the 'essential' bit especially when say a butcher cant open contractors cant mow grass on private property etc its the lack of consistancy that gets me.
Also an injury risk. I don't get it either.
If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.
It’s all about risk. If you can go to the beach sans mask at level 4, then the risk would be similar to working outdoors.
Ralaxing on the beach well away from others, compared to workers on the same truck? Sure.
" If someone is working in a public place unmasked, there has been a failure somewhere.". Suppose we simply drop the word "working" from this sentence. It really makes no difference to the logic of your complaint and simply leaves you describing Siouxsie Wiles. A beach is a public place after all.
Now, are you joining the people who are complaining that Dr Wiles should have been taking her own advice and been wearing a mask at the beach?
If you see some difference between the situations perhaps you can tell me what is is. It certainly won't be a matter of proximity. People who do lawn mowing for a living are extremely careful about keeping very well clear of onlookers.
Alwynger She was wearing a mask and only took it off when no one was anywhere near who wasn't in her bubble.
Yes, but all I am asking is what is the difference between that and someone mowing lawns? Treat them both equally, since their situation is equal.
If you think that Siouxsie was behaving acceptably then you should feel the same way about the person doing the mowing. If you regard the mowing gentleman as being at fault you should say the Dr Wiles was as well.
I am asking Molly whether she is being consistent in her views.
That's a stretch, Alwyn.
As you know, I was talking about the responsibility of businesses and employers to ensure their staff, and those they interact with are kept safe, when they are permitted to operate within levels.
You have instead gone off again on your voyeuristic obsession with two women meeting on a beach within bubble rules.
Deliberately off topic, and somewhat stalkerish. Unfortunately, I don't think that observation will stop you doing it again. Don't worry, you are still rising to meet my low expectation of your replies.
Oh well.
What else should I have expected?
Voyeuristic? Obsession? stalkerish?
Realistic self-knowledge is a good start. Well done!
It was a bit weird, you turning the topic to Wiles at the beach.
Alwyns Conspiracy Theories =Association of Conspiracy Theorist's.
Flinging dirt trying to make it stick when it bounces back the minions have to mansplain their masters blow back .
heavy physical work makes it difficult to wear a mask.
Dunno about this. I'm sure I've seen workers on building sites in North Welly wearing masks.
And before Covid hit us I sometimes wore a surgical mask when we had Welly's infernal northerlies blowing pollen off the hills into my face when I was out mowing the lawns with my trusty push-mower for exercise.
Masks are actually pretty common in a range of trades, for dust especially, handling potting mix is another often very physical work invloved breaking or cutting concrete… no excuse really
Just on why they're doing it – it's windy & pouring with rain again in Welly. That'll be heading North pretty fast.
My lawns have been left for well over a month and they now look like prairies – grass is getting nearly a foot long in places.
Maybe they're just trying to get in before this latest dump of nature's irrigation system arrives? Gonna be a major challenge for a lawnmower here.
Nah just Kikuyu on the side of a hill with weed eaters not growing that quick cause its still a touch cold…
Not causing or close to causing an hazard either…
Plenty of ppl wearing masks down here in Dunedin, including workers, heavy & light, & ppl just walking outside with no one near them.
Prairies, what’s next? Gophers?😀
So much data!
https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/
https://infobeautiful4.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/03/Coronavirus-COVID19-riskiest-activities-03.png
I guess that lawn mowing is closest to outdoor exercise. That is seemingly safer than going to the beach, at least according to this diagram.
Watch for shared condiments though. 🙂
Well, how many people want to be within a few metres of someone cutting grass? Largely a solitary activity, in my experience.
So the mask issue isn't really a go-er. Sure, if you're walking down the street, or might be loitering within a few metres in a park or at the beach, but if you're the only ones in the area masking isn't an issue.
Going to the depot, loggin in/out, getting equipment – that's where the procedures for contactless transactions and masking needs to be practised.
As for the cutting itself – yeah, there's probably a fair bit of "essential? really?" in that. But then, if one waits until it actually is a fire hazard, one can't necessarily mow everywhere at once. So keeping all of it trimmed regularly could stop any of the backlog after lockdown becoming a hazard.
Well its not cutting the grass that is so problematic,it is wiping the ass.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1342325491093614592
That's intriguing.
I didn't even think of the chimnny effect when looking at the top of it – was more thinking that a decent flush would act like a piston, especially for the flats below.
The other thng that came to mind was that some places have phased out s-bend traps and gone with p-traps. A bit of information that came about when dealing with a particularly obstreperous sink blockage .
Interesting. L4 saw no let up in the top dressing activity which I thought had significant risks.
Plane take offs/landing's trucks about with fertilizer etc appears essential. Seemed odd.
Hopefully you stayed well clear like a responsible citizen.
Jude palin' around with a white nationalist.
Not surprising, Collins is targeting that demographic.
Hmmm wasn't sure that was:
A: palin' – as in being very pale i.e. white
B: palin as in Sarah Palin
C: palin' as being friendly with
D: All of the above
Had a similar initial reaction but concluded it couldn’t be B as lower case.
(I also wondered if it should've been pallin' & decided I was over-thinking it.)
B & C
(couldn't be arsed editing on a tablet)
https://www.denverpost.com/2008/10/04/palin-says-obama-palling-around-with-terrorists/
lol apparently onenews had some yank on doing the usual chicken little line: NZ's covid policy is unsustainable, yadda yadda, we're not vaxxing quickly enough.
Actual interview sounds fairly pointless, but a twitter response had a nice chart for all the local doomsayers. "If these trends continue", lol
https://twitter.com/GodlessLib_CB/status/1437177342779174912/photo/2
Do you have any good reason to explain why you think New Zealand will have a vaccination rate that will continue to accelerate after passing 50% when every other country apparently slows down? Why are we so distinctive, in your opinion.
Note I say "every other country" without having really checked all of them. Perhaps Luxembourg is different.
Well, uk/usa seemed to have a slowdown at 45%, and we pretty much skipped that.
But more to the point, my comment was about how doom and gloom merchants at the start of the pandemic were like "ohmagerd we're all screwed", but with other trends they, like you, are more cautious about extrapolating optimism therefrom.
But hey, I guess we'll see. I do find the relative differences in curves quite interesting, when NZ is measured against the two apparently main countries of origin of tweets concerned about NZ's freedoms, economy, "natural immunity", and other such bullshit.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/30/even-as-new-zealand-battles-covid-trust-in-government-bucks-global-trend
Possibly our vaccination rate has not slowed down because of the higher levels of trust and confidence shown in our government's handling of this pandemic.
The August 2021 Guardian article cited above canvasses this issue in some detail.
This level of trust has increased whereas countries with lower levels of trust in their government have seen those levels fall further, presumably along with their government's standards of good stewardship and resultant poorer outcomes.
I suspect what McFlock mentions above as the gloom and doom merchants have a large measure of their disgruntlement as a result of seeing a small, socially cohesive society well governed by an empathetic and left wing government which pays due attention to scientific advice from a credible civil service and trusted public health system.
I have been in the last decade well served by this health service with several serious issues. I have trust and confidence.
So does my age cohort as I have been involved with a telephone campaign contacting seniors during lockdown and the responses showed high levels of satisfaction with current practice.
A confidence rating reaching at its peak in excess of 80% as the Guardian article cites is exceptional globally.
"Why are we so distinctive, in your opinion?"
Cultural factors may help us be a relatively high performer – though this is a guess obviously. Things like:
So here's hoping.
Nice analysis. 👍🏼
+100
In regards to the team of 5 million, I thought it was mildly derivative of the 'stadium of 5 (4?) million' that was used here in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
I'd add to that the oral tradition of Maori who well remember their losses from the Spanish influenza epidemic and both the sheer volume of people (60% in some hapu) that were lost – plus all the handed down unwritten knowledge that went with them. Their fast, quick, collective and empathic response this time around laid part of the bed rock for New Zealand's response.
This was much more a lived response and a collective interest one. Sure their are shades of similar experience in many of our European communities as well – miners, unionism, etc but you can't beat the personal.
Maori ways of thinking are embedded in our culture – often without us realising it. As Lorde noted with her latest release in Te Reo.
"Lorde acknowledged in a statement that while she is not Māori, one of her main realizations while making the album is that much of her value system around "caring for and listening to the natural world" comes from traditional Māori principles."
Our history of high uptakes of vaccines and the fact we have kept Covid out longer than most countries people know that to have those freedoms we need high rates of vaccination and we are seeing people aren't afraid of vaccines in this country.
So by the mid october we will be at 60% fully vaccinated and 90% with a single jab. Amazing
we-ell that's a big call, but the general gist is that we seem to be catching up quicker as they slow down.
Where is our roadmap to freedom then?
At this stage, still on the track that was announced mid-August.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/300403541/vaccine-passports-this-year-pm-says-no-change-to-2022-border-opening
https://www.scribd.com/document/519808209/Reconnecting-New-Zealanders-to-the-World#fullscreen&from_embed
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-sets-out-plan-reconnect-new-zealanders-world
Auckland is doing it tough at the moment with the low rate of testing the govt should hand out food vouchers and food parcels when they roll up to be tested and vaccinated.
Grant Robertson get the cheque book out. Also Auckland should be given a $ billion for council and another top up for businesses as well as those who have lost their jobs.
Can't say much agin getting the chequebook out, for sure.
Hope for National – instead of trying to make a new leader out of the odd assemblage of troughers and sow's ears the party has left, they can have a new, smart, attractive leader, and they won't even have to pay her.
Open the caucus room doors Sophia.
I'm afraid I can't do that Simon.
Like that Stuart NICE
I find that robot kinda creepy.
Aspects of her remind me of Data, of Star Trek Next Generation.
Actually, aspects of Mark Zuckerberg do the same.
Dunno where AI learning evolution is going to eventually take us, but one hopes intelligent robots never get to a point where we rely on them to protect our environment & they figure out that at our worst we can be like a plague. 😮
Why we should all care about how our cities are “designed.”
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2021/09/13/everyone-should-care-about-urbanism-and-heres-why/
A good read. Welly gets a mention or two. Wellington's got excellent commuter rail services from outer suburbs to the CBD (I took the train to & from work for about 30 years).
Don't know if the inner-suburban bus services are all that crash-hot these days. They were frequent & reliable when I first moved to Te Whanganui-a-Tara from Taranaki in 1974 & flatted initially in Mt Victoria & then Brooklyn, before moving to the Northern Suburbs (Tawa).
A couple of decades back there were quite a lot of conversions of vacant office blocks into private apartments in places like The Terrace. I expect there are new apartment blocks still going up in the city & the views from most will be good.
Only problem at the moment is there are a few places I wouldn't even go in daylight in the City Centre because of well-reported issues with abuse of the public & general public misbehaviour of some of the residents recently given inner city emergency housing in the city.